The Heart Forger

by Rin Chupeco

  Spell practice was a good means to keep me distracted from Prince Kance’s impending engagement. Fox never spoke of Inessa, but every now and then, I would catch a thought, a vision of him and the princess walking down Kion’s market district at night or sharing mint-seasoned doogh at a teashop. I also sensed he would much rather not talk and so kept my silence. Because of all the preparations leading up to the engagement party, Polaire and Althy were constantly busy, much to my relief. I wasn’t quite ready to talk to Polaire after our fight.

  Fox had returned to the barracks after our last practice, still keeping a firm hold over the Veiling barrier I’d drawn. I went through Aenah’s book again, but every time I became too engrossed, I felt the barrier starting to slip from my grasp, much to my irritation. It’s odd how the spells that seemed easiest were always the ones that required the most discipline.

  I switched to Scrying, determined to master that one. I was still leery of spying on anyone else in the palace, but I finally decided on a target that wouldn’t affect my conscience.

  I was wondering when you’d try this on me, Aenah’s voice drawled in my head, speaking from her dungeon. For all her bravado, I could feel her discomfort. That gave me satisfaction.

  Why tell me about this book? I asked her. There was nothing for you to gain.

  She chuckled. I suppose it was my last card to play. Oddly enough, I like you. You’re clever and resourceful and not yet set in the ways of the asha, though several more years in Kion will surely erode your independence. There are many things asha cannot do that I can, and your problems will not be solved by the paltry runes your asha-ka teaches.

  There is more to you sharing this than you taking a liking to me.

  True, Aenah replied. I know now that I cannot win you over by guile—that mistake is the reason I am imprisoned here. So I turn to truth where deception has failed. I ask for nothing, Tea. Not for my release from this prison and not for you to join my cause. All I desire is to show you how the asha have deceived you. I have done many terrible things in my life, sweet child. But your asha have done worse, and it is time you look at them with new eyes. If you are willing to listen to me, then I will tell you more about the elder asha, their machinations, and the more powerful of the runes in my book.

  What have the elder asha done that make your transgressions pale in comparison?

  It was your asha elders who conspired to hide your sister’s heartsglass.

  You lie!

  And for what reason? The truth should be easy enough to ascertain. Ask them why they abandoned the search so easily. Ask them why the young King Vanor refuses to speak, even in death. Ask them why shadowglass interests them so. Ask how Blade that Soars and Dancing Wind’s story truly ends. What secrets can you find when you step into Mistress Hestia’s study?

  I quickly broke off the link, more shaken than I want to admit. That wasn’t possible. She was lying. Why would the elders withhold Mykaela’s heartsglass?

  A sudden barrage of emotions that were not my own flooded into my mind, at once unexpected and familiar. The Veiling dissipated; Fox had broken his barrier.

  I scried again and reached out to him, prepared to tease him for the sudden lapse, but it was not the practice fields or straw dummies I saw when my vision refocused. It was the angry, teary-eyed face of Princess Inessa.

  She was exceptionally lovely, beautiful from her delicately curved nose to her high cheekbones and smooth flawless skin. Her bright-blue eyes were perhaps her most arresting feature, a rarity for a Kion, proof of the royal house’s ancient ties to the old kingdom of Arhen-Kosho, and a devastating contrast to her chestnut-colored hair.

  “I can do whatever I want, now can I?” I’d never heard the princess speak like this; her normally pleasant alto was loud and harsh. “You have no say over where I go and who I marry!”

  “But it’s not your decision, is it?” Fox sounded different too. His voice was too even from holding back his anger with great effort. “Why can’t you be honest for once in your life?”

  “You are the last person to talk to me about honesty!” She shot back. “We have nothing! We had nothing!”

  I hunched over, the pain in my chest catching me by surprise. The jolt soon passed. Fox responded without any change in expression. “And that’s why you’ve been watching me at practice for the last three weeks.”

