by Sarah Hawke
“Moshalim should be proud of their power, and yours is greater than most,” she said, smiling. I felt like she was undressing me with her eyes, which was strange for a whole host of reasons—not the least of which was that her own Maskari was standing right next to her. But she eventually removed her hands and turned to face Valuri instead.
“Before you ask, yes, I’m a Senosi,” Val said. “But you don’t—”
“We know exactly what you are,” Hestiah said, her smile fading. “The moshalim foretold your arrival weeks ago.
I arched my eyebrows in surprise. “You knew we were coming?”
“The Aether whispers the truth into our ears,” Hestiah’s Maskari interjected. “The past, the future, the present…all are echoes within its infinite currents.”
“I…see,” I murmured, resisting the urge to make a snide comment. Valuri, naturally, didn’t have the same discipline.
“Do you also know about the fleet that’s about to burn this place to the ground?” she asked, gesturing behind us to the horizon. “Because it doesn’t look like you’ve done much to fortify your position.”
“What she means is that we’re not here for a social visit,” I said, tossing her an annoyed glare. “Kaseya wanted to warn you about—”
“We know,” Hestiah said, waving her hand dismissively. “The Betrayer leads foreigners to our shores in the hopes of destroying us. She will fail. With the true Vaer Tal’Shira and her Maskari back at our side, our victory is assured.”
My lips parted, but I couldn’t summon the will to actually speak. If I had been talking to anyone else, I would have assumed they were toying with me. But I had a sneaking suspicion that Kaseya’s literalism was the norm here on the Nol Krovis.
“You must all be weary from your long journey,” Hestiah said, turning back to Kaseya and taking her friend’s hand. “We have much to discuss, but we should sit and enjoy ourselves first. We have prepared a feast in honor of your return.”
Kaseya blinked in confusion. “A feast?”
“Yes. You’ve had to endure mainlander cuisine for far too long.”
“Far be it for me to turn down a free meal, but…” I licked at my lips and pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “Those ships will be here soon.”
“But not tonight,” Hestiah assured me. She looked vaguely amused, like a mother speaking to a small child. “Fear not, moshalim : Nol Krovos has weathered a thousand years of storms and fury. The Betrayer will meet her end on our shores like so many others before her.”
“I feel better already,” I murmured.
“As you should. The Vaer Tal’Shira’s moshalim should not be burdened by doubt.”
Kaseya swept her head back and forth across the gathered warriors. “Where is Matriarch Lysara?”
“She is organizing the defenses on Nol Pratos,” Hestiah said. “She and the Mosh’Dalar shall return tomorrow.”
Valuri crossed her arms. “Let me get this straight: you foresaw us coming, you know you’re about to be attacked by the entire Vorsalosian fleet…and your leader isn’t even here?”
“Pash kolar’etan ,” the sorcerer behind her said. “Molth koladu !”
“It’s all right, Maskari ,” Hestiah soothed. “Everything will be clear in time, I promise. Please, my friends: just relax and follow me.”
***
Few mainlanders had ever visited Nol Krovos and returned to speak about their journeys. Even men who ran regular shipments of supplies like Captain Ferroc almost never set foot on the actual island. However, those that did inevitably described the amazons’ mysterious home as the most beautiful place they have ever seen.
It took me all of thirty seconds to agree with them.
I had never seen such a vibrant diaspora of colors that didn’t clash, from lush greens to brilliant golds and all hues in between. Everything here, from the smallest shrub to the largest building, seemed to have been crafted and placed with tremendous care. Even the smells were heavenly. Kaseya and Hestiah had probably almost choked to death when they first stepped onto the reeking docks of Vorsalos.
“I have never been this creeped out by warm hospitality in my entire life,” I muttered to Valuri as we ascended a pair of pristine marble steps that looked like they were immune to dirt. “Why do I feel like someone is going to jump out of a bush and stab us at any moment?”
“You’re a pessimist by nature,” she replied.
“So you feel the same way, then.”
