CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Faster than I am, Jin thought. Her single sword was forced to swing twice as fast to counter the attacks of Kai's twin blades. He sees the flaws in my form. Anticipates my technique.

A swift barrage of seven blows struck at Jin's torso. She managed to deflect the first six, but the last cut past her guard and scored a hit across her abdomen. Fortunately, her new armor stopped it from drawing blood. Jin shoved with her free hand to earn some distance before Kai could follow through and finish her.

Can't afford to split concentration. Manifesting spells impossible. Weakening. Getting slower. I can't beat him.

It took everything Jin had to keep pace with Kai's swordplay. She couldn't afford a single misstep. It would take only one to prove fatal.

Sweat poured down her face. Her breaths came heavy. She was already more tired than she could remember being in months. Only the Battle of Sandharbor compared, but that had been after two sleepless nights of fighting. She'd fought Kai for little more than a minute. Jin had never been forced to exert herself to this degree in sustained swordplay before.

That was often the way of swordplay between two masters. It was over in an instant or it dragged until one combatant was unable to maintain their momentum.

Kai showed no sign of fatigue. He fought as if he could continue for hours more. Relentless and insurmountable. Jin wasn't an Eidolon to defeat him with raw power. She wasn't experienced enough to match his skill with blades.

She was outclassed.

Nonetheless, it was her duty to defeat him. Jin's mind raced, seeking out any advantage she could find. His sorcery was stronger, and his self-enchantments were already outstripping hers by a wide margin. He was better balanced, faster, stronger, and more precise. There wasn't a single quality Jin possessed in which Kai wasn't superior.

Superior in every way imaginable.

Jin was weakening faster than she was used to. She hadn't taken oren before leaving the alchemy lab in a hurry. Foolish not to take it when she had the chance, and now she needed it more than ever before.

An entire satchel of oren vials hung at her waist, but she didn't dare try to take a dose now.

Jin caught Kai's lead sword on her cross guard and seized the other hand's wrist. Before she could begin a maneuver to capitalize on her position, his heel lashed out and struck her across the jaw. Jin was knocked onto her back foot and released her hold on him. The inside of her cheek gashed open against her teeth. Blood flowed into her mouth. She spat it out over the side of the train and ignored the pain.

That was the third time he'd struck her in the face. He was trying to rattle her. If she couldn't keep her thoughts straight, Jin would fall in seconds.

Think, she told herself. Think!

She considered everything she knew about Dashar in rapid succession, searching out anything she could use to gain the upper hand.

Blood magic. No vulnerabilities I can take advantage of in short order. Laconic? Irrelevant. Averse to crowds. Ineffective once he has focus on an objective. Allergic to bee stings! Stop being a fool. Doppler might not even have the same...

Jin blinked. Her arms moved to deflect Kai's next series of attacks from nothing but muscle memory.

Doppler, she thought. I've been trying to beat Dashar. I need to beat Kai!

She changed her form to fourth stance and struck downward with a heavy blow. The only effective defense against such an attack was to either dodge of block. There wasn't enough room on top of the train car to avoid her, so Kai was forced to cross his swords above his head to receive the blow.

Jin pressed down on her sword, grinding the blades together. She leaned closer, bringing their faces close. "You fool," she hissed. "You're ruining everything!"

Kai's brow furrowed.

"The Eidolon isn't far behind," Jin said quickly. She hopped back from him and lowered her sword. "Wound me. Quickly. If you're gone before she follows on her dragon, I can still cover for you."

He hesitated. His eyes flickered over the length of her. "Whom do you serve?"

"Centauri," Jin said. "My allegiance in exchange for my revenge on Adeyemi."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "How long?"

"We've no time for this, shifter," Jin snarled. "My sister is right behind..." She looked past Kai's shoulder and bared her teeth. "She's here!"

Kai whipped his head around to look behind him.

Jin plunged her sword into Kai's back. Cartilage and bone cracked as she sliced between his vertebrae, severing his spinal cord above the waist. Jin's left arm seized around his neck, and she flexed her bicep to close his throat.