  She reeled back this time, and I could see her heartsglass mist over into blue. She clutched at the collar of her dress. “I don’t… I haven’t—”

  “And now you’re to wed the Odalian prince,” my brother continued ruthlessly, much to my dismay. “It’s nice to see you free to make your own choices.”

  The princess lifted her chin. “It was never my decision. But I’m prepared to honor my promises, unlike other people who come to mind.”

  “Honoring your promise to a stranger one moment, honoring it to a prince in the next. And in between, honoring it to every Ahmed, Farshid, and Hamid who so much as looks at—”

  Her slap knocked me to the ground. I blinked up at the ceiling with my cheek burning, but Fox remained upright, watching the princess stomp away. Once she was gone he said, very quietly, “Tea?”

  I’m sorry, I squeaked, scrambling to my feet. I wasn’t intending to pry. I felt you loosen the barrier, and I wanted to—

  It’s fine. We can talk about it later.

  A quiet Fox was the saddest thing I’d ever felt. Gently, I disengaged from his mind but not before his melancholy washed over me, aimless and drifting.

  Deliberately, I reached out and sketched the Resurrecting rune. I cast no spell, summoned no magic.

  The elders couldn’t have worked this sorcery. Polaire was right. They would never have compromised themselves this way. But if I acknowledged that Aenah could be telling the truth, let her tell me more…

  I sat and watched the rune glittering before me, light as air yet like a millstone around my neck, before I raised my hand again and watched it disappear.

  It was Lord Khalad who sounded the warning cry. He grabbed three injured Daanorian soldiers from the line of wounded and dragged them out of the room, one after another, with a ferocity I had not expected of him. Stunned, I followed Lord Kalen and the bone witch as they rushed out after him. Princess Yansheo attempted to do the same, but the Deathseeker admonished, “Stay inside, and do not come out until we tell you to. You too, Bard.”

  Still, I lingered by the doorway, ready in my ignorance to protest in the Daanorians’ defense.

  “Stay back,” the Dark asha commanded, and the servants loitering in the corridor turned away without another sound.

  Choking, the soldiers dropped to their knees. One of them cried out, his face contorted in pain. Then his face lengthened, elongating in a way no human face had ever been shaped. With a harsh curse, Lord Kalen drew his sword, as did the bone witch.

  Limbs burst out of the poor man’s back, as the soldier morphed before our very eyes. His body jerked haplessly, bones cracking, until it was as tall as a horse, an emaciated, horrifying creature with yellow, bulbous eyes and foot-long teeth. I backed away in fright. Something close to recognition flared in its lidless eyes as it turned to the Dark asha, and she was the first person it chose to attack.

  Her blade swung true; a stroke severed a twitching limb and the monster dropped, snarling.

  A second soldier fell to the ground as a human but soon rose to its feet a beast, pincers taking the place of a mouth, terrible eyes glowing with a diaphanous sheen. Unlike its brethren, it leaped for the Heartforger.

  Ice crackled and slid up its arm. The monster staggered, and Lord Kalen brought his sword down upon it, shattering the frozen appendage. The beast screamed, but just as quickly, another arm iced over and another arm was pulverized.

  The bone witch sank her sword into the monster’s side. Its hide proved tough, the blade cutting in but not deeply enoug
h to kill it. The creature swiped at her with its claws, and she spun, switching targets and driving the steel deep into the back of its head. It shuddered once, twitching, and collapsed. Lord Kalen finished off his opponent, bringing his sword down on its neck.

  The final soldier remained in agony on the floor, still in human form. The asha knelt beside him. Her hands found his, squeezing comfortingly.

  The man cried a high-pitched plea in Daanorian.

  “I am sorry,” the bone witch told him, and from behind, Lord Kalen’s sword struck one final blow. Death came quickly, mercifully.

  The Dark asha didn’t move for some time, staring down at the body before she gently disengaged her hand from his.

