by Sarah Hawke
They continued glaring at each other for several seconds, and I tried to read Lysara’s face and guess how she might react. We hadn’t even said anything truly controversial yet. I couldn’t imagine how her hot-headed Maskari would react if we brought up Zalheer and the Fount…
“No enemy has set foot upon Nol Krovos for hundreds of years,” Lysara said after a moment. “The Betrayer and her minions will not be the first. We shall sink their ships and slay their beasts, and then you will defeat your sister and finally bring her to justice. The Mosh’Dalar’s visions are clear.”
“I hope you’re right,” Valuri said. “But I do wonder: if your sorcerers can see the future so clearly, why are your own people rebelling against you?”
Another awkward silence settled over the room, and this time Tanathel actually leaned forward in his chair. “Yet again Lady Hestiah has spoken out of turn. You told the mainlanders about Nol Pratos?”
Hestiah nervously wet her lips. “My lord, we—”
“You would have preferred she lie to us?” Kaseya asked sharply. “Deception is not our way.”
The Matriarch raised her hand before her bond-mate could speak. “You have a right to know the truth, of course,” she said. “The Fas’Gor have become unsettled , yes. But to call their protest a rebellion is a gross exaggeration.”
“That’s not what your acolytes told me last night,” Valuri said.
The Matriarch’s eye twitched ever-so-slightly. “What?”
“I had several…encounters …with your sorcerers-in-training last night,” the Huntress went on. “They said that the situation in Nol Pratos is far worse than most of the people here have been led to believe. They said the reason we haven’t seen more soldiers here is because half of your army is out trying to pacify the rebels.”
Tanathel’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “No moshalim would ever speak to a mainlander, let alone a Fas’Tarah !”
“You’d be surprised how persuasive I can be,” Valuri replied mildly. “They’re smart kids, but since you haven’t bound them to an amazon yet…well, let’s just say they’re very interested in female attention, and they’ll gladly spill their guts to get it.”
For an instant, I actually wondered if the Mosh’Dalar might leap out of his seat and attack her. But instead he quietly simmered in place and turned to the Matriarch. Her expression revealed more than words ever could.
“So it is true, isn’t it?” I asked. “You’re fighting a war on two fronts.”
Lysara’s eyes locked onto mine. Whatever goodwill I’d bought through my relationship with Kaseya was evaporating at an alarming rate. “You may have bonded with one of the Red Sisters, but that does not mean you are one of us yet,” she replied coldly. “Do not presume to understand that which does not concern you.”
“It concerns me , which means that it now concerns him,” Kaseya replied tartly. “We came here to help, but we can’t do that until you accept that the situation is even worse than you feared.”
“It isn’t an accident that you’re having problems with this little insurrection at the same time that Ayrael’s fleet is preparing to attack,” Valuri said. “I would bet anything that she’s had Senosi on Nol Pratos for months. We’re not just assassins—we’re also agitators and saboteurs when the needed arises. If your ‘Fas’Gor ’ already had doubts, my fellow Huntresses will have no problem exploiting them.”
“That is not possible,” Tanathel insisted. “We do not allow mainlanders on our shore.”
“That is simply not true,” Kaseya said. “Several merchants like Captain Ferroc deal with our traders regularly.”
“A few Senosi could have easily slipped aboard and blended in with the populace,” I added. “This is exactly what’s been happening in Highwind and plenty of other cities throughout the Northern Reaches. Before she makes her move, the Inquisitrix dispatches her Senosi to rile the populace and sow chaos throughout the local government.”
The Matriarch’s expression flickered yet again. The longer this conversation went on, the easier I could spot the chinks in her armor. She wasn’t nearly as certain about any of this as she was letting on. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t decided whether that was a good or bad thing just yet.
“Surely the moshalim would have sensed the presence of any Fas’Tarah among us before now,” she said.
I gestured towards Valuri. “One of them is standing in front of you right now. Do you sense anything?”
