by Effie Calvin
“Orsina told me that Knight-Commander Glace knows. Ask him if you don’t believe me. Or come meet her yourself,” urged Adale. “Ask her to prove it. Somehow.”
Esofi exhaled slowly. “If her claim turns out to be true…we could hardly command her to come with us.”
“I wasn’t thinking we’d command her. I was going to offer to hire Orsina on for a job. Elyne would only be with us because she was following Orsina. Nobody would suspect there’s anything special about her. Which is how I think they want to keep it.”
“That is strange to me. Surely she wants attention? Worshippers? Or does she have an edict for us?”
Adale shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe not. Maybe she’s just here to enjoy herself. Getting swarmed by people asking for miracles would cut into that.”
“I will speak to Knight-Commander Glace,” said Esofi. “If what you say is true, then…I suppose it would not hurt to invite her.”
Adale looked pleased.
“And where are Brandt and Svana?”
“Oh…” Adale’s smile melted away, leaving only guilt behind. “I sent them off to catch that unicorn. The one they brought to you back when they were trying to…”
“You did what?” cried Esofi. “Why? I specifically promised that nobody would ever bother him again! You know I did! Why would you ever—”
“I panicked! He’s the only truthsayer within Ieflaria’s borders! I thought he could help us work out who poisoned you!”
Esofi groaned and covered her eyes with her hands. “Tell me you at least didn’t tell them that.”
“I didn’t! His blessing is still a secret, at least for now.”
“Maybe they won’t manage to catch him.” Esofi let her hands fall to her sides. “I’ll have to send him an apology gift.”
“Of what, the finest grass?”
“Don’t make me laugh when I’m angry at you!” Esofi tried her best to glare.
“But it’s my only means of defense!”
Esofi sighed. The last traces of dreamy light-headedness from the bath were finally fading away from her, and now her thoughts were beginning to turn more serious.
“Well,” said Adale, “as long as we’re being honest with each other…the Temple of Rikilda has offered to send you a replacement for Lisette. Another—what, Nightingale?”
Esofi pulled a pillow over her own face and groaned. “Nightshade,” she said, somewhat muffled.
“And all this time I just thought she was exceptionally strange. In any case, I told them no.” Adale paused. “They were very apologetic. Seemed to think Lisette had failed you.”
“No!” Esofi removed the pillow. “I trust her. If she’s not here, there’s a good reason for it.”
“Well, I hope you’re right, because part of me is about ready to send her home to Rhodia.”
Esofi shook her head. “I’m sure we’ll have answers soon,” she said. “Lisette would not be gone this long unless she had no other choice.”
“YOU WANT TO go where?” cried Saski.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Esofi.
“No! I won’t allow it.” Esofi had never seen Saski so distressed before. “You shouldn’t even be out of bed, let alone plotting to run off and gallivant with dragons!”
“I understand your concern—”
“If you did, you wouldn’t even ask me this.” Saski rested a hand over her own heart, then held it out in front of her. “Look at me. I’m shaking. Did Adale put you up to this?”
“No, I just—”
“No. The answer is no. Now go back to your room before I have the guards drag you there.”
Esofi’s mouth fell open. “What? You can’t—!”
“Esofi, you might have died yesterday!” Saski gripped her by the shoulders, and Esofi could see tears gathering in her eyes. “You can’t possibly think I’d let you leave Birsgen now.”
“Whoever poisoned me is most likely in Birsgen still. I might be safer elsewhere.”
Saski appeared to have been stunned into silence.
“I do not mean to give offense,” Esofi kept her voice low and calm. “It is only…until the one who did this is caught, I cannot help but see danger everywhere.” This was not a lie, but she was unwilling to admit it was her mother’s presence that truly spurred her need to leave Birsgen.
Saski did not say anything, but Esofi could feel her fingers loosening on her shoulders.
“There is nothing waiting for me in the Silver Isles that I do not know how to fight,” Esofi said. “I will go secretly, so that an assassin won’t be able to follow. But I can’t stay here. I’ll go mad.”
