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Back Witchshadow
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. Epigraph
  6. BEGINNINGS
  7. PART I
  8. ONE
  9. TWO
  10. THREE
  11. FOUR
  12. FIVE
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. EIGHT
  16. NINE
  17. TEN
  18. ELEVEN
  19. TWELVE
  20. THIRTEEN
  21. FOURTEEN
  22. FIFTEEN
  23. SIXTEEN
  24. SEVENTEEN
  25. EIGHTEEN
  26. NINETEEN
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. TWENTY-NINE
  37. THIRTY
  38. THIRTY-ONE
  39. THIRTY-TWO
  40. THIRTY-THREE
  41. THIRTY-FOUR
  42. THIRTY-FIVE
  43. THIRTY-SIX
  44. PART II
  45. THIRTY-SEVEN
  46. THIRTY-EIGHT
  47. THIRTY-NINE
  48. FORTY
  49. FORTY-ONE
  50. FORTY-TWO
  51. FORTY-THREE
  52. FORTY-FOUR
  53. FORTY-FIVE
  54. FORTY-SIX
  55. FORTY-SEVEN
  56. FORTY-EIGHT
  57. FORTY-NINE
  58. FIFTY
  59. FIFTY-ONE
  60. FIFTY-TWO
  61. FIFTY-THREE
  62. FIFTY-FOUR
  63. FIFTY-FIVE
  64. FIFTY-SIX
  65. FIFTY-SEVEN
  66. TRICKSTER
  67. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  68. Also by Susan Dennard
  69. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  70. Newsletter Sign-up

A fresh surge of defiance pulsed through her. She had not ruined everything; she had a plan, and for once she felt certain it would work. More importantly, she trusted the Hell-Bards with her life. Even bound as they were to the Emperor, she trusted them more than she had ever trusted Leopold. If there was any chance of reaching Iseult and saving Uncle Eron, she needed these people at her side.

All clear, all clear.

Safi puffed out her chest and declared to Leopold’s back, “We will not be splitting up, Polly.” There was no space for argument, no space for complaint. She imitated Henrick in that moment. “We will indeed take the horses, but the Hell-Bards will remain. And if you disagree, then you—and you alone—may leave.”

Leopold’s grip on the gelding’s saddle tightened. The Hell-Bards, all in varying postures of humility and horror, did not move. Even the horses, their breaths fogging against the cold night, did not move.

Seconds slid past. Snow began to fall, light and ethereal.

Then Leopold’s posture finally changed. His hands finally fell. “As you wish,” he said, without turning. Without lifting his voice. “We will ride together for as long as we can, and we will pray, Safiya, that your plan succeeds.”

THIRTY-NINE

A scarred woman studied Stix up and down, her eyes half-squinted in suspicion. “So you own us now.”

“No.” Stix spoke Dalmotti as the sailor before her did. “The exact opposite: I’m freeing you.”

“But that’s not how it works in Saldonica.” The woman’s four cellmates grunted their agreement.

“Well, that’s how it works now.” Stix fought off a glare. “Do you want to go free or not?”

“Where am I going to go?” The woman patted her chest. “I don’t have a ship, I don’t have money, I don’t have a place to live. None of us do.” More grunts from the others, and for several moments, Stix’s glare deepened.

Thirty-six cells she and Ryber had emptied, filled with Nubrevnans and Marstoks and Cartorrans and beyond. Not a one had complained about being set free. In fact, two people had wept, one had embraced her, and three had promised her riches beyond her imagining.

“You can stay in here if you want,” Stix began. “I’ll leave the door open. No one will stop you if you try to leave. Then you can…” She paused, the words walk outside dying on her tongue. Because what would happen once all of these prisoners walked outside? She had assumed that Kahina’s bargain meant they were untouchable, but the pirate Admiral had never actually said those words.

So although Stix might have freed them, she had not truly saved them.