Page 183 of The Jasad Crown
“They will be here by midday.”
He hesitated. “And the large one?”
I narrowed my eyes. Efra’s obsession with the large kitmer verged on disturbing. “Tomorrow.”
“Good, good.” He raked a hand through the brown waves of his hair, which had grown out considerably since I first met him. “There is one more thing.”
If he asked me about another kitmer, I would instruct them to eat him.
“The Nizahl Heir was right.”
I hadn’t looked in the mirror since I raised the last kitmer, but I had witnessed the colors in my eyes unnerve more than their fair share of people. Efra joined their ranks when he stepped away from the full force of my gaze.
“There are roughly two thousand Nizahl soldiers descending from the north. The largest regiment was last spotted in Alb Safi, but our rider said there was evidence of another regiment coming through Essam Woods.”
My teeth ground together, my veins giving a single, dangerous pulse. It would take a dedicated Nizahl soldier perhaps seventeen hours to get from Nizahl’s southern border to Jasad’s. A regiment of two thousand would need considerably longer, which meant they must have started moving at the same time the Nizahl Heir arrived at the Gibal. As he had predicted, Rawain must have emptied out the compounds, filling Jasad with the youngest, greenest recruits he could spare.
“Don’t tell Marek,” I said. If he was forced to face former colleagues on the wrong side of the battle, he might waste time appealing to me on their behalf.
Anyone entering Jasad with a sword raised against us would die on that sword.
“Keep the others away from me. I’ll track the soldiers so we can make our preparations.” I would find a quiet spot between the buildings to disappear. “And, Efra—if you touch me again, you had better mean to kill me.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
ESSIYA
Dawn striped the sky pink and orange on the last day before Nuzret Kamel.
The sun crawled over the ruins of Janub Aya, fighting the mist for every inch. Pale flecks of light shimmered over the sleeping Jasadis. Some stirred, pulling the weapons they’d slept beside closer. A few roused just enough to sense the bitter cold, their violent shivering as effective an alarm as a kick to the head.
My attention stayed fixed on the outline of Sirauk Bridge. A nameless dread had throttled me throughout the night, and it wasn’t until I filled my chest with freezing air did I realize I couldn’t remember the last time I breathed.
Something terrible was waiting for me on that bridge. Something worse than death. Worse than madness.
Run, my magic whispered, over and over and over again.Leave while they sleep and get away before the mist falls.
I crouched over the basin and splashed cold water on my face. The time for running was over. The kitmers I had sent to spy on the Nizahl recruits were in Ahr il Uboor, which meant it was a matter of hours before the army arrived in Janub Aya.
The water in the basin settled. The reflection of a blue-eyed adolescent girl gazed back at me, her lip curling with contempt.
The hallucinations had been steady and frequent. I could scarcelyturn my head without spotting one lurking in the periphery, watching me. They were in every reflection, in every shadow.
My time was running out.
Sefa yawned as she stretched awake. A stripe of sunlight cut a diagonal across her face, melting her bleary brown eyes into a warm honey. She drew herself up into a seated position, sliding Marek’s lolling head to her lap without waking him.
“Did you sleep at all?” Sefa asked. I dipped my fingers into the basin, dissolving the sneering girl.
“Since I was keeping guard, I certainly hope not.”
“When was the last time you slept?”
I didn’t flinch. “The night before.”
She nodded, glancing away. Her jaw tightened, as if her teeth had come down on something bitter and hard. “Hmm. You know, you and Marek keep saying you don’t understand how I survived in the Ivory Palace. A place built on duplicity and twisted truths, smoke and mirrors. The answer is very simple: I decided that even if I had to lie to the entire world, I would not lie to myself. If the only place I could be true was in my heart, then I would guard that truth fiercely.”
I sighed. I had forgotten how exhausting Sefa’s unique intuition could be. Didn’t she need breakfast before she launched into a lecture? A sip of water?
