18. Chapter 18

Chapter eighteen

Kamir watched Eldara become merely a speck in the distance as she flew away, taking his last vestige of hope with her. She had tried, but while he felt great power, she explained that only the Dragoran could change him. When Attiker had pressed her because she had managed to bring forth his white wolf last year, she just dismissed it as wolves were apparently easy. But only those gifted with dragoran blood could change another into a dragon, and then only if they were true mates.

And Eldara wasn’t Kamir’s mate.

Even Attiker and Ash were quiet. Jael seemed to have vanished into thin air. There had been no word from the troops sent after Tsaria and Alain, and when a full day passed with no messenger bird, Tam had decided to leave that night. Veda had also left, but she had been with her lover and absent from the palace when they realized what had likely happened, so Tam had a good five hour start on her.

And now it was only four days until Kamir had to present himself at the palace or many children would die, and he could never allow that to happen.

Accompanied by the guards who had remained at a distance, they rode back to the palace. What had he done wrong? Why had Tsaria fled? Cookie had been nearly inconsolable when she realized Tsaria had left with his brother, not just given him the food.

What had Kamir said wrong? He’d thought they finally had a connection.

“Highness,” Mansala said quietly, drawing his horse alongside Kamir’s. “I spoke to the servant girl who took Alain to see Tsaria at his own request.”

Kamir glanced over. “She saw him?”

“Yes, highness. She was too frightened to admit to accompanying him to either Attiker or his highness, but there’s a cook…well, Cookie , that ferreted her out.” Kamir hissed in a breath. This might be credible.

“Apparently, our girl was curious. She heard Alain say you were leaving for Rajpur at the full moon.”

Kamir turned to him in bewilderment. “But that’s way too late.” It wouldn’t be the full moon for another fourteen days.

“Yes, highness. Because apparently your plan was to let the innocents be slaughtered, then ride in like an avenging angel to take Gabar out. Your righteousness would be so intense, no one in their grief would care whether you had an animal or not.”

Hopelessness and desolation pricked at Kamir’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter, does it? No matter what lie Alain told, or what I do, they will find some excuse to murder babies and blame me.”

Mansala was quiet for a moment. “If I could help with that, I would give my life,” he vowed, which brought fresh tears because Kamir knew that. Of course he did. But he was sick of other people dying or being murdered in his stead.

“But we know that Tsaria’s brother fooled him,” Mansala added.

Did they? Or hadn’t Tsaria trusted him enough to take his word? But, of course he hadn’t. A moon of nice food would never make up for the cruelty of a lifetime.

“The guards on both sides are dead. It was clearly an ambush that Cadmeera arrived just in time to see and fail to prevent.”

“But no other bodies,” Kamir said. There had been no civilian deaths, according to reports. One Cadmeeran guard had survived and was gravely wounded but managed to ride to the nearest inn, had told them what he could. He had said all the Rajpuran troops had been slain, so where was Tsaria?

Kamir entered the palace and, as usual, servants were there immediately. He knew everyone in Rajpur needed him on the throne. He had many lives to save, but one in particular. He had no idea how to bring his dragon forth without Tsaria. But at this point, a greater part of him didn’t care. Kamir loved Tsaria. He loved that shy man with every fiber in him and was sick of being told what to do.

He was going to ride to Rajpur. He was going to find his lover, and if, at some point, he became a dragon, all well and good. He had a few people on his list to roast with a fiery breath.

Tam knew where he was. He only needed his sense of smell, unfortunately, but he could also hear his splashing steps and was glad his boots were waxed. He felt Pip’s fingers on the rag, then his eyes were uncovered. Still fucking pitch black.

“Use the rag for your mouth and nose through here,” Pip instructed and tied their own. “How far?” Tam mumbled and tried not to gag, but instead of a verbal response, Pip stopped and turned to a blank spot of stone brick.

“Coming up,” Pip said quietly.

“Just you?” came a muffled voice.

Tam would swear he could almost hear Pip roll their eyes. “As if you ain’t had eyes on us since we came down.”

Then a rope ladder abruptly flew down the stone. Pip glanced at Tam. “Follow me. We have to crawl.”

Pip wasn’t joking. He climbed up maybe thirty feet until he watched as Pip hauled themself into a tight opening. The space was too tight to get on his knees, but not wanting to be left behind, especially as the air was a little clearer, Tam dug his elbows and boots into the damp earth and shuffled along. He didn’t complain when bony but strong arms hoisted him and he dropped into another tunnel. The stench was still there, but it wasn’t quite as bad and watching Pip undo their rag, he did the same.

His eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light and he guessed the flickering was from the vents up above, as it was still daylight.

