Larna nodded, and I busied myself with cleaning up the mess I had made. A flash of red and gold caught my eye, and I frowned, losing my train of thought. While Larna watched me curiously, I shifted some of the clothes I had unsettled to reveal the curved shape of a small hourglass. The past several days had been so busy I had almost forgotten about it.
My mentor Kalwyn had given the curious object to me before her death, but despite the morbid associations, it was fascinating to look at. The sand inside was a bright red, and the twisting golden seams that twined around its curves were the coiling bodies of dragons. No matter which way I turned it, the sand inside never moved. Kalwyn had told me it was supposed to measure the time of the dragons’ return, although I had no way of knowing whether that was true, or one of her fanciful stories.
As I turned it back the right way, an answering heat blossomed against my chest. I set the hourglass down and pulled back my shirt instead, digging out a simple necklace. Threaded through the simple cord was a smooth, flat stone, and it too hummed with living warmth. It was a gleaming, polished black, and there was a hole straight through the center, large enough to set against someone’s eye. Kalwyn had called it the deadeye, and along with the hourglass, I had carried it since her death. It was meant to be looked through, but I simply held it, taking some comfort in the warmth against my palm. A knock came at the door, and I hurried to tuck the deadeye back into my shirt and hide the hourglass away from prying eyes.
"Cate? Larna? It's Ailynn. I didn't see the two of you at lunch. Are you in there?"
I shoved the hourglass and my clothes back into my pack while Larna rose to answer the door. Ailynn stepped inside, but to my surprise, Raisa wasn't with her. The two of them were normally joined at the hip, especially since Raisa was expecting twins. Her condition only worsened Ailynn's tendency to hover.
"Sorry we missed lunch," I said, tossing the pack onto my bed. "We were getting ready to meet with the council, but we have some bad news. I received a letter from my friend Ellie. Mogra's creatures have made it to Seria. They're already invading the countryside."
A shadow fell over Ailynn's face. "New ones? I shouldn't be surprised. I already suspected she was alive, but…" I didn't object as she headed over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress, resting her elbows on her knees and falling into a slump. "I suppose I was still holding out some hope the avalanche killed her."
Larna's eyes flicked over to the bed and both of us went to join her, one on each side. I put my hand on Ailynn's shoulder, trying to offer comfort. "She isn't your responsibility, you know." I could tell from my friend's face she didn't believe me. Her frown stayed firmly in place. "I have more reason to hate her than most, and I certainly don't blame you for what she did to me and the rest of the Farseer pack."
"I appreciate the kind words, but forgive me if I can't bring myself to believe them," Ailynn said with a sigh. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for me. I could have told her to stop her experiments. I could have interfered when I knew things were starting to go wrong. I could have tried harder—"
"You canna control your parents," Larna said, speaking with the force of experience. "Their sins and mistakes be their own."
Ailynn remained silent, obviously unwilling to argue, but also unwilling to accept what we were trying to tell her. "There's more news," I said, removing my hand from her tense arm. "Good this time, I promise. In her letter, Ellie claims she's traveling with the Crown Princess of Amendyr. She and her wife are fleeing for the border with the girl in their protection."
That got Ailynn's attention. "The princess?" Her brow lifted in surprise. "I barely even knew about her until I left home for the first time. Everyone in the villages I travelled through said she was dead, or at least in Shezad."
"Missing, not dead," Larna said. "No one was ever finding her body. Now we're knowing why."
"So, if she's alive, what does that mean for us?" Ailynn asked.
"It means our job is even more important than ever," I told her. "The princess will need our help to reclaim the white throne. Ellie and Belle are risking their lives to smuggle her into Amendyr. The least I can do is make sure they have an army waiting for them when they get here."
Ailynn gave me a skeptical look. "So, what's your plan? Rufas didn't seem eager to give you anything this morning, let alone an army."
