Page 222 of Scorched Earth

“If he’s a blighter, then he’s a threat.”

“He’s just a child,” Lydia hissed. “And he’s not the only one. I see… six. No, eight. Nine.”

And they were all watching, not making any particular effort to hide their nature from her. Almost as though they were daring her to take action.

“We can’t just start killing children in the middle of Serlania’s harbor,” she snapped. “Their families won’t believe they’re infected, and it won’t be long until the mob turns on us. Better to get the Sultan somewhere secure.”

They moved swiftly down the docks to the waiting carriages, Sonia already seated with Kalin inside one of them. Lydia and her friends climbed into the other. Except for Killian. “I’ll sit up top with the coachman,” he muttered.

A part of Lydia, a big part, wept for the tension between them, but she could not deny that a part of her was sick with anger thathe’d destroyed any hope of saving countless Mudamorians in one fell swoop. That he’d made the decision without her. It felt strangely like betrayal.

“Where’s Dareena?” Lydia asked once the carriage began moving.

“The front lines,” Agrippa answered. “Even with the blow to Rufina’s numbers, she’s still pressing them hard, and the blighters from Derin joined the ranks.”

“How?” she demanded. “Dead or not, they still travel by foot.”

Agrippa exhaled. “If I had to guess, it’s by way of xenthier, and if I’m right, the blame can be cast at my feet. I told Rufina how the Empire uses the paths and opened that door. With a nearly unlimited supply of walking corpses, it’s nothing to her if they go through a bad path and end up at the bottom of a lake or in a cave with no exit. The Senate bribes people to report stems they discover, but Rufina is getting that knowledge fed to her at no cost.”

“Except in lives.” Malahi picked at the fabric of her dress. “Lydia, now that you are here, we need to start thinking of a way to get to Deadground. It won’t be easy with Mudamora overrun with blight. Horses will be almost immediately infected, so we’ll need to go on foot. In truth, no one who isn’t marked should go.”

“We already argued about this, love,” Agrippa said. “I’m going. But I also think we should have Astara, once Lydia fixes her up, scout Deadground to ensure the corrupted tenders are still there. That’s a long walk to discover Rufina’s moved them somewhere else.”

“I’m not sure that moving them is possible,” Lydia said. “When I went into their mounds looking for Malahi, I tried to free one of them, but cutting her loose from her… roots? Vines?” She gave her head a sharp shake. “Whatever you want to call them, being cut away from the blight flow caused her to wither and die. According to our research, she likely regenerated or is in the process of doing so, but I don’t think it’s possible to move them.”

All eyes went to Agrippa, but he lifted his hands in a shrug. “My command was over the living, and those parasites gave me the creeps. They were Rufina’s domain, not mine, but she never tried to move them while I was there. Only sat with them, like they were some sort of sick garden she was tending.”

Malahi reached up a hand to touch the livid scar on her face. “I remember when she learned from a deimos rider that one of her tenders had been destroyed. She didn’t seem to know that it would…regrow. She wanted me to replace the loss, and when I refused, she flew into a rage and cut my face.”

Guilt soured Lydia’s stomach, for she’d caused Rufina’s reaction. Reaching out, she took Malahi’s free hand. “I’m sorry. That was my doing.”

Malahi lifted her head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s good information, because I’m remembering what she said in her rage. She kept screaming at me that she needed me to pick up the threads or the fruits would be lost to her. I was in too much pain to consider what she meant, but now I’m wondering what that might mean.”

“I’m sure we’ll find out,” Agrippa muttered. “After we cut across a dead kingdom infested with walking corpses controlled by the Seventh God and destroy a parasitic garden protected by corrupted.”

Everyone fell silent, and Lydia looked out the carriage window to see they were passing through the heavily armed gates of a large manor. The carriages came to a halt, a servant running up to open the door. Killian was sitting on top, eyes roving their surroundings, then he reached up to help Lydia exit. “You see anyone we should worry about?”

Lydia slowly rotated, taking in all the soldiers and servants, as well as Seldrid and Adra, who had appeared at the entrance, both dressed in black. “No. No blighters.”

“Good. I’ll arrange restrictions on the coming and going of the staff, but I think it best if you and I take a look around to make sure everyone on the property is of the living. I’ll also arrange for dogs to join the patrols.”

She nodded as Seldrid came down the steps, bowing low. Adra followed, dropping into a curtsey, but Lydia didn’t fail to notice the woman’s eyes were bloodshot from crying. “I’m sorry for the loss of Kaira,” she said softly. “She sacrificed herself for the sake of Reath.”

“A sacrifice that netted her nothing,” Adra retorted. “For she is dead and the Cel army holds Revat. Better that she’d escaped to fight another day, but it was never her way to run.”

“We’re out of places to runto,” Lydia said. “At some point, we need to stand our ground even if it means some of us falling. But I have good news for you. Your uncle, Sultan Kalin, is in the other carriage with Sonia.”

Adra gasped, then hurried to the carriage. “Uncle!”

Sonia climbed out, her expression grim as she watched Adra help the Sultan out of the carriage, then she turned and approached. “He’ll barely speak to me, but hopefully Adra will have luck. LordCalorian, do you know where I might find Finn? He’s my responsibility and I’ve left him unattended for too long.”

Lydia perked up at the mention of the boy, for she’d not seen him at Teradale and her young friend’s humor would be welcome right now.

“I saw him in the kitchen earlier,” Seldrid answered. “Though he’s not one to sit still, that boy.”

“He’ll be here somewhere,” Killian said. “I forbade him to leave.”

Sonia sighed. “That will have the opposite effect you intended. I’ll find him.”