by Rin Chupeco
He tried to hide his disappointment and nodded. “Fair enough. Lord Garindor says a mountain must be passed to gain darksglass. There is something more to that than simply spells.”
“I’m not sure we can rely on the books. Darksglass alone is enough to frighten me. A spell where all the seven daeva are contained therein. That must be the daeva’s bezoars. And then there’s lightsglass, which requires the souls of the Five Heroes or their descendants—which Khalad can do. We must prevent Druj from getting his hands on them.”
“That should be easy enough. You have the azi, and I doubt it would willingly turn itself over to anyone else. And there’s the nanghait’s bezoar that we’ve taken, and the zarich’s.”
“And part of the taurvi still back in Kion. I could try to send word to Mykaela to keep an eye on it.” I looked at him. He smiled, and it was like our previous fight had never happened.
“I’m not going to ask you to talk to Fox,” he said. “I…don’t know how to fix what’s happening between the two of you, but it might be easier once we put down the Drychta threat. It was a courageous thing you did tonight, even if it was a little spontaneous.”
“You saw?”
“While I was sleeping. Not all, but enough to understand. I can’t explain how.”
“I don’t know if it will ever be the same between Fox and me.” I closed my eyes and kissed him slowly. “But I have you.” I burrowed my fingers into his hair. “Every path I’ve chosen and every decision I’ve made, you were my one constant. I meant what I said last night. If anyone tries to hurt you, I swear on everything that I am I will hunt him down.”
“And what about the rest?” His hands moved lower. “About exchanging heartsglass?”
“In a heartbeat, if I could. When this is over, as you said.”
“Agreed. But you can’t control the future,” Kalen reminded me gently, his breath warm against my mouth.
“I don’t care. I’ll bring us back from the grave if I have to, silver heartsglass or not.”
“And I will kill anyone standing between us,” he promised, before his lips closed over mine, “even if I have to crawl out of my grave to do so.”
“She said nothing of her location?” Lady Altaecia studied me like she could discern my thoughts from my expression alone. The Dark asha gave me no reason to believe that she wanted our conversation to remain a secret. She abandoned me while her brother offered sanctuary, though he had every right to turn me away. I was loyal to her tale first and foremost—let her politics hang.
“She wanted to pay her respects to Lady Mykaela, milady.”
“She’ll make for the Hollow ranges,” Lord Fox predicted grimly. “Kance’s army is there. If he’ll lead the charge, so will she.”
“But will it be on our side and Kance’s? It’s easier to treat her as a foe rather than as a friend nowadays.”
“I would much rather ignore them both and attack Drycht instead,” Empress Alyx fumed. “Every hour that we do not set foot in the desert kingdom gives them more time to prepare.”
“I’d rather not have an army attacking us from behind, Your Majesty,” Lord Fox disagreed. “We’ll have to muddle through them first. I’d choose a delay over lives lost. And whatever Tea says, she believes there is a trap waiting for us in Drycht. The Hollows will be good middle ground.”
Lady Altaecia turned back to me. “I don’t suppose you will agree to stay behind.”
“I hope you would permit me the honor of accompanying you, milady.”
“You are dedicated, which is admirable. What do you say, Your Majesty?”
“We shall take Lord Knox’s soldiers and half our army and make for the Hollow Mountains,” the empress decided. “The rest will stay behind. I do not want to see what remains of Kion lost to either more dragonfire or blighted folk.”
The beautiful woman gazed at her daughter and her consort. “What say the both of you? Whatever her intentions, Tea attacked my kingdom. Any other ruler would have considered that an act of war. What reason should I have to spare Tea’s life, rather than have her hauled up in chains—or killed—before she can work her compulsion on anyone else?”
The princess spread her hands helplessly. “You trusted her once, Mother. You saw the lies the elders wrought to make her bitter. You saw her thrown out of home and kingdom, seeking refuge in other nations like a vagabond, despite everything she has done to protect us. She minimizes our casualties as she directs her anger against the elders. She bears us no ill will. Read her letters, as I have.”