“Obviously.”
I flashed her a knowing smirk. I could tell that she was on edge, though only part of that due to her nagging suspicions. The latent Aetheric energy in the air was growing stronger and stronger the closer we got to the heart of the city, and I was fully expecting Val’s eyes and tats to start glowing at any second. Hopefully the natives wouldn’t overreact. So far the amazons were all smiles when they looked upon Kaseya and all scowls when they turned to Valuri.
Still, the fact they hadn’t thrown any of us in the dungeon yet was promising. And perhaps it would be easier to broach sensitive topics with Hestiah rather than the Matriarch. If not, this was going to be a long, awkward meal.
“You have no idea how delighted I was when the Mosh’Dalar foretold your coming,” Hestiah said as we walked. “The more time passed without hearing from you, the more worried I became.”
“This ‘Mosh’Dalar’—I assume he is the Matriarch’s bond mate?” I asked.
“Yes. I apologize, but I do not know a proper mainlander translation.”
“It is a title, like ‘Archmage’ or perhaps ‘Sorcerer-King,’” Kaseya said. “How long ago did he make his proclamation?”
“Several weeks,” Hestiah said. “His vision was quite clear: the Daughter of Destiny would return to save Nol Krovos from the lies of the Betrayer.”
“No pressure, Red,” Valuri muttered.
“You said you were worried about me,” Kaseya went on, ignoring the comment. “Was that because I had bonded myself to a mainlander?”
“No,” Hestiah replied with a smirk. “I was concerned that no matter what else happened, you would return to Vorsalos without me and attempt to apprehend your sister.”
“And you feared I wasn’t up to the challenge.”
“I feared that her allies had taught her new abilities.” Hestiah pursed her lips and glanced over at Valuri. “The moshalim have difficulty scrying upon these ‘Senosi.’ They have not been able to locate the Betrayer, not even when I told them were to look.”
“Ayrael is the Hand of the Inquisitrix,” Valuri said. “She underwent the same vatari ritual as the rest of us. She’s virtually immune to magic—including scrying.”
“Then it is as we feared,” Hestiah murmured. “Even now, the Mosh’Dalar cannot sense the Betrayer’s presence in the oncoming fleet. But he is convinced she will lead the attack upon our shores herself. Her rage will be her undoing.”
I shared a quick glance with Kaseya. Even without our bond, I would have been able to sense her hesitation. She wanted to explain to Hestiah that she could sense Ayrael’s presence…but doing so would reveal her sorcerous powers and trigger the exact conversation I wanted to avoid until this battle was over.
A few minutes later, we arrived at an enormous, pyramid-shaped building that seemed like some kind of festival hall. Strangely, there were no walls or fences; the structure was nearly undefended aside from a few spear-wielding guards. The townspeople walked freely about the grounds as if it were any other building in town. I had never seen anything so…open .
I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, given the general layout of the city. While Vorsalos and Highwind were broken into numerous districts separated by purpose and often social class, Nol Krovos was a single flowing community. I couldn’t even tell if they had such a thing as “rich” and “poor.” It certainly didn’t seem like it.
I thought about consulting with Valuri, but one look at her face confirmed that she was struggling to keep her hunger in check. At this ra
te, there was no way we’d be able to make it through dinner before she adopted her Senosi visage.
My own hunger flared up as well, though it had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with the sweet scent of bread and meat wafting on the breeze. I was practically drooling by the time we entered the festival hall.
“I hope you find something to your liking,” Hestiah said, gesturing towards the head of the table. “Please, have a seat.”
When all was said and done, about a dozen people joined us at the table. Hestiah and her Maskari —named Jarec, we were belatedly informed—sat next to us at the end almost like a prince and princess at a wedding feast. I had about a million questions I wanted to ask about proper customs and protocol, but I couldn’t resist the urge to stuff my face instead. Growing up on a coastal city I had practically lived on fish, but nothing on the Vorsalosian docks compared to this.
