Cathrynne didn’t waste a precious second. She forced herself to stand and found the driver, who was hiding behind the bench.
“Road’s clear,” she whispered. “But we have to go now.”
Lucio Tavora gave a frightened nod. He clambered back onto his seat, hands shaking as he took up the reins. Cathrynne jumped aboard as the caracals raced away. Lithomantic bursts lit the trees behind them. She watched the bend in the road recede through the sleet-frosted window.
Mercy would come out on top. She always did.
Cathrynne’s jaw tightened. She felt sure it was the White Foxes, and the witches they recruited were always the strongest. The most merciless. She swore angrily and touched her split lip.
Yarl took a handkerchief from his coat pocket. “Here.”
She pressed the linen against her mouth. “I shouldn’t have let that jeweler escape. He must have run straight to his masters.”
“Or they tracked us another way,” Yarl agreed. “Mercy Blackthorn is a brave woman. I hope her gamble pays off.”
“So do I,” Cathrynne said.
Several hours passed. The coach slowed again and Yarl peered out the window. “The border,” he said. “We’re nearly there.”
Cathrynne drew open the curtain. Dawn had broken. Through the window, she saw a suspension bridge above a river. Customs posts stood on either side, flags snapping in the wind. The Satu Jos banner—a flame rising from a forge—faced off against the rook standard of Kievad Rus.
A railroad trestle also crossed the gorge. A train had stopped and officials moved through the brightly-lit cars, checking identity cards. Cathrynne could see the passengers’ bored, sleepy faces through the windows.
The diligence halted at the customs post and a guard in the brown uniform of Satu Jos peered inside.
Yarl leaned forward. “We have urgent business in Kievad Rus. This is a diplomatic mission.”
The guard’s face was impassive. “Even diplomats require transit papers with the proper seals.”
“Do you not recognize Lord Gavriel Morningstar, archangel of Kirith?” Yarl demanded. “He requires immediate medical attention. We were waylaid by bandits on the road.”
The guard’s hand rested on his sidearm as he studied Cathrynne’s silver eyes. “All the more reason to verify your identities.” Two more guards appeared behind him. A nod and whispered word from the first, and the men went running off. “I’m afraid I can’t allow you to leave Satu Jos without clearance from the Angel Tower in Kota Gelangi.”
Cathrynne surveyed the post, calculating how fast she could incapacitate the guards before the shooting started. Not good odds, since she couldn’t risk Gavriel getting hit.
Yarl’s face darkened. “Listen carefully. I am Edvin Yarl, secretary to Lord Morningstar. If you prevent his passage, you will answer directly to Mount Meru. Would you like to explain to Valoriel himself why his son was delayed?”
The guard seemed unmoved.
“I can arrange for you to be personally escorted to the Summerlord’s presence,” Yarl continued. “I’m certain he would be fascinated to hear why a lowly border official thought his authority superseded that of an archangel.”
A new voice cut through the tension. “What seems to be the problem?”
A woman in the navy uniform of Kievad Rus was approaching across the bridge. An officer’s insignia gleamed on her collar.
“These travelers claim diplomatic status but have no papers, captain,” the Satu Jos guard admitted grudgingly. “A cypher, a human, and an angel. One of them is injured. Who knows what mischief they’ve been up to?”
The captain’s eyes flicked to the interior of the coach, lingering on Gavriel’s slumped form. Recognition sharpened her eyes. “That is indeed Lord Morningstar, and Suriel is expecting him,” she said. “I’ll take responsibility for them. Kievad Rus welcomes the archangel and his party.”
The guards exchanged glances, still uneasy.
“Unless you’d prefer to make this a more serious incident?” the captain added. “I can call Suriel herself?—”
The men stepped back, defeated. “They can pass.”
Cathrynne heaved a sigh of relief as the coach rolled forward again, wheels rumbling over the wooden planks of the bridge.
“Thank you for intervening,” Yarl said to the Rus captain, who walked alongside.
