by Elly Blake
Brother Thistle gave a small bow. “Prince Kai. If you please.” He motioned to one of two lumpy, threadbare seats facing his.
“Arcus sends his regards,” I said as I took one of the chairs. “He needed to take care of something, but he’ll follow in a couple of days. We thought you’d be in the capital.”
He retook his seat and set his cane aside. “I had to leave sooner than expected, but never fear. I have brought my research.” He motioned to piles of books on a table, on the floor, and stacked in between mounds of scrolls on shelves. A map was partially unrolled on a small side table, with paperweights on each corner.
As soon as Kai saw the map, he maneuvered past the haphazard arrangement of books and bent over it.
Brother Thistle watched him suspiciously, then addressed me again. “The library window is being repaired, so I had to find another haven for my research.”
“The window Arcus broke during the fire?” I asked, the memories more vivid now that I was in the abbey once again. Kai’s head lifted at that reference, and he raised a brow, but then merely shook his head as if dismissing his questions for later and went back to peering at the map.
“A small price to pay to save Sister Pastel’s life,” Brother Thistle said, though his tone was somber. Arcus and I had saved her, only to lose her a few weeks later when King Rasmus’s soldiers arrived. I had truly liked Sister Pastel, who had taken the time to teach me how to illuminate a manuscript.
“One person wasn’t so grateful for our help,” I said, pulling away from the sad thoughts. “Brother Lack accused me of starting the fire, remember? And he hasn’t changed much since then.”
“You saw him?” Brother Thistle asked in a tone of mild surprise. At my nod, he asked, “Where?”
“Up until a week ago, he was overseer of Tevros.” I related what we’d found on our arrival, how Arcus had imprisoned “Lord Grimcote,” and what we’d done to restore order to the city.
While I spoke, Kai pulled another map from a pile and unrolled it on the table. Brother Thistle’s lowered brows made a shelf over his penetrating blue eyes. He was clearly irritated at Kai touching his precious things.
“Are you surprised about Brother Lack’s defection from the order?” I asked to draw his attention back to me.
“Not really.” Brother Thistle pulled his watchful gaze from Kai with a visible effort. “He followed our rules to the letter, but he had none of the compassion necessary to interpret those rules. His mind tended to extremes. I suppose it was natural for him to be drawn to the Blue Legion.”
“What do you think about this Winter of Purification business?” Kai asked, his finger lightly touching the map, which once again drew Brother Thistle’s agitated stare. “As a member of the Order of Fors, do you see it as your god’s will?”
Kai said Fors as if the name of the god of the north wind tasted bad in his mouth. He didn’t seem as if he trusted Brother Thistle entirely.
Either the question or the treatment of his parchments seemed to push the scholarly monk past the limits of endurance. He sat forward, leaning on his cane. “Kindly take care! Some of those are rare and very old. There are oils in your skin that will damage the pages.”
He was worried about his parchments, then. I should have known.
“I am quite aware of that,” Kai said, lifting a handkerchief to show that he wasn’t touching the maps directly. “I know how to care for ancient documents. It is part of the training for Fireblood masters.”
Brother Thistle absorbed that for a pause, then sat back, seeming mollified for the moment. “My apologies, Prince Kai. I learned much from the Fireblood masters of Sudesia, and had I known you were one, I would have realized you would treat these items respectfully.” He sounded calmer as he answered Kai’s question. “I cannot claim to understand the will of the gods. The winter has been unusually harsh.” He toyed with the end of his cane absently. “But the real threat comes from the soldiers sent to raid grain stores and steal from anyone they deem ‘not Frostblood enough.’ They claim that Fors has sent the winter to wipe out anyone whose gift is too weak, then they steal food and befoul wells to drive people from their homes. It’s revolting and unconscionable.”
“Is this truly a surprise?” Kai asked coldly. “If your court had no qualms about murdering Firebloods, no scruples would prevent them from attacking their own people at a whim.”
“Indeed, I put nothing past them,” Brother Thistle agreed, earning a surprised look from Kai. “The kingdom has gone mad.”
