Nora locked eyes with her aunt. “We’re still looking for Krey’s girlfriend, and I’m not moving back home until we find her. Can you help us?”
Dani’s expression was unreadable. Nora held her breath. As the silence continued, she glanced at Krey and Ovrun. Krey was leaning forward, elbows propped on his knees, eyes burning into Dani. Ovrun’s whole body looked tense, ready to leap up and fight if needed.
At last, Dani spoke, her voice quiet. “I’ve learned so much since you left. I’ve put things together I was trying to ignore before. But, Nora”—she finally met her niece’s gaze again, her eyes shining with tears—“I don’t want to tell you, honey. I don’t want you to know.”
Nora swallowed. She could trust her aunt; she knew it, like she knew her own name. “Aunt Dani,” she whispered, “we know what my dad is doing.”
Dani’s mouth dropped open. “You do?”
“Some of it. But we need you to tell us what you know. Please.”
Dani started to cry, which brought Nora’s tears back to the surface. “I don’t know what happened to him,” Dani said. “He was always so good, so kind. He’s still kind to me, but . . .” She trailed off, sobbing into both her hands.
At last, she got herself under control. “When you broke into Sharai’s office and then ran away, I told your father you’d be with Krey or possibly with the apprentices in Sharai’s secret program. Your father sent guards to Krey’s new residence, but they said he wasn’t there. Later, he sent a couple of guards to Ovrun’s house in case he was helping you.
“But he didn’t send guards to any sort of apprenticeship location. I asked why, and he said the address was never put into writing, so you couldn’t have found it when you went through Sharai’s papers. Later, his story changed. He said the apprentices were all traveling.
“Every time he talked to me, I believed him, but when I was alone, I doubted it all. He kept saying, ‘Trust me, she didn’t go there.’ The more he said it, the less I trusted him. One day, he left the palace for a meeting. I looked through the papers in his desk.” She paused, covering her mouth and drawing in a deep, shuddering breath.
“What did you find out?” Krey’s voice was low and hard, and it drew Dani’s attention away from Nora.
Her voice was choked as she responded, “I found references to a lyster militia. He’s going to use them to fight New Therro.”
Nora’s brows rose, and she saw the same expression on both her companions’ faces. The militia’s purpose was a surprise, but it made sense. Her father was playing the role of the patient negotiator while he built a force strong enough to suppress the New Therroan resisters. And it’s not just any militia. It’s a lyster militia, created to fight a mostly non-magical community. Nora barely contained her tears. Oh, Dad, they want to negotiate. What happened to you?
Krey recovered first and spoke in a strained voice. “Zeisha would never purposefully become a soldier. How does he expect to convince them to fight for him?”
He was testing Dani; Nora knew that. Seeing what she knew. Seeing if she’d lie.
“I don’t know,” Dani said. “But in his papers, I saw references to trogs. Maybe he’s somehow using them as guards? There wasn’t enough information to make sense of it.”
Nora sat up straighter. Dani didn’t seem to know about the king’s ability to control minds—but she had given them some new information. Were the trogs doing more than tolerating the militia? Maybe the trog who’d first shot at Krey was guarding the militia, rather than trying to keep people out of trog territory.
Krey stood and took a few steps, then sat on the low table, his knees almost touching Dani’s. His jaw tightened twice before he finally spoke in a hushed voice. “The King of Anyari is controlling his militia through their minds. Do you have any idea how he’s accomplishing that?”
Dani blinked several times. “You already knew about the militia?” When she saw Krey’s curt nod, she said, “I don’t . . . how is that possible? Their minds?”
Krey’s eyes closed, and Nora wouldn’t have been surprised to see his entire body light up in angry flames. But he kept his temper in check, folding his arms tight across his chest and dropping his head. The room was silent for at least a full minute before he looked up and sighed. “I didn’t want to mention this, but I need to know. Has he been eating any . . . animal brain matter?”
Even in the dim light, Nora could see her aunt’s face grow pale. Dani’s breaths came faster, and a desperate “Ohh—” exited her mouth.
