15

I had no delusions that Kalen would resume his sword practice sessions with me after everything that happened, so I took the initiative. The revelations my scrying uncovered had kept me awake the night before, and I was haunted by their implications. If Aenah spoke the truth about Hestia, then was she right about others? Did the elder asha hide Mykaela’s heartsglass and not Vanor?

I chased those thoughts until morning and found, despite my lack of sleep, I had excess energy that needed spending.

I knew Kalen trained at dawn. The look on his face when he found me waiting at the courtyard, my practice sword at the ready, would have been funny in any other circumstance.

“Get out,” he said curtly, though it was he who turned to leave. I was ready for his rejection, shrugging off the twinge of hurt.

“You promised Prince Kance you would protect me.”

He stopped. I pushed on.

“You might not like me right now, but I’m prepared to make it up to you any way I can. I want to save him too. And if that means learning to defend myself better, then I’ll be damned if you let your opinion of me break your oath to the prince.”

For several moments, he stood as still as the wind. I closed my eyes, prepared for him to rebuff me again. Images of the azi passed through my mind; it was sailing leisurely along the Sea of Skulls, by Tresea’s coast. I watched the sparkling waters underneath us, wishing I could sink down into it.

A rustling noise made me open my eyes again. Kalen had stripped off his coat, his chest bare. I remembered how he looked at Lake Strypnyk, near naked and soaking wet (magnificent, a hidden voice inside me trilled), and I frantically ripped away my gaze, looking up to meet his brown eyes instead.

“What are you waiting for?” he rasped.

An hour later, I regretted my offer. Fox had wandered in—first to watch and then to keep score. Seventeen for Kalen. A measly four for me.

I hopped back and charged again. He parried my attack and swung overhead, but I was ready this time and blocked. He was tougher and more relentless than before, and I realized then how much he’d been holding back in our previous spars.

“Stop,” Fox finally said after Kalen scored another hit. I dropped to my knees, puffing, annoyed that he’d barely even broken a sweat.

“Better form than usual,” the Deathseeker said, surprisingly. Then, because he could never stop at a compliment when he could also add an insult, he continued, “But not all that much better.”

I bit back a retort. I was used to Kalen’s snide criticisms, but I wasn’t used to the cold way he said them, like he meant it this time. The azi let out a baleful sigh, sensing my thoughts.

My brother approached us, weapon in hand. “Too tired to go another round?” he asked, grinning.

“Not after this small fry.” Kalen abandoned the practice sword for his own steel blade.

Watching Kalen and Fox fight was like watching two of Vahista’s best asha perform the Lament of the Goddess, the most difficult dance in the academy’s repertoire. I moved back and caught sight of Princess Inessa standing nearby, away from their line of sight.

Fox moved first. Steel sang as blade met blade. Both men moved far quicker than I ever could, switching tactics and counterattacks in mere seconds.

Fox charged forward, and Kalen shifted to one side, sword sliding inches past my brother’s ear. Without hesitating, he turned and swept his blade up, but Fox ducked underneath the blow and swung again, only to be met by another parry. Princess Inessa took a step forward, hand over her mouth.

“Don’t,” I said quietly. “They’re having fun.”

She nodded, her eyes straying back toward the fight. “How are Mykaela and Polaire?”

“Still unconscious.” Althy had told me that sleeping was their body’s natural response to healing, that neither was in any immediate danger.

“Fox never told you about me, did he?” she asked softly. “I presumed many things about your bond that were not, in fact, accurate.”

“It isn’t any of my business, Your Highness.”

“Call me Inessa.” We watched the two in silence for several minutes, neither of them gaining the advantage for too long. “I’ve known Kalen since I was very young,” she said finally. “He’s Odalia’s best fighter, better than any in Kion. Your brother is extremely competent.”

“He told me he wasn’t very good back when he was alive.” The princess winced at my words. “But he had to match with the best in the kingdoms to be my protector. I sensed some tension between you and Kalen,” she said. “Are you all right?”

“Not really.” I should’ve be watching my brother, should’ve be cheering him on, but I had eyes for only Kalen.

“Should I talk to him?”

“No!” Inessa blinked, and I hastily lowered my voice. “No. I have to work out things with him on my own.”