“Perhaps it isn’t Fors, then,” I said, realization dawning. “Eurus could be behind all this.”
Brother Thistle made an open-palm gesture. “But how? The frost Minax is gone, so there is no direct way that Eurus has influenced the nobility. I fear the evil in our kingdom stems from within.”
After a somber pause, Kai paced from the maps to the scrolls, using his handkerchief to pluck one from the pile. “What hope is there for an alliance with Sudesia if your court is intent on killing or driving away anyone who isn’t the most powerful of Frostbloods?”
Brother Thistle sighed. “I have no answer. Too many members of court have been corrupted by the Blue Legion’s influence.”
“Did they hurt you?” I asked, alarmed. “Is that why you left?”
“They had done nothing yet, but it was only a matter of time. I spoke out against the Blue Legion and soon heard that they planned to detain and question me as part of their ‘investigation’ over the assassination attempt on the king and delegates on the night of the harvest ball. I cannot help you if I’m rotting away in a dungeon. So I came here.”
“I’m surprised they allowed you to leave.”
“I suppose they did not see me as a true threat.” His expression soured. “It is a terrible thing to see injustices and be unable to stop them. I begin to feel old and useless.”
Offended on his behalf, I leaned forward. “You’re every bit as useful as ever! We came here because we need you.”
“Yes?” He sat straighter, his spare frame practically humming with banked eagerness. His eyes shifted to the satchel I’d rested on the floor next to my chair with a curious, almost greedy, expression.
He knew I’d gone to Sudesia to retrieve The Creation of the Thrones and must have been dying to ask me if I had it. He’d have to wait a bit longer. Once he held that ancient tome, I’d lose his attention for hours, if not days.
“I have to tell you a few things before I explain how you can help,” I said, trying not to smile at his impatience. I quickly filled him in on my time in Sudesia, including the fact that I was, amazingly, the queen’s niece.
He sat back in his seat, appearing stunned. “Remarkable. Just remarkable. I would like to claim I had some suspicion of your heritage, Miss Otrera, but I did not. It never occurred to me that you could be the missing princess, though I had heard tales of your mother and her infant daughter disappearing in the night.” His eyes widened. “I can no longer call you Miss Otrera, can I? You are Princess Ruby now.”
“Please,” I said, “don’t.”
“She is not yet entirely comfortable with her new title,” Kai said, finally dropping into the seat next to me. “She requires… breaking in.”
I made a face. “Like a new pair of boots?”
“Like a wild filly,” he clarified.
“Ugh, Kai. As if that’s better.”
“Far better,” he said with a wicked grin. I rolled my eyes.
Taking a breath for courage, I continued my story, finally getting to the part about Eurus. “He considers me his creation,” I explained, my hands clasped tightly in my lap. “He calls me his Nightblood daughter, which of course I reject. But there’s no denying… I am a Nightblood.” It was harder to admit than I’d thought. “I’m sure that’s why the frost Minax marked me after I melted the throne of Fors.” I touched the heart-shaped mark on my left cheek near my ear. “It recognized me as its ‘true vessel’ from the beginning. Someone capable of hosting it
indefinitely.” I swallowed, forcing myself to meet Brother Thistle’s eyes. “And I know it was right because I’ve been hosting the fire Minax for weeks.”
He went very still. “Even now?” he asked in a low voice, as if the creature might hear. Which wasn’t unreasonable since the Minax was soaking up the tension and anxiety in the room.
I nodded, feeling almost panicked at how he might react. How would Brother Thistle treat me now? It was one thing to find out I was of royal blood, quite another to find out my heart had been so corrupted that I could play host to a merciless shadow forever.
Kai must have picked up on my agitation. He reached out to put a hand over mine, which bolstered me enough that I could answer. “Ever since Arcus and I destroyed the throne of Sud.”
It seemed an eternity before Brother Thistle finally took a breath. His eyes shifted away. “That is unfortunate.”
I paused, waiting for more. Waiting for him to denounce me, revile me, order me to leave his abbey and never return. I held my breath, unable to move.
