Lin was like me.

And I was like…?

I’d tried not to think too much about what I was, what this magic meant. But ever since I’d fought the four-armed construct in front of the palace, I’d wondered. I’d been able to gather the surrounding water, to harness it to my command.

The tales spoke often of Alanga control over water.

I cleared my throat. “I guess we should—”

But she was off before I could finish my sentence, darting to a nearby pavilion, shimmying up the drain like she’d done this a thousand times before. Perhaps she had.

“Dione’s balls!” I swore, and then followed her.

I caught a glimpse of Mephi’s forlorn face as I climbed up the building. “Wait here for me – I’ll be back!” I promised him. He’d be safe within the palace walls.

Lin had already leapt to the rooftop of another building by the time I’d crested the top of the pavilion. I ran after her, flinging myself to the next roof. I wouldn’t have been able to make the jump before I’d bonded with Mephi. How long had she been doing this for? She practically flew across the roofs, the construct a dark, fluttering shape in the sky.

Rain stuck to my forehead, forming into rivulets as I ran.

“Take it down!” I called to the guards on the walls. Two of them heard me, startling and turning to see who’d spoken. “In the sky,” I clarified. Only one had the presence of mind to lift her bow.

Too slowly. The construct would pass out of range before she could nock an arrow, and I wasn’t even sure if she saw the construct.

We reached the walls. The guards eyed us both, unsure of what to make of us.

Lin’s gaze went to the buildings of the city, her expression grim. I knew what she was going to do a moment before she did it. “Eminence, it’s too far. The construct is gone; it—”

She ran, leaping first to the top of the crenellations and then striking out hard for the rooftops. She barely made it. Her fingers scrabbled at the roof tiles, her feet hanging from the edge. But she pulled herself up in one smooth movement and was off again.

I knew my limits. Well, most times I did. I gave the guards an apologetic shrug and then dropped over the side of the wall.

The walls had been repaired since I’d arrived, which made them look a whole lot better but made them a lot more difficult to climb. I gave up halfway down and dropped to the ground. The fall jolted my knees and made me wince, but I knew from experience that any damage would heal quickly and the pain would fade.