The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 49: Caught

Tariq flinched as the bubble around himself and Eliska disappeared. The soft silver light wrapped around her hands briefly drew his attention before she threw what looked like daggers made of light at Sirhan. He swallowed and backed up a step, glancing towards the doorway. She was right and he should go get help, even if he worried she'd need him if he left her alone.

He pushed away images of coming back with help too late and focused on what he could do. Right now Sirhan was closer to the door than he was and Tariq didn't think he'd make it. Eliska could, and though he wouldn't admit it normally, he had to be realistic in this situation. She was faster than he was, a fact she didn't seem to realize herself.

Still, Tariq edged towards the door, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Eliska had already shown she was willing to throw herself between him and danger and he didn't want to put her in that position again. His eyes were mostly on the mage fight with only the occasional glance toward the doorway.

He hadn't known what to expect when she'd come in. She'd told him she could do magic, but one spell he couldn't be sure was real and a full on battle between mages were two very different things. Glowing shields and shards of light were not what he'd pictured. If Eliska's people were even half as good as she was, they'd been infinitely more useful to her than he would be. He just hoped he could find someone fast enough. And find someone who'd believe he really did know the sultan's sister.

Eliska moved closer to the bubble. Tariq wanted to follow, but knew better. He took another few steps towards the doorway, hoping the shield around Sirhan would make it harder to see. The bright light of flames distracted him and he found himself staring at the fire inside the bubble.

Tariq swallowed and turned back towards the door, taking another few steps forward. He was just within the distance he needed to sprint through it. He inhaled deeply as his heart pounded in his ears, hands clenching into fists.

Movement from the side had him jerking back. His stomach clenched and he paled as Sirhan came to a stop between him and the door, glare flickering to Tariq briefly before going back to Eliska. So his movements hadn't gone unnoticed.

Cursing himself, Tariq backed up so he was nearer Eliska, but still well away. He didn't want to get in her way, especially now that they were both trapped. He looked around for another way out, some other door that he could slip out before he was noticed, but there was nothing that he could see. Which meant he was more than just useless. He was a liability for Eliska.

Tariq gritted his teeth. He'd spent years learning to be strong enough to stand by himself, to be able to face any kind of challenge life through at him. He wasn't about to roll over and do nothing now. He didn't know any magic, but that didn't mean he couldn't figure out some way to support Eliska.

He looked around the room again, searching for something he could use. He had his knives, but it would be suicide to get in close enough to use them. He could throw them, but he only had four, and Sirhan had already shown he was good at deflecting that kind of attack. He wouldn't waste his weapons on that unless he ran out of other options.

The lamps were made of glass and could be smashed, but setting the tapestries on fire was far more likely to end poorly for them. All it would take was Sirhan blocking the doorway and they'd be trapped. Not to mention Eliska would probably try to save Fahim, which would only slow them down.

Looking back at the two fighting, he saw Eliska had switched to using a rope. He could see she was sweating and wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Sirhan had a light sheen to him as well, but looked better. Tariq didn't know enough about magic to know how much longer Eliska could keep going but it didn't look like it would be for much longer. She needed help, and she needed it now.

Tariq shifted towards the far corner, away from Eliska, trying to position himself to the far side of Sirhan but far enough away that he might not be noticed. A cry from beside him had him jerking to stare. Eliska bled from several cuts, her eyes blazing as they met Sirhan's.

A muscle in Tariq's jaw twitched and he could feel his arms shake with the force he was using to clench his hands. There was nothing he could do for Eliska over there except be in her way. And as much as he wanted to go punch Sirhan in the face and beat him until he was unrecognizable, that was sheerest stupidity and Eliska didn't need the distraction.

That thought sparked an idea and Tariq backed up until he was almost against the far wall, making his way slowly towards the corner again. When he stopped, he glanced at the two mages. Eliska had gone back to throwing her daggers of light and Sirhan was fully focused on her, having his hands full just blocking her attacks. That was good for Tariq.

He bent over and grabbed his chosen weapon, an overstuffed footrest. His hands closed around the heavy red velvet and he gripped it hard enough for his knuckles to go white. He'd only have one shot at this, so he needed to make it count. It was also likely to end with him hurt if not dead, if things went poorly. Still, he didn't have any other options. Or not ones he could live with at least.

Tariq looked up without straightening, gauging the fight. Eliska was keeping her distance while Sirhan continued to play a mostly defensive game. Not that he had much of a choice with how quickly she was throwing daggers at him. But it was only a matter of time before she tired enough that she'd slow, and then Sirhan would have his opening.

Resettling his feet, Tariq inhaled deeply, eyes locked on Sirhan. There was no time for hesitation or what ifs anymore. Only action. He stood straight in one movement, lifting the footrest over his head. "I hope you haven't forgotten about me, bastard!"

When Sirhan turned to look at him, Tariq threw the wood and velvet square at his head.

The blood mage slashed out with a wave of blue light, batting the footrest away. Both hands glowed blue as he took a step towards Tariq. Drawing his knives, Tariq didn't dare take his eyes off Sirhan and could only hope that Eliska was using his distraction wisely.