“Do you like him?”

I looked at her but couldn’t think of anything to say. Me, like Kalen? Of course not, I liked…

“I don’t know,” I said. “I want him to like me, but…”

Inessa smiled reassuringly, patted my hand. “Sorry. You don’t need to say anything. I understand. I was confused for the longest time too, trying to figure out what I wanted—who I wanted.” Her gaze drifted back to the sparring. “Fighting styles weren’t likely to come up in conversation when I was with him.”

“So you were often with…how…?”

She grinned. “As often as I could. They say Kion princesses enjoy more freedom, but that’s not true. Oh, we have the run of the palace, but it is a different story beyond castle walls. I snuck out one night, determined to see more of the city I was to one day rule yet knew little of.

“I was curious about the dancing houses that are so popular among the people. An atelier had once made me a dancer’s hua. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. My dancing tutors were asha, so I reckoned I could perform with the best. It was easy to slip on a veil and pretend I was just one of the many girls there.”

Her voice softened. “Fox arrived in the middle of my performance. Unlike his friends, he was embarrassed to be there, but he couldn’t take his eyes off me. He said my dance reminded him of a dance he’d seen his sister perform.” Summer over Istera, I remembered. “I found it adorable, the self-conscious, almost guilty way he stammered, like he’d stumbled onto secrets he wasn’t supposed to know.”

I tried to imagine my brother as self-conscious and stuttering and couldn’t.

“I snuck out a week later and saw him again. His friends told me he visited the dancing house every day, hoping to see me.” The princess blushed, faltering. “He never told you about me?”

“Being my familiar doesn’t mean he tells me everything.” Both Fox and Kalen showed no signs of letting up, and a curious crowd had gathered to watch them spar. Among the onlookers, I saw some of Kalen’s friends, fellow Deathseekers I had met before: Ostry, Mavren, and Alsron, Farragut and Levi. I continued, “I knew there was someone he was very much taken with. It didn’t feel right to pry.”

“I intend to honor my engagement. My mother might have agreed to it in my name, but it is my duty to follow through.” She laughed. “We’re good at keeping up the pretense of free will. Few people know what few choices we truly have.”

She turned to look at me. “I wanted you to hear my side of the story. Not that it matters now.”

“It does.” It was my turn to pat her hand. “And I admit, I would have wanted to learn about this sooner. But Fox cares about you.” I stressed the word, watching her surprise. “Still does. It doesn’t sound like you’re ready to let go of your relationship, and I know he isn’t either.” I could meddle as well as my sister Daisy if I wanted to.

Something akin to hope appeared in her eyes and spread across her heartsglass. “Do you—”

A shout from the field made us turn. Fox had made a slight mistake—a forward jab an inch more than he should have. Kalen altered the stroke of his swing, and the blade glanced off Fox’s shoulder.

I gasped, and Inessa’s hand gripped at her collar, nearly yanking it off. Her heartsglass burned a bright blue.

Fox moved back, grinning ruefully. “Point to you.”

The audience broke into applause, Ostry and the others leading the cheers. “Fine job, you two!” The burly Yadoshan called to them. “Never thought I’d see the day someone could give Kalen a run for his money!”

“A run for my money too,” Levi grumbled. “I bet Alsron the familiar would win.”

“Watch out, Kalen,” Mavren laughed. “Sir Fox shall outstrip you soon enough!”

Kalen wrinkled his nose, used to his friends’ jesting, but he was smiling.

Inessa grabbed one of the wooden swords propped against the wall and made a beeline for them.

My brother moved quickly in battle, but he seemed paralyzed as the princess approached. The crowd went quiet.

“You told me I was useless because I couldn’t protect myself or my fiancé.” Inessa planted herself before him, one hand on her hip. Her heartsglass wobbled between unsteady blue and deep maroon, but she lifted the sword and pointed it at him. “Teach me then. Teach me how to use a sword.”

“Kalen would make a better instructor.”

“Kalen is busy seeing to Tea.” I turned red at her remark. “You are the only fighter here who can match his skill.” Inessa lifted her face, defiant, and threw the sword at his feet. Her other hand came up and tugged at her collar again. “Or are you not good enough for a princess?”