“I will hear no more of this,” Tanathel said, standing. “I knew it was a mistake to allow mainlanders onto the island. I do not care if this man is her Maskari or not. He has clearly poisoned her judgement and—”
“You did not answer the question,” Lysara said. Her voice was cold and dark, like a bitter wind rolling across the slopes of the Shattered Peaks. “Can you sense this Senosi’s presence or not?”
He shot her a withering glare, and I once again wondered about the true power dynamics at play between them. Lysara may have worn a collar, but she clearly wasn’t his underling. Was that out of custom or law? Or was it just the simple reality that she was the leader of their army?
“You would side with this Fas’Tarah ?” Tanathel hissed.
“I am not siding with anyone. I simply asked you a question.”
The sorcerer’s jaw clenched as he turned back to Valuri. “I sense…nothing.”
“Because there’s nothing to sense,” I said, glancing back at the Matriarch. “Look, I understand that this is a delicate topic, but we don’t have a lot of time to waste here. If the Senosi have already turned your own people against you, then the situation is even worse than we feared. You can’t afford to have half your forces trying to hold back an angry mob when those ships and wyverns arrive tomorrow.”
“We could try and track down the agitators,” Valuri said. “I might not be able to sense them, but I know how they think.”
I turned and flashed her a subtle grin. Kaseya could sense the Senosi, but Val had cleverly avoided mentioning that little tidbit. She really was too clever for her own good sometimes…
“It is too late for that,” Kaseya said. “The damage is already done.”
“True,” I said, “but without leadership they might—”
“I don’t mean the damage done by the Senosi,” Kaseya corrected. “I mean the damage done by us . We have ignored the people of Nol Pratos for generations. We have cast them aside and placed them in a pen like animals, and we offer them nothing in return.”
I swore I could actually feel the temperature in the room drop by a few degrees. The Mosh’Dalar looked like he was about to burst; the Matriarch, for her part, looked like someone had just punched her in the gut.
“What are you saying, my child?” she asked.
“I’m saying that we have no right to condemn them. I’m saying that we have no right to rule over them.”
“The gods have given us that right,” Tanathel said. “Why else would they have imbued us with such power?”
Kaseya shook her head. “The gods didn’t do that. The Fount of Velhari did.”
This time, the temperature in the room dropped several dozen degrees. The sheer shock of her words was the only reason the Mosh’Dalar didn’t lash out. Like the Matriarch, he had been stunned into silence.
Sensing my apprehension, Kaseya sent a ripple of determination through our bond. Evidently she had decided that this was the time to have it out with Lysara after all.
I really, really hoped she wasn’t mistaken.
“How do you know that name?” Lysara whispered.
“Does it matter?” Valuri interjected before Kaseya could reveal anything else. “The point is that the Fount is real, and it’s the only reason the Inquisitrix cares about Nol Krovos. Ayrael isn’t here to burn your city to the ground—she’s here to corrupt the Fount’s power.”
“She learned about it before she escaped the island,” I added. With luck, they would assume we had discovered the truth from Ayrael and not press us abo
ut Zalheer or Kaseya’s sorcerous abilities. “When she found her way to Vorsalos, the Senosi were like a match made in the abyss. Their leader, a woman who calls herself the Inquisitrix, has been waging a decades-long war on the mainland to magic, and the Fount is the perfect target. You’ve seen how the Senosi can devour magic—imagine if she’s found a way to adapt that ritual.”
“You speak of that which you do not understand,” Tanathel said. “Just because you carry the gift does not make you moshalim . You are untrained and untested.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Valuri snapped back. “This isn’t about Jorem—this is about protecting the source of your power!”
“Our power comes from the blood of the gods. It cannot be corrupted by mainlander filth.” He turned to the Matriarch. “I have heard enough. Other matters require our attention.”
“What could possibly be more important than this?” I asked. “We’re talking about—”
“We shall adjourn for now,” Lysara interrupted. “I am pleased that you have returned, my child, and I am honored to meet your Maskari . But the Mosh’Dalar is right—we still have many preparations to make. Please, return to your chambers. We shall speak more later.”
