King Breaker by Rowena Cory Daniells Page B

kresatrices made a soft noise, and she looked up. They were now less than a body-length away, eyes bright with malice.
    No time to call for help. Piro knew her Affinity was good for only one thing. She concentrated on gathering her power, felt it slide down her arm until her fingers throbbed with each beat of her heart.
    On sensing her Affinity, the kresatrices’ whine became higher-pitched and eager.
    ‘Come here, kressies,’ Piro crooned, edging to one side so that the empty roasting pot was between her and the creatures. ‘Come taste what I have for you.’
    They came, scattering food and pans. She held one hand over the roasting pot, reaching for the lid with the other. The kresatrices reached the edge of the pot. Intent on the treat, two climbed into it while the third struggled to climb in.
    The first two reached Piro’s hand. Their tongues flickered out, tickling her skin. They stopped whining and Miron gasped as if waking.
    ‘Don’t move,’ Piro whispered. The third kresatrice tumbled into the pot and she slammed the lid down fast.
    ‘You did it!’ Miron marvelled. ‘But how did you do it?’
    ‘I offered them my Affinity,’ Piro said. She might not be able to make Siordun’s stupid stone glow, but surely this proved she was worth training. ‘I’m the Power-worker’s apprentice.’
    ‘What are you doing down here?’ Siordun barked from the doorway. Behind him were Nikoforus and the ship’s captain.
    ‘Catching kresatrices,’ Piro said, coming to her feet with the big roasting pot in her arms. ‘There’s three in here. With the dead one, that leaves five still to catch.’
    ‘We have three dead ones laid out on deck,’ the captain said.
    ‘There goes my commission,’ Nikoforus muttered.
    Piro ignored him. ‘That leaves two for us to find.’
    ‘You lured them with Affinity?’ Siordun asked.
    She nodded.
    ‘I don’t need your help, Power-worker,’ Nikoforus said. ‘I have it under control.’
    ‘Like you did when you left an Affinity stone in the same chest as the eggs?’ Piro asked, pointing to the chest.
    Siordun went over and inspected the stone. ‘Look at the size of it. It’s no wonder the creatures hatched early.’
    ‘The breeder assured me they needed it.’ Nikoforus sent Piro a look of loathing. He beckoned the cabin boy. ‘There’s a chest in my cabin with the same symbol as that one. Go fetch it.’
    Miron ran off, and Nikoforus swept everything off the galley table onto the floor. The loud clatter of pots and pans made the kresatrices panic. Piro heard their little claws scrabbling around inside the metal pot. The lid rose slightly. She put the roasting pot on a chair and sat on it, which gave her a good view of the table when Miron returned with the second chest.
    Nikoforus opened it and felt around in the packing straw. ‘These are talismans. When a child is given a pet kresatrice, they’re also given a talisman to tame it.’
    He pulled out an object the size of his fist, tied up in cloth. The captain and the cabin boy watched, fascinated, as he untied the cloth to reveal two stones, one much larger than the other. The large one had been worked so that the small one slotted into it neatly. He displayed the two stones. ‘The large one is to chastise and the smaller is to reward.’
    ‘A pair of sorbt stones?’ Piro guessed.
    ‘Sorbt stones,’ Siordun agreed.
    Piro frowned. ‘I don’t see—’
    ‘The larger one absorbs power. It would sting a kresatrice,’ Siordun said. ‘The smaller one is a sealer stone. As long as the two stones are in contact, the small one stops the larger one from absorbing power.’
    ‘Then why would the small one reward the kressies?’ Piro asked.
    ‘Because, over time, the small stone absorbs the power stored in the big stone. Think how good a fire-warmed stone feels on a cold winter’s night when you crawl into bed. That’s how it would feel to an Affinity creature.’
    Piro held out her hand. ‘Can I see?’
    With