There was a long silence. Finally, Fox spoke. “Pick up the sword.”

Inessa paused, her turn to be wary.

“Pick it up, Princess. When facing an opponent in battle, the last thing you should do is throw your only weapon at his feet. Bravado only gets you killed.” Fox sheathed his own blade and picked up the wooden sword. “Put your dominant foot forward, grip the sword like this, and don’t lock your elbows. I said do it!”

The words cut through the air like a whip, and though Inessa looked both alarmed and murderous by this sudden change in attitude, she hurriedly complied.

Being a bastard to her isn’t going to help, I told Fox.

That’s not my problem.

Sometimes I want to throttle you.

Get in line. It’s a long one. “Now stab me.”

“What?” the princess asked.

“First rule of swordsmanship. You take the pointy end of that weapon you’re holding and try to stab me with it.”

“Shouldn’t we put a stop to this?” Mavren whispered to Alsron.

“You try. I’m not going to put myself within sword range of either.”

“Do they know each other?” Ostry asked me. “I didn’t realize.”

“It’s a long story.”

The princess’s technique needed work, but her strength was surprising. Her blade rammed hard into his side. She stopped, panicked. “Why aren’t you defending yourself?”

“Because you don’t want to harm anyone, and that will kill you. Until we wean you of that fear, you’re useless in a fight. There is no room for hesitation in battle, Inessa.” He paused. “And if you want to vent any frustrations you might have at the moment, I’m the only person in Ankyo who can take it.”

I could see Inessa was tempted by the offer—for all of two seconds. She raised her sword and threw it. The sword whizzed past Fox and clattered against the wall behind him. To his credit, my brother didn’t blink.

“I wish I could,” Inessa informed him quietly, breathing hard. “I’d like to. But even if I wanted to hit you, the only trouble that would cause is to Tea. I won’t hesitate if it comes to a fight. But I don’t want to always be a victim. Teach me to be useful. Please.”

A reluctant smile found its way to Fox’s face. “You have a good throwing arm.”

“But very poor aim,” she informed him, and he started to laugh.

Kalen waited long enough to ensure neither Fox or Inessa were going to kill each other, then quietly withdrew. I caught up to him by the entrance to the palace.

“Are you going to ignore me from now on when we’re not sparring?”

He ignored me. I grabbed him by the elbow.

“Can’t you at least let me apologize?”

“Why? So you can do it again at the next opportunity?” His voice was cold.

“They’d torture you if you stayed behind! They’d execute you, duke’s son or not!”

“That’s my decision to make!”

“No, it’s not!” A few people stared, but I was too caught up in my own emotions to care. “You know you could do nothing for Prince Kance if you remained behind, and he would’ve never forgiven us if you got yourself killed for the most idiotic of reasons!”

“You do not speak for Kance!”

“Yes, I do! His last request was for you to protect me, and I am making damn sure you carry that out! Kance wants you alive, Kalen, and so do I! I want you to be with me for as long as we can be together. I don’t want you to die, you ass! I had a choice between letting you kill yourself and keeping you alive but having you hate me for the rest of your life, and I chose the latter!”

The Deathseeker paused.

Emboldened, I pushed on. “And even with that, I still want you to like me. If not as a friend, then as allies working to make sure Prince Kance is safe. So yes, I’m selfish. I’ve always been selfish. That won’t change anytime soon. And you may not like me, but you’re my bodyguard now. And if the only way I can stop you from throwing away your life is to compel you and everyone in Ankyo, I will if I have to!”

The hall was silent by the time I was done. I was not making any new friends with my words, but I was too focused on Kalen to care. I wove Heartshare briskly, and his eyes widened.

“This is the rune Polaire cast over Mykaela.” My voice was quieter, reassured that no one else could see. “It’s used mostly for healing, but it also grants one person control over another willing spellbinder. The only way I can think for you to forgive me is to put myself in the same position I put you in.” I guided the rune toward him; it hovered over his heartsglass. After a moment, he accepted, the rune flaring around him before disappearing.

“I’m not going to dispel it,” I continued, “which means you can choose to take control anytime you like. Go ahead. I’ll submit to whatever you want.”

The Deathseeker stared at me, and his silver heartsglass shifted to a bright, brilliant red. Why was my offer making him madder?

