cawing, to mask any sound she might make. The Mancers were still as stone, waiting, listening. She found the mouthpiece, fitted it to her lips, and then placed one of the little darts into the other end. She aimed it at one of the Mancers and blew softly. It caught him in the neck.
He fell like a stone. The other one stared down at his fallen companion in a momentary panic and Eliza blew a dart into him as well. He too fell instantly. She rose and stepped over the fallen Mancers, cutting through the barrier with her dagger. She reached for Foss’s hand.
“You have more of the potion?” he asked her.
“Of course.” She fumbled with her invisible backpack again and placed the jar in his hands. Within seconds, he too was fading out of sight.
“We had better stay very close to one another,” said Foss. “Come. There is a way out through the dungeons.”
“I know it,” said Eliza, limping after him.
“Ah yes,” said Foss. “I forgot how much mischief you’ve gotten up to in your time here. Useful, in the end. Your footfalls are uneven. Are you hurt?”
“My ankle, still.”
“You said it was not bad yesterday.”
“Lah, that was before I had to do a whole lot of running and jumping.”
“Come, I will carry you.”
Foss crouched down as he spoke. Eliza gratefully felt for his shoulders and put her arms around them, climbing onto his back, the way she’d climbed onto her father’s back when she was a little girl. Her weight was nothing at all to Foss and he continued swiftly through the dungeons to the caverns that the dragons used. They followed the vast tunnels to an iron door, the only exit from the Citadel into Di Shang, and deeply enchanted.
“The thing is,” said Eliza, “I’ve been out this door before, aye. And I’m nay sure…”
“Quickly, Eliza,” said Foss. Mancer voices echoed somewhere in the caverns, not far. She sent back a cloud of ravens to obstruct them and set to work on the door. She could feel the deep fury of the Citadel as she cut through the enchanted iron. She would not be welcomed back a second time. This was the end of any pretense of goodwill she could claim between herself and the Mancers.
Once she had cut out a space wide enough to fit through, she and Foss looked out. The door opened onto a cliff.
“Oh!” said Foss, dismayed.
“We’ve got to climb,” said Eliza.
~~~
Eliza had spent much of her childhood scrambling up and down trees and rock faces and the like and was, by any standard, a proficient climber. Even she was daunted, however, by this long ragged drop to the canyon floor below. Thinking about it would only make it worse, she knew that much, and so she lowered herself out of the doorway and scrabbled about with her unhurt foot for a foothold. Fortunately the cliff was covered with bumps and crags and roots. The soles of her boots were worn smooth and so she kicked them off, letting them fall. Her bare feet would give her a better grip.
It was several seconds before she heard the soft thud of her boots landing far below and this shook her confidence somewhat. She clung to a little ledge of rock with one foot, letting the hurt foot rest against the rock face. Still hanging on to the bottom of the doorframe with one hand, she reached down and found a root with her other hand. She held it fast and let go of the door frame. She pulled her center of gravity in, towards the rock, then drew her dagger and drove it into the cliff.
“Give me your foot,” she hissed to Foss. She reached up and felt his large foot against her hand. To her surprise, it was bare and soft. The Mancer robes brushed the ground and it had never even occurred to her to wonder if they used footwear of any kind. She guided his foot to the dagger. “Come on, down next to me,” she whispered.
“I do not think I can climb down a cliff, Eliza Tok,” he murmured back.
“You can. Dinnay think about it. Follow me,” she ordered him fiercely.
“I cannot see you.”
“Follow my voice.”
It was an
He fell like a stone. The other one stared down at his fallen companion in a momentary panic and Eliza blew a dart into him as well. He too fell instantly. She rose and stepped over the fallen Mancers, cutting through the barrier with her dagger. She reached for Foss’s hand.
“You have more of the potion?” he asked her.
“Of course.” She fumbled with her invisible backpack again and placed the jar in his hands. Within seconds, he too was fading out of sight.
“We had better stay very close to one another,” said Foss. “Come. There is a way out through the dungeons.”
“I know it,” said Eliza, limping after him.
“Ah yes,” said Foss. “I forgot how much mischief you’ve gotten up to in your time here. Useful, in the end. Your footfalls are uneven. Are you hurt?”
“My ankle, still.”
“You said it was not bad yesterday.”
“Lah, that was before I had to do a whole lot of running and jumping.”
“Come, I will carry you.”
Foss crouched down as he spoke. Eliza gratefully felt for his shoulders and put her arms around them, climbing onto his back, the way she’d climbed onto her father’s back when she was a little girl. Her weight was nothing at all to Foss and he continued swiftly through the dungeons to the caverns that the dragons used. They followed the vast tunnels to an iron door, the only exit from the Citadel into Di Shang, and deeply enchanted.
“The thing is,” said Eliza, “I’ve been out this door before, aye. And I’m nay sure…”
“Quickly, Eliza,” said Foss. Mancer voices echoed somewhere in the caverns, not far. She sent back a cloud of ravens to obstruct them and set to work on the door. She could feel the deep fury of the Citadel as she cut through the enchanted iron. She would not be welcomed back a second time. This was the end of any pretense of goodwill she could claim between herself and the Mancers.
Once she had cut out a space wide enough to fit through, she and Foss looked out. The door opened onto a cliff.
“Oh!” said Foss, dismayed.
“We’ve got to climb,” said Eliza.
~~~
Eliza had spent much of her childhood scrambling up and down trees and rock faces and the like and was, by any standard, a proficient climber. Even she was daunted, however, by this long ragged drop to the canyon floor below. Thinking about it would only make it worse, she knew that much, and so she lowered herself out of the doorway and scrabbled about with her unhurt foot for a foothold. Fortunately the cliff was covered with bumps and crags and roots. The soles of her boots were worn smooth and so she kicked them off, letting them fall. Her bare feet would give her a better grip.
It was several seconds before she heard the soft thud of her boots landing far below and this shook her confidence somewhat. She clung to a little ledge of rock with one foot, letting the hurt foot rest against the rock face. Still hanging on to the bottom of the doorframe with one hand, she reached down and found a root with her other hand. She held it fast and let go of the door frame. She pulled her center of gravity in, towards the rock, then drew her dagger and drove it into the cliff.
“Give me your foot,” she hissed to Foss. She reached up and felt his large foot against her hand. To her surprise, it was bare and soft. The Mancer robes brushed the ground and it had never even occurred to her to wonder if they used footwear of any kind. She guided his foot to the dagger. “Come on, down next to me,” she whispered.
“I do not think I can climb down a cliff, Eliza Tok,” he murmured back.
“You can. Dinnay think about it. Follow me,” she ordered him fiercely.
“I cannot see you.”
“Follow my voice.”
It was an
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