The Bone Witch

by Rin Chupeco

  I stooped down to the fallen Faceless. I reached out to her with my mind, assessing, exploring. Twisting. “I wanted to tell you all about her so many times before, but she always compelled me to remain silent,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I believed that they were my own thoughts. I know otherwise now.”

  “I’ve never told anyone else about it,” Zoya said to me. “That I first came to the Valerian but was rejected.”

  “Lady Mykaela knew,” I admitted, straightening up, “but she never told me. I guessed and confronted her about it. Your dislike didn’t just stop with me. You disliked Mistress Parmina, the maids here, everyone in the Valerian except Lady Mykaela. It was like you associated a lot of bad memories with the place itself. And you were always so in control of your emotions, yet every time you looked at Shadi, your heartsglass always betrayed you. I convinced Lady Mykaela that I already knew enough and that I may as well know everything else.”

  “Was the horse your idea?” Kalen asked me.

  “Althy did something similar in the past—but with a cow.” Chief simply shook off the blow and wandered out from the stallion-sized hole it had caused in the wall. “Though I imagine Mistress Parmina will charge me for the repairs.”

  “I think I understand your meteoric rise through the asha ranks,” Zoya confessed with a wan smile. She lowered her voice for my ears alone. “And since you know everything, must I implore you not to tell Shadi about my other secret.”

  I met her even gaze and grinned. “What other secret?”

  Zoya laughed.

  “I chose the Sea of Skulls for my exile because the bones scattered here serve my purpose,” she said. “Because the last person that matters to me lies here. I buried him myself, with my hands and my tears. I raise all these daeva because I intend to have my vengeance for his sake and for the sake of other friends who have fallen. Both asha and the Faceless will pay for taking everything from me—my friends, my love, my identity. The Willows will not protect them. No fortress or stronghold that shields them will be spared, wherever they may be.

  “This is my new family. This is my new identity. I will be the bone witch the kingdom fears, and I will make them pay.”

  She knelt before the grave one last time. She pressed her lips against the stone and then rose. The daeva flanked her, sensing their mistress’ intentions; they were no longer affectionate and playful, now baying and primed for war. Her fingers traveled along the breeze, mapping out a new rune in its wake.

  The ground underneath the headstone shuddered, split open. A figure rose from the hole that yawned before us, fingers digging into the dirt. He was tall and garbed in military black; it was obvious from the deep wounds on his chest that he had died fighting.

  The girl took something out of her waist wrap. It was the small jeweled case I had seen before on her table, surrounded by the bezoars. Inside lay a silver heartsglass, shining bright as the sun.

  “Welcome back, my love.”

  “Your brother?” I whispered, staring at the boy.

  “My brother and I are no longer on speaking terms. He chose to stay behind and defend the Willows.”

  “But what of the bond you share?”

  “An unexpected effect of my black heartsglass is that he can no longer sense me, and the reverse holds true. But for as long as I live, so will he.” She smiled. “He might even seek to kill me, though it will cost him his own life. We have come a long way only to fall apart. But if he cannot stand with us, then he must stand against us.”

  The man in black approached us, cloak fluttering in the wind. He took her hand.

  “You can join us if you choose to, Bard. The story is far from over, and we still have many kingdoms to take.” She smiled at the boy she had just raised from the grave. “Don’t we, my love?”

  31

  “They told me I would find you here.”

  My breath caught in my throat. I turned away from the imposing domed roof of the oracle’s temple to regard the man standing in the moonlight, regarding me with his solemn face and smiling eyes. He was dressed in dark clothes, an unusual choice for him. I put my hand over my heartsglass, instinctively seeking to shield him from reading the staccato beats his unexpected presence caused. I was thrilled, but I also knew this was not the place I wanted him to see me at.

  “Y-Your Highness,” I stammered.

  “I told you before that Kance is a good enough name for me.” He looked to the building. “I’ve always been curious of what went on inside that temple. Everyone’s been rather mysterious about it. I keep expecting some untold treasures tucked away inside, privy only to asha eyes.”

