Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [117]
Feena's shoulders. The young priestess's symbol of Selune dangled around her neck. Feena could feel the fading remnants of healing magic coursing through her body-but too little and very nearly too late. Blood had spread in a pool around her. Her head felt light.
She didn't have long. She could feel it.
"Oh, Feena," Julith said. "What did Velsinore do to you?"
"The attack?" slurred Feena. Speaking hurt. "What's happening?"
"We're holding the Sharrans off," said Julith, "but just barely. They tried to climb the winter chapel and-"
"I know." She shook her head at Julith's look of amazement. "You stopped them?" Julith nodded and Feena grunted. "Good. The book of the New Moon Pact. Where is it?"
"I-" Under smears of blood, Julith's face went pale. "I dropped it in the courtyard!"
Enter the waters of the moon-Selune's sacred pool.
"Take me there." She got a hand onto Julith's shoulder and tried to stand. The effort sent a wave of pain through her. Julith hissed and caught her as she fell backward.
"You need more healing than I can give you," Julith said. "We need to get you to-"
Feena opened her mouth and spat out more blood. "Get me to the courtyard!" she choked.
"Nice bird," said Keph. "Pretty bird."
The copper falcon cocked its head. Keph stretched out a hand as if the wondrous construct might somehow catch his scent. Why not? It worked for the stone dogs at the door of Fourstaves House. It had seemed to work with the creeping ward on the study door. He held his breath, praying that his luck would hold out and that the falcon would let him pass as well.
The metal bird leaned forward. Keph stepped through the door and into the study, moving a little closer. "Good bird," he murmured. "Good bird…"
Whether he had moved too close or too fast, he couldn't tell, but the bird pulled back, its wings spread wide. Keph could see the blue sparks that danced along them and his nose caught the sharp smell of lightning. He froze but the bird didn't relax. He stretched his hand out a little farther.
The bird's wings snapped down and its body stiffened as its hooked beak opened and vomited a thin, crackling stream of lightning at him. Keph felt the energy crack into his outstretched fingertips and writhe up his arm. He snatched his burning hand back with a yelp, shaking it against the sudden sharp pain.
"Ow! Beshaba's-"
The copper falcon stiffened again, wings out then down. Keph danced aside just in time as lightning arced down to the floor where he'd been standing. The falcon's head swiveled, following him. Its wings pumped again. Keph stifled a curse and dodged back. Another stream of lightning crackled across the study, then another.
A long arc caught his leg. Keph choked on another yelp and hopped frantically. He needed cover against the metal guardian, but unfortunately there was none. Strasus's study was open, with bookshelves back against the walls and three tall tables too high to hide behind and too solid to consider tipping over-if he'd been able to reach them. The falcon spat its lightning with disturbing efficiency, keeping him boxed in by the door as if to give him the option of retreat.
Except that retreat wasn't an option. At least not yet. He needed the slate tiles. If he could find them, maybe he could get past the falcon, grab them, and get out again. Keph scanned the tables and shelves as more lightning – chased him back across the room. Books, strange figures, talismans, fetishes from distant lands, scrolls, a pile of crumbling leather, a rust-eaten sword, a heap of odd coins…
Coins. The conversation he'd overheard around the breakfast table came back to him. Krin had described coins that had been found with the tiles. On the same table as the coins, the ancient leather, and the rusty sword, a big piece of gray silk covered something flat and thick.
The tiles?
Keph clenched his teeth and hurled himself toward the table, straight past the copper falcon's