  Back in the throne room, I suspected that the emperor would’ve cowered if wasn’t already cornered by the aeshma. She punched him, hard, in full view of his subjects. His head whipped back, and she slammed another fist into his stomach.

  “Tea!” Princess Yansheo screamed.

  “Did you do this?” The Dark asha grabbed the man’s hair, pulling his head from the ground. “Did you blight them?”

  “No,” the emperor gasped, his mouth full of blood.

  “I killed your lieutenant when he was on the cusp of transforming. My azi devoured him before the blight could be completed. You’re lying if you claim to know nothing of this.”

  “Then kill me, witch,” the emperor rasped. “Take your revenge once and for all.”

  “I’ve been inside your mind, you old crone. A quick death is the least you deserve.”

  “Then what is it that you think I deserve, bone witch?”

  “Here is a small sampling.”

  The emperor screamed. It was a long, drawn-out screech, like a soul shattering, ripping away from its body. His head thrashed, but even that was all the movement he could afford with the bone witch standing there, her dark eyes aglow. But she showed no sign that she enjoyed this man’s suffering.

  “Remember our last meeting? You belittled me for my lack of spine. You said I should not hesitate to dirty my hands if it was the only way.”

  Her lip curled.

  “You must be proud now. Did you choose the blighted because you knew bone witches have no access to their minds?”

  “Lady Tea!” Princess Yansheo’s face was pale.

  “Tea,” the Heartforger said, his face strained. “Stop it.”

  “You told me once that the emperor deserved to die, Khalad. What makes this moment any different?”

  “Whether my death changes anything is not important,” the man said, almost in a whisper, “but whether you allow my death to change you is another matter entirely.”

  There was a momentary pause as the asha released her hold on the emperor, who fell to his knees before her, still gasping. “Did you cause the blight in these men?” she asked again.

  “No,” the emperor wheezed, still fighting for breath. “I swear.”

  “Your vows mean nothing to me. Khalad, monitor the rest of the Daanorians for any additional changes. Take this filth from my sight.”

  “You’re different, Tea,” the Heartforger told her, still troubled.

  She grinned. “And it does my heart good, Khalad, to know that you will never change.”

  10

  That evening, the people of Odalia gathered to witness the formal betrothal of the crown prince and the First Daughter of Kion. My voice rose over the din of the festivities without much effort.

  “That was a low blow you took with the princess,” I told Fox. “Even for you.”

  “No. Maybe.” Fox rubbed his nose. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “You were nicer to whatshername. That girl from Tresea you liked who preferred that other jerk, Maharven—”

  “Her name’s Gisabelle. I don’t know why you remembered that ass’s name and not hers. And I didn’t know she was a princess when we first met.” Fox’s voice was testy; he was clearly eager to end the conversation.

  “How could you not know she was a princess?!” Several people turned to look at us, and I lowered my voice.

  He colored. “I never paid much attention to royalty.”

  “That’s a terrible excuse, and you know it. You’re my familiar. How did I not know any of this?”

  “I don’t have to tell you everything about my life, Tea.”

  I wanted to argue that further but relented. Hadn’t I done the same thing regarding the azi? “At least tell me how you met Princess Inessa.”

  He paused. “A public teahouse. She was dancing.”

  “Dancing?”

  He fixed his eyes on something in the distance. I could feel the emotions he often kept at bay, how raw they felt.

  “Even veiled, she held the eyes of every man in the room. She said she had an overbearing mother and that night was the first time she’d snuck out. I thought she was a merchant’s daughter.”

  I remembered finding Fox in a heated argument with a girl at the palace while I was a novice. I hadn’t known her identity to be Princess Inessa until later, and that was over two years ago. “And you’ve been…seeing each other since then?”

  “Not after this engagement.” Bitterness seeped into him, lodging in my own throat. “Can we talk about something else? Or get away from all this?” He gestured at the revelers. “All this noise is giving me a headache.”