  “Lord Kance, what are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you, actually. I don’t think I’ve seen you since you left to fight the azi. And since our first meeting, you’ve been raised to asha, put down one of the most powerful daeva I’ve seen in my lifetime, and been instrumental in capturing one of the three Faceless leaders.” He grinned at my surprise. “The Faceless may be a carefully guarded secret, but Kalen trusts me. Not even my father knows of the Faceless’s capture, though he shall know soon enough. I promised I wouldn’t tell another soul of this.”

  “I don’t understand. Why is Your High—why are you looking for me?”

  “To thank you for saving my kingdom. The azi could have done more damage if left unchecked, more lives lost. And also to apologize. I thought about visiting you sooner, but Kalen convinced me to let you recuperate first.”

  I made a note to strangle Kalen as soon as I saw him again.

  “I had asked both Lady Altaecia and Lady Zoya to keep me abreast of what’s been happening with you. They were more than happy to tell me of your remarkable progress, so I decided there was no reason for me not to come and thank you myself.” He enveloped my hand in his, warm in the otherwise evening chill. “From the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks, Lady Tea. If there is anything within my power to offer you, on behalf of my father and of Odalia, do not hesitate to let me know.”

  “A dinner.” The words tumbled out before I thought them through.

  “A dinner?” The prince looked perplexed.

  It was too late to take back my words. “Just…dinner. To ask you to dinner for once. Or even a walk would suffice. But not if you’re not permitted to—I didn’t mean that. I meant not if you have to bring a squadron of bodyguards for protection…” I was babbling. Were princes allowed to walk out with new asha? Did saving his kingdom entitle me to ask him to dinner? Etiquette books were mum on the subject.

  “Dinner sounds nice.” He was smiling. “It would be my honor. We could do that now if you like.”

  “I…I can’t. Not tonight.” My gaze drifted back to the temple.

  He saw, understood. “I’ll wait for you to return.”

  “I can’t possibly keep His Highness waiting…”

  “His Highness insists. And I thought I told you to call me Kance.” He nudged me forward. “Go on. Take as long as you need to. I’ll be here.”

  “Thank you, Your Hi—Kance.”

  The thought of the prince waiting outside spurred my pace, despite the stiffness in my right leg. I would suffer a scar there, I was told—a permanent reminder of my encounter with the azi. I walked past the familiar corridors, following the snakelike tunnel until it once more opened into the majestic, empty chamber, where the oracle awaited me.

  This time, I needed no prompting. Polaire had gifted me with a beautiful turquoise pin set with flutter strips of silver birds at its end. I took a deep breath and threw it into the fire.

  “You have taken a living familiar,” she said. “And you have taken one that knows neither life nor death.”

  “Yes.” I did not know how far into my future the oracle could see, but I realized I had never doubted her. Not since the first day I entered her realm, even when she asked me time and time again to consig
n my beautiful ornaments to the flames. Even now, the azi stirred in my mind, safe and hidden within Lake Strypnyk.

  Even now, I could feel Aenah’s thoughts raging while she remained locked away within the dungeons of the Ankyon palace, warded from all magic.

  “You have told no one.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Aenah was right—she holds the key to unlocking the rest of my abilities. There is a way for me to learn how to control daeva without having to sacrifice my life in the process. The asha elders would never have allowed me to do so. Aenah is locked up in the palace dungeons in Ankyo, but if I wish to, I can now command her thoughts the same way she once tried to control mine. Through this, I can learn all I need to know. In time, once I have greater command of these skills, I will tell the others.” It was like a dam bursting. Words poured from my lips, desperate to unburden my soul to the nameless, shrouded figure before me.

  “Is that why you did not kill the azi?”

  I swallowed. This was harder to defend than compelling Aenah.

  “I do not want to kill it. It only wants to be left alone. Under my control, it won’t harm anyone.”

  “You are dangerous,” said the oracle. “Left unchecked, you can spell the downfall of the Willows, of Kion. The asha should be alerted to the extent of your abilities. And yet—and yet—”

  She trailed off. The fires burned lower until they were nothing more than tiny lights dancing above black coals.