“Her letters could easily be a plant, created to soften our stances and put us off our guard. I understand that Tea is a friend, Inessa, but I have a responsibility to do what is best for Kion, as will you when you take my place. You cannot let your heart rule your head in these matters, especially when she has shown no signs of conciliation toward us. She may still nurse a grudge, despite her accusations. And she may have spared most of us from death, but there were deaths all the same. She is losing her self-control. What do you think, Fox?”
“Whatever her intentions, it is the results that matter, Your Majesty. She threatened Kion, and now she may threaten Odalia. If she turns against us when we reach the Hollow Mountains, then do not hesitate to take her down.”
“You can’t!” Inessa gasped.
“Is that why you’re so willing to give Tea the benefit of the doubt, Inessa? Because her death will result in Fox’s?”
The princess trembled. “We need to find another way.”
“You have to be prepared for the eventuality that there may not be another solution.” Love had scrubbed the roughness from Lord Fox’s voice. “I died a soldier once. If I can protect you, then I’d do it all over again.”
“Idiot,” Princess Inessa lamented as we left the throne room. Already the orders for the army to start for southern Odalia had been given. “She’s your sister! There has to be another option! There has to—there must be a—”
Quietly, I stole away. But before I did, I saw Lord Fox framing Princess Inessa’s face with his hands, murmuring words beyond my hearing. He wore a look I have seen men adopt when they venture into the thick of war knowing they would not return—and finding their peace in it.
Lady Zoya waited at the entrance to the palace, her face set. Beside her was the largest man I had ever seen. His beard was carefully combed and long hair pulled back from his face. A wicked-looking hatchet hung from his side.
“We leave in half an hour,” the asha said abruptly. “No word if you’re to come with us, Bard, but it would be best to prepare anyway.”
“Bard?” the tall man boomed. “Drychta, from his looks. Will Althy allow him into battlefields in the first place?”
“They’re allowing you, Rahim, and you aren’t in the army either.”
“Bah. Tresean men fight whether they wield sword, hoe, or needle.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, alarmed.
“Shadi went ahead to warn Fox, so he’ll be hearing it soon enough. They’ve sighted the azi, and it’s heading for the Hollows as well. This time, Tea’s making no attempts at hiding.”
14
Pigeons were sent to King Kance’s army, informing them of the city-states of Yadosha’s willingness to “aid the Odalians in their attempts to eradicate our misguided desert brothers and the Faceless’s mortal cesspool couched in human form”—First Minister Stefan was elected for skills other than his diplomacy—and arrangements were soon underway for the rest of the Yadoshans’ departure. The men celebrated preparation for war in the same manner they celebrated their daeva hunts; Lord Knox told me, only half jesting, that cheerful bloodlust was a cultural trait.
“They’re able warriors, at least,” Khalad pointed out. “Kance may soon find himself outmatched and outnumbered, especially with a Faceless lurking among the Drychta. They’ll help to even the odds.” He frowned. “I c
an’t believe Kance would go to war without informing us. Surely he would err on the side of caution.”
“I may be the reason he did not ask Kion for assistance.” I was quiet. The Yadoshans had been reluctant to give us leave for Mithra’s Wall ahead of their soldiers, as the fighting would be much diminished after the azi had had its way. I’d finally agreed to Lord Stefan’s proposal to choose warriors to accompany us on the back of the daeva, and a short brawl had broken out over who would receive that honor. Kalen, bless him, had taken it upon himself to sort the men to spare me the headache.
Khalad smiled at me. “Kance would never let his personal feelings get in the way of a logical strategy. Whatever he might think of you, he would never let it cloud his judgment, especially if his kingdom’s on the line. He doesn’t think ill of you, regardless of what he’s said in the past.”
“You were present the last time Kance and I’d talked. He didn’t seem ready to let go of his bitterness.”