Saski seemed to be considering her words. Then she said, “If I grant you permission to go…”
“Yes?”
“It is under the condition that you will return to Birsgen without delay the moment your assassin is caught.”
“I will agree to that.”
Saski sighed deeply. “Is there nothing I can say to convince you to remain here?”
“I am sorry,” said Esofi. “I don’t mean to hurt you, I just—”
“I know you don’t.” Saski released her shoulders and grasped her hands instead. “I appreciate how difficult these past weeks have been for you. I cannot say I blame you for wanting to leave.”
IT WAS SURPRISINGLY easy to track Elyne down. It seemed that nearly everyone in the castle knew her name, despite the fact she had only just arrived. Esofi found her in one of the main sitting rooms, surrounded by several of King Dietrich and Queen Saski’s most prominent painters. There was no sign of Dame Orsina.
Elyne was chattering eagerly, hands flying to emphasize her every point. The assorted artists were all watching her intently, as though she was a venerated scholar instead of a foreign girl with no title.
When they spotted Esofi standing in the doorway, they all rose to their feet—except Elyne herself, who merely appeared puzzled.
Esofi stared at her—she could not help it. But there was nothing about Elyne to suggest she might be a goddess. In fact, there was a large stain on her bodice, as though she had spilled a drink down her front recently.
“Oh!” shouted Elyne, jolting to her feet abruptly. “I’m supposed to curtsy!”
“That’s quite all right,” Esofi began. But Elyne was already executing a wobbling curtsy, or something resembling one. “I only wanted to—”
“Right! This! Everyone go back to what you were doing! I’m going to talk to the princess!” Elyne straightened up and walked past Esofi, out of the room. Esofi followed, a bit bemused.
“You didn’t bring Carinth,” said Elyne, once Esofi caught up with her. “I’m disappointed.”
“I—I’m sorry. I can fetch him—”
Elyne laughed. “You’re nervous. Don’t be nervous. I promise I’m not intimidating. If it came to a fight, you’d probably beat me.”
“Why are you here?”
“I’m stealing followers from Ridon.” Elyne rubbed her hands together, as though to warm them. “Do you know, we’ve been travelling for months and Adale was the first one to realize something wasn’t right with me?”
“She wants you to come to the Silver Isles with us.”
“That sounds fun!” Elyne’s eyes lit with excitement, like a child promised candy. “I don’t have as much magic as you think I do, but I can identify any creature we encounter, no matter how obscure, and I can speak whatever language you need me to. But Orsina must come with me. I won’t go anywhere without her.”
“That’s no trouble,” Esofi promised. “All I ask is that you not tell anyone else of our plans to leave. We are hoping to do it secretly, as to not alert the one who attempted to poison me.”
Elyne grew solemn. “I still don’t know who did it. I told Adale the same thing. Whoever they are, I don’t think they’re in the castle anymore. And I really don’t think it was your mother.”
“My mother?” Esofi repeated.
“Of course, a lot of people still think it was�
��”
“My mother did not poison me!” The words came out far more forcefully than Esofi had intended.
“I know that!” Elyne put her hands up in the air, palms facing outward in a supplicating gesture. “But not everyone does.”
“Why would they think she did it?”
“Well…mainly because they’ve met her, I think.”
Esofi gaped at her, inelegantly.
“I’m sorry if that wasn’t what you wanted to hear,” said Elyne. “But I’ve found that telling the truth is easier than lying. In the long run.”
If Elyne had been anyone else, Esofi would have ordered her out of her sight. But Elyne was a goddess. Supposedly. Even now, Esofi could not quite bring herself to believe.
“She wouldn’t do that,” whispered Esofi. “She is my mother.”
“Forget I said anything, then.” Elyne began edging away. Esofi supposed she could have called her back, but she did not.
Faith had always come so easily to Esofi. But Elyne’s dress was stained, and it looked like she had traces of dirt on her face. Esofi knew stories of gods coming to Inthya in humble forms to test their followers, but Elyne did not give the impression that she was attempting something like that. The form she’d chosen seemed to be…herself, for lack of a better word.
