(interlude - Zane)
Zane arrives at the palace by going through motions that have become familiar, his mind still floating on thoughts of his Naga. He is greeted warmly by his sister and mother, and with a grim amusement by Adelina and Alice.
He does not understand the amusement until he sees what his guardswomen have waiting for him: a pile of paperwork that covers an entire table in the room they have set up for him. He's fairly certain they could have taken care of this themselves, and he is even more certain he could call false their protests that his assistance in the preparation for Namir-da is not needed this day, but at the same time he understands it is his and Danica's responsibility. He begins reviewing the gathered files on the soldiers who have been determined to be incompatible with the idea of peace, and tries to form ideas for what can be done with them.
It is not a particularly engaging way to spend his afternoon, and Zane's mind constantly returns to Danica. Her parting words to him sing through his veins. Danica is... Danica is like picking up a stone and turning it over to discover that it is a geode, with faceted and hidden places inside. Danica is like looking at the surface of the ocean, and then diving in and realizing how deep it goes, and that it is fearfully beautiful all the way down to its depth. She is unexpected and unlooked for and utterly indispensable. Without Danica, the world is a lesser place.
The sun is low in the sky before he begins to be concerned with her continued absence. He knows Nacola, and that she will try to keep Danica from him as long as she can, but he knows Danica as well, and she will not be detained if she does not wish to be. Which means she must wish to spend the afternoon reconciling with her mother rather than seeking him. He must respect that, but he doesn't have to like it.
When Kendrick brings him a distraction he welcomes it.
"The market is too crowded," Kendrick grouses. "The festival is just making it worse. We're trying to expand into an unused area, but we'll have to take out a section of wall to open up more room. I wanted to get your opinion first."
Zane follows him to the back of the synkal. The place is thronged with serpiente cheerfully preparing and gossiping; there are avians about but they tend to linger on the edges of the crowd. His people reach out to touch him as he passes and he smiles warmly as he returns their gestures. Kendrick leads him down a passage and through a door into a room that is unfamiliar. The room is dark and there is no warning other than the sound of air moving against the blade, but Zane reacts on instinct.
The blade that would have slipped in between his ribs only slices his arm lightly. He whirls and pins his opponent to the wall in the darkness and realizes that it is Kendrick who has attacked him. The sheer improbability of it startles him enough that he offers no protest when Kendrick wrenches free of his grasp.
"You are corrupted by your love for that damned avian," Kendrick hisses, eyes bright with hate. "They will rid us of you, at last." In the shadows, red eyes gleam.
Zane is still off balance, but he manages to whirl around and bring the knife he took from Kendrick up in a guard position. The assassin brings her own knives down upon Zane, her eyes like flecks of blood in the low light. She does not hold that position, but immediately retreats and strikes again.
His own eyes are bright with anger and Zane takes cover in the darkness. He fades into the cobra, black scales gliding over the floor after the Ichneumon. He can feel the warmth of her body in the darkness and the call of it is intoxicating, demanding the attention of his fangs.
The assassin is too inexperienced to maintain the upper hand she had as she follows him in transforming. She is less of a warrior than her cousin was, but she is so fast. Her small, furred body never rests in any position for more than a second. He strikes dirt several times, and then he feels her fangs sink into his flesh. She has caught him by the tail, but it was what he had counted on. He cracks his body like a whip, slamming her against the ground with as much force as he can muster. She cries out, and shifts back, but he is waiting for her. He shifts mid-movement as he reaches for her, his hands snagging in the cloth of her tunic, and throws her bodily through the wall behind her.
Serpiente scatter, shouting, as the wreckage of the wall spreads into the synkal. In the light of fading day Zane can see there is blood coming from the assassin's mouth and he knows she is broken, inside. Her eyes are bright and mad as she flings herself at him again. Her mouth is open with the effort it costs her to breath. Her white fangs, still sharp though they gnaw impotently at air, are flecked with her own blood. She slashes at him wildly with her blade. He scrambles to keep away; he can't tell if the blade is poisoned. He seizes her by the wrist. She drops the weapon and he pulls her close. Her claws reach for his throat, but he opens his mouth and bares his own fangs.