“Things change, Tea. He’s changed. I’ve had the chance to talk to him in the last few months. I think that once the initial anger had passed and he had more time to assess his father’s condition and understand the circumstances that led to it, he realized why you did what you did.”
“He never reached out to me.”
“Kance is a kind man, but kings have pride too. He manages it better than I ever could.”
I wanted to change the subject and seized the opening. “Is pride stopping you from talking to Likh?”
Khalad blanched. “Did he tell you?”
“I have eyes, Khalad. Remember all those times when you chided me about my crush? Karma is a swift, unforgiving mistress.”
He cleared his throat. “I don’t understand him, Tea, and I thought I was good at figuring out people. He gets mad at me for things I have no control over, and blows up when I try to help. The runic wards are for his own protection. He can’t simply undo them whenever he feels like it because he’s an asha who can. You’ve scolded him before, and so has Kalen, but he never blows his fuse with you two the way he does with me!”
I stared at him, mouth agape. Was he seriously that oblivious? Had I been as oblivious with Kalen? That thought alone stopped me from laughing in his face. It wasn’t my place to tell him. It wasn’t likely he would believe me even if I did. That was Likh’s job now.
“Likh values your opinion more than he does either Kalen’s or mine. And he dissolved his wards to save you. I’d like to believe he was expecting a bit more gratitude than anger. Do you like him?”
Khalad looked astounded. “What? Me? I—I don’t know. I’m not in the habit of thinking of people—of anyone—that way. We’re… Heartforgers aren’t supposed to—”
“It’s not unheard of. I can cite a couple of instances of heartforgers marrying and raising children.”
“Ah, I don’t think the latter would be possible with Likh, Tea.”
I opened my mouth but caught myself. Likh’s desires weren’t my business to tell either. “There can be more to a family than children, Khalad. Or you can adopt. Or there could be other ways. I think you should talk to him first. Don’t start with anger or explain why he shouldn’t risk his life for yours. Just talk to him. No—listen. He doesn’t want to hear solutions. He wants you to hear him out.”
Khalad sighed. “I suppose I can try.”
“Lady Tea?” One of the soldiers poked his head into the room. “Stefan wants to see you immediately.”
Kalen was with Lord Stefan, Lord Besserly, and the other ministers when we entered the stateroom, though he didn’t look happy. “Lady Tea,” the First Minister started, clearing his throat several times. His heartsglass was crystal blue. “We have news.”
“I trust that the matter of choosing warriors for the azi has been settled amicably?”
“Yes. But that’s not what I refer to. A raven arrived from Kion, from the asha association.”
The room turned cold. Khalad muttered something indistinct.
“It’s a bit troubling, milady. They’ve accused you of fleeing the kingdom after murdering some villagers, including your own sister. I trust Lady Mykaela and know that she vouches for you, but if you have been found guilty as it says, we cannot take that lightly. They request you be placed under arrest and taken back to Kion pending your sentence.”
“The blighted incidents appeared only after your arrival,” one of the ministers pointed out. “It is an odd coincidence.”
“You forget that she took down the nanghait for us, Heathrow,” Lord Besserly argued. “And had Lady Tea been the instigator of those blights, then she would have let them happen instead of preventing them. We found the Drychta responsible, in case you weren’t listening.”
“That could have easily been a ploy orchestrated to win our trust.”
“And what did she gain by that trust? She asked for none of our secrets and made no concessions for it. I am a living testament to her loyalty. I owe her my life. The least we can do is give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“If I may speak?” I asked.
“Please do, Lady Tea,” Lord Stefan responded.
“There is reason to believe that the elders have been keeping secrets for years. Several asha and I believe that Kion was built on a lie. Magic was not a privilege we were given to keep, but a means to right an old wrong. Hollow Knife intended to heal a rift in the world with a rare spell, though the consequence would be to end our use of magic once and for all.”
“Those are the same precepts that the Faceless prattle on about!” another minister warned.