“Shalassa’s sweet lips,” I stammered between bites. “Did you eat like this every day as a kid?”
“Not quite this lavishly,” Kaseya replied with a grin. “But more or less, yes.”
I shook my head in disbelief as another bite of spiced halibut dissolved on my tongue. With food like this delicious and this bountiful, I didn’t understand how everyone here stayed so bloody trim. I would probably gain fifty pounds in the first year.
“Your friend does not seem to agree,” Hestiah said, gesturing towards Valuri with her glass.
“It’s not the food,” the Huntress replied, clenching her jaw. “It’s just…”
I placed my hand on her arm. “We might as well get this over with,” I soothed. “You’re not going to be able to hold out forever.”
“Fuck,” she hissed, squeezing my hand. A moment later the tattoos below her neck flared to life. There was an audible gasp at the table, punctuated by stifled shrieks when her green irises began blazing like tiny demonic gemstones.
“The Senosi feed on magic,” I explained, keeping my voice as calm as possible. “This island is teeming with latent power. There’s nothing she can do.”
“Zor kalah ,” Hestiah breathed.
“She won’t harm anything,” Kaseya soothed. “I’m sure you told the others what we witnessed in Vorsalos.”
“Yes,” Hestiah whispered. “To think that your sister would willingly desecrate her body in such a way…”
“The Senosi will have great power if they manage to reach the shore,” I said. “They’ll be stronger and faster than any human.”
I stroked my hand through Val’s hair. She looked about as delirious as if I had just spilled all over her face and tits. Hopefully she would be able to stop after she had her fill.
Jarec leaned over to Hestiah and said something I couldn’t translate. He did not look amused.
“Valuri is our ally and friend,” Kaseya said firmly. “I consider her my sister-in-arms.”
Hestiah nodded slowly and raised a hand at her Maskari . “Then that is all I need to hear.”
Jarec looked horrified, but he remained silent. Everyone else at the table watched intently as Val eventually blinked and slumped forward.
“Sorry,” she said, panting. “If anything, you should take it as a compliment. This place is…magical.”
I grunted and patted her on the back. “This is one of the reasons we’re so concerned,” I said. “Your moshalim will not be able to stop the other Huntresses, and with this kind of power they’ll make short work of your warriors, too.”
“The gods will protect us, just as they always have,” Jarec insisted. “You should not speak of that which you clearly do not understand.”
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Aside from his strange hostility, he was also more difficult to understand than the others. Since the moshalim almost never left the island, I could only assume they had little need to learn mainlander languages.
“You will treat my Maskari with the respect he deserves,” Kaseya insisted. “He is moshalim .”
“He is a mainlander,” Jarec said, shifting his annoyed glare at Valuri. “And he is tainted by the Fas’Tarah !”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s not a term of endearment?” the Huntress muttered.
“It means ‘eater of magic,’” Hestiah said. “And it is inappropriate. The Daughter of Destiny says that this woman is a friend, and she has chosen this man as her Maskari . That is more than enough to earn both of them our respect.”
Jarec seethed quietly in place. This was closer to the reception I had actually expected, and I had a feeling we would be in for more of the same when the Matriarch and the Mosh’Dalar arrived tomorrow. Hopefully I was mistaken.
I continued nibbling at my meal, unwilling to allow the awkward silence to ruin my appetite. This fish was far too good to waste. The drinks were amazing, too—who knew that fruit could make alcohol taste even better?—and after we finished the final course Hestiah invited us to peer down upon the city from the elevated balcony on the southern side of the palace. Her Maskari did not join us.
“You can see that we are not as defenseless as we may appear,” Hestiah said, gesturing with her drink. “These Senosi will find it difficult to breach our fortifications.”
I nodded idly as my eyes swept back across the wall surrounding the city. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen so many siege weapons in my life. Ballista, catapults, trebuchets…they were all clearly designed to fire upon encroaching ships if necessary. There was enough room on the battlements for thousands of archers as well, though at the moment I didn’t see more than a hundred or so.