The assassin struggles fiercely, refusing to accept her defeat. She strikes out at him in any way she can, her claws digging into the flesh of his arm and her fangs snapping madly as she reaches for his throat. He can't get close enough to bite her without being mangled in return. Growing annoyed, Zane tries to pull her arm close enough to administer his bite there.
There is a flash of white and Adelina slips up behind the assassin. She meets Zane's eyes over the body of the Ichneumon. He is too caught up in dealing with the assassin to remember that she is also supposed to be betraying him, but she pauses and holds his gaze as if she is demanding that he remember it. So he does take this moment to recall what Lungri said. He still can't think of why Adelina would do such a thing- and he can't decide if he is more heartbroken that she would turn on him, or on Charis and the hope and trust that Charis has placed in her. The assassin is falling silent in his grasp, and it is then he realizes that Adelina is standing still because she has already buried her dagger to the hilt in the assassin's back.
The Ichneumon falls to the ground and Zane breathes deeply. He feels he must say something to Adelina here, because he knows she has seen on his face a suspicion that he never truly felt. He reaches for her and clasps her shoulder, his hand curling at the back of her neck. "Thank you," he says, and he wants to say more but he is suddenly aware of a wall that has come up between them. He hates it, and for the first time he allows himself to think on the thoughts he had pushed aside in order to pursue his goal, and he looks at what he has lost.
He takes his hand back. "Irene?" he asks immediately.
"She is safe," Adelina reports briefly. "Galen is with her. There has been no sight of any other Ichneumon beyond this one."
Zane nods and looks around to see that Alice and Kyler have taken charge of a bleeding and mutinous Kendrick. His people from around the synkal are watching them, and he can see Ailbhe and Karashan approaching. "Lungri," Zane says to Adelina. "Detain him as well. He may be an accomplice; he approached Danica to cast blame on you, but she would not hear it."
Adelina nods sharply, her brows furrowing as she calculates. In that moment Zane looks past the woman he loved and sees his brilliant guard captain. But she reaches out in her own turn and cups his cheek with her hand as if she realizes and forgives him for the moment of doubt on his face. She steps close to him and in a soft voice she says, "She is good for you." He breathes in his surprise, and her smile is wry. "If you tell her, I will have to kill you myself of course."
"Of course," he murmurs back. He pulls her close for a moment, denying the existence of walls, and kisses her softly on her forehead. She bears it with good grace and does not chastise him for being a patronizing ass, which he marks a good thing.
Karashan comes to him, a worried frown marring her face. "I came as quickly as we realized. Andreios and Nacola are organizing the search, but it has already been several hours she has been unaccounted for."
For a moment her words make no sense. Zane has to take that moment to think, to calm his racing heart. "Danica." It is not a question, and yet it is the only question worth answering.
"We thought she had left with you. It wasn't until I spoke with Messua that I learned that Karl had called her back, but she did not go to see Nacola."
The words break over Zane like a spray of water and he is not sure he understands them each individually. But the outline is clear. "I must get to the Keep."
Karashan shakes her head. "I am telling you, we have searched every inch of the Keep, every inch of ground surrounding it, and the Royal Flight and my own Ravens continue to search outward at Andreios' direction. Danica is not there."
Adelina frowns. "How could she have been removed from your Keep without being seen?" Her tone is not accusatory, but her words ruffle feathers.
It is Zane who answers. "There are ways into and out of the Keep that are not well known. If she and Karl left before you began searching they could have easily departed without being observed." Alice and Karashan are watching him with sharp eyes, and a part of Zane is glad that Andreios is not there to demand explanation of this knowledge, but mostly he doesn't care because, "We need to find her."
Alice nods agreement, but asks, "Where would she go?"
Karashan hesitates, but she glances over to where other serpiente are helping Kyler force-march the surly Kendrick to a holding cell. "Given when has happened here as well, I believe it well within the realm of possibility to assume that Karl is working with the Ichneumon."
