“What are you doing here, Master Raith?” Corwin asked.
Raith, who’d been leaning against one of the worktables, straightened up and adjusted his blue robes across his shoulders. “I wanted to see how the revolver making was going, your highness. My order has a keen interest in seeing it succeed.”
I doubt the grand master would agree with you, Corwin thought. He’s wanted them to fail from the beginning, more concerned with maintaining his profit than solving Rime’s problems. Still, he was glad to have Raith’s support at least.
“I see. Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve need of your blue robes once more.” He launched into the story about Dal’s brother and the attack on Thornewall. Without meaning to, his gaze kept drifting toward Kate as he spoke.
By the time he reached the end of the story, her face had clouded over with worry. “What are you going to do?”
Corwin scowled and ran a hand through his hair. “Edwin planned to send a scouting party, but it’s not enough. I mean to lead a supply caravan and make sure it gets there safely. Dal’s brother said the people are starving. There’s no telling how long they’ve been trapped.” Thornewall was isolated and difficult to reach, located among the cliffs that covered the farthest eastern point of Rime. Which is why it was so easy to pen them in, Corwin realized—only why would the Rising attack Thornewall? It had no strategic value to the high king, unlike some of the other sites of the attacks. Dal and Edwin were right on that account—the barony mattered little to the power of Norgard.
Corwin turned to Raith. “Will you help me, Master Raith?”
“Of course,” Raith said without hesitation. He ran a blackened finger over his nose and cheeks, unconsciously tracing the lines of the Shade Born on his face. It was the first time Corwin had seen the man do such a thing. “But even more important than getting the supplies there, this might be just the opportunity we need to finally discover what—or who—is behind these drake attacks.”
“How do you mean?” Corwin asked, not daring to hope after so many failures.
Raith’s gaze wandered across the room, briefly lingering on Kate before he turned back to Corwin. “If I remember the geography of Thornewall correctly, the only path to the castle is through a narrow pass with sheer cliff walls on either side. That limits where someone controlling the drakes could be. If we position scouts out of view of the caravan, we might be able to catch them.”
“But won’t we be attacked?” Signe said, stepping forward.
Corwin arched an eyebrow at her. “We?”
She gave him a haughty look. “I’m coming. You’re going to need all the help you can get to save Dal’s family.”
Corwin nodded, grateful for the offer and what it would mean to Dal.
“I have devised a new shield spell,” Raith said. “It should protect against a drake without the need for a dedicated wardstone, long enough, at least, for our scouts to get back to the caravan and the safety of the main wardstone barrier.”
Corwin addressed Bonner. “We’ll need all the revolvers you can provide.” He paused, then added, “And are safe to use.”
Bonner nodded, a pink tinge coming to his ears. “I’ve six or seven now, but if I get to work right away I might be able to finish up two more.”
“Whatever you can manage.” Corwin thumped him on the back, praying for a miracle. He turned to Raith. “We’ll need flash stones as well and any other combative spells that might help.” Corwin could practically hear Minister Porter complaining about the cost already, but he didn’t care.
“I’m coming, too,” Kate said, moving to stand next to Signe.
Corwin opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, knowing there was no point. She did not belong to him; she was not his to shelter.
“Good,” he forced himself to say. “You’re the best shot with the revolver. That will come in handy.”
Kate’s face was unreadable. “When do we leave?”
“At dawn.” Corwin turned to go, his mind racing with all he needed to do yet, but he froze as a figure appeared in the doorway. It was Dal, but Corwin barely recognized him—the look on his face like that of a ghost, pale and devoid of all emotion.
“We’re leaving for Thornewall in the morning?” Dal asked, his voice low and inflectionless.
“Yes,” Corwin said, “but you should stay here and see to your brother.”
Dal shook his head. “There’s no point. My brother is dead.”
25
Kate
KATE HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN plagued with such doubt. Not even in those terrible days after her father’s arrest. She’d been in a daze all week since first meeting Kiran and learning the truth about why her father had been in King Orwin’s chambers that morning. She still didn’t know why he’d attacked the king when he had only gone there to influence his decision about the Inquisition, but she was closer than ever before to understanding.
The Rising. It seemed impossible. Her father had never expressed concerns over other wilders to her, not even to acknowledge their existence. It was always just him and Kate, father and daughter, two wilders in hiding against the world. But maybe Hale’s attitude had changed and Kate had never noticed. She couldn’t deny things were different after Queen Imogen was killed by that wilder. Perhaps it had an impact. Or maybe it was Vianne and Kiran who opened her father’s eyes to the larger world. If so, she understood, given the cruel living conditions Kiran was forced to endure.
She would never know for sure, but in the last few days she couldn’t deny Hale’s involvement with the Rising. Just last night she’d attended a secret meeting in the basement of the Sacred Sword. More than half of the people there had spoken to her about her father—some to offer condolences and others criticisms of his failure.
It seemed to her that the Rising was divided in all things, opinions on her father included. For more than an hour she listened to Raith arguing that they needed to be cautious, to explore every avenue to end the Inquisition without bloodshed. But another leader in the rebellion, an earthist named Francis, argued the opposite.