I didn't want to be drawn back into the same circular conversation the three of us had been running through for days. I stood, heading over to the mirror on the other side of the room. My reflection was a little pale, and circles darkened under my eyes, but I didn't look as though I had been in the midst of a terrifying vision just minutes before. I wanted to appear at least somewhat presentable in front of the council. "Maresth asked us to meet with the council in private for a reason. Out of the three councilors who haven’t thrown their support behind us, she’s the least hostile. We need to convince her if we want to have any chance of success."
Larna and Ailynn both nodded. As they stood and headed toward the door, I stole one last glance in the mirror. I couldn't meet my own stare for long. Some part of me was afraid that a face other than my own might begin to creep in around the edges.
Chapter Six
Taken from the verbal accounts of Ailynn Gothel, edited by Lady Eleanor Kingsclere
WHEN CATE, LARNA, AND I arrived outside Maresth's private study, raised voices were already filtering out into the hallway. The three of us exchanged nervous glances, and my heart sank. I had allowed myself to indulge in a little optimism in preparation for our meeting with the council, but it quickly faded as I made out what they were saying.
"You're too reckless, Rachari," Rufas said in a gruff voice. The door did little to muffle his growl. "It's bad enough you want to go on a mad chase for Mogra outside our borders. Now you're demanding to take an army with you! You've got some of our people brainwashed into believing this is for their own good, but don't think you have me fooled. This will only end in more bloodshed."
I reached up for the high doorknob, but Larna shook her head. After a moment of hesitation, I withdrew. She was the rebellion's official ambassador to the liarre, and I was just a guest in Ardu. I didn't want to make things difficult for her, no matter how much I disagreed with Rufas.
Fortunately, another voice from inside the room said what I would have. "It is for their own good, and Rachari isn't fooling anyone," Jinale protested. "She's simply stating the truth, however much you might not want to hear it."
"She's more reasonable than I would have been," I muttered out of the corner of my mouth, glancing sideways at Cate. She snorted and nodded.
An angry yowl forced the three of us to focus back on the argument. "Not want to hear it? I'm surprised the idiot has ears," Rachari hissed. "He refuses to listen to sense even though you saw Mogra with your own eyes. What more proof do you need, Rufas?"
"Proof that going after her won't get good people killed," Rufas barked.
Jinale was slightly less aggressive in her approach. "Mogra is shaping an undead army. Her corrupted magic is already getting good people killed. I came back without half my scouts."
There was a moment of silence, as if the statement had finally given Rufas pause. Larna took the opportunity to open the door. I followed her in at Cate's side, scanning the room as I entered. It was a simple study, but large enough to comfortably fit the tall liarre. There were several platformed stools designed for their long bodies, but three of the five councilors weren't sitting. Rufas and Rachari were squared off in front of Maresth's desk with Jinale standing between them. Maresth remained coiled behind her desk while Weyshra watched nervously from the sidelines. The former seemed curious, the latter unwilling to interfere.
Rufas did not look pleased to see us. His sharp eyes locked on me like a hunting dog's, and his jowls quivered as he scented the air. "I didn't realize the human was coming," he said, ignoring Larna and Cate completely.
I sighed. "Apparently, we're not going to
bother with formalities."
"Or politeness," Rachari added with more than a little sarcasm.
"Ailynn was invited," Jinale said, emphasizing my name since Rufas had refused to use it. "She has every right to be here. Her mother is the threat we're meeting to discuss. No one knows how dangerous Mogra can be better than she does." The comment made me nauseous, but I hid my discomfort. Everyone in the room already knew the shameful fact that Mogra was my mother and I had watched her descent into madness.
Rufas still looked as though he wanted to protest, but a surprising ally came to my defense. "We have good reason to question her," Weyshra pointed out. "Even if we don't choose to send our forces across the border into Amendyr, we need to know what the witch is capable of. If she truly has mastered more than one type of magic."
"She has," I said, meeting Weyshra's skittish gaze. "She was born a daughter of the First Son, but learned to shape and enchant as well. Her greed drove her to extreme lengths, and the extra power has corrupted her. When I faced her, she was no longer herself. She won't listen to reason, and she's a danger to anyone she comes into contact with."
