The caravan traveled along at a surprising speed, as fast as a cantering horse, except without the rocking movement or the sound of hooves thundering in the dirt. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of Nightswifts in bird form swooping past the window, circling in the air above us as they searched for any obstacles or threats. The chatter of the other trainees eventually died off, and the Swift never opened his eyes, though he did grunt and roll to the side once. He had to be a guard assigned to night duty. In an effort to calm myself, I dug in my satchel and took out a volume on Zumordan language that Alek had given me, and I passed the next few sunlengths memorizing as many words as I could. My command of the language was already good, but it wouldn’t hurt to brush up, since I’d never used it regularly outside my studies.
Around midday, the caravan drew to a halt, pulling off the road so that the servants could unpack food. A rapping on the sled’s door made me jump, and I turned to see it already opening to reveal Karina.
“One of you will join the queen for lunch each day,” she said. “Lia, you’re first.” I hurriedly gathered my books and satchel, shoved them into a shelf beneath the seat, and followed Karina outside into the cold afternoon.
Karina escorted me to the queen’s barge and ushered me inside ahead of her. Its spacious seats were wide enough for the tallest Swift to stretch out on. A narrow table was attached to the floor, and laid out upon it was a feast the likes of which I hadn’t seen since fleeing Mynaria. A plate of roasted venison, a number of vegetable dishes, and a bowl of plump, red raspberries waited, untouched. A crystal decanter of wine completed the spread, catching the sunlight and displaying a brilliant diamond pattern on the table. Seated on a plush rear-facing bench in the barge, the queen waited, her eyes seeming to stare right through me. I swallowed.
“Lia,” the queen said.
“Good afternoon, Your Majesty,” I said, hovering awkwardly in the doorway.
“Sit.”
I hurried to obey as Karina slid onto the seat next to me. The queen began serving herself, and after a moment, Karina and I followed suit. Though the food was delicious, nervousness fluttered in my stomach, and I couldn’t eat much. Maybe the servant disguise was starting to become part of who I was. I no longer felt like a princess. I barely knew who I was at all.
“I want to see the reports on Tilium,” the queen said to Karina. “We should arrive there by midafternoon.”
A brief look of surprise crossed Karina’s face, but she quelled it immediately and produced a finely made leather document case from beneath her seat. She opened the gold dragon’s-claw clasp and removed a neat stack of vellum.
A pang of longing went through me. Back in my old life, I might have been the one helping to look over the kingdom’s reports. It would have been up to me to know everything about my people and my land, to help make decisions that would best protect and help them. Those duties would most likely never be my concern again, and something about that made me feel ill. I’d spent my whole life building up to that role, preparing to be queen of Mynaria. Now it all felt like a waste.
The queen began leafing through the vellum, a faint crease appearing between her eyebrows. Her hands trembled the tiniest bit, the only sign of age I’d seen her display.
“Where are the latest intelligence reports?” she asked.
“We have none, Your Majesty,” Karina said. “The last scouts we sent never returned.”
I watched them, my curiosity piqued in spite of my anguish over leaving Mare. The queen looked up and fixed her gaze on me again.
“Perhaps Lia may have some insight to offer.” She held several reports out to me, and I had to untangle my clasped fingers to take the thin vellum from her. “Consider this an assessment to establish a baseline for the nonmagical aspects of your training. Karina, tell her about Tilium.”
My stomach dropped. What if she’d already seen through my disguise? And what nonmagical training? The queen hadn’t said anything about that in her original offer.
“Tilium is a small village north of Kartasha,” Karina told me. “A man has started some kind of cult there.”
“A cult?” I repeated. I wasn’t aware of any kind of religion being practiced in Zumorda.
“It started with a man named Sigvar who has a spirit Affinity,” Karina continued. “Seems he brainwashed the village into following him, and hardly anyone paid their tithes this year.”
The queen’s expression darkened. “I need to know how he’s doing it. And why.” She looked at me again. “What do you think, Lia?”
I paused, caught off guard by her question.
