A Girl From Nowhere (The Firewall Trilogy #1) - James Maxwell Page 0,41
made up the points of their javelins.
His thoughts whirled. He knew that in the same position Lars would leave him; the skinner was a survivor. Abi’s voice in his head told him he should see Selena to safety, and together they could continue their search for the white city.
But Taimin knew he couldn’t leave Lars behind.
Then he blinked, and three black shapes stood in the gully, directly in front of him, barely paces away.
Lars bellowed and already his axe was in his hands. He cut the air, but the black figures easily avoided his wild swings. Taimin still held Selena’s hand and he pulled her behind him as he drew his sword. In the sudden commotion, Griff was nowhere to be seen.
Something green and glowing arced from above to strike the wall of the gully. A burst of flame erupted from the rock wall and sparks shot in all directions. In the flash of light, Taimin saw skalen lining the ravine, each holding a poised javelin. Behind the three skalen in front of him were many more, crowded into the gully with weapons ready.
Taimin’s nostrils flared. There was no use fighting. He lowered his sword and even Lars stood panting. As silence filled the air, broken only by heavy breathing, the crimson Lux climbed above the lip of the ravine. In the low red sunlight Taimin felt a stab of fear when he saw the three dark figures in front of him revealed in detail. He had always been curious about skalen, but this wasn’t how he had imagined his first encounter.
The centermost skalen, the tallest of the three, tilted his head as he regarded each human with almond eyes. His face was flat, with high cheekbones and a small chin, and a handful of dark feathers sprouted from his scalp. He wore a fan-like metal necklace and a cloth garment covered his torso, gathered in by a wide leather belt. Tight leather trousers were also tucked into high boots. Where some of the other skalen had bronze-colored neckpieces, this skalen’s was made of shining steel.
“Definitely humans,” he said to his companions. He took a step back and turned to nod at the skalen flanking him. “Kill them.”
“Wait!” Lars cried. “I claim trade rights. As a watch leader, you must honor my right to offer trade.”
“Interesting,” the skalen with the steel neckpiece hissed as he turned his attention to Lars. “You know our customs, human.”
Lux’s blood-red light grew stronger, and Taimin saw the skalen’s tilted eyes cloud over, as if a protective film were falling into place. Taimin risked a glance at Selena. Her face was pale. He had made the honorable choice in not leaving Lars, but it might have been a fateful one.
“I have traded many times with Treesk of Reswith Watch,” Lars said, clearly finding the strange names hard to form.
“I know Treesk,” the skalen said. “Tell me, human, what do you have to trade? I hold your lives, and my mother, who leads here, commands a hundred warriors. I doubt there is much you can offer that I cannot take for myself.”
Taimin knew the look of desperation on Lars’s face, but it gradually shifted to a familiar cunning. “You must have close to an entire clan here,” Lars said. “We both know that a large group brings dangers of its own. We’re not far from the firewall. How many will die if you get caught in a firestorm? You don’t leave your mines without purpose. Perhaps you need the help of a mystic where you’re going.”
The skalen—Lars had called him a watch leader—gave Lars a careful inspection. “You are a mystic?”
“No,” Selena said. She came forward. “I am.”
The watch leader opened his mouth, displaying rows of pointed teeth. “We already have a mystic. My cousin, Aris.” He called over his shoulder. “Aris! Someone fetch him.”
A younger skalen pushed through to the top of the opposite wall of the gully. “I am here, Watch Leader Rees.”
“Aris, tell me, is this human female a mystic?”
Aris looked at Selena with narrowed eyes. Selena stood her ground and returned his reptilian stare. All of a sudden Aris drew back, his expression fearful. “She is untrained, but she has power, Watch Leader Rees.”
“More power than you?”
Aris gave a soft snort. “I can barely cast a few miles.”
“So that is a yes.” Rees dragged out the last syllable in a soft hiss. “You have my interest, human,” he addressed Lars. “You have bought her life. Unfortunately, you have not—”