He leaned forward with knitted brows. “How do you feel?” he asked in a tone of such gentle concern—so uncharacteristic of him—that my throat closed up completely.
I opened my mouth and closed it several times, shock waves of relief radiating through me before I could finally choke out, “It varies.”
He sat back. “I imagine it does. I am sorry, Miss Otrera.”
I could only nod, blinking against the sudden prick of tears. The Minax moved restlessly, disappointed with this outcome. Acceptance and caring were not its favorite things.
“Ruby is bearing up well,” Kai said, seeming to know that I was struggling to speak. “She has nightmares, though. Terrible ones, I think.”
“The frustrating thing is not knowing if I’m seeing past, present, future, or just my own fears playing out in my dreams.”
“I suspect it could be more than one of those options,” Brother Thistle said thoughtfully. “Why don’t you tell me what you remember?”
“Soon, but we have more pressing matters.” I relayed the rest of the story, including the frost Minax’s destruction. Finally, I told him Eurus’s plans to open the Gate.
“Dear gods,” he breathed, clearly horrified. His eyes darted around the room as if not knowing where to settle. He seemed to be having trouble drawing breath.
“Brother Thistle, are you all right?”
With a trembling hand, he pointed at a bookshelf, his voice shaking as he said, “Young prince, if you would, there is a decanter behind those books.”
Kai hopped up and pulled books out where Brother Thistle indicated, finding a decanter filled with amber liquid and a glass.
“You drink spirits?” I asked in shock as Kai poured and the monk took a liberal swallow.
“Only when the news is especially bad,” he said roughly, motioning Kai to refill his glass. Kai and I shared a raised-brow look, amused.
“So you can see why we desperately need your help,” I concluded as Brother Thistle set his empty glass down, and Kai refilled it, this time returning with it to his own seat.
Brother Thistle looked down for a minute, hiding his expression. Finally, he turned to Kai. “Your queen is truly willing to form an alliance?”
Kai gave me a measured look, then replied, “If Eurus opens the Gate of Light, the creatures won’t distinguish between Frostblood and Fireblood, Tempesian and Sudesian. They will devour us all impartially. Queen Nalani understands that we can only win if we stand together. She has promised ships and soldiers if the alliance is agreed upon by the Frost Court.”
“We have to make them see that the threat is real, and no one is safe unless Frostbloods and Firebloods join together,” I added. “But more important, we need a destination for all those ships. We need to find the Gate. That’s where you come in.”
“And how do you expect me to do that?” He looked pointedly at the satchel, his hand opening and closing as if he wanted to grab it and search it himself.
Taking pity on him, I opened the bag and drew out the black book with gold lettering spelling The Creation of the Thrones in Sudesian.
One unsteady hand came up to cover his mouth, making him look like a child given a surprise present. He quickly pulled a pair of linen gloves from his pocket, tugging them on. His hands shook as they stretched out to accept the coveted tome. He smoothed reverent gloved fingers over the gold letters before opening it with extreme care. After a minute, he looked up. “Well done, Miss Otrera.”
I grinned. “We asked the Fireblood masters to study the book, but they couldn’t find any directions to the Gate of Light. However, there are pages written in Ventian they couldn’t decipher. We’re hoping you’ll see something they missed.”
“I know this book well. As you know, I was in possession of the Tempesian copy for a time.” He shook his head. “It is a great tragedy that King Rasmus destroyed so many books during his reign.”
“I take it you can read ancient Ventian?”
“Of course I can,” he snapped, glaring at me fiercely.
I stifled a laugh at his prickly pride. “Good.”
After a minute of turning pages, he nodded, then read for a few minutes more. Pointing at the page, his lips curved up at the corners. Then he looked at Kai, his eyes alight with triumph. “If you are like most Sudesians, I would assume you are an avid sailor. Is that correct?” At Kai’s nod, he asked, “Do you know the islands west of Tempesia?”
“Some,” the prince replied. “A hundred frozen little islands, most of them uninhabited. It’s a good place to ambush unsuspecting Frostblood ships, not that you’d find that information useful, I suppose. It’s a rough passage in winter. Is that where you think the Gate of Light is located?”