She would have to consult with Knight-Commander Glace before things went any further.
THE ORDER OF the Sun had official headquarters in Birsgen, complete with barracks, but Knight-Commander Glace could frequently be found in the castle. He served as an advisor to their majesties, and frequently weighed in on prominent court cases or other matters of justice.
When Esofi summoned him to her room, she was not expecting an immediate response. But there was a knock at the door within half an hour, before she was even done collecting her thoughts.
“Princess!” Knight-Commander Glace sounded genuinely surprised to see Esofi upright and sitting at a table. “You have recovered—?”
“Yes.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he said. “And I hope you know that we are doing everything in our power to apprehend—”
“I do,” said Esofi. “But I do not wish to speak of assassins with you.”
“You do not?” Esofi supposed she understood his confusion. Doubtless he had already spent many hours aiding with the investigation.
“No. I actually wished to discuss a theological matter with you.”
She had never seen a man look so utterly baffled before. Esofi took a breath and decided to begin.
“Today I spoke with the young woman who came with Dame Orsina from Vesolda.” Esofi fiddled with one of her earrings. “I suppose you already know what I’m going to ask?”
“I have my suspicions.”
“She says her name is Elyne.”
Glace inclined his head. “She does say that.”
The lack of a direct answer was infuriating, and so Esofi snapped, “You did not think King Dietrich and Queen Saski would want to know what you were bringing into their castle?”
“I felt it might do more harm than good,” Glace replied evenly. “But I assure you, Princess, the Order is watching her carefully.”
“The entire Order? Or just the paladin you have sharing a room with her?”
Glace, to his credit, did not react.
“I could inform their majesties,” said Esofi. “I should. They’ve a right to know.”
“If you wish to do so, I will make no attempt to stop you.” Glace did not appear to be even slightly troubled by this threat. “However, I would like to point out that revealing Aelia’s true nature publicly might result in—”
“Aelia?” repeated Esofi. “Is that her true name?”
“Yes. At least, it is in Ioshora. I understand she is called other things in other lands.”
“I’ve never heard of her.”
“Most haven’t. She is a very minor goddess. The Order estimates she has less than thirty worshippers. If you attempt to research her, you will find her documented as the Goddess of Caprice.”
“A chaos goddess?”
“Formerly. The Order of the Sun now recognizes Aelia as the Goddess of Inspiration,” said Glace. “A remarkable thing, especially in such a short period of time. Usually a domain shift takes hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
“I…may have raised my voice at her,” said Esofi, mortification rising in her chest now that her suspicions had been truly confirmed. “Perhaps I ought to apologize.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
Esofi sighed heavily. “I don’t know what to make of her. She strikes one as so…ordinary. Even with your assurance, I find myself doubting her celestial nature.”
“I understand your feelings,” agreed Glace. “But the Order of the Sun has discovered that minor gods do not conduct themselves in the same way as the Ten. The less powerful they are, the more like Men their behavior tends to be. She may originate from Asterium, but as of this moment, Aelia is more akin to a mortal woman than a goddess—at least in temperament.”
“I’m sorry.” Esofi pressed her hands to her forehead. “I just…I wasn’t expecting this today.”
“I do not like to see you in distress, especially after all that has happened recently.” Knight-Commander Glace frowned. “If you wish it, I can order Dame Orsina back to Vesolda. Aelia will follow her.”
“No.” Esofi’s hands fell to her sides. “That won’t be necessary. But…thank you.”
She couldn’t really bring herself to remain angry at Glace. She disliked that he had kept this from them, but she could not deny that his intentions had been good. She would not tell Saski and Dietrich—not yet, at least. Not unless Aelia left her with no other options.
Chapter Nine
ADALE
“What are these things?” asked Esofi.
Adale looked up from her reading to see Esofi standing in the doorway between the sitting room and their bedroom, a little linen sachet in the palm of her hand. It was too small and too far away for Adale to make out any details, but she knew from experience that it would be embroidered with strange runes.
