Zandrue peered round the corner. The way remained clear, so she ducked back again. “No one coming. We’re still good.”

She looked over at Hedromornasta, who was staring at the ceiling. His breathing was calmer than it had been, but he still looked tense.

A few moments ago, he had started...panicking? It was hard to say exactly what he’d started doing, but panic definitely seemed to be the cause. He had actually whined, and had pulled her and Ezmelda back into an empty servants’ cubby. Considering he had previously avoided any physical contact with either of them, his sudden change had panicked Ezmelda a little as well.

Then he started muttering in Isyarian. Zandrue picked out the word diare, but otherwise couldn’t follow anything he was saying. After a couple moments, his frantic muttering calmed down and he switched to meditation as he was doing now.

“I still think he thinks we’ve been discovered,” Ezmelda said. “Something pierced his spells.”

Zandrue glanced round the corner again. Still clear. “But if that were the case, I’d expect guards to arrive, but they haven’t.”

“They don’t have a lot of guards at the moment. It might be taking time.”

Zandrue shrugged. “It also means we’re dealing with someone powerful enough to pierce an Isyar’s defences. I don’t like that.”

“A young Isyar.”

Zandrue frowned. “I still don’t like it. I’m willing to bet this young Isyar could still best most human wizards. Mikranasta, at least, must think so as she was willing to send him with us.”

“Unfortunately, you’re probably right. We really should—”

Zandrue, can you hear me?

“—get moving. If we stay here, we… Are you all right? You look…”

Zandrue held up a hand. “Felitïa?”

“What about her?” Ezmelda said.

Zandrue shook her head and waved her hand. “No, no, I think…”

Zandrue, can you hear me?

“Think what?”

Zandrue waved at Ezmelda to shut up again, then turned away from her. “Felitïa? Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?”

Oh thank the gods.

“Where are you?”

Zandrue, you need to focus. You’re coming through very distorted.

“How do I do that?”

What?

Damn it, what should she do?

She turned back to Ezmelda. “Felitïa’s trying to contact me telepathically. Apparently, I’m not focused enough and she can’t hear me properly. What do I do?”

Ezmelda’s eyes widened and she frowned. “If I had to guess, concentrate.”

Zandrue?

Zandrue took a deep breath. As much as she loved Felitïa, she had always worried about Felitïa being in her head. That had mainly been to hide her Volganth identity, but old habits could die hard. Another person in her head seemed like a violation of privacy. But Felitïa had always said what she detected was what people sent out. She didn’t actually go into people’s heads. This was definitely different though. She had never done anything like this before.

I got maybe a quarter of that, Zandrue. You have to focus.

But she hadn’t said anything! She had just… Oh fuck!

Well, I heard that, at least. Same old Zandrue. Somehow, there was a smile with that statement.

“You’re hearing everything in my head, aren’t you?”

Focus!

Zandrue sighed and took another deep breath. She focused on the specific words she wanted to say. “I said, you’re hearing everything in my head, aren’t you?”

Well, like I said, only bits and pieces. But that’s better.

“Your powers have obviously increased since we last saw each other.”

Not exactly. This is new to me. I’ve never done it before, and it’s a stopgap I’m using to achieve it. Anyway, there isn’t much time. I need your help.

“We’re on our way to you right now. Where are you?”

Close. In Lady Belone’s bedchamber. I’m asleep and can’t wake up. I need you to wake me, but please hurry. My mind’s under assault. I don’t know—

Felitïa screamed.

Zandrue instinctively put her hands to her ears, but of course, that made no difference.

Ezmelda grabbed her arms to stabilise her as she stumbled. “Are you all right?”

Zandrue clutched Ezmelda’s arms, and nodded. “Felitïa’s under attack. We have to move quickly.” She reached for Hedromornasta and touched his shoulder.

The Isyar recoiled and glared at her.

“We need to go.” She gestured in the direction she hoped was the right way to go.

Hedromornasta shook his head, and hissed a couple words in Isyarian.

Zandrue sighed. They didn’t have time for this. “Felitïa.” She clutched her head, shook it back and forth, and mimed screaming. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away from their hiding place.

The time for stealth was gone.