It was, without a doubt, the most awkward and abrupt dismissal I had ever heard in my life…but it was also coldly calculated. There was a subtle glimmer in the Matriarch’s eye, and I could tell she didn’t want to finish this conversation in front of an audience—perhaps not even in front of the Mosh’Dalar.
“As you wish, of course,” Kaseya said, picking up on my lead through our bond. “Whatever else may happen, my sword and shield stand with Nol Krovos. I will not allow my sister to destroy us.”
“I know,” the Matriarch said. She favored us all with a cool, wary glance before she gestured for the guards to escort us away. We were almost back to the festival hall when Valuri finally leaned up to my ear.
“So what in the hell was that about?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” I told her. “But I have a feeling we’re about to find out.”
***
“No offense, Red, but I’ve seen less delusional people in the Vorsalos Asylum,” Valuri said once we were back in our room. “They have no idea what they’re up against, and they seem determined to ignore everything we say. We haven’t even hit them with the good stuff yet!”
“I know,” Kaseya whispered. Her arms were crossed, and she was staring out the window into the sprawling streets surrounding the hall.
“So what in the hell are we supposed to do now, sit around and wait for Ayrael and her armada to show up?”
“We may not have a choice.”
Valuri hissed between her teeth. “I realize we’ve only known each other for a few months, but you’ve never given up this easily before.”
“I am not giving up. I will battle my sister, and I will either destroy her or die trying. That is my destiny.”
“Oh, well, I feel a whole lot better already.” Val glanced over at me. “Can you talk some sense into her?”
I sighed and took a seat next to the bed. “We knew this wouldn’t be easy. They have no reason to trust us, and they obviously don’t want to listen to what we have to say.” I paused and pursed my lips in thought. “We did learn something useful, though: there’s a rift between the Matriarch and the Mosh’Dalar.”
“More like a giant gaping chasm,” Val said. “She may be naïve and deluded, but he’s a raging asshole.”
“It’s more than that. There was something about her reaction when we mentioned the Fount…” I shrugged. “I have a theory.”
“Escar save us…”
“I’m serious. There’s more going on here than a little spat between the commoners and the aristocrats. I’m just worried we won’t have enough time to figure it out.”
“I’m worried about those ships and wyverns and Senosi,” Valuri said pointedly. “None of this political bullshit is going to matter when Ayrael makes landfall. She’ll carve her way straight to the Fount, and I’m not convinced there’s a damn thing any of these people can do about it.”
Kaseya turned. “My people are stronger than you think. The Matriarch was right about one thing—no enemy force has set foot on Nol Krovos in centuries. Our fleet will not fall easily.”
“But they will fall. You know that as surely as I do, Red. With all the power in this place, the Senosi will be invincible.”
“There is still time,” Kaseya whispered. “I could attempt to teach them the breaching technique Jorem and I perfected.”
Valuri snorted. “You really think that asshole on the throne will listen to you? We mentioned the Fount and he kicked us out ten seconds later. I don’t even want to imagine what he’d say if we bring up your sorcery.”
“He will order your arrest,” a voice said from the doorway. “Given time, he might even order your execution.”
We all turned, and my heart skipped a dozen beats when Matriarch Lysara appeared in the doorway. She was alone, mercifully, but I had no doubt that there were a dozen amazon warriors awaiting her command outside.
“Matriarch,” Kaseya said, standing. “We were—”
“I’m afraid I deceived you earlier, my child,” Lysara said. “I am not gladdened by your return. In fact, I have feared this moment for some time.”
I forced myself to breathe and swallow, hoping that my instincts from earlier had been correct. If not…well, if not I had absolutely no idea what the hell was about to happen.
“The moshalim believe that you will defeat the Betrayer,” Lysara said. “But they also believe the cost of your victory will be Nol Krovos itself.”
“What?” Kaseya rasped.