Nora looked back and forth between her newfound friend, whose gaze was intense enough to slice through metal, and her aunt, who was clearly on the verge of panic. “What’s going on?” Nora blurted, then brought her volume down. “Eating brains? Krey, what the hell are you talking about?”
Krey’s gaze remained on Dani. “Has he?”
“Of course he hasn’t!” Nora shot back. “Everyone knows animal brains are poisonous.”
At last, Krey shifted his gaze to Nora. “That’s true. For everyone except a small percentage of magic eaters who can use them as fuel for their telepathic talents.”
For the first time since they’d sat down, Ovrun spoke. “I’ve never heard of that!”
“Most people haven’t,” Krey said. “I found it in a handwritten book my aunts purchased. It may be the only copy of the book that exists. A group of magic eaters experimented with eating brain matter in the early postday years. A couple of them were able to use it as a fuel. It allowed them to influence minds. But the others all died—a huge tragedy when humanity was trying to rebuild its population. The word never spread, and among those who did know, it became taboo to even talk about brain eating. Plus, this is different than other talents. It’s addictive. Once someone starts, they want to do it more and more. It can drive them mad.”
Nora tried to process all that as she looked back at her aunt. “Aunt Dani, is my dad . . .” She took a deep breath and forced the words out. “Is he a . . . by the sky, what do you even call it? A brain lyster?”
Dani finally removed her hands from her mouth. She swallowed several times, then spoke in a hoarse voice. “Nora, when your mother died, your father was devastated for months. One night, I caught him in his room, holding a knife to his wrist. He brushed it off when I asked him about it, and he refused to talk to a doctor.
“Another time, he wouldn’t eat for days. I don’t think he was sleeping much either. I was worried enough to follow him when he left the residence. We used to have a hunter on staff, and your father walked to the man’s cabin. I caught your father with a fork”—she stopped and shuddered, then pulled her hand away from Nora. She pressed both hands against her mouth.
“A fork?” Nora prompted in a whisper.
Dani pulled her hands off her mouth and folded them tightly. “The hunter used to clean animals behind his house. That’s where your father went. By the time I arrived, he’d broken open the skull of a cervid. He had a fork inside it. I couldn’t tell if he’d eaten anything, but I supposed he hadn’t, since he would’ve gotten sick within seconds. I brought him back to the house, and I planned to keep a close eye on him, but . . .” She trailed off, her mouth dropping open in sudden recognition of the truth.
“But you felt like you shouldn’t?” Krey asked.
Dani nodded. “Yes. Every time I tried to stay close to him, just to make sure he didn’t do anything dangerous, he told me he was fine. Whenever he said that, I felt peaceful. I believed him. So I let him heal. In his own way.”
“You also mentioned that lately, you haven’t realized he’s lying until you leave the room,” Krey said.
“He’s been controlling me too,” Dani murmured.
“Did you ever see him eating brains after that first time?” Krey asked.
“No, but he’s always been close to our family chef. In fact, the chef’s salary is twice what it should be, compared to other members of the staff. He could be supplying the . . . well . . . the fuel to Ulmin.”
Krey stood and walked back to the sofa, shaking his head. When he sat, he said, “I don’t get it, though. What you talked about, Dani—him being able to nudge your mind in a certain direction for a short period of time—that’s normal for brain eaters. What he’s doing with the militia is different. He’s somehow sharing his powers, enabling someone who works there to control a whole group of soldiers, all day long. Nora even said the woman controlling the militia does it from a different room. None of that should be possible; I don’t care how many animal brains your father eats.”
“Is that why you never mentioned this magic before?” Nora asked. “Because you didn’t think it was possible?”
Krey shrugged. “Yeah. It doesn’t fit. I didn’t want you to think I was nuts.”
Dani sat up straighter. “Do you think he can hear my thoughts? Will he know that I’ve talked to you?”
“If that were the case,” Nora said, “he would’ve figured out our plans when we were still at the palace.” Her aunt’s shoulders fell in relief. She’s afraid of him. Another knot of grief filled Nora’s throat.
