The Howling Delve - Jaleigh Johnson [12]
Aazen caught Kail's arm before he could drive the blade into his neck. "It's me," he said.
Breathing hard, Kail took a long time to focus on his friend and comprehend that he was not some specter from the surrounding graves. The knife fell forgotten to the grass. "What are you doing here?"
Then it came to him in a rush-Aazen's washed-out face, his swollen eye, and the grim set to his mouth. "Your father," Kali croaked. "He-"
"I know." Aazen nodded. Kali mirrored the gestute. It was all the acknowledgment either seemed capable of giving.
"He will kill you," Aazen said. "His men are hunting for you now."
"They don't know about this place," Kail said. He retrieved his knife and started digging.
Aazen scraped dirt aside with his hands. "You don't have much time," he said. He hesitated, looking at the ground. "These won't help you."
Kail's blade found the niche he'd been looking for, and he peeled the grass back, like slipping the lid off a stubborn box. Beneath lay a hollow space lined with wood and cloth. Two bundles of tightly wrapped linen were nestled on top of this, the larger tied with a rope to be worn on the shoulders. He drew them out reverently, as he'd seen his father do when he'd first shown them to Kali.
"I'm going back," he said, glaring into Aazen's skeptical eyes. "If I can just get to Father…"
"Your fathet believes you have betrayed him," Aazen said bluntly. "He is allowing mine to deal with you, in whatever way he sees fit."
Kail's gaze faltered. "You're lying," he said automatically. "Father would never believe I betrayed him."
"He has no say in the matter. Fathet has Morel under his control. I don't know how…" Aazen's mind seized on his healed wound. "Magic, perhaps."
"Magic." Kail's forehead wrinkled. Magic was only a vague concept to him, little more than a fixture in the stories his father used to tell of his mother. Fantastic and sometimes brutal as the tales had been, he'd only ever listened to the parts about the woman herself, soaking up every small detail…
No, Kali thought savagely, thrusting the memories away. All that had been a lie. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I'll go back and free him. I have these"-he clutched the bundles-"they have magic. Father told me. I'll kill Balram!"
The words rang out between them, and Kail sucked in a bteath, watching Aazen, hearing the words and their implications for the first time.
He'd just sworn to kill Aazen's father. In one day, their worlds had shattered. Nothing would ever be the same for either of them again.
Aazen said nothing at first, only smoothed the dirt and grass back in place over the hole. He looked up as the sun dipped below the horizon. "You have to leave the city. I was sent out to lead Father's men to wherever you might be hiding. I came to warn you, but I can't stay here. When Father realizes I've put him on a false trail, he'll be tracking me." Aazen stated into the distance, as if seeing something frightening in the datk. "I can't hide for long."
"He won't forgive you. He'll beat you to death and won't know he's doing it," Kali said bitterly. "You have to run."
They had no choice. Aazen was right. If Kail went back now, without his father's aid, he had no hope. It shamed Kail to admit his fear, but stronger than that was the anger, the fury at Balram and all he'd stolen from Kail's family. Balram wanted him dead. The only action Kail could take right now to thwart him was to stay alive.
Absotbed in thoughts and plans, Kail didn't notice Aazen's silence. His friend got to his feet and started walking, out into the dark. Abruptly, Kail realized what he intended and yelled, "You can't go back. You'll die!"
Aazen paused, not looking back. "No. I don't think… no. I'm all he has. He cares for me."
Kail's mouth twisted. "How can he? Your father's a murderer."
Aazen said, calmly, "So is yours."
And then, as if it had been waiting, the scene in the garden broke fresh in Kail's mind. He saw his father drowning Haig as the sun shone down and insects buzzed around theit bleeding wounds. He'd managed to block it out before, when