Kai inhaled sharply before his airways closed and was unable to release it. He was held upright by Jin's grip, his legs twitching uselessly as he gasped like a fish flung onto the river bank. His swords fell from his grip and clattered over the side of the car.

"Centauri will rot," Jin whispered in his ear. "As shall Algol, Vega, Rigel, Carinae, and the traitor god Antares. I will kill all the demons, but not before I feel you release your last pitiful breath."

"My..." Kai struggled to speak around Jin's arm. The pressure on his throat increased. "My... love."

Jin heard Gillwyn cry out in pain.

Lightning crackled in a line over the train car. Jin's hair stood on end as tendrils of electrical energy danced around her. Searing, white hot pain burst across her back and threw her to the ground. She lost her grip on Kai, and the doppler slid perilously close to the edge.

Gasping against the sting of electrical burns, Jin shook her head clear and pushed herself to her knees. Looking up, she saw someone clamber up from between the train cars to stand before her. It was another hooded figure in clergy robes, and this one presented a feminine figure.

The woman was taller than the average Althandi, nearly the same height as Jin. She had dark skin and aristocratic features of a northern noblewoman. Natural curls of black hair showed from under her hood, and Jin could see how her eyes were red. Jin felt her jaw go slack, because she knew this woman well.

Jin loved this woman once, loved her as family.

"Tarim?"

The former princess of Althandor said nothing. She held a clay capsule forth in her palm and crushed it. Sparks erupted over her arm and she threw out a second bolt of alchemically produced lightning towards Jin.

Lunging to the side, Jin manifested a lightning ward. The spell arced against her protections and dissipated into the metal of the train. Jin rolled across her shoulders and sprang to her feet. "Tarim, what are you doing?"

"Stop calling me that," she said through her teeth. Another spell appeared in her hand. "That woman died a decade ago. Your cousin killed her."

"Dashar was trying to save you," Jin pleaded. "Please, Tarim, your family still loves you. Think of Kiir!"

"A dead woman's son!" she howled. "A dead woman's husband! I was born from her corpse. My name is Komali, and I will not rest until all House Algara joins her!"

As another bolt of lightning struck out at her, Jin recognized that name. Her ward holding against the onslaught, Jin's heart clenched with the grief that recognition brought with it. Komali was the name of the suspected leader of the Courtesan cell in Drok Moran who Reyn encountered. It'd been Princess Tarim Algara all along, working alongside the house's enemies.

The burden of duty weighed absolute.

"Goodbye, Tarim," Jin murmured. "I will remember you as you were and not as you've become."

She dashed forward while manifesting her ward in front of her like a shield. Her sword was readied to slash across Tarim's throat and end the threat she posed.

Two more imposter clergymen climbed up on top of the next train car. They held a struggling figure between them, one doing so with one hand as his other held a stolen powered longbow. Gillwyn swung an elbow to smash against the other's nose. The two of them together were having difficulty keeping Gillwyn subdued.

"Another step and she has a long fall in store for her," Tarim shouted. "You're not the sort to let an innocent girl die. Are you, Jin?"

Any cost, Jin thought. Collateral damage is inevitable.

As she thought it, Jin felt a sensation of fangs at her neck. Her hands shook, and she couldn't take another step forward.

I must fight, Jin thought, horrified by her own inaction. It's my duty. I have to fight!

Jin's grip on her sword loosened, and she lowered it to her side.

"I thought not," Tarim mocked. "You there! Doppler!"

Jin heard motion behind her. She looked over her shoulder and felt her eyes widen in shock. Slowly, Kai rose to his feet. The blood pouring from his wound had cut short, and he could use his legs despite Jin severing his spinal column.

Shifter polymorphic nature, Jin guessed. His blood magic prohibits taking another form, but he apparently can still use his shifting to repair this one.

"Can you move?" Tarim asked.

Kai grimaced with pain and nodded.

She looked back at Jin. "This game of arja's over. You can never beat the Courtesans, imé. You've lost."

