I know it's small, but I wanted to put something up before I left for the week. Sorry, more exciting stuff to come in the future!

Chapter 16

Leaving Frasluk

Merle heard Brand swear as she flipped backwards over the bed and ducked behind it. A mage spell shot over her head as she hit the floor. Before the blue light could hit the wall behind her, she rolled to the side, out into the open long enough to see the spell holding Brand. Without thinking, she yanked her spelled belt dagger out and threw it towards the mage; it hit the man in the side. With a howl, he doubled over while his archers looked on in surprise; they had probably never known weapons could be magicked to overcome simple protection spells. The blue magic released Brand, and he was at her side, by the window, before anyone could react. Merle exchange a quick glance with him, then swiftly slammed her foot into the bars, knocking the carefully sawed through metal out into the courtyard. As the grate crashed on the stone below, the mage cried out.

"Kill them!" Merle saw several men burst through the servants' door as she hiked herself through the opening. The fall, only about a floor's height, was all too short; before she could hit the ground, she shapeshifted, her crow form pulling up quickly, nearly skimming the stone beneath her before shooting straight up into the sky. Brand hurled himself out with another swear; Merle winced in sympathy for him as he hit the ground with a jolt. Two of the archers had hit him in the arm, but neither wound seemed to bother him- he yanked each out with no more than a grimace. Blood trickled down his clothes, but both youths knew they had no time to stop the bleeding now. He looked up as he began to run, nodding at the bird hovering above him before dashing into the shadows. Merle's small heart thundered as she tracked his path towards the east gate, the one furthest from their rooms; hopefully they would arrive before anyone could sound an alert and post more men there.

She went ahead; while her friend lurked in the shadows, she swept her wings over the battlements, where a lone soldier stood. She smiled to herself; no other guard was in sight. She waited until the man stopped watching her with a bored expression and turned his back; silently she swooped down and changed back into a young woman. The man never saw her as she yanked a knife out of her sleeve and slammed its hilt against his helmeted head; he dropped like a stone as she turned to the shadows where Brand was waiting, smirking slightly. Before they had left the Isles, her mother had given her the best gift she had ever received; a complete wardrobe and set of weapons that would remain on her person no matter how many times she shapeshifted with them on her. She never had to trouble herself about the complications of the crow-shape again… although now all her outfits except the one she wore were in the Chancellor's possession. Who else would have ordered the attack? She still was not very concerned about Cyne… Heolstor had probably gone after them because he had figured they were weaker. Merle smirked as Brand opened the gate and slid forward. She was indeed her mother's daughter… Aly would be proud.

Then she changed her mind as she leapt off the fortress walls; Aly would take it in stride- the spymaster of the Copper Isles was accustomed to such escapades. Now her grandmother would be impressed; Alanna the Lioness was not so accustomed to stealth.

As he clenched the magicked medallion in one hand, Kol took several halting steps after the fleeing figure; he knew the youth- Brand had been one of the Hetnim princess's bodyguards. Surely it wasn't a coincidence he was leaving Frasluk at the same time as the three the nobleman had described to Kol. The boy edged nearer, noting the still form of the guard lying on the battlements…. From the knowing smile of the nobleman, Kol guessed he knew that he knew these two unnamed girls…. Instantly, the Kyprian princess rose again in his mind; Kol had always been one to go with his instincts- they rarely proved him wrong. Maybe these two girls were Cyne and the red-haired, female guard, Merle. If so, Brand would eventually lead back to them….

Casting a hasty glance around him, Kol raced to the door and shoved it open; once he was out, he stood still for a long moment, straining his eyes to check his surroundings for soldiers. Then he waited another few moments for Brand to wander down the street further before following him with bated breath, keeping to the shadows of the nearby buildings.

Behind him, a glossy-feathered crow spread her wings and took to the air, circling above the two moving specks on the ground lazily, her piercing gaze leveled at the young ship hand.

Rikash drummed his fingers against his saddle horn. He glanced over at Han and scowled. He wished the stoic earthmage would imitate Deryne for once and chatter his ear off. Sometimes, his friend was too quiet for comfort.

Of course, he reasoned, if Han did start speaking, it would annoy him to no end.

A moment later, Han cleared his throat.

"I am glad Roger has called attention to himself," he said simply. Rikash stared, and his friend gave him a small smile. "Both you and Deryne were ready to claw each other's eyes out. You were as antsy as riled cats following the stale trail of a missing rat." Rikash made a face; whereas Deryne might be amused by Han's analogies, he found them all too vivid. "But mostly, I am glad for Deryne's sake." Rikash frowned, puzzled. Han clarified. "Having an adversary to fight has helped her, more than either of us could have imagined. She needs someone to strike out against-"

"Because of Inar's death," Rikash guessed darkly. Han shrugged.

"I suspect that's why Roger has waited so long to reveal himself; he wants her riled- No one thinks clearly when they're driven half-mad with impatience." He sighed. "Hopefully, she will be more sensible now, but I think she is even further driven by vengeance than you; if Roger dies, Inar's death is avenged. We will have to watch her, and make sure she doesn't do anything foolish." Rikash snorted; he guessed that usually Han would be having this conversation with Deryne about him.

"That leaves you as the clear thinker of our group, then," Rikash muttered. Not that he had considered Deryne as the sensible one since Inar's death. Han turned, face smooth.

"I was hoping you could help me in that arena." Rikash raised an eyebrow in reply to this ludicrous statement. They watched each other for a long moment, then burst into quiet chuckles.

"Has Tezock stopped for a break yet?" Rikash asked after a few minutes. Han shook his head with a faint frown.