“I—I’m not sure, Your Majesty.” Of course I had theories about the why, if not the how. Years of studying politics and religion had given me a great deal of insight that I might put to use. But I wasn’t Dennaleia anymore. I was Lia, a simple handmaiden who shouldn’t know much about politics or the theology behind other kingdoms’ worship of the Six and how that might tie into a Zumordan cult. I wasn’t sure why the queen would even ask me.
Still, she stared at me, waiting for some kind of answer.
“Do you often have problems with cults in Zumorda?” I finally asked.
Karina answered. “No, although we’ve had several more than usual over the last few years. Mostly just fools trying to get people to start worshipping gods again, often because they’ve spent too much time in Mynaria and have been deluded into thinking the gods will give their magic more power. Most of these groups are harmless.”
“But this one isn’t?” I needed to know whether it was just their failure to pay the tithe that was the concern, or if it was something worse.
“The last reports we received described the town in a state of disrepair. Most of the crops failed because no one tended them, and the few shops have closed down. Several residents fled and brought us news of what had happened, but that was some weeks ago now. Everyone we’ve sent to investigate has yet to return.”
“And . . . we’re headed there now?” I was confused. Monarchs didn’t walk straight into danger—at least not the ones who had raised me. We had spies and soldiers and specialists who could be deployed to deal with things specific to their areas of expertise.
“Yes,” the queen said. “Threats to Zumorda must be dealt with swiftly.”
Fear prickled over my skin. Why would a monarch risk her own life to investigate something like this instead of sending guards? Surely they would be better trained to handle such a situation. The queen, for her part, didn’t seem worried at all. She and Karina moved on to discussing reports from other towns, but my mind kept churning with questions. What did the queen think of the war Mynaria had nearly declared? Did she consider the Mynarians threatening? And if a cult was a concern, why wasn’t the attack on Duvey also a threat? Was it because Wymund and his fighters had already defeated them? I didn’t know anything about this cult or even what a spirit Affinity entailed, but it all sounded dangerous. Prickling magic spread down my arms and into my hands. I balled them into fists and closed my eyes, but all I could think of was Mare. What would she do now that I was gone? Would she find her footing in court? Win over some nobles who would take her concerns seriously? What if they ignored her because Zumorda was already planning to attack Mynaria? Or even Havemont? We knew nothing of what kind of forces they might be able to send. Most of all, I worried that she must hate me for leaving and see it only as me choosing my magic over her rather than what it really was—me choosing her safety and some hope of us having a future as equals.
“Lia,” the queen said, her tone sharp. I jumped, and before I could stop the magic, my hands uncurled and flames burst from my open palms. The blaze leaped to the ceiling, alighting on the intricate mahogany. Karina let out a shout of alarm. Fire continued to pour out of my hands in a torrent I couldn’t hold back.
“Stop!” The queen’s voice boomed, and something slammed me back in my seat, an invisible force so strong that it felt like ten people were holding me in place. Before me, the queen had he
r arms outstretched, palms open and fingers splayed. Though I saw nothing, I felt my magic being pulled into her hands. Her gaze fixed on me, face twisted into a focused expression.
She was taking my magic. Somehow, she was drawing it out of me.
Fear gathered in my belly, and I struggled, trying to escape, but it was useless. I tried to move but could barely twitch my fingers. The flames around us dissipated, drawn away by the queen. Then the pressure abruptly vanished, and I lurched forward, catching myself hard against the edge of the table with my elbows.
“Sarding Hell,” Karina snapped, glaring at me. Her face was white, one hand resting on the hilt of a dagger strapped to her waist.
“I’m so sorry,” I tried to say, but the words barely whispered past my throat.
The queen tightened both hands into fists, and for a moment, her eyelids fluttered closed. A strange expression crossed her face, almost calm, but with a flush blooming in her cheeks. She took a long breath in before opening her eyes to look directly at me. She smiled, a predatory expression that chilled me to the bone.
“You lost control,” she said, her voice calm and measured.