Hands shaking, Jin knew what duty demanded of her. To fight, regardless of the cost to herself or to anyone else. But, she couldn't. Perhaps fatigue, perhaps the lack of oren, but Jin couldn't bring herself to move.

"No," Gillwyn growled. "No, she hasn't!"

One of the men holding her cried out. Claws tore at the man's face, ripping his nose and most of a cheek from his skull. He recoiled and clutched at his ruined face. Between the wind and the mist dampening the metal beneath him, he lost his footing and vanished over the side of the car. His screams faded until he was swallowed by the Spired City's depths.

Gillwyn completed her transformation and became a lithe, animalistic form. Her sleek, black coat of fur was slick with damp from the mist, and she opened a mouth filled with sharp fangs to roar.

The man holding Gillwyn's bow stumbled as he scrambled back from a snarling panther. Before he could get his feet beneath him to flee, Gillwyn pounced and sank her teeth into the back of his neck. She shook her head, and the man's blood-curdling scream of terror became a death rattle.

Jin burst back into motion, whatever spell holding her in place now gone. She turned around and was intent on giving Kai a wound he'd never recover from. His blood still covered her sword, and Jin poured ether into it. Through its imprint, her osteomancy seized on his bones with the intent to crush.

Kai possessed Dashar's elder magic along with his skill. He stumbled as Jin's power found him, but he managed to resist his bones breaking. Expected, but Jin found the advantage she'd been searching for. He was unarmed now, and Jin could use her osteomancy to hinder his movements.

She could win.

Jin manifested bursts of spellfire as she charged. She meant to dazzle Kai's vision and obscure her approach. Her attack would come from an unexpected angle, one he couldn't defend against.

There was no room in her thoughts for the second of Gillwyn's captors being thrown over the side of the train, or for Tarim shouting for more of her cohorts to come up from below. With Gillwyn's current form, she could pick them off one by one as they emerged and harass Tarim from casting more spells. Once Jin finished Kai off, it would be all but over.

A fire ward wrapped around Jin's body as she charged through her own spellfire. She kept the image of Kai's position in her mind and aimed a slash for his neck. No matter what powers of healing the doppler had, Jin doubted he could come back from a beheading.

Before she reached him, the spellfire was blown away by a conjured blast of wind. Kai's hand snapped out and seized Jin by the wrist. His heel connected with her shin, and she was thrown bodily onto her back. Her sword was torn from her grasp.

In Kai's hand, the sword stabbed down at Jin. She rolled, barely avoiding her head getting pinned to the train. A somersault and handspring got her back on her heels, and at once she was forced on the defensive as Kai pressed towards her.

He slashed in a relentless fury, advancing on her and pressing her towards the side of the train car. Jin had less than three steps before a five hundred pace drop to the ground level of Eastrun.

At the other end of the car, Gillwyn spun and swiped at three men with long knives trying to surround her. At least as many lay on their sides with blood pooling beneath them. Gillwyn roared as Tarim jumped ahead to the next car and crushed an alchemical spell in her hand. Lightning surged over her arm as Tarim aimed her closed fist as Gillwyn.

The spell fired. But, instead of striking Gillwyn, it careened as if by its own will and struck towards Kai. The doppler instinctively slashed his sword towards the errant bolt, and the weapon was blasted out of his hands. His arm from the elbow down smoked from blackened flesh.

Gillwyn's roars were drowned out by the hunting cry of a rose dragon.

From the back of the train, Zanda unfurled her wings and flew less than two paces over the top of the cars. As she swept just a few hairs over Jin's head, the Executioner's hooked claws tore at Kai. The doppler was struck down, his head cracked against the floor, and the stolen sword spun off into the void along with a spray of Kai's blood.

Jin rebalanced her footing and kicked Kai in the side of the head. She felt one of his teeth break loose and fly free.

Zanda snatched two of the men harassing Gillwyn in her claws as she passed overhead, then she casually tossed them aside. The huge dragon almost seemed to meld into the mists as she changed to a human form and dropped onto the train ahead of Tarim. Zanda stood straight in her fine dress and looked at the ruffians with a disapproving eye. Maya then landed next to her.