"The stones call him unnatural. The Islander from Chaos." Rikash allowed a grumble of assent to escape him. "And a bit of nonsense that doesn't make a whole lot of sense- halves of a whole, and an island with no water in sight…." He paused, head tilted to the side, as though listening. "Lots of death and destruction, too." Rikash shook his head- at least he didn't have to worry about voices in his head. He could only speculate on how Deryne and Han managed such a cacophony… he preferred the raw power he had, with no strings attached.

Then again, he might have to learn to deal with voices. His mind spun back to his last exchange with Deryne; that had been stupid. What had possessed him to tell her that she could talk in his head? To let her? He nearly kicked himself thinking about it; he settled for a disgusted snort. Just the thought of the last time she had sent him a message in desperation made him flinch.

"So how are Deryne and Cyne going to catch up with us?" Han asked, as though honing in on Rikash's thoughts. The blond youth shot a daggered glare in his friend's direction. Noticing the surly mood, Han held his hands up innocently. "I was wondering if I should be marking our trail." They had left the main trail much earlier that night; it was close to dawn, and Tezock had spent the night leading them around game paths that barely accommodated horses.

"Don't bother," Rikash said abruptly. "And don't worry about it." He ignored the eyebrows raised in his direction. If Han found out, Rikash suspected they would have another little heart-to-heart chat that made him feel five winters old. Besides, his heart had nothing to say, whatever Han seemed to think. Rikash had a right to keep some things to himself.

"I think this is it," Deryne muttered out of the corner of her mouth, one hand gripping Damek's upper arm; the freed prisoner was losing strength quickly. As they had walked down Remakr Street, he had stumbled, nearly knocking Cyne over as he collapsed. They had half-dragged him down the path, peering at each small house doubtfully. Her relief was tempered by the grim thought of escaping the city with everyone on alert…. Roger would be after their blood now. Still, she smiled when a flicker of motion in the eaves of the small house drew her eye to Duskwing; the kestrel flapped his wings at her.

About time, the voice said loftily. Deryne shrugged with a smile, then turned to her two companions.

"Yes, this is it," she announced. Damek groaned an assent as his bleary gaze rested on the safe house. When she pushed the door open, Duskwing swept over their heads to watch them haul Damek over the threshold and onto the nearest of the cots lying on the floor. The youth groaned, shaking his head.

"This one's Rikash's," he muttered. "It might catch fire in the middle of the night or sommat." Deryne stifled a laugh, helping him up just long enough to cross the room to his own cot; he was asleep before he lay down.

"Is he all right?" Cyne asked nervously, hovering. Deryne sighed, rubbing her eyes. She understood her friend's concern… and wished she didn't.

"He'll live. That was a damn lot of magic we had to use to heal him, let alone what we needed to get him out of the castle and into the streets to find this place. He needs to sleep it off…." She knew that they should be leaving now, but one glance at Cyne's intense face told her there would be no rejoining Han and Rikash that night. She glared up at the ceiling. "Take a nap, and I'll stay on watch-"

Stupid human. Deryne glanced over at her kestrel. His eyes seemed less birdlike, more unnatural, when the Chamber spoke through him. Even the mighty need to rest. Have no fear; no one will come, and I will watch.

"Kestrels need to sleep sometime, too," she pointed out, yawning. She ignored the weary smile on Cyne's face.

You are tired, Queenscove. Its tone was disgusted, but gentle. Go to sleep. She should not leave watch to a bird…. The kestrel let out a small shriek that made Cyne look worriedly at Damek, but the youth did not stir. I am no ordinary bird. I am older than mankind, and allied with Frejonak, your patron. Do not quibble with me, squire. Deryne opened her mouth to protest, but her feet were already making their way back towards Rikash's cot as Cyne plopped down on another.

"Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a little while," she muttered as she curled up with the thin blanket. The last sound she heard was a sharp laugh from the Chamber.

"Gotcha!" A hand grabbed Kol by the back of his shirt; the boy yelped as he was spun around- he tried to tear free, but received a smack around the head for his efforts.

"Goddess, Merle!" the youth Kol had been following exclaimed breathlessly; he was several hundred feet ahead. "Be a little quieter sneaking up on a lad- maybe my heart'll actually stop next time!" Kol lay eyes on his captor; the red-haired female bodyguard had materialized behind him without a sound. His heart raced; he should have known she would be with her friend.

"Your heart could use a temporary stop; maybe it'd scare you into better shape," Merle growled, soft enough so that only Kol heard. Then she cleared her throat. "You see what was following you? Recognize him?" As Brand approached, Kol was released. "Don't you move," Merle warned, hazel eyes blazing. Then she looked at her approaching friend. "It's the ship brat. The one that saved Cyne after the storm." Kol relaxed, but neither Kyprian seemed pleased yet. "What are you doing here?" the red-head snapped.

"Why are you following us?" Brand demanded. An image of the nobleman leapt into Kol's mind, but he pushed it away as he scrambled for an explanation. Most of it was true.

"I went into Frasluk with Rikash and Han and Damek," the boy said, glancing from one interrogator to the other. "We separated, and I couldn't find anyone, but I saw you leaving, and followed-" Merle's eyes narrowed.

"Why did you leave the others?" she asked.

"I was looking for my sister," he admitted, scuffing his foot on the street. "I couldn't find her." When he looked up, Brand and Merle were exchanging a dubious glance.

"Do you know where the safe house is?" Brand asked slowly. Kol brightened; neither of his companions seemed to know.

"Yes." The two exchanged another look, then turned to him.

"All right," Merle said. "You can stick with us, then."

AN: Yay for lots of characters going all over the place! :P Reviews are appreciated.