“Impressive,” I said, and meant it. “But what about the rest of the island? The middle part there doesn’t look nearly as well protected.”
Hestiah’s face twitched, and I feared I had accidentally stumbled over a trap. “That is Nol Pratos. The Matriarch and the Mosh’Dalar are organizing their defenses as we speak.”
I frowned. Nol Krovos was essentially shaped up like an upside down “U” with a smaller, circular island tucked in between its long “arms.” From this height, we could actually see far enough to make out some of the buildings…and they did not appear nearly as immaculate as this festival hall.
“They don’t seem to have a wall,” Valuri commented, “or much in the way of towers, for that matter.”
“They do not require fortifications,” Hestiah said. “We shall protect the Fas’Gor , as always.”
I frowned and leaned against the balcony. “Let me guess, that stands for magic…something?”
“Those without magic…the Unblooded,” Kaseya said, her voice strained. “The males are born without sorcery, and the females are unable or unwilling to join the Red Sisterhood.”
“I see,” I murmured. In other words, it was the home of men and women who couldn’t channel the Aether—assuming our theory about the amazons all being sorcerers was true.
“So paradise has a slum after all,” Valuri said. “You just gave it a fancy name instead.”
I winced. Of all the times for her to abandon tact…
“Nol Pratos is not a ‘slum,’” Hestiah insisted. “I have been to your city. I have seen your people living in filth and squalor.”
Valuri shrugged. “I’m just saying, even from here it’s obvious that place isn’t nearly as shiny. There’s probably a reason for that.”
“The Unblooded possess everything they require,” Hestiah said. “They have food, they have shelter, and if they are fortunate enough, the gods will bless their children with the power to join us here on Nol Krovos.”
There were about a hundred things I wanted to say, but somehow I managed to keep my mouth shut. Hestiah probably wouldn’t know the answer to the truly important questions anyway. Did anyone here realize the Fount was responsible for their sorcery? Did anyone know that the females possessed the gift as well as the males?
“Well, in any event they’re probably the lucky ones,” Valuri said. “Ayrael will be focusing all of her attention here on Nol Krovos.”
“Perhaps,” Hest
iah murmured.
Kaseya eyed her friend curiously for a long moment. “Something is wrong,” she whispered. “Something you are not telling us.”
“There’s no point in lying,” Valuri said. “If Red here has taught me anything, it’s that your people aren’t very good at it.”
Hestiah glared at the Senosi for a moment, then shooed several nearby onlookers away so we had some privacy on the balcony. “A moshalim and his amazon were killed on Nol Pratos this week,” she said gravely. “They were not the first.”
“That’s…not good,” I managed, a sudden tightness clutching at my throat. “I get the feeling that murders aren’t very common around here.”
“They were not murdered,” Hestiah said. “They were assassinated.”
I blinked in surprise. “Assassinated? By whom?”
“Senosi,” Valuri reasoned, her eyes narrowing at the distant island. “They were killed by Senosi, weren’t they?”
“We cannot be certain,” Hestiah said, “but they were killed by the small arrows fired by your weapons.”
“Well, considering I haven’t seen a single other crossbow since we landed, I’d say that’s a pretty good lead.”
“How is this possible?” Kaseya breathed. “How could the Senosi have reached Nol Pratos without the moshalim’s knowledge?”
“Is it really that surprising?” I asked. “Their sorcery can’t track Huntresses, and we watched the Inquisitrix employ exactly the same strategy in Highwind. She sends her operatives ahead so they can destabilize the local government.”
Kaseya turned back to Hestiah. “I thought it was strange that the Matriarch and Mosh’Dalar weren’t here to greet us if they knew we were coming. They aren’t in Nol Pratos to organize the defenses—they’re attempting to reestablish order. That’s why the walls are almost empty.”
Hestiah sighed and nodded slowly. “Yes. The Unblooded have been discontented for some time, but the Matriarch was not worried until they became violent. Now…now they appear willing to fight.”