There was a pair of doors just ahead with the waterfowl symbol of House Belone on them. They were the most obvious place to check. Felitïa had said she was close, and this was the closest option. It was also the direction the crystal had directed them in. Zandrue reached out to bang on the doors…

...and hit air.

The doors were now down a long corridor, at least twenty or thirty feet away.

What the hell?

“Look out!” Ezmelda yelled.

Spikes of metal flew over her shoulder and lodged in the wall beside her.

Zandrue spun round.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Ezmelda was standing with one arm outstretched, her eyes wide. Her mouth was open as if to speak, but she made no further sound or movement.

Behind her, Hedromornasta stood still as well, but his eyes were narrowed in concentration. He gave just the slightest of nods to Zandrue.

She returned the nod and turned back around.

The doors were back where they should be. She banged on them.

She banged on them several times.

Ezmelda came up beside her. “I’m sorry. I thought I saw…”

“It’s fine.” Zandrue kept banging on the doors.

“Then I couldn’t move. But then I could again.”

“I think Hedromornasta’s to thank for that. He got rid of an illusion on me as well.” She kicked at the doors. Didn’t Lady Belone have servants to answer her door? Maybe this was the wrong place?

Zandrue glanced behind her. Hedromornasta still stood in the same place. His eyes were scrunched and his face was contorted as if in pain.

She banged on the door one more time, then looked to Ezmelda. “Can you break these down?”

Ezmelda frowned, but nodded. “Yes, but I can’t be sure it won’t hit someone on the other side.”

“We have to take that risk. I don’t think Hedromornasta can hold out much longer.”

“He’s an Isyar! Do you know how powerful our enemy would have to be, even if he is young?”

“Maybe our enemy is an Isyar. Break the doors down. Now!”

Ezmelda gave a quick nod. “Stand back.”

They both moved back beside Hedromornasta. Ezmelda hooked her thumbs together and thrust her hands forward. A massive boulder flew from them. The doors splintered as the boulder hit and blew inwards out of their frame.

Zandrue ran into the entry chamber of the apartments.

A single, stunned handmaid stood beside the wreckage of a table and a pile of broken glass. She stared at Zandrue.

“Lady Belone’s bedchamber,” Zandrue said. “Which door is it?”

The handmaid gaped.

“Please, answer,” Ezmelda said.

“Guards!” the handmaid screamed.

Damn, they would just have try every room.

Zandrue went to the nearest door, but another one near where the boulder now lay opened. A short Folith woman with greying brown hair looked out. “What is going on here?”

Zandrue gave her a friendly smile and strode in the woman’s direction. “Lady Belone? I don’t have a lot of time to explain. I’m a friend of Felitïa’s. I know she’s here. Her mind is under attack and we have to wake her up.” She had to hop round the edge of the boulder. Then she pointed over the woman’s shoulder. “Is Felitïa in there?”

The woman trembled slightly, but nodded. “You could have knocked.”

“I did, but I suspect you were made to not hear it.” Zandrue strode past the woman.

Felitïa lay on her side in the bed in the small room. Her face was twitching slightly, but she otherwise appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Zandrue hurried over, grabbing a chair as she went. She placed the chair down so she could sit by Felitïa’s face, which continued to twitch. Zandrue leaned forward, breathing in Felitïa’s scent. She didn’t get to experience that enough these days. They had spent so much time apart of late.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

“I gave her a sleeping draught.” Lady Belone stood in doorway. “She’s been having trouble sleeping and the draughts have helped. You might have trouble waking her.”

That wasn’t surprising. Felitïa had said she couldn’t wake up, yet she was obviously lucid despite being asleep. A gentle nudge would probably not be enough to wake her. Still, it was a place to start.

Zandrue nudged Felitïa’s shoulder, then a slightly more vigorously. “Felitïa? Felitïa, can you hear me?” She gave Felitïa a harder shove.

Unsurprisingly, Felitïa did not respond.

“Do you have any smelling salts?” Zandrue asked.

“Not in here, but there might be some in my husband’s chambers. His apothecaries left a lot of things there.”

“Please, go check.”

Lady Belone nodded. “If there aren’t, I can send one of my handmaids to collect some. There will definitely be some in the palace somewhere.”