“A brain eater can influence others, not read minds,” Krey said. He fixed Nora with an intense stare. “Can you think of any time your father might’ve controlled you?”
Nora thought about it, then shook her head. “No. Never. But . . . what if he does it next time I see him?”
“A brain eater establishes his power through touch. If your father has never touched you with the intent of controlling you, he has no power over you.”
“So when I see him, I can’t let him touch me.” Nora swallowed. “But I can’t . . . I can’t imagine him trying to control me, even now. He loves me. I’m sure of that.” She looked at Dani. “Of course, I can’t believe he’d do it to you either.”
“He did it to me because he didn’t want me to know his secrets,” Dani said softly. “And while I agree he’d never want to control your mind, you’re learning his secrets too.”
Nora refused to let the truth of that statement sink into her heart. She’d consider it later.
After a pause, Dani said, “I wish I could tell you more. I wish I knew where the militia was.”
Nora exchanged glances with Krey and Ovrun, then said, “We know where it is. I’ve been talking with one of the guards.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ovrun smirk. She tried not to smile. She wasn’t about to tell Dani that the guard was a house-sized reptid.
“You know where the militia is?” Dani asked. “I suppose that means you’re planning to rescue Zeisha?”
Nora nodded. “And the others too, if we can. But I was hoping . . .” She hadn’t told her companions this part; she knew Krey in particular would think she was being ridiculous. She had to try, though. “I was hoping you could think of some way to convince my dad to stop what he’s doing. If he could just see logic, then we wouldn’t have to . . .” She trailed off as Dani slowly shook her head.
“Oh, sweetie, I’ve been thinking about that very thing. You don’t know how many times I’ve nearly confronted him with what I know. Something has always stopped me, though. And I’m glad I’ve stayed quiet. If brain lysting is as addictive as Krey says it is, we can’t convince your father to stop.” Her breath came out in a long sigh. “Oh, by the stone, everything makes sense now. He’s lying and manipulating, just as anyone suffering from addiction would do. If I thought talking to him would change anything, I’d do it. But the more I’ve seen how deep his lies go, the more I’ve realized I don’t even know your father anymore.”
Tears spilled out of Nora’s eyes and down her cheeks. She forced words through her tight throat. “Then we’ll have to do what we can do to stop him.” She held her breath. She knew what was coming next. Dani would try to keep her niece home, through guilt, bribery, fear, or a combination of the three.
When Dani didn’t say a word, hope sparked in Nora’s chest. “I know you probably don’t want us to go,” Nora said, “but since we’ve made our decision, can you help us?”
“Help you?”
“We need money. For food and supplies. Maybe even for orsas; we’re wearing ourselves out with all the walking. We’ve used all of Krey’s money, and”—she looked at Ovrun—“Ovrun’s family needs every quin they’ve got.” Ovrun gave her a look that, once again, melted her.
“I can’t encourage you in this venture.” Dani’s voice drew Nora’s attention away from Ovrun. “What you want to do is too dangerous. There are others who can fight—”
“What others?” Nora demanded, then brought her volume down. “If we try to bring anyone else into this, my father will find out! He’ll stop them, with weapons or with his mind.” She took her aunt’s hand again. “This is the only way, Aunt Dani!”
“But if I make it possible for you to go, and something happens to you—”
“You’re not making it possible for us to go,” Nora said. “We’re going regardless. But you might make it possible for us to live through it.” She locked her eyes on her aunt’s. Dani didn’t say a word. Determined to wait her out, Nora didn’t either.
At last, Dani drew her hand away from Nora’s and walked to her desk. Nora heard the clink of coins. A lot of coins. She wanted to cry—and then she wanted to laugh as she saw Ovrun’s eyes grow nearly as round as the quins Dani was gathering.
When she returned, Dani was holding a large coin purse. “Who’s the most responsible of the three of you?”
“Probably Ovrun,” Krey and Nora said in unison.
