Snake Heart (Chains of Honor #2) -Lindsay Buroker Page 0,22

back in here. They should trigger any traps first.”

“The Kyattese are here? How do you know?”

“They left their underwater boat in the pool.” Yanko wasn’t surprised she hadn’t seen it in the dark. If he hadn’t been searching the area with more than his eyes, he would not have, either.

“That’s perfect.” Lakeo clenched a fist. “I was worried about how we’d get off this island if Baldie didn’t come back. We can just make sure we get out of here before the Kyattese and borrow their boat.”

“Borrow? Steal, you mean.”

“I always get those two words mixed up. Look, either they go home with the prize or we do.”

“We could barely drive my father’s carriage down to Red Sky. What do we know about piloting an underwater boat?”

Yanko shook his head and continued forward. He did heed Lakeo’s warning and advanced at a slower pace, searching the walls, floor, and ceiling with his mind while watching with his eyes. It was possible the Kyattese knew there were traps and how to avoid them, so he shouldn’t assume the other team would trigger them. He didn’t even know for sure that they were back here. The Kyattese could be elsewhere, exploring the island.

His senses jangled, and Yanko stopped, frowning at the ceiling. The passage ahead did not appear any different from what they had been walking through, but he had the same feeling he had when in the presence of Made objects. Something was either hidden behind the rocks up there, or the rocks themselves had been imbued with the ability to do something.

“Maybe we could kidnap one and force him to pilot,” Lakeo said.

“What? Are you still thinking about the boat?”

“Yes, aren’t you?”

“Not presently.”

Yanko picked up a rock and tossed it into the passage ahead, expecting it to trigger the trap. It clattered along the stone floor loudly enough to make him wince. They had traveled deep enough that the roar of the waterfall had faded, leaving him aware of the silence—and breaking it.

“That looks like a fun game.” Lakeo picked up a rock. “Shall I throw one too?”

“There’s a trap there.” Yanko waved toward the ceiling.

Lakeo threw her rock at it. Nothing happened. “You’re sure?”

“You can’t feel that something Made is there? Close your eyes and concentrate. See if you can sense it.”

She squinted at him, as if suspicious he was making this up, but she did as he suggested. Meanwhile, he wondered if they could get past it without being hurt. If he knew what was coming, he might be able to thwart the attack, but knowing a Made item lay ahead did not tell him what it might do. He thought about digging into his pack and putting on his mother’s warrior mage robe, but he doubted it would make him any more intuitive or clever with his magic. It seemed to help with stamina and with channeling his power more effectively. Maybe he would need that later, but even here, on this remote island, he struggled to get past the idea that wearing that robe was a crime for him. He was no warrior mage, not yet. Maybe not ever unless he succeeded in helping his nation, and the Great Chief deigned to allow him entrance to Stargrind.

Yanko used his meager telekinesis skills to prod at the ceiling with his mind. When nothing happened, he switched his prodding to the floor, reasoning that the trap would be set to trigger when someone walked across. If he were better at levitation, he might have simply floated through the area. Maybe the Kyattese had done that.

Something in the rock depressed as he was poking around. Even though he should have expected something like that, it startled him.

Light and heat flared with the intensity of a sun. He stumbled back, raising an arm for protection and trying to channel cool air from behind him into the passage to push back the flames. His attempt to diminish the fire did nothing, and it continued to flood the tunnel with heat. Fortunately, all that heat stayed in the passage ahead. Yanko and Lakeo were far enough back that they were not hurt. After a minute, the inferno died out, leaving the tunnel as empty as before.

“I feel it now,” Lakeo announced.

“Your skills are progressing nicely.”

“Dak’s not here. I could smack you.”

“I do win most of the encounters when we spar, you know.”

“Yeah, but if a woman smacked you, you would let her, because you’d know you deserved it. If Arayevo smacked you,