The Whitefire Crossing - By Courtney Schafer Page 0,160

I hadn’t truly thought to see her again. But against all odds, I’d survived not just one, but two angry blood mages. Slow satisfaction warmed my chest. Miracle of Khalmet, indeed.

Cara glanced my way, and her eyes widened. She sprang from the chair, beaming at me. “Dev! You’re awake!”

I tried to sit up, and flopped back with a groan. Khalmet’s hand, my body felt like tumbling boulders had ground me to powder.

Worse than my weak, aching muscles was the dull emptiness in my head where the Taint had been. Gods, to have it back, only to have it ripped away again...bitterness scalded me. Grimly, I buried it deep. Fuck if I’d fall into sniveling despair like some newly Changed city brat. I’d survived the Change; I could handle this.

Besides, maybe I could get that charm back.

Cara slid a strong arm behind my shoulders and lifted me to a sitting position. “Easy. You’ve been down a whole week.” She stuffed pillows behind my back, one warm hand lingering on my shoulder.

“A week?” The charm had fucked me over, and no mistake. But maybe if I wore it only for brief bursts of time, or if—

I yanked myself free of speculation. Better not to think of it, not until I had a chance at the charm. Instead, I surveyed the room. Polished walls of red-gold cinnabar wood, no decorations, plain but sturdy furniture. No question I was in Alathia. I stiffened and grabbed Cara’s wrist. “Wait, what are you still doing here? We agreed you’d ride for Ninavel!” I’d meant her to take my hard-earned pay and head straight for Red Dal and Melly.

“The Alathians insisted I testify before the Council here in Tamanath,” Cara said. “And after...well, if you think I’d leave when you were barely breathing and had one foot in Shaikar’s hells, you’re crazy.”

This was Tamanath, not Kost? Shit.

“The Alathians found us, then.” I’d hoped to sneak across the border using Simon’s charm and leave the Alathians none the wiser. I should’ve guessed they’d be watching the border keen as banehawks after I’d sent Cara to them.

“A good thing, too,” Cara said severely. “You’d have died if they hadn’t. Khalmet’s hand, Dev, you nearly died anyway, even with the best healers in Tamanath working on you. They said you used some blood mage charm that chewed your insides to shreds.” She glared at me. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“That I’d prefer a delayed death to an immediate one. Seriously, Cara, that charm’s the only reason we survived Ruslan.” I had no intention of admitting that while I’d put it on to save Kiran, I’d kept it on for other reasons entirely.

Kiran...oh, hell. “What happened to Kiran? Where is he?” Suliyya grant he’d run before the Alathians came.

But Cara wouldn’t meet my gaze, her face suddenly shuttered.

“Cara. Just tell me.”

She sighed. “The Alathians arrested him. They saw him use Simon’s charm to cross the border. He’s charged with both blood magic and border violation.”

Gods all damn it, exactly what I’d feared would happen if the Alathians got their hands on him. Both offenses were grounds for execution. Even if Kiran was as hard to kill as Pello had claimed, no doubt the Alathians would find a way in the end.

The skin around Cara’s eyes creased with worry. “I asked to see him, but they won’t even tell me where he is. Hell, I barely managed to get in here to see you. I did find out they mean to have some kind of Council hearing over Kiran. I think the Council’s been waiting for you to wake up—they want you as a witness to the crimes.”

I jerked upright, heedless of the protest from abused muscles. “If the Alathians think I’ll sign Kiran’s execution order for them—after all I just went through to keep him alive!—they can rot in Shaikar’s innermost—”

“You won’t have a choice. I talked to some of the guards. They said the questioning will be run by mages, and they’ll use truth spells.” Cara looked unhappy. “They used one on me back in Kost. The way everyone in Ninavel sneers over Alathian magic, I’d thought to find it no stronger than a loosetongue charm—but Dev, that spell was nothing to sneer at. Trust me, you won’t be able to hold anything back.”

Oh, fuck. No denying Kiran was a blood mage, and that he’d worked blood magic. Harken and the other dead at the convoy...I no longer doubted that Kiran had only meant to save lives, not take