Her face somber, Dani handed the purse to Ovrun before sitting down. “Nora, you’ll want to visit your closet before you go,” she said, looking pointedly at Nora’s filthy outfit. “Krey and Ovrun, you need new clothes too, but be careful where you go shopping. People in the city are looking for you. Nora, there’s one full chest in the icehouse. I wanted it to be there in case you returned. Fill up your large travel chest. You and Krey should stay fueled up. As for the orsas, I suggest you get them at some out-of-the-way stable.”
“We may be gone for months,” Ovrun said. “Renting three orsas will cost thousands of quins.”
Nora’s eyes widened. She’d had no idea it was that expensive.
“Yes,” Dani said. “There’s plenty in the coin purse for that. Bribes too, so you can get people to stay quiet.” She briefly closed her eyes, then fixed her gaze on Nora. In a choked voice, she said, “Come back home, please. Safely.”
Nora left her chair, leaned over, and gave her aunt a tight hug. When she rose, so did Dani.
Krey and Ovrun were already standing. Krey nodded his head at Dani, but his eyes were still wary.
“You two boys wait over there,” Dani said. “Let me talk to my niece.”
Ovrun and Krey stood across the room while Dani pulled Nora to the side. “Be careful,” she said quietly.
Nora gave her aunt a confused smile. Why did this conversation need to be private? “We’re being as careful as we can, I promise.”
“I’m not talking about your efforts to rescue Zeisha. I’m talking about Ovrun. I’ve seen how he looks at you.”
A wash of heat overtook Nora’s face and neck. “What do you mean?”
“Oh dear,” Dani smiled and placed a cool hand on Nora’s warm cheek. “It’s not just him, is it?” She didn’t wait for an answer, instead hugging Nora and speaking in her ear. “Is he honorable?”
“He is.” Silently, Nora added, Way too honorable.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Dani whispered. “Sooner or later, you’ll be queen. You’ll need the right person ruling next to you.”
“I know.” Nora’s chest tightened as, once again, the expectations of her family—and the nation—smothered her.
Dani pulled back and held Nora’s shoulders firmly. “Be careful. I love you.”
“I love you too, Aunt Dani. I’ll see you soon. I promise.”
32
I grew up around weapons, mostly bows and knives. Hunting, was, after all, a necessity.
My mom
told me that when she was young, she’d known someone who owned a pistol. Such weapons were highly illegal, and most had been destroyed many years earlier. The gun’s owner died on The Day.
“Guns are designed to instill fear,” my mom said. “I could’ve taken his weapon when he died, but I couldn’t bring myself to.”
-The First Generation: A Memoir by Liri Abrios
Krey tapped his foot as he watched Nora whispering with her aunt. He half-expected Dani to scream for guards to arrest them.
At last, Dani walked Nora toward the door. Krey caught Ovrun’s eye, trying to send him an unspoken question: Are you willing to tackle this lady if she turns against us? Ovrun gazed back at him cluelessly, and Krey stifled a frustrated groan.
“Be careful,” Dani said when she got to the door. Yet again, she hugged Nora.
As they hurried to Nora’s quarters, Krey kept an eye on Dani’s open door. When they arrived in Nora’s sitting room, he closed the door silently and picked up the lantern he’d left there. He lit it after making sure the shutter was mostly closed. No way would he risk catching someone’s attention by using Nora’s overhead light. “Ovrun,” he whispered, “grab a chair and shove it under the doorknob.”
Ovrun just stood there, and Nora shot Krey an incredulous look. “What?”
Krey grabbed a chair and did it himself. “Come on, let’s go!”
“What are you doing?” Nora whispered. “I’m not leaving until I grab some clothes.”
“Clothes? Your aunt is probably fetching guards right now.”
Nora clenched her fists and stomped right up to him. Her voice was dangerously quiet. “Surely you’re not talking about the same aunt who just gave us a significant portion of her savings.”
“That’s true. Ovrun, hide the money; that’s the first thing the guards’ll grab.” He gave Nora a pleading look. “Please, we have to go! Now!”
“You are unbelievable!” Nora hissed.
“She was way too willing to talk to us, that’s all I’m saying.”
The Frost Eater (The Magic Eaters Trilogy Book 1) Page 27