The last Courtesan facing off with Gillwyn stared at them in stupefaction until Maya sent him away with astramancy.

"Seems we've arrived just in time, love," Zanda said.

"I'll make sure Jin doesn't forget she owes you one," Maya replied. She drew her sword and stalked forward.

Tarim recoiled from her. "Not you."

Maya blinked rapidly as if not believing her eyes. "What in Hell?"

Jin couldn't spare a moment to shout at Maya. Kai was severely wounded again, but he was as tenacious as the body he wore. After Jin's kick loosened his jaw, he was back in motion. Kai rolled away from her and grabbed at his waist.

Jin dodged the thrown dagger. She kept light on her feet in preparation for more surprises. She didn't mean to underestimate him again, no matter how close to his pyre he appeared. What she hadn't expected was for him to turn away from her and sprint towards the other side of the train car.

Spellfire shot after him, but Kai picked up speed and dove over the side of the train. Jin ran to the edge and looked down. She caught a glimpse of his white robes billowing in the wind before vanishing into the shadows far below.

"Tarim, no!"

Jin whipped her head around at Maya's cry. She looked just in time to see Tarim following her prince's imposter over the side. Spell echoes of gravity essence pulsed, but Zanda grabbed Maya about the waist before she could fly after her.

"Let me go," Maya shouted. "Don't you know who that was?"

"An enemy," Zanda said calmly, "and you're not thinking clearly. Your guard was already down; that's how she escaped you. If I let you go after her, she'd stick a knife in you while you gawked like a fool. I won't let you pursue her until you've a clear head on your shoulders."

Wide-eyed and with a stricken look on her face, Maya looked down where Tarim had disappeared from sight. "You don't understand. That was..."

"Her name is Komali," Jin said as she approached. "A Courtesan cell leader and apparently a thrall." She checked to make certain Gillwyn was still with them and was relieved to see her reassuming her human form.

Maya was too preoccupied with Tarim's presence in the Spired City to notice Gillwyn was a shifter. "She was a blood mage. Like... Winds and storms. Could it really be her?"

"What is left of her," Jin said. "Her imprint was damaged beyond hope of repair when Dashar used blood magic to heal her. She is no longer the woman we knew. Tarim is gone."

She was surprised to see tears in Maya's eyes. Her sister couldn't look away from the shadows beneath them.

Jin closed her eyes and let out a quiet breath. Her hands no longer shook as badly as they had before, but they hadn't fallen still. When she opened her eyes again, she spoke to Zanda. "Thank you. I did not anticipate the doppler to have support. I would have been overwhelmed had you not arrived so soon."

Zanda inclined her head. "It was my pleasure, Highness."

"Did you leave Cana at Evermist?"

The Executioner indicated towards the back of the train with her chin. Jin turned to see Cana picking her way carefully over the gaps between train cars as she scurried towards Gillwyn.

Still in royal guard armor, Cana made a clanking racket as she threw herself at Gillwyn. She clung to Gillwyn's neck and sobbed hysterically. "I was so worried. Why'd you go off on your own like that? Her Highness was furious at you two!"

Gillwyn returned the embrace and closed her eyes. "Sorry for worrying you," she murmured. "I'll try not to do it again."

Cana pulled off her helmet and held it under an arm. She then kissed Gillwyn as their hair whipped about their heads in the wind.

Jin was pleased that her sixth sense had been fully on the mark.

About other things, Jin was less than pleased. Kai and Tarim had escaped, because she had no reason to doubt both possessed the magic to survive a fall from this height. Whatever purpose brought them to the City of Althandor, they remained free to pursue it. All Jin had accomplished was to delay their arrival at their destination, and she'd nearly gotten herself and Gillwyn killed in the accomplishment of so little. Had it not been for Maya's timely arrival, they'd both be dead.

Jin looked down at her hand. She made a fist over Kai's blood to stop it from shaking. Perhaps it was as petty as it was futile, but she channeled her elder magic through the blood again just to remind Kai that she was still alive.

"Where's this train bound for?" Zanda asked. "Where were they going?"