“This is the least sincere apology I’ve ever heard. Did you think I was going to take you up on your offer? To do what? Clean the barracks for me?”

My cheeks burned. “I’m trying my best! I don’t know any other way!”

“Do you know what I really want, Tea?” He stepped closer. “Do you want another look inside my head?” He forced my chin up so I couldn’t look away.

This was different. He was different. He was using me as an outlet but for an anger that was, oddly enough, no longer directed at me. “If you knew what I was thinking, would you still be so willing?”

We were still, him and me, staring at each other, my breathing embarrassingly loud. What does he mean?

“I don’t need the rune. If you promise to stay out of my head,” he continued, in a lower voice, “then I will obey Kance and protect you with my life. That’s all the apology I want.”

His animosity had retreated. There was a strange gravity to his words.

“I promise, with all my heart,” I said softly. “I’ll never do that to you again.”

He placed a hand on top of my head—easy to do given his height but annoying to be on the receiving end of given my temperament. He drew closer again—too close—and my heart sped up.

“Apology accepted. For now. Inept as it was.”

He walked away. This time, I didn’t chase after him. He didn’t reject the rune but neither did he take me up on my offer.

The spell continued to hover between us, along with all my other unspoken questions. But though I tried to lift my fingers to dispel the rune, I couldn’t find the courage to carry out the act.

• • •

The room allotted for me at the palace was three times as large as my old room at the Valerian—staying at my asha-ka would not have been prudent. As I walked in, I was stunned to see it filled with beautiful hua of every fabric and color. My dresser overflowed with countless zivars where all kinds of gemstones shone. From within the hidden depths of my mind, the azi stirred, curious at the glint of jewels. Zoya was in the room, a dreamy smile on her face.

“What’s going on?” I sputtered.

“As part of the delegation into Daanoris, the empress said we must look the part—which, by Kion standards, is to be as ostentatious as possible. We shall all be the poster girls of hua excessiveness before this is over.”

“There you are!” A loud, booming voice was the only warning I received before I was swept into a bear hug by Rahim. Chesh popped up from somewhere behind him, grinning, and with her was Likh, who had shed the customary black clothes he had been given and now wore something more familiar to me: a hua of amber and blue, with beautiful koi swimming down the folds. Councilor Ludvig accompanied them, smiling.

I squealed happily and turned, trying to wrap my arms around Rahim’s massive shoulders. This was proving difficult because he refused to relinquish his bear hug. I settled for clinging to one giant forearm instead. I extended my other hand to Chesh, who wasted no time hurrying in for a hug of her own. “I missed you guys.” It hadn’t been that long since the last time I’d been in Kion, but after our escape, it felt like years had passed.

“We were so worried!” Chesh stroke my hair. “We heard about what happened to the prince. I’m glad you’re here!”

“The empress, she says it is dangerous for you to walk in the Willows still,” Rahim proclaimed, still holding me in his death grip.

“Fah!” I said. “What do elders know? They go around, grimacing in their dull hua and their shades of blech. Shall they decide who I can and cannot take in as clients? Even if Empress Alyx did not insist, I shall dress you well and spit in their faces! Pshah, like so! And so here I rush, armed with my best designs. You represent the ateliers of Kion and must have only the best to show! I can’t possibly afford all these!” I protested.

“The empress is footing the bill,” Chesh pointed out. “She insisted we provide you with the highest quality silks that Rahim possesses, as well as the best of the zivars in my inventory. That goes for you too, Likh.”

“Me?”

“I understand that the elders have not yet made a decision regarding your petition, but the empress insists you be outfitted as an asha regardless.”

Likh’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Lady Chesh.”

“Don’t lose heart so easily, Likh my dear.” Chesh hugged her former assistant. “Let’s get to work! Lady Tea, I have several accessories I want you to look at. Empress Alyx wanted me to fashion the strongest protection spells for you.”

“A rightful decision of the empress,” Mistress Parmina snorted, stomping into the room with Shadi and Althy close behind. “And at such exorbitant rates, even for you, my dear Rahim! What of our wayward Dark asha?” Mistress Parmina gestured at me. “Mykaela missing in Odalia, and Polaire along with her. My Dark asha, wanted fugitives in Telemaine’s kingdom! The elders in particular are not happy about you and the empress defying their wishes! Imagine how much revenue that will cost our asha-ka, hmm? A wardrobe full of hua and zivars will not be enough if we are known as criminals!”