Tam had spent time in the tunnels in Cadmeera, knew the sewer rats, both the human and the animal kind, but there seemed to be an added air of desperation here. Not that Cadmeera was perfect by any means, but since Raz and Attiker had taken control, there’d been hope. And hope was such a powerful thing you could almost taste it. All he tasted here was helplessness mixed with the stench of human and animal excrement.

“Who are you?”

Tam blinked and knew immediately who he was looking at. Up above, they were called house-mothers. They basically ran groups of kids doing everything from stealing to whoring. Some looked after their brats as best they could, so long as they were earning. Some were the worst kind of evil. He had no idea which type she was. She looked a good forty summers older than him, but he doubted she was more than thirty summers older. Life wasn’t kind for the likes of them. He also knew she understood exactly who he was because he wouldn’t have gotten here with his throat intact if not.

“I am here to find my emir’s heart. I understand you have kept him safe.”

As statements went, it was powerful. It gave this woman all the power to bargain as she saw fit. If Tsaria was as sick as the rat had shown him, then he didn’t have time to idle.

“His heart?” she whispered, taken aback, but she quickly rallied. “You’re piss-poor at bargaining.”

“I have no proof, nor any time, as I know he’s sick,” Tam said. “He is a pleasure slave, but my lord wants him to be his bond mate. Kamir is battling on many fronts and is bound to return today to stop the cleansing rites.” Tam had a second to wonder why he had mentioned something no one, including him, had ever heard of, but the second he did the woman grabbed his arm.

“Say that again.”

Tam sighed. “They were safe in Cadmeera trying to bring forth Kamir’s animal when he got a missive from the ruling assembly to say if Kamir didn’t show his animal on the dark of the moon, then they would enact the cleansing.” Tam paused. “No one has ever heard of it. Kamir only knew because he is a historian.”

The woman let go and Tam studiously didn’t rub his arm.

She turned. “They call me Moxie, but in reality, should I ever bother with a war to claim my title, I’m Lady Maxella Legia Armonvellion, from the Duchy of Carlisle. I know what a cleansing is because my great-great grandmother saw one enacted.”

Tam’s jaw dropped so far he could nearly feel it hit the stone floor. He gathered his wits. “What price to get him out of here?”

She didn’t reply for a moment and a young girl hobbled close. Tam glanced down at her twisted leg and gaped anew when Moxie put her arm around her and held her close. None of the house-mothers above would have taken her. “Food and somewhere above to store it,” she said, but Tam knew the moment Kamir found out about them, she and these kids would never have to beg or steal again. And they wouldn’t remain down here either.

“He’s sick, as you said. We bartered for a tonic, but I doubt if being down here helps.”

Tam was shocked again that they thought to offer Tsaria that much. Moxie patted the lass’s hand and nudged her to the corner, then turned on her heel and both Pip and Tam followed her. The tunnel opened into another chamber, but it was dry. Tam took in the second little girl holding Tsaria’s hand and dropped to his knees.

For an endless moment he thought he was too late, and only took a shaky breath when he heard the wet rattle from Tsaria’s throat. He was barely recognizable. His normally warm, brown skin was tinged yellow. Cracked lips and sunken cheeks stood out. Tam knew he had been down here a matter of a few days, but he looked like he had been in the palace dungeon for weeks. Tam slid his hand into the sewn pocket on the inside of his jacket. Tsaria wouldn’t survive being moved in this state. He had to get his fever under control. He quickly withdrew a vial and pulled the stopper out. Moxie knelt and lifted Tsaria’s head without asking and slowly, so he didn’t choke and waste it, Tam dripped the liquid into Tsaria’s mouth.

“You got any more of that or are you takin’ him?” Moxie laid him back down and covered him up with the sacking.

“What is it?” the little girl asked.

“Elderflower, turnip husks, and mayan berries,” Tam answered and gazed at the raven-haired urchin. “Elderflower is good for getting air into his lungs.” The berries were a lot more complicated.

She brightened. “I brought you a daisy, didn’t I Ma?”

Moxie chuckled. “Best flower I ever saw.”

“My name’s Cherry.”

“Nice to meet you, Cherry,” Tam said, utterly charmed.

“Will ‘e be well now? I held Granny’s hand all the time when she was abed, but the men came and got her to put her on a wagon when they decided the goddess wanted to keep ‘er” She paused. “Maybe ‘cos I didn’t ‘ave no elderflower.”

Tam swallowed down the lump that had lodged itself in his throat and thought about what to do. He glanced at Moxie. “Pretty sure you don’t crawl through the tunnel, so we’ll have to take him out the way you go.” She smirked, but Tam carried on. “I have lodgings. The Speckled Owl. I need help to get him there unseen.”

Moxie glanced at the corner and as if waiting for her signal, two older boys stepped forward. Tam drew in a slightly deeper breath. He knew Kamir was on his way. He just had to do everything he could to keep Tsaria alive until then.