  A hand landed on my shoulder. “And here’s our errant asha!” Zoya’s voice boomed. Uncaring of the widening circle around us by the crowd wary of asha, Zoya smoothed the wrinkles on the sleeve of my hua as a smiling Althy appeared beside her. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

  “Where’s Mykaela?” I asked.

  “Resting, on Polaire’s orders. She’ll be here once the ceremony starts, but she needs to relax until then.”

  Another figure beside them caught my attention, and my eyes widened. “Likh?” I asked disbelievingly. Unlike the other asha, who were dressed in elaborate hua and beautiful zivar, he was dressed in the black clothes more typical of Deathseekers. His long hair was pulled back, and despite his attire, he still looked exceedingly pretty.

  I bounded over to give him a fierce hug, and he made a soft, little squeak at my exuberance. “Have the asha-ka made their decision?” I demanded. “If you’re wearing that because they’re forcing you to become a Deathseeker, then I am going to rip—”

  Likh shook his head, waving his hand as if that could dissuade my bloodlust. “They’ll make their ruling next week. But I thought I ought to get comfortable, just in case.” Though he smiled, his silver heartsglass was an erratic display of blue and silver.

  “We’re not going to give up on you that easily,” Fox told him.

  Althy nodded. “We’re on good terms with the head of the Deathseekers. Zahid’s more flexible than the association when it comes to rules. If the prince and Zahid’s support is not enough, then we’ll figure out some other way.”

  “You always do, Althy.”

  We turned to find Mykaela standing before us, smiling, her hand on Polaire’s elbow and Kalen following close behind them.

  Polaire nodded at me, our previous fight still rankling in the air between us. “You are not to wander around on your own in this crowd,” she lectured her best friend.

  “I think Lady Mykaela can make her own decisions,” I said before thinking.

  Polaire’s eyes flashed fire, but Althy stepped in. “We have other duties to attend to, such as the forming of the guards and seeing to the security.”

  “Polaire’s been more domineering lately,” I noted sourly after the two had moved off.

  Mykaela seemed amused. “Many of my old tasks she has since claimed responsibility for. Her nose has been in every nook and cranny of the palace, ensuring things run according to plan.”

  “That’s a terrifying thought.”

  “It keeps her
occupied. She enjoys it, for all her complaints.”

  “But how have you been?” I felt guilty. I had been so busy with my responsibilities that I barely had time to talk to Mykaela beyond a few minutes each day. “I don’t want you pushing yourself, Mykkie.”

  She ruffled my hair. “I never do. I trust you’ve been sleeping well yourself?”

  I made a face. “I haven’t gone back to the prisons. As much as I want to.”

  “Thank you, Tea. I know that was hard for you to agree to.”

  I sighed. “Can’t I—not even one more night so I can—”

  “Tea.”

  “Fine.”

  She laughed. “Shall we go? There’re some people I’d like you to meet.”

  “Ah, Lady Mykaela,” Kalen began, faltering slightly. “Lady Polaire told us to stay here.”

  “And I am telling you that I have a small matter to attend to elsewhere.” It was easy to dismiss Lady Mykaela’s frail condition and forget her forceful character. Her voice took on the tenacity of steel. “It would be a shame to leave you behind, Kalen.”

  It didn’t take much for him to give in. “But of course, Lady Mykaela.”

  “Pushover,” I murmured in a voice that wasn’t as soft as I thought it was, for Kalen shot an irritated look my way.

  Zoya grinned. “Waiting is boring anyway.”

  “And Likh?”

  Smiling, the young boy nodded.

  “Excellent.”

  I fell into step beside Likh. “How are you holding up?” I whispered.

  Likh shrugged. “As well as can be expected. Kalen and the others are nice. Many of the Deathseekers support my appeal. I’m not used to the attention.” His ears colored.

  “The asha-ka are going to see things our way, even if I have to box them around the ears until they do.”

  Likh giggled. “That’s a terrible image, Tea.”