“I will never approve of the Faceless’s actions, milord. We have slain Usij and Aenah, and we will slay Druj and anyone else who would try to take their place. The elder asha want to keep the Faceless from their goal, but neither do they want to lose our magic, and so they have been doing their utmost to defy us at every turn. If you are a friend of Lady Mykaela, then you would want her to live, not die slowly from the Dark. We almost lost her. We’ve lost Lady Polaire already.”
“I don’t understand,” Lord Knox said. “To heal the rift sounds like a noble endeavor. Why would you take away your own magic?”
“The rift gives daeva life, milord,” Kalen said. “Without magic, the Faceless would be powerless. I don’t know if the absence of magic can truly bring peace, but it can guarantee the permanent death of those monsters and benefit at least four of your citizens. The elder asha prefer an endless fight against the Faceless and their runes, rather than be deprived of their own magic.”
“So you intend to rid the kingdoms of spells, Lady Tea?”
“I don’t know yet,” I answered honestly. “I’m as selfish as they are. I have too many friends who rely on magic, and I won’t be the one to take it away from them. But for now, I want to keep it away from both the Faceless and from the elder asha, to ensure they won’t misuse their abilities at the cost of anyone else’s.”
“Then this was all a trick?” another minister asked. “You did not murder these villagers as they claim? Or your sister?”
Kalen’s gaze sought mine, and I drew strength from what I saw there. “I have no memories of committing such acts. I only know that I would never have done so of my own volition. As for the others, I know that I am innocent.”
The First Minister sighed. “You’ve given us much to think about, Lady Tea. But though I am inclined to believe you, there will be many of us who disagree.”
“I do not intend to stay in Yadosha, Your Excellency.” I ignored the startled glances both Khalad and Kalen sent my way. “Once this business with Drycht and Odalia is done, I intend to leave your kingdom and seek sanctuary elsewhere. I have no desire to see you risk your alliance with Kion for me. Stability between your kingdoms cannot be compromised.”
Lord Stefan sighed. “I am truly sorry, milady.”
“I understand the politics, milord.
The blight some of your citizens suffer should abate in the next few weeks. Once the asha return to Yadosha, ask my sisters to monitor their conditions. With me gone from the city-states and with both Drycht and the Faceless searching for my presence elsewhere, I doubt they will attack again.”
“If there is anything else we can do for you in any unofficial capacity…”
“There’s an old saying in Odalia, Your Excellency: before you weigh your neighbor’s hogs, fix your own broken pens.”
“Hey now. We like to muck around in the mud every now and then, but we’re hardly hogs, milady.”
I smiled. “It means that we must fix our own problems before we pontificate on someone else’s. My friends and I are ready and will be set to leave within the hour.”
“I speak not as the first minister but as, I hope, a friend, when I say I wish you all the best, Lady Tea.”
“We got off lightly this time,” Khalad said, breathing a sigh of relief as we returned to the great hall. The place was deserted, give or take a few people still sleeping off last night’s excesses. Without thinking, I sat at the same table I’d shared with the Yadoshans; it still stank slightly of ale. “There was a good chance he’d turn us over to Kion anyway.”
“Lord Besserly has his ear, and he’s well aware of your role in saving his life.” Kalen brushed a stray lock from my forehead. “Are you sure, Tea? If we leave Yadosha, there won’t be many other places to stay. Arhen-Kosho has even stronger ties to both Kion and Odalia. Tresea isn’t the safest option, and we certainly wouldn’t want Drycht. Istera might be our best bet.”
“I’m not sure I want to subject Istera to me either. If some other kingdom is willing to take me in, they’ll eventually gain the elder ashas’ ire and reprisal. Empress Alyx may try to hold them off whenever she can, but the Willows is a small kingdom on its own. It would be easy enough for them to enact their own sanctions independent of Kion.” I gulped, fighting back tears. “Likh and Khalad—they can live incognito if they want to. As long as I’m not with them, I doubt they’d be targeted. But… Oh, Kalen. Maybe I really should be hidden away, tucked into some vast wilderness where no one can harm me and where I can’t harm others.”