I struggled to push myself upright, leaning back against the seat, breathing as quickly as if I’d just sprinted down a mountain. “What just happened?” I managed to ask between breaths.
“Your magic was too great for you to handle,” she said, “so I took some of it from you.”
“What do you mean?” I suppressed a shudder as I remembered the way her powers had trapped me against my seat.
The queen looked a little impatient, but she answered my question. “Magic users can give power to one another, if they so choose. It is a common occurrence. But only a few of us are strong enough to borrow magic from others, especially without their consent. Your Affinity will replenish itself in time. I had to remove your powers for our safety, and yours.”
I shivered despite the warm air inside the barge. I searched for my magic, trying to call it to my fingertips, but when before a rush of tingling power would have danced across my skin, now I felt nothing but a light prickle in the tips of my fingers. It was frightening, but peaceful. I couldn’t hurt anyone now. I leaned back in my seat, heavy with relief and exhaustion.
Learning had always come easily to me. Geography, politics, mathematics, the harp . . . anything I studied, I eventually mastered, even the subjects that I struggled with at first.
I knew already that magic wasn’t going to be the same.
The queen dismissed me to my own sled to resume the journey. Eryk had vanished, leaving just Evie, Tristan, and the sleeping Swift as my companions. When I asked where Eryk had gone, Evie rolled her eyes and told me he’d managed to get himself invited to ride with Aela, one of the noble trainees.
Several hours past midday, our small caravan pulled away from the main road. The smaller road we turned onto was rocky and uneven. Shiny patches of ice had collected in potholes that could easily break a horse’s leg with one wrong step, making me especially grateful for the luxury of our floating barges. Clearly, the town of Tilium either wasn’t expecting any visitors or didn’t want them.
We halted after several more minutes of travel, near some trees with branches bare of leaves. Some distance farther down the road, the town of Tilium stood, a small collection of humble buildings, many of which looked abandoned. Overhead, heavy-looking clouds blanketed the sky, and when I stepped outside the sled with the other trainees, the air seemed even chillier than before. I pulled my cloak tightly around me and shivered.
The door to the queen’s barge opened. Karina appeared, wearing a plain pair of brown trousers and a work shirt in place of her Swift uniform. She moved to the side and strapped a sheathed sword to her waist as the queen exited behind her.
“Trainees,” Karina called, and the three of us hurried over. “You will accompany us into Tilium.”
Eryk and a tall blond girl who had to be Aela joined us, as did a blue-eyed brunette with a haughty expression. She looked me up and down.
“You’re the servant of that vakos ambassador from Mynaria, aren’t you?” the brunette said.
“Not anymore,” I replied, sensing danger.
“Doesn’t seem like she lost too much,” the girl commented. “You look like you could hardly light a candle.” She flicked her fingers at me and a puff of air thumped me in the chest.
I shrank away from her, wrapping my arms tightly around myself.
“Don’t pick on weaklings, Ikrie,” Aela said, smirking.
Shame made my cheeks burn. With a start I recognized Ikrie’s name—she was the one who had threatened to challenge Mare to a duel at the party in Zumorda and nearly suffocated her in front of everyone. Anger gathered in me like storm clouds, and it was lucky for Ikrie that the queen had taken my magic so that I felt only the barest stir of it rise with my emotions. Ikrie had given Mare another reason to fear Affinities, provided another hammer blow to the wedge that had driven us apart. My stomach tightened uncomfortably, and I swallowed hard as I glanced at the village, then back to the people around me. A party of six guards had gathered on foot, and four more circled us overhead in bird form.
“Karina, explain the situation to our trainees,” the queen said.
Karina told the others what I’d learned over lunch and added, “The mayor of the city never sent reports, so we can assume she’s been absorbed into the cult. The guardian of Valenko hasn’t been able to check on this place in a while due to her ill health, so we should proceed carefully.”
“Thank you, Karina,” the queen said. “Lead on.”
Karina commanded the guards to fall into formation. They surrounded her and the queen, and I fell into step behind them along with the other trainees. We approached the town on the narrow dirt road, our boots gathering mud with every step. Around us, the farmers’ fields lay half fallow and half sown with crops that had been ill tended and allowed to rot in the ground after harvest.