Zane nods his agreement, and suddenly realizes, "He is protecting her. The Ichneumon struck at her when she defended me; Karl is keeping her from me until they complete their hunt."
"Then he will not harm her," Adelina observes.
Zane breathes deeply for a moment, the first in what feels like days, but the breath is snatched from him as he exhales it. "Danica will not sit quietly," he says with certainty, and Karashan meets his eyes with grim agreement.
"We still do not know where they are," Alice points out, and Zane whirls on her in a sudden rage. She shrinks from his garnet gaze with a choked gasp. Tensions suddenly skyrocket; Karashan's hand touches the hilt of her sword reflexively and Adelina bares fangs in response.
Before any other words can be spoken Zane pulls himself back. He holds up a restraining hand. "Alice, I ask your pardon. You speak only truth, and, even if I do not wish to, I need to hear it."
She is still trembling with the adrenaline rush of fear, but she nods. She opens her mouth, but it takes several tries before she can muster the words. "I grant it."
He offers her his hand, his eyes cast to the ground. She touches it briefly with her own trembling one. "For that," he says, "I cannot thank you enough."
Karashan and Adelina are still staring at each other, but they are commanders now and their thoughts have moved on. "He would take her to the one place the Ichneumon would not be while they are hunting, and that we have been unable to find. Their den," Karashan murmurs. "The Ichneumon do not know this area, so it is likely Karl found it for them. It is likely then also that it is a place that would be comfortable for him as well as for them, but the Ichneumon are not creatures of the air."
"In our tales the Ichneumon prefer ruins to natural made dens," Adelina adds, and there is a spark of something behind her eyes. "There is a place..." Everyone is watching her, but her eyes are focused deeply in the past. "Before we came to Charis, my brother and I found a crumbling tower and our nest called it home for awhile. It is tall enough that birds could find it easily, but well rooted for the Ichneumon's tastes."
"Where?" Zane breathes. He is poised, on the balls of his feet, ready.
She frowns. "It was many years ago. I do not think it would be visible above the trees until very close. Ailbhe!" she calls, and her brother comes. "Do you remember–"
With the strange prescience of twins, he responds immediately, "The tower? It falls east of here, against the backing of a high, rocky ridge." He frowns in concentration. "I do not remember exactly where, but I think I would know when we were close."
Eyes turn to Zane. "Get a troop mounted," he commands. "We will search by ground. Karashan, Alice, take as many avian soldiers as you can find and search by air to the east." They all nod with sharp precision. The avians take to the air and within moments the sound of hooves echoes away to the east.
The sun is hovering below the horizon, and the light is failing. Zane feels the urgency building in him as their search yields no results.
In a spray of dirt, a horse slides to a halt beside his. He looks up to see Chundra astride it. She is supposed to be mapping in the west and he doesn't understand what she is doing here, but the first words out of her mouth are, "We found it."
He nods. His, "Go," isn't needed– she is gone already, and he sends his horse tearing after her.
They arrive at a copse, the ruin rising above them, and meet Adelina there. Zane can see Ailbhe further back in the forest, directing troops around the sides to flank the position; Erica kneels to the side, arrow already on the string, and he knows if Karl flies out of the high window they can see, the traitor will be dead. Karashan stands near Ailbhe, but she walks forward when she sees him. Messua is with her; when they see him arrive with Chundra they all come, seeking his orders.
Zane eyes the crumbling tower. The facade seems to be in better shape than the interior, which does not bode well for their invasion. There is a large avian style window with balcony near the top, and there is light visible inside the window.
He has climbed parts of the Hawk's Keep, and again this time the prize that waits atop this tower beckons him with a tempting flicker. But to climb the ruin in the dark would be the height of foolishness; he pulls his personal desire back. Too much hinges on Danica. If she is well, he will do anything to ensure that she remain that way. But if she is injured or... his mind cannot even think the words, but if she is– then he is still Diente, and he is alistair, and his people will need him more than ever. He surveys the soldiers available to him.
