Chapter 29: Drowned

Lito Laeth turned the Wasps over in her hand. They seemed alien to her—tools from a different time.

Paene Umber had left the cell, leaving Lito alone with her thoughts. She placed the swords on the ground, and stood up. She tried to run her fingers through her hair, in instinct, and old anger flared up again when her hands touched a ragged stubble instead. She trailed her fingers down, to the sticky stump that used to be her ear. She shuddered.

Lito put her weight on one foot, and then the other. They both seemed to be in good order. She swung her arms. They were weak, but serviceable.

Paene better been telling the truth—if not, she was walking into a trap. In any case, she had her Wasps, and would take some people out with her, regardless.

She picked her butterfly swords off of the ground, and headed out of Raven’s Run, towards the courtyard.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Sunset Knight had been tremendously surprised to see the majority of her forces standing there. They looked as battered and bruised as her.

Paene had apparently brought out weapons and armor for her troops. It was all true.

As she buckled on a set of armor, Lito tried to think of who could be attacking them from that side of the Wall, and came up short. But it was not her job to deal with impossibilities. Other people would tease out the how’s and the why’s later. Her job was to clean up the mess, and take care of the city.

“Listen up!”

Her voice carried in the courtyard, and her soldiers craned to listen. She took a great deal of satisfaction in the wondrous whispers that spread throughout the group—no doubt they had all assumed that the Carpenter had tortured and killed her a long time ago. It was only half true.

“Caeledonia is under attack. I know that you’re weak. I know that you are low on sleep, food, and energy.” Lito took a deep breath, and ran her hand over her head—across her scalp, and down the remains of her ear again. Let the troops see it. Let them know that they weren’t as worse off as they could be. Let them know that their commander had gone through immense pain, and was still going to march to the city's defense, regardless.

“We don’t know the enemy’s strength. We don’t know the enemies plans. We don’t have time to make any plans of our own, so I’ll want you in groups of three—stick with your squad mates, if you see them. Roam throughout the city, be on the eye out. Engage enemies if you think you can handle them; wait for other groups if you think that you can’t. I want this city clean by evening. Let’s give them a red sunset.”

She strode out of the courtyard promptly thereafter. Lito thought she heard some ragged whoops behind her, but she didn’t pay attention to it.

Lito hurried down the bridge, running as fast as her legs would take her. There was a strange ringing in her ear—and an even stranger silence where her ear used to be.

She ran passed the crumbling holes inside the Wall that the Carpenter blasted out of. It had all been ruined—every plan, every chance, every attempt that she had made to keep the city safe. She wiped her eyes, trying not to think of—

Lito came up completely short during her run. There was a woman walking away from a corpse by the checkpoint on the Cael Proper side. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and was heading towards the broken entrance of the Wall.

Something about the situation seemed wrong to her. If it was a civilian, why weren’t they in more panic? The city was being attacked; she knew that for certain from the shouts of fighting in the streets. And if it was an attacker…

Lito remembered seeing the broken Wall for the first time. Her heart had stopped as she had wondered what could have happened if the Wall had truly been destroyed.

The Sunset Knight continued running across the bridge. When she reached the checkpoint, she took the stairs two at a time to get up.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The caverns were dripping with condensed water. Every footstep that Lito took echoed in the dark caverns. She looked around for a torch, but couldn’t find one. The only glow was the alchemical lights, dim and unused, that the Carpenter must have set up during his long stay here.

At the end of the cavern, close to the Wall itself, knelt the woman. She was dumping powder from the bag onto the ground.

“Stand up,” Lito said, harshly.

The woman stretched herself out, and turned to face the Sunset Knight.

Lito drew the Wasps. Each blade was light and deadly in her hand, and she was glad that the hours of time in the jail had left her the strength to wield them.

“I’m surprised you followed me,” the woman said. “I didn’t think anyone saw.”

Lito didn’t reply, and crept closer. The woman’s eyes flicked downwards, taking in the blades.

“Those look sharp,” she said. “You could hurt someone with those.”

“I intend to,” Lito said. Twenty feet between them now, and Lito was slowly closing the distance.

The woman continued to lounge against the Wall. Her fists were closed at her sides. “You are brave,” she said. “Why aren’t you defending the rest of the city?”

Lito didn’t respond, but continued to stalk closer.

She cocked her head to one side. “Is it because you worried that something terrible was going to happen down here? That must have been a sacrifice… do you wonder about all the people who are dying out there that you can’t save?” The woman’s face fell as she said this. “Do you worry about everyone who is in immense pain, losing their will and their resolve… wishing you could have done something for them?”

Lito didn’t listen to the words. Of course she had worried about it—she was one of the best fighters in the city, and every second she was in here was a moment she couldn’t be out there, defending her people. But one glance at the powder on the floor convinced her that this was a more important, if less glamorous, fight.

Lito lunged forward, blades in hand, just as the woman said, “Me, too.”

The Wasps punched through the woman’s sides, but she seemed not to notice or care. The woman’s hands wrapped around Lito, and they tumbled to the ground. The Wasps were stuck; she couldn’t get them out for another strike. The woman was bleeding from her side, but she wasn’t screaming in pain. She had Lito’s arms locked around her side, but with a savage twist she broke one of the Sunset Knight’s arms.

Lito tried to roll away, and with a sudden push she did. She stood. Her right arm stuck out at a funny angle, and she couldn’t move it without feeling pain.

The woman, too stood up, and pulled the Wasps out. She twirled them in her hands, even as the blood flowed from her side more freely.

“You don’t have long,” Lito said, panting.

The woman nodded. “You’ve done your duty. Rejoice in that.”

Then she lunged, both Wasps aimed straight for Lito’s throat. Lito threw up both arms in defense, and her broken arm took the full force of the woman’s weight. It crumpled in pain, and she felt broken bone grind against the rest of her.

The act prevented her own blades from slicing through her throat; instead, they sliced her at the shoulders and lower neck.

Both women collapsed to the ground. Apparently the woman only had enough strength for that final attack.

“Gods,” Lito whispered. “Help.”

“They will,” the woman promised. She was moving. “They will.”

“What are you doing?” cried Lito. She tried to pull herself onto her side, but her head felt dizzy and she lay back down in agony.

“Helping,” the woman said. She was fumbling with something to do with the powder.

“Gods,” Lito cried. “Why have you done this? Damn them, damn them, damn them!”

All of the pain and aching of the last few weeks came rushing back to her. Not being able to save the city from the Carpenter. Not being able to save Elaene, even after all she had done to protect and go along with her plan. Not hearing from Dane, who alone could have saved the city. Why in the Sunken Hells were the gods such miserable wretches, who cared nothing for their people?

“No,” the woman said. “No, don’t say that.”

“Damn you,” Lito said. A red mist was clouding her eyes. When she reached her good hand up, her neck was sticky with blood.

The woman had ceased her work and was screaming. “No, don’t say that! You’re going to be fine, you’re going to live in the Silvery Halls—we still love you!”

“Gods… don’t care…” Lito gasped. “If they did…”

The red mist was slowly eating away at her vision. She could no longer see the light of the halls. She struggled to find the words, but could not.

Her arm fell limply at her side. Lito had never felt so betrayed.

And she never would again.

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