“I’ve seen them before, but today I’m finding them everywhere,” Esofi went on. “They keep turning up in my pockets, and there was one under my pillow. Should I be worried, or just annoyed?”
A smile tugged at Adale’s lips. “Annoyed, I think. They’re protective charms. My mother makes them.”
Adale had pulled one apart, once, when she was young. It was partially out of curiosity, but mostly because her hands had been unoccupied at the time. She’d ripped it open, hoping to find something mysterious and magical inside, since Saski’s fingertips always glowed lavender when she added her magic to things. But all Adale got was some dried herbs, a scrap of fabric stained rust-red, and a few tiny, perfectly smooth stones that might have been picked up from the garden.
Adale shifted her position on the couch, disturbing both Cream and Carinth in the process. “Don’t you have them in Rhodia?”
“I imagine we must. But Pemele’s magic is not commonly found in the palace.”
I cannot imagine why, Adale did not say because it would only hurt Esofi’s feelings. Instead she said, “She must be feeling worried if she’s leaving us so many.”
“Do they do anything?” asked Esofi.
“Well, it’s Pemele’s blessing. So it’s hard to tell what’s magic and what’s just good luck or coincidence. I’ve never seen one do anything notable.”
Esofi slipped the little sachet into her pocket and sat down next to Adale on the couch. “What are you reading?” she asked.
“Information about the journey,” said Adale. “My parents have selected a ship. Officially, they’re chartering it for a mapmaking expedition, since we really don’t have any decent maps of the Isles. I think it’s a good cover story. Credible, but also very boring.”
On maps of the continent, the Silver Isles were depicted as a cluster or five or six medium-sized islands,
but it was common knowledge that there were many more than that, most too small to be depicted. Until now, there hadn’t been a need for more accurate maps, for nobody had any reason to venture too deeply into the dragons’ territory.
“Are they actually sending cartographers along, or is that just the story they’re telling?” asked Esofi.
“No, they really are. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No,” said Esofi. “It sounds like something we’ve been needing for a while. And it will give the crew something to do during the day while we’re on the island.”
At Fenstell, Ivanedi had specifically mentioned that they should come to the largest island. Even with their limited knowledge of the area, there was no question of which one he meant. It was the easternmost island, vaguely crescent-shaped and three times the size of the other ones depicted on the map.
There would be no ports or docks on the islands, unless some entrepreneurial pirates had been hard at work. Adale understood they would have to find a safe place to drop anchor and then row ashore. At night, they would return to the ship. They were not to make camp on the island—her parents had been very clear on that point.
“Do you want to bring Daphene and Lethea with us?” asked Esofi.
“No,” said Adale. “I don’t think that would be wise.” For while Daphene and Lethea might not object to climbing mountains and wandering through forests, the journey to the Silver Isles was meant to be a diplomatic one. Adale knew she could not trust them to behave themselves.
In fact, she probably could not even trust them to keep their departure a secret. Telling those two anything was generally the quickest way to have the news spread all over the city.
It would still be a few days before they could leave, so in the meantime Adale was staying close to Esofi. The mood in the castle was tense and anxious, and it reminded her far too much of the days after Albion’s death.
Adale had tried several times to check on the status of the investigation into who had poisoned Esofi. But each time, she had been turned away at the door.
Even now, she found it difficult to believe Gaelle had not been the one responsible for it all. Who else could it have possibly been? Adale had made a list of everywhere Esofi had been that day. Her morning and noontime meals had been taken in the palace, and the kitchen staff had been among the first to be interrogated. She’d visited with Adale’s parents in the morning, and Lady Catrin after that, and in the afternoon she and Gaelle had gone to the University, followed by the Temple of Talcia. Lady Catrin was about as likely a suspect as her newborn baby, and the Temple of Talcia was more loyal to Esofi than to Adale’s own parents. That only left Gaelle—or someone Adale did not know at all.