"Aye, and so is her army," Larna added. "You worry about sending your people into another country's civil war, Rufas, but monsters dinna respect borders. Are you truly believing the undead will stop at your doorstep if you're after asking nicely? Kerak are’na exactly polite, Councilor."
"If your wicked queen does control Mogra and these monsters, she has no reason to send them here," Rufas said. "Her goal is to take over Amendyr, not to conquer other kingdoms."
Cate shook her head. "That isn't true. I received word from my friend, Lady Eleanor of Baxstresse, just today. She lives in Seria, and she's currently fleeing across the eastern border with a second army of monsters on her heels. They've attacked the royal palace and at least one estate. How can you know Ardu won't be next?"
"We can't," Rachari said before Rufas could get another word in. "That's why we have to act now, before the Queen's army comes for us. Our only chance is a united front. We need Jett Bahari and the rebellion as much as they need us."
"And what if we lose?" Weyshra asked. "Say we send our best soldiers to help the humans with their war. Who will remain to defend our people if they fall?"
My fists clenched with impatience, and my stomach began to twist itself into knots of anxiety. It seemed that this argument wasn’t any more productive than the ones that had come before, and I knew all too well what would happen if they couldn’t come to an agreement. It seemed that I was not the only one.
"Don't you two understand?" Rachari snapped. Even though her face was not human, I could see the anger in it. Her fur bristled and the edges of her fangs peeked out from beneath her upper lip. "If we don't join forces now, we're guaranteed to fall, every single one of us. Every kingdom, every border, every race." She and Rufas resumed glaring at each other, and Jinale and Weyshra shared an unhappy look. Meanwhile, Maresth watched the proceedings in silence, taking in everything with narrowed eyes.
"There is one more thing," Cate said, clearing her throat to get their attention. "My friend isn't fleeing Seria alone. Crown Princess Neva is with her."
Everyone whipped around to look at her, speaking at once.
"What?"
"I thought she was dead!"
"Are you sure?"
Cate nodded at the last question. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. If Ellie says she has the princess under her protection, I believe her. If they move fast, it should take them a little over two weeks to reach Jett Bahari's camp from the eastern border."
"Enough time for us to meet them there," Rachari said. "This is good news, Cate. We'll have a united cause. Liarre, wyr, humans, and Ariada of all types, fighting to remove the pretender from the white throne and restore the rightful heir to her proper place."
"The white throne isn't our concern, Rachari," Weyshra said, objecting before Rufas could. "Our people's safety should be our first priority."
"And they'll be safest with Princess Neva as Amendyr's ruler," Rachari insisted. "What's it going to take for you to treat this problem seriously? Mogra flying in through the window?"
"No, but with the way you're talking, I'd like to send you through it instead," Rufas growled.
Cate, Larna, and I shared a worried glance. Our presence had done nothing to sway the councilors either way, and it seemed as if they would never agree to anything. Mogra could come flying in the window before they made up their minds. But my fears proved to be misplaced. Before the three of us could do anything, Maresth moved. She rose, unwinding gracefully from her seat and curling around her desk to join the other four councilors. Her heavy body slithered across the floor, with soft clinks of metal where her tail dragged, and the sound seemed to draw everyone else's attention.
"I suggest we put this matter to a vote," Maresth hissed. "A decision must be made."
"Will this be a public vote, or a private one?" Cate asked.
"I demand a public vote," Rufas said. "I won't be held accountable for sending my soldiers to die in a pointless war."
"The vote will be announced publicly in the Grand Theater tomorrow morning," Maresth said, "but we must choose now. Tempers need time to cool, and we should present a united front."
The room went quiet as everyone considered her words. I could see one more chance, possibly my last chance, to stop Mogra slipping away. The thought of standing by and doing nothing a second time was too much. "Please," I said after a beat of silence, looking straight at Maresth. Rufas and Weyshra seemed beyond convincing, but we didn't need their agreement. "I know Mogra, and I'm telling you she's merciless. Human, liarre, it doesn't matter to her. She'll use anyone, hurt anyone, to get what she wants. If her army crosses your border your people won't stand a chance."