“The time to strike is now. Rime is already in turmoil,” Francis had said, his voice teetering toward a shout. “Whoever is behind these daydrakes will continue to lay the blame on us until nowhere is safe. We need to defend ourselves before it’s too late. The plan is already in place. We just need to act.”
The plan, it seemed, was to seize control of Farhold, the only city in Rime capable of being fully self-sustaining. The Rising would claim the city for themselves and use it to force the high king to end the persecution.
Afterward Kate had asked Raith, “Won’t many innocent people in Farhold die during the siege?”
A grave look crossed his face. “If it comes to war, then yes. Violence is an inevitable consequence. But I would ask you, what is worse? A handful of people dying in this siege, or hundreds of innocent wilders being kidnapped and executed, one at a time, for years to come?” He faced her then, placing a hand on her arm, his voice tremulous with emotion. “This is why I so desperately need your help, Kate. You’ve a strong influence with Corwin, and goddess be good, he will win the uror over his brother. If you can help him see the truth about us, then maybe he will use his authority as high king to end the Inquisition before any blood is shed.”
“You don’t know Corwin very well,” Kate said, feeling a knot in her throat. I have no influence over him. She might’ve if she’d agreed to be his paramour, but she’d closed that door and had no intention of opening it again. Unwilling to discuss such matters with Raith, though, she said instead, “He hates wilders.”
“I’m not certain that’s true. Though even if it is, his feelings are nothing compared to those of his brother, and his high council.” Raith made a look of disgust. “Edwin appears evenhanded, but Master Storr has told me that the hatred in him runs deep. In his mind every wilder must pay for his mother’s death. Since taking over for his father, he’s done everything he can to expand the Inquisition’s po
wer and refocus the League’s priorities on capturing wilders. Did you know Maestra Vikas allows him to attend the Purgings in Norgard?”
Kate thought she might be sick. It was one thing to fear wilders or even to suspect them all capable of the same harm that caused Queen Imogen’s death, but to want to watch them die? That was something else.
“Corwin cares for you,” Raith continued. “That’s plain for anyone to see. And I believe he’s wise enough to see past his prejudices against wilders, if given the chance. He only needs to realize that wilders are equally as capable of good as of evil. The man who set the fire that killed his mother wasn’t part of the Rising—we never had the chance to recruit him. So many slip through our fingers. The Rising works hard to keep wilders from ever using their powers to harm, although we don’t always succeed. Such is the result of a country in which prejudice divides us, forces us into hiding, threatens our families. Corwin might be able to see this truth; he just needs to be shown by someone he trusts.”
Kate didn’t reply, although she wanted to believe him—that the Rising didn’t want to spread fear and violence, that their only cause was to win the freedom to live in peace. At her silence, Raith had attempted a new tactic to convince her, by offering her a way to keep Bonner’s magic hidden from the League and to allow him to finally make his revolvers. Once she’d gotten over her shock at how much the master magist knew, she’d agreed to his plan. It was for that very reason they’d been in Bonner’s workshop when Corwin had appeared a short time before with news of the attack on Dal’s home.
And now Raith’s convinced me to use my powers to try to find whoever is behind the daydrake attacks. I must be mad.
Kate shook her head, wishing she could dislodge these worries from her mind by force.
“Are you all right?” Bonner said. It was just the two of them in his workshop now. Signe was off somewhere with Dal, and Raith had left shortly after Corwin with a promise to return so as to help Kate continue to develop her ability to use her magic on humans—a skill she would need to track down whoever was controlling the daydrakes. But she didn’t want to do it, no matter how important. All her life, her magic had been simple: a way to talk to animals, to influence them. Innocent, harmless. But using it on humans? That made it infinitely more powerful—and dangerous.
Realizing she’d been silent too long, Kate glanced at Bonner, a weak smile coming to her lips. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a lot to take in.”
“I know how you feel.” Bonner grimaced, the expression out of place on him. He held up the magestone necklace Raith had given him before departing. A diamond the size of a marble hung from a leather cord. “Do you really think this will shield my magic from the magists?”
Fortunately, Raith had also told Bonner about the Rising and his part in it, thereby allowing Kate to discuss it without the risk of activating the binding curse. “I don’t see why Raith would lie about it, or even give it to us for that matter if it weren’t going to work. That diamond must cost more money than either of us will ever have in both our lifetimes combined.”
“Good point.” Bonner fastened it around his neck, then spoke the incantation, activating the spell within. The cord was long enough that the diamond hung halfway down his chest. He tucked it into his tunic, out of sight. Then he picked up one of the half dozen revolvers lying on the worktable. These were the rejects, the ones with too many imperfections to work properly. Balancing the gun on one hand, he placed his other on top of it.
Hesitating, he looked at Kate. “This feels wrong.”
“You don’t have to do it.” She walked over to him, cupping his hands with hers. “You could tell Corwin that this was all a mistake and leave Norgard. Go back to Farhold and live out your life without these troubles.”
“Would you come with me?” Bonner fixed a penetrating stare on her.
A week ago she could’ve said yes. But not now. Not with Kiran. Every day she’d gone to see him, trying to catch up on all the years stolen from her. He was the only family she had left. She wasn’t about to give him up now that she’d found him.