Zandrue shook her head. “I doubt there will be time for that. Besides, I doubt your handmaid would get very far. Just check your husband’s chambers.”

“As you wish.”

Zandrue bent over Felitïa again, and gave her another shake. Then she tried blowing in Felitïa’s ear. Neither worked.

Lady Belone had not moved.

“Please, hurry up, your Ladyship. We’re running out of time.”

“I...I’m sorry. I...I can’t move. I can barely speak.”

Zandrue looked over at her. Lady Belone was shivering, her hands clenched beside her.

Damn!

“Ezmelda!”

There was no response.

“Ezmelda!”

Still nothing.

“Hedromornasta!”

Yeah, like he’d respond.

“Shit!”

Why wasn’t she being affected?

Either Hedromornasta was protecting her, or Felitïa was. It really didn’t matter which.

Zandrue bent over Felitïa once more. The time for gentleness was over. She had to do something drastic. She pinched Felitïa’s nose with one hand and clamped the other over Felitïa’s mouth. “Come on, Felitïa, you have to wake up.”

Felitïa’s body convulsed. Her head and shoulders twisted, trying to pull away. Zandrue’s hand on Felitïa’s mouth slipped, but she placed it back again, grabbing Felitïa’s chin as she did. Still, Felitïa’s eyes remained closed.

“Damn it, Felitïa, wake up!”

Felitïa’s whole body was convulsing now, but Zandrue held firm. Gods, she hoped this didn’t do any serious damage.

At last, Felitïa’s eyes shot open, darting about in panic. Zandrue let go, and Felitïa scrambled about, pulling her knees up to her chest, and gasping for air. Her eyes continued to dart about, and it took a few moments for them to settle on Zandrue. “Zandrue? Oh gods, is it really you?”

“I should hope so.”

Felitïa lunged forward and threw her arms around Zandrue. “Oh gods, oh gods, Zandrue.”

Zandrue held her tight.

After a moment, Felitïa’s shaking began to calm, and she let go of Zandrue, backing away just a little. “You’ll have to tell me later how you’re here, but for now, we have work to do. My mind is under attack, and I’m barely holding it off. I’m surprised I’m holding it off at all, but I seem to have help. There’s someone—”

“That’s probably Hedromornasta,” Zandrue said.

Felitïa swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “An Isyar? From Jorvan?”

“He’s the son of Mikranasta, the Isyar Jorvan brought back to help you. He helped us get in here. I’m not exactly sure where he is at the moment.”

“He’s near.” Felitïa stood up. “Come on, we have to…” Her gaze fell on Lady Belone. “Siba?”

Lady Belone’s mouth trembled and emitted a slight moan.

“We’re being attacked as well,” Zandrue said. “And it looks like it’s getting worse. She can’t move and I don’t think Ezmelda can either. I seem to be the only one who can. Oh yeah, Ezmelda here’s too.”

“I know,” Felitïa said.

Zandrue chuckled. “Of course you do.”

Felitïa walked up to Lady Belone and touched her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Siba.”

Zandrue walked over to them. “Can you help her?”

Felitïa grimaced. “I don’t know. I doubt it, but I shouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Felitïa sighed. “I don’t know if you know anything about the condition I’m in, but I’m tired, Zandrue. I’m so exhausted. I haven’t been able to sleep, and…” She leaned against Zandrue for a moment before straightening up. “Sorry. What I’m trying to say is, I’m also so weak. I don’t have the power to face whoever’s attacking us. I can’t spare what power I do have, and besides, the enemy has to spread their power out to keep people like Siba and Ezmelda from helping me.” She touched Siba’s shoulder. “I won’t let her keep you like this for long.”

“Her? Do you know who’s doing this?”

Felitïa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “A slip of the tongue because I have a suspicion. If I’m right, then I’ve been a total fool, Zandrue. I fell right into her trap.”

“I was thinking an Isyar,” Zandrue said.

Felitïa nodded. “So am I. We have to find her. If I’m wrong, we need her help, and if I’m not…” She gave Lady Belone another gentle pat on the shoulder, then squeezed past her through the doorway.

A tear was forming in Lady Belone’s eye.

Zandrue smiled at her. “We’ll fix this.” With that, Zandrue slipped past her and followed Felitïa.