Root said, “So either we can’t find a way into the city and have to leave, and not know if the Fell are going to get something from it and use it to come after the Reaches. Or we get into the city and maybe that sets loose the thing that the Fell get and use to come after the Reaches. Or we leave, and somebody else gets into the city later and the Fell—”
Song shoved him in the shoulder. Root fell over into the sand and protested, “I’m not wrong.”
“We know you aren’t,” Chime said, “That’s the problem.” There was a moment of glum contemplation.
Then Song said, “Why can’t we use the thing the Fell are going to get against the Fell?”
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Moon was struck by a deep gut-and-bone-level instinct for how bad an idea that was, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. Then Jade said, “You didn’t see it.”
Moon expected Song to drop the subject. She hadn’t seen it because she and Root had been almost killed while trying to fight off the Fell. Song still had the scars on her throat. But instead she said, “There were only a few of you there. Stone wasn’t even there. If there were more, we could control it. Or kill it.”
The warriors all looked at Jade, except Balm, who stared at Song, her expression suggesting that someone was about to get a slap to the head. Song hadn’t exactly made a direct challenge to Jade, but the tension of the moment made the comment more pointed than Song had perhaps intended. Her voice tight, Jade said, “As I said, you didn’t see it.”
Song leaned forward. “But it could be our chance to fight the Fell, really fight them, maybe kill a lot of them at once. If this thing is going to be powerful enough for them to use it to attack and overwhelm the Reaches, then it’s powerful enough for us to use it to attack them.”
Jade tilted her head.
Sitting up on his elbows, Stone muttered, “Uh oh,” under his breath. Chime glanced at Moon worriedly, and Delin sat very still. Balm had unconsciously bared her teeth at Song. Root had frozen in place. Moon sat up a little, trying to think of something to say to disarm the situation.
Then Bramble snorted. “Song, did you get hit on the head?”
Bramble and Merit had been so quiet, Moon had forgotten they were there.
Merit was going through his simple bag, and without looking up, said dryly, “You know, I may be young and not the most powerful mentor the court has ever had, but if I had scryed something like that, I’d mention it.”
“There were only a ‘few of you’ there. Let’s see.” Bramble ticked the list off on her fingers. “Jade, our sister queen. Moon, our consort who fights Fell. Malachite, a reigning queen who killed a whole Fell flight. A half-fell consort. A half-fell mentor. And Chime, our mentor who turned into a warrior who has strange abilities that no one understands yet. Even without Stone there, that’s as strong and powerful a group as most courts could put together.” Bramble leaned toward Song. “Exactly how do you expect to control this thing? Have a bunch of warriors there for it to kill as a distraction?”
Merit added, “If we gave it a hundred warriors to kill, maybe it would get tired—”
Song curled her arms around her legs, physically withdrawing from the battle. “All right, all right! You don’t have to rip my face off.”
Bramble grinned. “If someone needs to rip your face off, I’ll do it.”
“Bramble, Merit, enough. You made your point, you don’t have to enjoy it,” Jade said, but her voice wasn’t tight anymore. She rippled her spines to release tension and stood. “We’ll take this up tomorrow. We need some rest.”
Bramble and Merit put on contrite expressions and didn’t argue, having gotten exactly the reactions that they had been aiming for. Stone flicked a fish bone at Bramble’s head.
As Jade started toward the tent, Bramble turned to clean up around the hearth and the warriors all got to their feet. Moon scrambled up to follow Jade.
Everyone got settled, with Delin bedding down on one side with the Arbora and Chime, Moon and Jade on the other. Stone stayed outside in the sand.
Root and Song were supposed to be changing guard places with Briar and River. Through the tent wall, Moon heard Balm stop Root and say, “Go back into the tent. I’m taking your place.” Then a moment later River whispered, “What’s going on?” and Root hissed at him to be quiet.
Jade bunched up the blanket and gave it a punch, muttering, “Idiots.”
Moon rescued the blanket from her and spread it out over the cool sand. Briar and River slipped inside the tent and settled down to at least pretend to sleep. Moon hoped Balm had talking more in mind than fighting, and knowing her she probably did. He was irritated with Song on several points, but mainly the fact that she had interrupted the ongoing discussion of whether they should try to get inside the city or not right at the moment when they might have come to a decision. He thought they were probably going to have to try, just because Jade and Callumkal and everyone else who had brought it up was right: it would be impossible to leave this place knowing it might at some point be used against them by the Fell. Of course, the others were right about the possible consequences, too.
He curled up next to Jade on the blanket, and she tucked an arm around his waist. In the morning, he told himself. Worry about it in the morning.
Moon woke with Stone leaning over him. Stone whispered, “Get up. There’s Fell stench in the wind.”
Jade whipped to her feet. Moon rolled to a crouch, shifting in mid-motion, and tasted the air. He couldn’t detect anything yet, but Stone’s senses were far more acute at long distances.
Around the tent, the others scrambled to their feet. Jade said, “Which way?”
“The southeast, from across the island,” Stone answered, and stepped back outside.
“Where do we go?” Delin whispered, helping Bramble stuff blankets into her pack.
Not the right question, Moon thought. Carrying the Arbora and Delin, they could fly downwind and outrun the Fell, if the wind didn’t drive them into the side of the escarpment or out over the ocean. But it would leave all the other groundlings to die, leave the city and its secrets to the Fell. He said, “Fight or run?”
Jade snarled. “Fight.” She jerked her head at the Arbora. “Dig in and hide. Take Delin with you.”
“They’ll never find us,” Bramble said it with absolute conviction.
Merit said, “Are you sure you don’t want me with you?” His voice shook a little. He had to be thinking of the time he had been captured by the Fell, at the old eastern colony.
Jade said, “No, stay with Bramble. Wait until we’re in the air, then go.” She flung herself out of the tent and Moon darted after her.
Stone stood on the beach, looking up at the night sky. Balm and Song flanked him, their spines flared in agitation. The other warriors shot out of the tent and formed a tight group around Jade. Chime bumped into Moon’s shoulder, radiating nervous fear.
They had left no mentors’ lights or fires lit outside, and the untenanted Kishan camp was also dark. The obvious target was Callumkal’s flying boat tethered sixty paces or so down the beach, with the soft lights along its ridge and on its stern and bow. The other, smaller flying boat was dark, lost among the treetops, but the Fell might have marked its location during daylight. The sunsailer lay at anchor several hundred paces from the shore, deceptively vulnerable, lights shining out of cabin windows. Jade said, “River, warn the Kishan on the flying boat. Don’t fly; run to it and go up the ladder. Then come back to me.”