arduous and painfully slow descent. Eliza used her dagger as a handhold for herself and a foothold for Foss to steady himself on with every further movement downwards. After they had been climbing for some time, she at last allowed herself to look down, but the canyon bottom seemed barely closer at all. Worse, their escape route had been discovered. The iron doors flew open and a dragon soared out of the Citadel right over their heads.
“Blast the Ancients,” muttered Foss, just above.
“They cannay see us,” said Eliza. “Keep quiet.”
“You cannot fool a dragon with a spell of invisibility,” said Foss. “We are done for, Eliza Tok. They will do away with me quickly but there is still a chance for you. They will not want you dead, not at any cost! You must not give in to them, Eliza!”
Eliza ignored him, taking his foot by the ankle and moving it from her dagger to a rocky protrusion. Then she pulled her dagger from the rock and held it out out as the dragon opened its mouth in a scream, circling round to face them. The dagger, forged from a dragon claw, enabled her to command dragons, but she could not speak out. She would have to try to enter its mind and there was no time to do so cautiously. Eliza shut her eyes and rushed straight into a clanging, flaming mind, an intelligence and ferocity that flayed her very will. Don’t give us up. It was a plea rather than a command. She felt her bones would melt. Her thoughts scattered and sizzled. But the dragon veered off and she exhaled. When she opened her eyes she realized with a jolt of horror that she had let go of the cliff face. And yet she was hanging in the air. It took her a moment to realize that Foss was holding her by the arm.
“By the Ancients, Eliza Tok! I felt you let go…what are you doing?”
Shaking away the sparks and pain in her mind she drove her dagger back into the cliff and let herself hang from it for a moment. Her arms ached. She couldn’t catch her breath to answer him.
“How curious!” he said as the dragon flew away with Trahaearn on its back. “Did you do something?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
The other dragons came soaring out of the Citadel but they followed Trahaearn’s dragon and did not give away the two invisible fugitives clinging to the cliff. Foss edged down and stepped on Eliza’s hand.
“Ouch!” she shouted.
“Oh, I am sorry! It’s difficult, when I cannot see you, to avoid stepping on you.”
An hour later they reached the bottom of the canyon and stood on solid ground with shaking legs, laughing with relief. Eliza was drenched with sweat and trembling all over from the exertion of the descent. She thought she could see the faint outline of herself becoming visible again.
“Can you see me?” she asked Foss nervously.
“I am beginning to,” he panted. “Yes, there you are, somewhat. Quickly, then. We must stay close to the edge of the canyon and get ourselves out of plain view.”
“Foss.” There was no way to say it but plainly. “Aysu is dead.”
“Yes.” She could hear the weight of his grief in his voice. “I felt it. They came for me very quickly after her murder.”
“I’ve got the Gehemmis.”
“Save your breath, Eliza. We must get out of sight. Onto my back again.”
She obeyed, saying, “But even if the dragons dinnay give us away they’ll use the Vindensphere to find us. How can we hide?”
“I smashed the Vindensphere.”
“What?”
“It was the only thing I could think of to do. When I felt Aysu’s death, I knew they would be coming for both of us. I was on my way to warn you. I stopped in the Treasury and smashed the Vindensphere. I thought it our best chance of escape. But they found me there, before I got to you.”
“Oh, Foss!”
“They will repair it but it will take time. Long enough for us to get a good distance, I should think. I can repel seeking spells, and the Mancers are not gifted at them in any case.”
Eliza stared over his shoulder along the length of the canyon. The
“Blast the Ancients,” muttered Foss, just above.
“They cannay see us,” said Eliza. “Keep quiet.”
“You cannot fool a dragon with a spell of invisibility,” said Foss. “We are done for, Eliza Tok. They will do away with me quickly but there is still a chance for you. They will not want you dead, not at any cost! You must not give in to them, Eliza!”
Eliza ignored him, taking his foot by the ankle and moving it from her dagger to a rocky protrusion. Then she pulled her dagger from the rock and held it out out as the dragon opened its mouth in a scream, circling round to face them. The dagger, forged from a dragon claw, enabled her to command dragons, but she could not speak out. She would have to try to enter its mind and there was no time to do so cautiously. Eliza shut her eyes and rushed straight into a clanging, flaming mind, an intelligence and ferocity that flayed her very will. Don’t give us up. It was a plea rather than a command. She felt her bones would melt. Her thoughts scattered and sizzled. But the dragon veered off and she exhaled. When she opened her eyes she realized with a jolt of horror that she had let go of the cliff face. And yet she was hanging in the air. It took her a moment to realize that Foss was holding her by the arm.
“By the Ancients, Eliza Tok! I felt you let go…what are you doing?”
Shaking away the sparks and pain in her mind she drove her dagger back into the cliff and let herself hang from it for a moment. Her arms ached. She couldn’t catch her breath to answer him.
“How curious!” he said as the dragon flew away with Trahaearn on its back. “Did you do something?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
The other dragons came soaring out of the Citadel but they followed Trahaearn’s dragon and did not give away the two invisible fugitives clinging to the cliff. Foss edged down and stepped on Eliza’s hand.
“Ouch!” she shouted.
“Oh, I am sorry! It’s difficult, when I cannot see you, to avoid stepping on you.”
An hour later they reached the bottom of the canyon and stood on solid ground with shaking legs, laughing with relief. Eliza was drenched with sweat and trembling all over from the exertion of the descent. She thought she could see the faint outline of herself becoming visible again.
“Can you see me?” she asked Foss nervously.
“I am beginning to,” he panted. “Yes, there you are, somewhat. Quickly, then. We must stay close to the edge of the canyon and get ourselves out of plain view.”
“Foss.” There was no way to say it but plainly. “Aysu is dead.”
“Yes.” She could hear the weight of his grief in his voice. “I felt it. They came for me very quickly after her murder.”
“I’ve got the Gehemmis.”
“Save your breath, Eliza. We must get out of sight. Onto my back again.”
She obeyed, saying, “But even if the dragons dinnay give us away they’ll use the Vindensphere to find us. How can we hide?”
“I smashed the Vindensphere.”
“What?”
“It was the only thing I could think of to do. When I felt Aysu’s death, I knew they would be coming for both of us. I was on my way to warn you. I stopped in the Treasury and smashed the Vindensphere. I thought it our best chance of escape. But they found me there, before I got to you.”
“Oh, Foss!”
“They will repair it but it will take time. Long enough for us to get a good distance, I should think. I can repel seeking spells, and the Mancers are not gifted at them in any case.”
Eliza stared over his shoulder along the length of the canyon. The
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