Maresth's clear eyelids gave a slow blink, and she nodded once. "Your opinion has been noted. Rufas, Weyssshra, I assume you vote to remain out of this conflict?" Rufas grunted. Weyshra was more hesitant, but eventually he dipped his long muzzle. "Jinale and Rachari, do you wish to aid Jett Bahari and the rebellion?"
"With my life," Rachari said as Jinale nodded. "Protecting Amendyr protects our people, too."
Maresth heaved a hissing sigh. "Then the final decision is mine. I vote to send our forces to the rebellion's aid. I agree that if Amendyr and Seria fall to this false Queen, the liarre will fall soon after."
"Chairwoman," Rufas protested, but Maresth cut him off with a look.
"You will stand by the council's decision, Rufas. My vote is final. You can best serve your people by preparing them for the coming war. Turn your strength there."
Rufas remained still for a long moment. He looked as though he wanted to object, but at last, he lowered his gaze in deference. "As you say." He stormed past us, leaving the room without a proper dismissal.
Weyshra's exit wasn't quite as dramatic, but it was clear he wasn't happy with Maresth's choice, either. "As a member of the council, it is my duty to support any decision we make. But I fear this is one vote all of us will come to regret. Until later." When he received a nod of dismissal, he followed Rufas out into the hall and disappeared from sight.
"Well, that could have gone better," Cate sighed once the door had closed. "I'm sorry, Councilors. None of us wanted things to happen this way."
"It wasn't your fault," Jinale said. "This disagreement was brewing long before you arrived here. Weyshra is cautious, and Rufas is protective of his soldiers."
"To the point of blindness," Rachari added bitterly. She took in a deep breath, and some of her simmering anger cooled. "I apologize, Maresth. My temper got the better of me this afternoon. I'll try to be more cooperative with Rufas and his people now that we've made a decision."
Maresth gave Rachari a look of approval. "A united front is necessary. Apologize and concede however you need to. We announce our decision tomorrow morning, and we march in the afternoon."
For the first time in nearly a week, I felt the faint stirrings of hope. With the
liarre on our side and Neva returning to Amendyr, perhaps the rebellion actually stood a chance against the Queen's army. Meanwhile, my own job was more than clear. Mogra was my responsibility, and I couldn't rest until she wasn't able to cause any more harm.
Chapter Seven
Taken from the diary of Lady Eleanor Kingsclere
TRAVELING LIGHT AND ON horseback, our party reached Amendyr far sooner than expected. The journey usually took over a week, but we arrived at the border in a matter of days. We moved as swiftly and silently as possible, constantly checking over our shoulders, but there were no further signs of Luciana or her undead army.
We only stopped long enough to rest the horses and feed ourselves, approaching inns after sundown and leaving before sunrise. Surely we must have been an odd sight, two furtive women guiding a small child and a tortoiseshell cat peeking out of a knapsack, but enough coin quieted the questions. It helped that the people we encountered were terrified. With war brewing just across the border, it didn't look like any of them were sleeping either.
Bringing Jessith along turned out to be a blessing. Nearly being eaten by kerak hadn't scared away her wit, and her dry commentary kept me sane during the long, tense days. She complained about the weather, the uncomfortable jolting of the horses, Belle's constant twitching, and Neva's disturbing silence, but I didn't mind. I was relieved to hear about something other than Luciana. It was a struggle not to think of her in my waking hours and impossible to forget her face when I slept.
"Cieran might have given us directions, at least," Jessith complained an hour past the final watchtower. We were a few minutes into Amendyr, but we still had no official destination, and we had not run into a single guard. All of the outposts had been abandoned. "A little more clarity could have saved us days of wandering around."
"Give it time. He said friends would find us once we crossed the border."
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