For the right price, Mistress Parmina would stick a knife into every one of those elders herself, but two years living under her asha-ka had taught me the importance of silence. I waited for Shadi to speak up. She did not disappoint.

“I’ve just received our account reports from Ula this morning, Mother. All our asha in Kion have been booked solid for the next six months.”

Mistress Parmina’s head spun so fast, it was like an old barn owl swiveling its head. “How so?”

“The nobles are intrigued, Mother. To be a fugitive in Odalia is not the same as being a fugitive in Kion. Even given Tea’s unavailability, it is enough for them to be associated with the asha-ka she belongs to.”

“And also, my dear Parminchka,” Rahim broke in, releasing me so I could finally draw breath, “you forget about the untapped potential that is the eager Daanorian public. Their emperor is enamored of both our princess and of asha. Perhaps in the near future, there will then be visitors from Daanoris, asking for beautiful asha of the Valerian they have heard so much about?”

Mistress Parmina visibly thawed. “Well. I suppose the asha-ka must continue to grow. And as the Empress Alyx has vouchsafed all expenses, I see no reason why you should not do as she asks.”

Rahim winked at me.

I drew Althy to one side. “I think the elder asha might have something to do with the troubles in Odalia,” I told her quietly.

She stared. “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

“Polaire didn’t learn of the Heartshare rune from the book. She told me she’d found it in Mistress Hestia’s study.”

“She’s not in the best frame of mind. How can you be so sure?”

Telling her I’d snooped in Mistress Hestia’s mind would only land me in more trouble. “I trust Polaire.”

“But why would they do that?”

“I don’t know yet. I was hoping you could help me with that.”

Althy looked troubled. “The elder asha and I don’t always see eye to eye, Tea, but to accuse them of what is practically treason…you might not like them, but they are loyal to Kion.”

“Please, Althy.”

The older woman sighed. “If you believe there is something suspicious there, then I will take a look. But we must keep it quiet. We are already in enough hot water without more accusations.”

“A moment of your time, Lady Tea?” Councilor Ludvig asked me as Althy left.

“I have been struggling with my conscience for a while now,” he continued as Rahim pounced on Zoya and Likh in turn. “Alyx is aware of this latest development, and I feel it is important to let you know.”

“What is it, milord? Did something happen to Mykaela or Polaire?” I asked with concern.

“No, there is no change in either. I am close friends with the father of Baron Cyran, the youth who succumbed to the sleeping illness some years ago. The lad woke up yesterday.”

“What?!”

“Say nothing of this to anyone, save your brother and Khalad—and perhaps your small circle of asha friends who will be going with you to Daanoris. Istera is keeping his miraculous recovery a secret from the rest of the kingdoms, and I trust you will do the same. The Heartforger came to us with a cure last month.”

My hands shook, hope bubbling inside me. “Then that means…Prince Kance—”

The old man shook his head. “I do not know yet. It was the forger who requested secrecy, and I suspect he is at Daanoris, attempting to do the same to Princess Yansheo. He left us no clue how to replicate his cure. He is the key to Prince Kance’s life, Tea. This is promising, but locating him is imperative.”

Likh and I emerged a short time later with an armful of hua. Zoya remained behind; I saw her take Shadi’s hands in hers as we were leaving. Likh clung to his share, terrified that someone might snatch them away from him at any minute.

“You better get used to this,” I told him, my head still spinning from Councilor Ludvig’s revelation. The forger could cure Prince Kance. The forger could cure Prince Kance! “Rahim’s been looking at you like a cat looks at tuna. He’s been looking for a new model for his latest summer collection.”

“I hope I don’t cause trouble for him,” Likh said, worrying. “Or Chesh.”

“They’re the most popular artisans in their trades, and their opinions aren’t easily dismissed. You’re an asha whatever the association decides, Likh. Don’t you forget that.”

“And if they decide against me,” the boy said dreamily, rubbing his cheek against the exceptionally soft satin, “then at least I’ll have all this to remember it by.”