The queen dropped back to walk alongside us momentarily, and her eyes flashed over to me as we drew closer to the town. “Lia, tell me what you See.”
I knew she meant something more than what I saw with my eyes, but even if my powers had been working, I wouldn’t have had the faintest idea how to see magic. The other trainees stared at me, waiting to see what I was capable of. I cast my eyes toward the small village ahead of us, then glanced past it to the surrounding hills and forest. I saw nothing beyond the ordinary, aside from the stillness and eerie silence. Not a single person was in sight.
“There’s smoke rising from a chimney in the center of town,” I said. “Since many of the residences seem to be abandoned, my guess is that it’s someone who hasn’t been taken in by the cultist. Chances are also good that it’s someone who does have the ability to use magic.” I knew that those without gifts tended to live on the fringes of Zumordan society, even in villages as small as this one. A vakos Zumordan wouldn’t live in the middle of town.
“What makes you think that’s not the cultist’s home?” the queen asked, tilting her head.
“A cult leader needs a place of spiritual significance to his followers. And it needs to be somewhere large enough to hold gatherings as his flock grows.” I paused, my eyes roaming over the landscape. “Like that barn up there.” I pointed to a large stone building. “Look how well the area around it is tended—that’s quite a contrast to everything else we see here.”
The queen gave me an approving nod, and I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“There’s also magic pooling on that hill,” Evie said, drawing the queen’s attention to her.
“Anyone can See that,” Ikrie said.
“So what would you do next, Ikrie?” the queen asked.
Ikrie’s expression changed swiftly from condescension toward me and Evie to complete obsequiousness. “Drain off as much of the power as I could and prepare to use it for offense.”
I frowned. Attacking without even knowing the details of what was going on didn’t seem li
ke a good idea to me.
“And Lia, what would you do?” the queen asked.
“I’d speak to whoever is tending that fire.” I gestured toward the solitary column of smoke in the center of town. “If they haven’t been taken in by the cultist, they’ll be able to tell us more. We should gather as much information as we can before confronting him, especially if we don’t know what kind of powers he has.”
“In that case, onward.” The queen moved back up to rejoin Karina and lifted a hand to command the Swifts into a new formation.
“We do know what powers he has,” Eryk said. “A spirit Affinity, like mine.”
“Then why does that power pool up there feel like earth magic?” Evie snapped back.
“Who cares, if it’s there for the taking?” Ikrie said.
A few minutes later, Karina knocked on the door of the house with the smoking chimney. The door creaked open promptly, revealing a woman wearing a leather apron and an annoyed expression.
“He’s on the hill,” she said. “Path’s past the granary.” She started to shut the door, but Karina blocked it with her boot.
“Pardon the intrusion, ma’am,” she said. “We need to speak to you first about what’s going on here. Queen’s orders.”
The woman squinted at us, finally taking a closer look at our party. The Swifts flanked us on either side, though a few more of them had transformed into birds and perched on nearby rooftops to watch from above with the others. The woman’s gaze moved from Karina to the queen. Her eyes widened.
“Queen’s orders. Of course,” she babbled, opening the door wide. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, I didn’t mean any disrespect. It’s just that everyone who’s come through here lately ends up on the hill and—”
“Enough,” the queen said. “We’re here to handle it.”
The woman nodded and ushered her in.
“Lia, this was your idea—you’ll come to observe.” To my surprise, the queen indicated that I should enter with her and Karina, leaving the other trainees outside. The house was a rickety affair of wood, with clay patching the spaces between the slats, but there was an organic order to it all. A tidily made bed stood in the back corner. Closer to the entrance, two bright lanterns surrounded a worktable covered with wire coils, beads, and semiprecious gems sorted into small containers. Small pottery vessels and cruets lined the shelves overhead. A small anvil stood beside the table with a toothed saw and several sizes of tongs, hammers, and chisels hanging on the wall above it.
Of Ice and Shadows Page 15