  “Return to your asha-ka,” the oracle finally said, and the fires rose up once more, burning anew. “And may the gods have mercy on the land.”

  They are ready.

  She was only seventeen. She rose, and the world rose with her. Creatures of nightmares lifted their haunches and howled at the dying stars above us. The girl turned and set her sights on the horizon. Her black heartsglass swung with her movements, and a queer light shone forth from its depths. Her familiar, the boy in black, stood beside her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she rested her head against his knuckles. Her fingers found his.

  “Let’s go, Kalen,” she said.

  I followed them as they moved across the beach, onto the road that stretched into the kingdom of Daanoris. A cold wind blew from the north, and with it the promise of night—a growing darkness tempered only by the moon above, burning with all the light to see.

  The World of The Bone Witch: The 8 Kingdoms

  ISTERA

  • The coldest among the eight kingdoms

  • Has gone to war with Tresea over the Heartsbane Islands in the past and still shares some animosity

  • Separated from Tresea by the River of Peace

  CAPITAL: Farsun

  CURRENT RULER: King Rendorvik of House Petralta

  TRESEA

  • Composed of mostly dense woods and wide plains

  • Population is concentrated mainly in cities, with small scatterings of villages throughout

  CAPITAL: Highgaard

  CURRENT RULER: Czar Kamulus of House Ambersturg

  DAANORIS

  • Mild to moderate weather, most populated kingdom

  CAPITAL: Santiang

  CURRENT RULER: Emperor Shifang

  YADOSHA CITY-STATES

  • The whole continent was originally the kingdom of Yadosha, but infighting among the royal descendants soon splintered it into several warring states and shrunk their dominion into only its upper continent

  • While each city-state maintains a high degree of independence, all share one main government to foster ties and maintain diplomatic missions

  • Each city-state has a Second Minister to govern them; every seven years, a First Minister is elected among the Second Ministers to represent Yadosha as a whole

  CAPITAL: None

  CURRENT RULER: First Minister Stefan

  KION

  • Once a part of Yadosha; many kingdoms conquered and fought over this land before Kion was able to achieve its independence through Vernasha of the Roses, a legendary asha

  • A melting pot of culture and main headquarters of the asha

  • Smallest land among the kingdoms

  CAPITAL: Ankyo

  CURRENT RULER: Empress Alyx of House Imperial

  ODALIA

  • Composed of plains and forests

  • Originally a part of the kingdom of Yadosha but was the first in the continent to rebel and break off into its own kingdom

  CAPITAL: Kneave

  CURRENT RULER: King Telemaine of House Odalia

  ARHEN-KOSHO

  • Large group of islands on the Swiftsea, near Odalia and Kion

  CAPITAL: Hottenheim

  CURRENT RULER: Queen Lynoria of House Imperial

  DRYCHT

  • Desert kingdom

  • Also notable for its austere and extreme perspective generally held in contempt by most of the other kingdoms, but tolerated for the runeberry cloth they provide

  • Only the western continent of Drycht is heavily populated; the majority of the kingdom is made of sand

  CAPITAL: Adra-al

  CURRENT RULER: King Aadil of the Tavronoo clan

  Acknowledgments

  There will never be enough names on this page, but I will try.

  My gratitude to Rebecca, my first and constant cheerleader/agent extrordinaire, who will always and forever rock.

  To Annette, Kathryn, and everyone at Sourcebooks for this wonderful, amazing ride.

  To Les, who often worries about the strange worlds inside my head despite having married me. “You’re weird.” “I know, honey.”

  To my baby, Ezio, the reason this story was completed three months later than expected. Still worth it.

  And also to Tom Hiddleston, just because I’ve always wanted to thank Tom Hiddleston for something. Keep doing what you do, Tom.

  About the Author

  Rin Chupeco wrote obscure manuals for complicated computer programs, talked people out of their money at event shows, and did many other terrible things. She now writes about ghosts and fairy tales but is still sometimes mistaken for a revenant. Find her at rinchupeco.com.