Maya wiped at her eyes and took in a breath to settle herself. "Eastrun. Its first stop is at Arcrest Tower Station in Fellowton."

Jin frowned. "That is near where the fiends are believed to originate. Do you believe Kai could be working directly for Algol?"

"Seems most likely, unless there's more than one demon in the city. If nothing else, we can deal with the problem we're heading towards before we go looking for the doppler again. Might take him some time to recover from all this, at least." She tilted her head back to look down her nose at Jin. "I felt the echo of your spellfire as you were pulling out of Evermist. You lasted all this time against Kai and his cronies?"

"Until Komali and her Courtesans reinforced him," Jin said. "Gillwyn provided ample assistance once they did."

Maya hummed appreciatively.

"Were he and I alone," Jin said, "I would have killed him."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"

"He is not Dashar," Jin said simply. "He is nothing more than an imperfect copy of a better man."

"As you say," Maya said unconvincingly, then her expression sobered. "Speaking of which, what do we tell Dashar about this?"

"We must first learn all we can of what the demons are doing here," Jin said. "Then, we tell him everything."

"Alright. Now, let's go inside. This wind is murder on my hair." Maya kicked one of the Courtesan corpses over the side as she made her way towards the gap between train cars. "You two, stop snogging each other and get below. You're going to fall without noticing if you keep on the way you're going."

Cana jumped and turned red as a beet before pulling away from Gillwyn. For her part, Gillwyn looked as if Cana's kisses had placed her under an enchantment. She had a faraway look about her as she retrieved her bow from where it'd fallen

Jin put a hand on Gillwyn's shoulder as everyone else filed down the ladder to the car's door. "I am fortunate you came with me. You saved my life, Gillwyn."

Blushing, Gillwyn couldn't meet Jin's eye. "Not from where I was standing."

"You are remarkable." Jin bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I am grateful to have met you."

Jin took the rungs of the ladder carefully. She didn't want to have survived that entire mess just to die because of clumsiness. Once back inside the train, she waited for Gillwyn to follow for several long moments and almost felt the need to go back up after her. Finally, Gillwyn came down the ladder and through the door. Her face was flushed, and she couldn't look in Jin's direction without bursting into flames.

The passengers in this car shied away from both the hole in their roof and the odd contingent of armed young women. Zanda gave them all a polite nod before primly taking a seat as if nothing was at all out of the ordinary about the situation.

Maya took Gillwyn and Cana with her to check the rest of the cars for other Courtesans. Jin didn't feel equal to the task of going with them and decided it would be wiser to remain with Zanda. While waiting for her sister and handmaidens to return, Jin sat down in an empty row of seats.

Her body shook as the last traces of adrenaline left her veins. That was what she told herself. Jin was angry. She'd failed to eliminate two great threats to the kingdom, even though she had the opportunity to do so.

She could've killed Tarim and easily finished off Kai. But, she hadn't. She'd allowed the threat to Gillwyn to stop her.

If Gara believed Jin capable of rising to become the assassin to save Althandor and the world, there was a long way yet to go. Ashamed of herself for her weakness, Jin closed her eyes and waited for the train to reach its destination.

Jin kept her eyes closed when Maya and the girls returned. She gave short responses when Maya spoke to her before sitting next to Zanda, and she tried to ignore how Gillwyn and Cana talked softly to each other about all what happened. It seemed that Maya had briefly argued with the train's conductor, and Gillwyn said it was completely reasonable for Maya to claim that their party could expect the Courtesans' fare to cover the expense of their tickets. While allowing everyone's words to wash over her, Jin's hand found its way into the pouch hanging from her belt and came back out with a vial held in her fingers.

Biting her lip, Jin pushed the cork free with her thumb. The shaking in her hands grew worse.

"I'm where I need to be," she whispered under her breath. "I must be strong."

Wandering off to the middle of nowhere and waiting for the withdrawals to kill her was no longer an option. Jin had a duty to carry out. She had a family who needed her. Her house and her kingdom required a royal assassin.

Keeping her eyes closed against tears she didn't understand the reason for, Jin brought the vial to her mouth.