She shook her head and dropped her hands from Bonner’s. “I can’t leave Kiran. He’s living in a cage, Bonner. It’s awful. Something must be done.”
“I know. And that’s why I’m going to stay too. If I can finally make enough revolvers, and Corwin can eliminate the drakes, I will have saved the world. Then maybe afterward he’ll be so grateful that I can tell him the truth about my gift.”
Remembering Raith’s words from last night, Kate slowly nodded.
Bonner adjusted his grip on the gun and closed his eyes. Although Kate couldn’t sense anything, she understood that he was probing the metal with his magic, purging it of dents and impurities, smoothing out the places it had gone wrong.
“Done,” he said a moment later. They both waited, half expecting a gold robe to come bursting through the door to arrest them. When several moments went by and nothing happened, Bonner shrugged and said, “I guess it worked.” He set down the revolver and picked up the next one.
“Wait, Bonner.” Kate touched his arm. “You can’t make too many at once. The reason why Raith knew what you are is because of the questions people are asking about why only your revolvers work and no one else’s.”
With a huff, Bonner nodded. “You’re right. I’ll fix two more. Then tomorrow when the rest of the smiths start working, I’ll correct each gun as needed once it’s made. That way, it’ll look like the smiths are managing to do it on their own.”
“Good plan, but keep the diamond hidden. If any magists spy it, they’ll wonder what it’s for. Raith says the spell is unsanctioned.”
“I’ll be careful.” Bonner patted the front of his tunic where the diamond lay hidden beneath it. “You were wrong, though.”
Kate frowned. “About what?”
“I couldn’t leave Norgard now any more than you. My father wouldn’t survive the trip.”
“I don’t understand. He’s doing so much better.” They’d had supper together only yesterday, Thomas warm and welcoming like always. It was true that he remained too thin, his appetite small as a bird’s, but his spirits were high. He’d even teased Bonner about finally finding a wife and settling down. “Someone as beautiful and kind as our Kate here,” he’d said, winking. “I think you mean fierce, Pa,” Bonner had replied, and they’d all laughed.
Bonner didn’t meet her gaze now. “Yes, he is, but it’s conditional. I spoke to the greens about it just this morning.” He glanced up, far too much emotion in his face. “They can’t cure what’s wrong with him. All they can do is keep the sickness at bay with magestones. His body is burning through two a day at least. But if he stops wearing them, he’ll regress back to how he was before, and eventually . . . he’ll die. I could never afford so many magestones without this position.”
Love is a cage, too, Kate thought, miserable for her friend, one that has caught us both. She slid her arms around his massive frame. It was like hugging a boulder. “Then let’s make sure you succeed in giving Corwin his revolvers.”
Raith returned an hour later. He brought a second diamond magestone with him and gave it to Kate. “You’re going to need this.”
Kate accepted it and put it around her neck. “Does everyone in the Rising wear these?”
Raith snorted a laugh. “We could only dream of such fortune. But no. Just like the rest of Rime, we can only buy or steal such precious gems. Most of the wilders have to settle for lesser stones that have the power to prevent them from being discovered if a gold tests them for magic like they do when someone is arrested by the Inquisition. But it doesn’t enable them to use their gifts at will without fear.” He pointed a blackened finger at Kate, then at Bonner. “Don’t either of you lose them and don’t let anyone take them. A thief would do almost anything to steal one.”
Nodding, Kate said, “What now?”
Raith put his hands on his hips and fixed a determined gaze on her. “Now we teach you how to
attune your gift to humans, and let’s pray to Noralah that you’re a quicker study than your father.”
“You taught my father how to do this?”
Raith walked over to the nearest chair and sat down, motioning for Kate to take the one opposite. “Taught is not the right word for it. There is no teaching someone with wilder magic, not like the study magists are put through at the League Academy. All you can do is learn through trial and error. I assisted your father by volunteering to be the subject of his attempts. I’ll do the same for you now. Your first task will be to glean a single image from my mind. I’m going to focus on the image with all my concentration. That should make it easier.”
Kate doubted it. She didn’t have the faintest idea how to adapt her magic for a human, much less what precision was needed to read a mind, but she sat down across from the magist anyway. “Okay, where do I start?”
Raith scratched the stubble on his chin. “Just do whatever it is you do when you listen to animals, but try to attune it to me.”
“That’s somewhat less than helpful, but I’ll give it a go.” Kate closed her eyes and reached out with her magic same as she would if she were searching for wild animals in the forest.
In moments she began to detect the various animals in the castle, several cats and an alarming number of mice. She even sensed Lir in Dal’s rooms, the falcon anxious in response to her master’s dark mood. Finding these animal minds was easy, but when she tried to home in on Raith’s thoughts, nothing happened. She might as well be trying to teach horses to fly for all the good it did.
She opened her eyes and glared at Raith. “This isn’t going to work. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Raith leaned back in the chair, regarding her with a narrowed gaze. “How did it work on those thieves that night?”
“I don’t know. I was scared and angry. I did it without meaning to.”
Raith nodded. “An emotional trigger. It’s not uncommon. But how can we re-create one now?”
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