"Adelina," he says, "surround the base completely. I'd rather not risk troops inside that deathtrap, but no one is to escape. Karashan, I will go up with your avians, through that window." Adelina hisses softly under her breath, but there is no argument and very little surprise all around. Messua and Alice, their black–feathered wings spread behind them, each offer him an arm.
He takes a deep breath and takes the ravens' arms. Fear is suddenly high on the list of emotions that roil through him, but it is strangely muted. As his feet lose connection with the earth he thinks this must be what love truly is – no longer fearing what is terrifying, because he is filled so completely with a hope that drowns everything else.
Karashan goes first, lighting on the balcony, blade drawn. It is easier to look up than down, and Zane watches her scan the room before her. She makes a sign with her hand, but he cannot read it. "She lives," Messua says beside him. He has little time to react as they are at the balcony now themselves.
He drops to his knees, hands pressed to the balcony floor as he breathes for a moment, but then his head snaps up and his eyes take in the scene before him.
Danica stands before him, her back to the balcony. Before her is another of the Ichneumon, one he has not seen before. This one is older than the female who came after Zane in the palace and the synkal, and, he is certain, far more experienced.
The Ichneumon smiles to see him. "I knew you would find your way here," he taunts. "I gave Dewanee her chance, but she was young and headstrong. I knew she would fail. I ensured you would come to me, because I hold the treasure you desire." The Ichneumon raises a hand to point a finger at him and, as if by the Ichneumon's command, Danica turns to face him.
She is blank to him, in the way that avians are and in the way that Danica has not been in a long time. Her eyes look without seeing him and her hands are covered in blood. Something clutches in his chest, and he feels the same despairing anger as he felt when he saw the very first assassin appear over the balcony in the Hawk's Keep. "What have you done to her?" His voice is rough and he barely recognizes it as his own. He remembers tales from his childhood, the powers the Ichneumon can command, and despair is taking a firm root in the midst of the hope that bloomed in him at finding Danica alive.
Karashan and her soldiers are slipping into the room. "I have done nothing," the Ichneumon protests, watching with amusement as the Royal Flight come between him and Danica. They circle around the body of Karl; Karashan looks from his slit throat to Danica's hands and the glance she trades with Zane is worried.
"I have done nothing," The Ichneumon repeats. "Nothing but speak to her of of what she has lost." He crouches. "She clings to such fragile things." He glances contemptuously at Karl. "But this," his gaze returns to Zane and his hand flicks between them as if to indicate a bond, "this has been long in the coming. I would like to savor it. I think, to begin, I will make you kill the little hawk, hmm?" He leans back, relaxed. "It should not be difficult. You've done it before." The Ichneumon's eyes flash red as he laughs.
Zane shakes his head; his words are for the others in the room, because he does not care what the Ichneumon thinks. "The war is over. I will never hurt Danica."
The Ichneumon laughs again. He twirls his fingers, his attention focused on Danica. "Little hawk, see how the ghost comes now. He is the one who put blood on your hands. Repay him for what he has taken from you." Danica steps forward, her blade raised as she brings it down upon Zane.
Zane raises his own blade in defense and blocks her strike. "Danica," he says, but she is not there, her eyes empty. The long dagger slashes at him. She is not a soldier, but Danica is graceful and intent, and it takes much of his skill to keep himself safe. He retreats before her, a part of him wondering how he can disarm her. He knows if he can touch her he can bring her to herself. The blankness of her stare as she thrusts the dagger mocks him, but he refuses to give up his hope. She is Danica and she is his Naga. He knows her, and she will know him. He twists away from her dagger and comes up sharp against the wall. There will be no more retreat.
She comes toward him, dagger raised. He parries her blade with his, one handed. He raises his other hand to touch her cheek. "Danica," he calls.
He would swear she hears him. She falters and lowers her blade.
The Ichneumon laughs. "You know she would not heed my call if, deep inside, a part of her did not already want to." He snaps his fingers. Danica raises the dagger again.
Zane catches the blade against his own, but there is nowhere to retreat and he will not attack. He grunts as he feels the blade pierce flesh.