“It is quite plain in the book. The Gate is on an island called the Isle of Night. Have you heard of it?”
Kai shook his head. “I don’t recall seeing it on any maps.”
“Wait—that’s it?” I interjected. “No research? No translations and consultations and guesswork? You already know where the Gate is?” I jumped to my feet and moved to lean over the book.
“It is absent from most maps,” Brother Thistle told Kai, ignoring my outburst. “It says the island is perpetually cloaked in fog, hidden from the eyes of mortals.” He wore a disgusted look. “I cannot believe the masters don’t read ancient Ventian.”
“Yes, we were all shocked,” I said drily, returning to my seat. Ancient Ventian just looked like squiggles to me, anyway.
“Master Dallr might,” Kai mused, “but frankly, he didn’t seem eager to help us in any way.”
“He hates me,” I said, “for destroying his queen’s precious throne.”
Brother Thistle waved a hand. “More likely he hadn’t realized the treasure he held here. It says the Isle of Night is three days west of the compass, where the sea bleeds.”
“Bleeds?” Kai echoed curiously. “I suppose that could refer to volcanoes emptying into the sea.”
“Possibly,” Brother Thistle agreed. “But what is the center of the compass? Now, that will require more research, Miss Otrera.”
Kai made a thoughtful noise. “Actually, it could refer to a cluster of four islands, shaped like arrows. They’re known as the Compass, though they’re rarely marked on maps, as they’re part of the Gray Isles. Unoccupied with little value except as a navigation point, although sometimes used by sailors who operate their business, how shall I say, outside the usual channels.”
“Pirates, you mean,” I said. It was all I could muster, as I was having a hard time getting over the shock that we had already discovered so much more than we knew moments ago.
Kai inclined his head. “If the Gate is three days west of the Compass, that puts our goal somewhere in the Gray Isles. At least we have a starting point.”
“Indeed,” Brother Thistle replied, a fervent look coming into his eyes.
Watching the way Kai’s eyes burned with equal enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but smi
le. “A Frostblood master and a Fireblood master working together to solve an ancient riddle. Whatever would the Blue Legion say?”
“Don’t celebrate yet,” Kai warned. “The Gray Isles are spread over hundreds of miles; they’re actually the peaks of an underground mountain range. We could spend weeks sailing all over the area, and it’s the worst time of year to do it. We need to narrow our search.”
I hesitated before saying, “I’ve been wondering if I might have recently seen the island. My last night in Tevros, I had a dream.”
I didn’t add that I’d seen the world through the eyes of a Minax. I didn’t want Brother Thistle to know how elated I’d felt in the dream, roaming with murderous glee in search of mortals to possess.
As the horror threatened to sweep over me again, I reminded myself that I’d checked on Anda and Gyda before leaving Tevros and they’d both been fine. The Gate wasn’t open. Yet.
“What did it look like?” Kai asked.
I described the snow-covered plain and black beach. With its onyx cliffs, it did seem like a place that could bear that name: the Isle of Night.
“I don’t think it’s enough,” he said finally, with regret. “I can’t narrow it down from that.”
It was infuriating to have glimpses of things and have no idea what they meant. It made me feel like a puppet with my strings being pulled. I hit the arm of my chair with my fist. “I wish Sage would make an appearance.”
Sage was a mysterious figure who came to me in visions, sometimes offering information just when I needed it. I only really knew what I’d learned from the old tales: She was mortal but had been given the gifts of long life and prophecy as a reward for healing the goddess Cirrus, who had exhausted herself trapping the Minax in their underground prison. Though Sage had helped me in the past, she had been silent for months.
Brother Thistle chewed on his lower lip. “I do not see how. She cannot be summoned.”
I looked at Kai, but he merely shook his head and shrugged. Visions weren’t his area of expertise.
“Isn’t there some way to… to help the mind become more receptive to visions?” I leaned forward. “Brother Thistle, you taught me to calm my mind in order to use my gift. Isn’t there anything that would help me see Sage?”