“Lightguards,” Cruxer said to the Blackguards stationed there. “They’re after us. You can’t fight them or you’ll start a war. But please, please, help.”
“Oh, shit!” Kip said. “Where’s Teia?”
She spoke behind him. “I’m right here. Cruxer waited for me to get in the lift.”
The Blackguards on duty were baffled. The woman, Nerra, went immediately to Ben-hadad, though, and started examining his leg.
“What are you talking about?” Little Piper asked. “What’s happening? We’ve seen the wall crystals going crazy, but they aren’t any of our codes, and we couldn’t leave our posts. The commander hasn’t answered any of our queries.”
“Commander Ironfist’s been kicked out of the Blackguard,” Kip said. It occurred to him that he should lie, that lying would make it easier to get these two on their side.
“Orholam, Ben-hadad, what have they done to you?” Nerra said. “Who’s behind this?”
“My grandfather,” Kip said. “He set the Lightguard after us, and he’s the one who relieved Ironfist of his position.”
“What? What?!” Little Piper demanded. He wasn’t a tall man, but he was wide, with a shaved head and intense brown eyes under half-halos of yellow and orange.
“The commander agreed to go quietly. He didn’t want to cause war between the Blackguard and the Lightguard. Said the promachos would take the excuse to eliminate the Blackguard altogether.”
“To hell with that!” Little Piper said. “I’ll, I’ll—”
“Shut up,” Nerra said. “We’ll delay them, young ones. What are you doing?”
“We need to go to the White’s room. Can we?” Kip asked.
They could stop them.
The two Blackguards looked at each other. Some silent understanding went between them. They were in love, Kip saw, some intuitive part of him seeing it from how they understood each other.
“I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but I need to say this,” Little Piper said. “The White’s in there still. She’s dead. You won’t disturb her.”
“Of course,” Cruxer said. “Is Ben-hadad fit to travel? Ben, do you still want to come with us?”
“He’ll never fight again,” Nerra said. She looked at Ben-hadad. “The leg’s ruined. Sorry to say it, but it’s true.”
Ben-hadad shrank. “Can I come? Please?” He turned to Cruxer. “I don’t want to … I can’t be left behind. I’m no Daelos, you understand? This squad is everything to me.”
Nerra nodded, and so did Cruxer, who said, “I’ll carry you if I have to.”
“We’ll buy you as much time as we can without a clash of arms,” Nerra said. “Go, and Orholam shield you.”
They ran down the hall and up the stairs and went past the two Blackguards who stood silent at the White’s door. Kip recognized Gill Greyling, but each Blackguard pretended not to see them.
Kip went out to the balcony. It was still early morning. Orholam’s beard, how was it still early morning? It felt like a thousand years since dawn.
He rummaged through his pack, looking for the card he’d tucked away not half an hour ago. He glanced at the White’s bed, where her corpse lay. He kissed thumb and two fingers and flung a quick blessing at her.
He found the card in his breast pocket. It had been preserved between plates of glass. Kip had nicely broken those in his tumble down the stairs, but the card was undamaged. He drew it out and, while rapidly switching between spectacles and sheathing each as he was done with it in order to draw in all seven colors at once, said, “I have no idea how long this will take me. Just … just defend me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“We’ll hold,” Ferkudi said, and he spoke for them all.
Kip felt, in that moment, an overwhelming love for these people.
He wouldn’t fail them.
Holding the card in his left hand, he drew the colors into his right and touched the five points. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
“Got it,” he said.
He looked up, wondering if any of them would still be alive, if he had done it in time.
“Huh?” Ferkudi asked.
Kip was looking down at his left wrist. The tattoo was back, but it was already fading, as if its colors were connected to the colors he drafted. He looked up. “What do you mean, ‘Huh’?”
“Uh, you didn’t do anything,” Cruxer said.
“What did you see?” Teia asked.
“I … I … I can’t remember,” Kip said.
“What?!” Ben-hadad said. “You mean that was it working? And you don’t remember what it did?”