The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 48: Rushing In

The scent of lavender was heavy in her nose as Eliska ghosted along the shadowed building. But so far she had only seen a few people at a distance, most of those awake at this time were centred where they could continue to drink coffee and be seen by others. Here, in the area most people had their private quarters, people were either asleep or in for the night. Which only worked to her advantage.

She still took care, her heart faster than normal, even though she was moving slowly. The hair on her arms kept feeling like it was going to rise. The night air felt charged, like a storm about to burst, despite the bright stars and soft calls of crickets.

Stopping beside the doorway, Eliska frowned. The back door was ajar. Not by much, but enough that she noticed. She glanced around but saw and heard nothing. She hesitated. She'd been told to watch and figure out what they were up to. Breaking into their rooms was taking that farther than she thought Lizina wanted her to. She could always go check out Khaliq's rooms, but then the door might close and she'd lose her window...

A hoarse cry froze her in place. That had almost sounded like- Her feet moved before her mind caught up, sending her careening through the door and down the hall so fast her eyes didn't have a chance to adjust to the darkness before she was bursting into the well-lit room. One sweep of the room showed Tariq dodging back and forth towards the doorway, knives in each hand, a still body on the table, and Sirhan with a glowing blue hand tracking Tariq's movements.

His shout of blood mage wasn't necessary with everything she could see. Again, her body moved first, hurrying her to his side while she reached out towards her left arm. She ran a finger through the opening of the second tattoo up, stopping in front of Tariq as she shouted "Taehat!"

White light burst outwards and enclosed them in a small bubble, the blue shards of what looked like ice that Sirhan sent towards them shattered harmlessly against her shield. Eliska swallowed hard as she considered their options quickly. Not that they really had any, what with Sirhan having seen them both.

"Leave him to me," she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. "I'll keep him busy and you go get help."

Tariq shook his head, though his eyes were on Sirhan, who was pacing towards them. "I can't leave you alone."

"I'm a trained mage. You're not. Don't argue, just do it." Eliska couldn't keep talking, not when Sirhan was getting too close. She reached for the fourth tattoo up and slid a finger through the gap. "Taehat," she said quietly.

A brief flash of silver and her shield was gone to be replaced by her faintly shining hands. Eliska didn't waste time or Sirhan jerk of surprise. She lashed out with each hand, making throwing gestures in his direction. Thin daggers of light appeared and rushed towards him as her muscles gave the familiar twinge they always did when she used this spell. Her body remembered the ritual as vividly as she did.

Sirhan's reflexes were good, and he spun out of the way, though a few sliced through the edges of his arms, drawing bright red lines that welled up. He backed up and gestured. A wobbly bubble surrounded him, the blue glow uneven in several places. She growled. So he was learning from her. That wasn't good.

Keeping herself between him and Tariq, who still hadn't left for help, Eliska sent another two waves of daggers at Sirhan but they only stuck into his bubble for a moment before disappearing. Her hands clenched and she prowled closer, studying the glow, looking for its weakest points. Shield spells could be shattered with time and effort, something all shadows learned.

Sirhan held up a hand that shone brighter than the bubble and slashed it out toward her. She leapt to the side, but the white fire only sank into the shield, eating into one section deeply. And know he knew the weakness of a shield as well. Eliska swung both hands at that spot, her daggers striking deeper this time. She followed up with another double blow.

She was about to send a third when the bubble disappeared and Sirhan ran to the side. Swearing, Eliska tried to catch him with her magic weapons but she was too late. He had gotten between them and the door. Tariq moved so he was on her side of the room, but well back from both of them. She wanted to hit him for not going when he had the chance, but couldn't afford to let her attention slip for even a second.

Two more throws were countered with ice shards. Eliska glanced around, trying to find a way to attack him that he couldn't counter- Her eyes lit up as she noticed the coil of rope just to the side of the table where the barely moving body of some clerk-type lay. She reached for the sixth tattoo on her left arm and set the spell with a "Taehat." She ignored the sweat beading up on her arms and back, feeling warm from the extended magic muse.

The flare of brown light told her the spell was in effect. A twitch of her fingers and the rope flew towards Sirhan. He saw in time to duck, but she pulled it back around so it wrapped around him from behind. She tightened the coils rapidly, immobilizing his arms. Eliska pulled one end up and unravelled just enough of it that she could wrap it around his neck.

Blue light alerted her to the flames eating into her rope, but she still tried to pull it tight. Sirhan choked briefly but the fire only sped up. Her rope was nothing but ashes in only moments. She grimaced, wishing she'd taken the time to learn another object manipulation. She doubted there was more rope handy.

She opened and closed her hands rapidly for a second as she and Sirhan just glared at one another. A drifting piece of ash sparked an idea. If he wanted to use fire, then she would retaliate in kind. Eliska went for the first tattoo on her right arm, her whisper of "Taehat," making Sirhan flinch.

And he was right to be scared. She directed the fire towards the hem of his pants, hoping he wouldn't notice the flames until it was too late. His expensive silk burned briefly before going out. Before he could notice, thankfully there was no telltale smoke, she changed her target to the cotton of his shirt. Both sleeves caught and she had the brief satisfaction of seeing him wave his arms in a futile attempt to put them out.

A sudden hiss of steam was the end to that. With the mix of smoke and steam around him, Eliska didn't notice the additional ice shards until it was too late. A cry that was half growl broke from her lips as they lashed into her legs and sides. The cuts stung and burned with cold for a moment before her blood pushed through.

They were both marked now. She may have more experience in magic battle, but blood magic was more versatile. As much confidence as she had in her skills, Eliska wasn't sure this was a fight she could win.