“The Daughter of Destiny will return to destroy the Betrayer,” the Matriarch went on, “but her rage is the harbinger of ruin, and her wrath shall usher in a new age of despair.”
My mouth went so dry I almost choked. The Dal’Rethi stone had spoken the exact same words…
“Most of the moshalim do not understand what this means,” Lysara said. “But I do. And I think you know why.”
I shared a quick glance with Valuri, and I saw a reflection of my own thoughts in her face. Bit by bit, the pieces of this puzzle were finally sliding into place.
“You already know the truth about the Fount,” I said. “You already know that Kaseya is a sorceress.”
Lysara sighed softly, and her unnaturally youthful face suddenly looked old. “The blood of the gods flows through all our veins,” she said. “But we have forsaken their gift…and now, at long last, I fear they have sent you to punish us.”
I pressed my tongue hard into the back of my teeth, a thousand different questions looping through my head. We had assumed all along that someone must have known the truth, but we hadn’t expected them to admit it so readily.
“I don’t understand,” Kaseya breathed. “How long have you known this?”
“Long enough,” Lysara replied softly.
“Then why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell me ?”
“Because the truth is not always a boon, and lies are not always a curse.” The Matriarch gestured behind her to city beyond the window. “Lies built this paradise, Kaseya. Lies have maintained our strength and culture. Lies have allowed us to protect the Fount in secret for a hundred generations.”
“That’s a glib rationalization if I’ve ever heard one,” Valuri muttered.
“But it all makes sense now,” I whispered as I mentally assembled a few more puzzle pieces. “When we were in the throne room, I couldn’t understand how you wielded so much power over the Mosh’Dalar even though you’re wearing his collar around your neck. I thought that maybe the relationship between the Matriarch and her bond-mate was different; I thought that maybe you were supposed to be more than just his submissive bodyguard. But then I realized that wasn’t it at all. He wasn’t afraid of you because you were the Matriarch. He was afraid of you because you knew something—something you could ho
ld over him.”
I turned to Kaseya. “Don’t you see? The Matriarch isn’t supposed to know the truth. But since she does, her own Maskari is afraid of her. Imagine what would happen if she revealed that every amazon could wield the Aether?”
“You’ve been leveraging that secret over him for years,” Valuri said. “I can’t decide if I should be horrified or impressed.”
“Just because you are friends with the Daughter of Destiny does not mean you understand our way of life,” Lysara said. “You are still mainlanders.”
“Mainlanders or not, we’re right,” I said. “I’m going to take a wild guess that you’ve known the truth ever since you banished Zalheer.”
Her eyes abruptly narrowed. “What?”
“We met Zalheer in the mountains north of Highwind,” Kaseya said. “He told us all about what you did. We know that you tried to steal him away from his love, Marcella, and that you had her executed for being a sorcerer.”
For a moment, I thought Lysara might actually be sick. “That is not possible. Zalheer has been dead for many decades.”
“Yet another thing you were wrong about,” Valuri said. “I should really start making a list so we don’t forget anything.”
“He’s the one who told us about the Fount,” I said. “He was convinced that the Inquisitrix would corrupt its power and collapse the Three Corridors. We would have brought him here with us, but…” I shook my head. “He overchanneled himself to death defending a mainlander fortress filled with innocent people. Without him, none of us would be here right now.”
Lysara was so still she could have been a statue. I didn’t know what she had intended to accomplish here, but she obviously hadn’t expected us to know about Zalheer and Marcella. I could almost see the walls of her world crashing down inside her mind.
“He told us the truth, didn’t he?” Kaseya asked. “You forced him to become your Maskari out of jealousy, and then you executed the woman he loved!”
“Marcella was the key,” I reasoned. “That was when you first learned the truth about the Fount and what it was doing to your people. But rather than expose the lies of the moshalim , you went along with them. And then a few decades later, Ayrael—your supposed Daughter of Destiny—discovered the same truth you had buried.”
