Blackthorne

by Stina Leicht

  “You’re not going to at least walk me to my execution?” Nels asked.

  “I’ll drop by later to tend to the wounded,” Ilta said.

  “That’s just mean,” Nels said to her retreating back.

  Viktor asked, “You’re surprised by this?”

  Nels made his way to his apartments alone. Upon entering, he found that someone had lit a fire in the hearth and the room had been cleaned and aired.

  Probably Ilta, bless her. It soothed the sting, even if it made him feel that much guiltier about his time with Gaia. The trunks from Merta had already been placed along the far wall. He dropped his pack by the door and then used the bootjack. His wet boots slapped the polished floor. The stone was so cold that it made his feet ache. Then he shed his all-weather coat and hung it on the hook where it could dry. Padding in his damp stockings to the hearthrug, he had time to discover that the kettle was full of fresh water and swing it over the fire before there came a knock.

  “Who is it?”

  “You damned well know who,” Suvi said from the hallway. “Let me in.”

  Her Acrasian has improved. The thought didn’t make him happy. Suvi had been content to limit her use of Acrasian to their private talks. Although, these days, they’d have achieved more privacy had they used Eledorean. In any case, her Acrasian had always been terrible. I wonder what changed.

  He sighed. All he wanted was a bath, a shave, and to sit in front of the fire drinking and reading until Ilta dropped by—hopefully before the evening’s scheduled rituals. He was tempted to tell Suvi to go away. Instead, he snatched a bottle of whiskey from his writing desk and took a drink.

  What are you thinking? You’re in enough trouble as it is. Still, he was furious, and he couldn’t bring himself to go to the door. Therefore, he didn’t—an insult for which his father would’ve had him imprisoned had he been alive. “It’s unbarred.”

  Suvi barged in like a winter storm. Slamming the door, she whirled. Her skirts billowed. “I told you not to go! I ordered you! It was a trap!”

  “Of course it was. What does that matter?” Nels asked, collapsing onto the cushioned green sofa next to the hearth—wet clothes, bottle, and all. He moved his feet and hands closer to the flames. The warmth didn’t seem to make much immediate progress in penetrating his frozen digits. “I returned with funds enough to see us through another year or more, didn’t I?” He jabbed a thumb toward the chests behind him. “Speaking of which, we need to talk about Merta.” Rubbing his hands together, he blew on them.

  “You can’t openly disobey me like that! I’m your queen!”

  He didn’t face her anger. Instead, he took another drink and removed his damp stockings. “Which is it you want? One of Father’s automatons? Or someone you can rely upon? You can’t have both.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way, and you know it. You made me look ridiculous!”

  “You should’ve trusted me.” Of course, he should’ve trusted her, too. “The gamble paid off. I told you it would.” He wiggled his toes and then stretched out across the sofa.

  “You can’t take chances like that with your life. We’ve lost so much. We’ve lost everything,” Suvi said. “I—I can’t lose you, too. I just can’t.”

  All at once, he understood the strength behind her anger. “This isn’t entirely about me, is it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Family didn’t mean the same thing for royals as it did for commoners, and he knew it. “Dylan mentioned a new contract. You were unsuccessful, weren’t you?”

  She sighed. “You always did understand me better than anyone.”

  “I’m your twin.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry I caused you further embarrassment. But soldiers don’t often make old bones. You know that. I am what I am. If I can face that, you can.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” she said. “I forbid it.”

  “Sentimentality isn’t like you.” He saw her wince, and frowned. “What are you really here for?”

  “Stop trying to change the damned subject!”

  He shrugged. “The truth is the truth.”

  “You want to talk about truth? Fine,” she said. “The truth is, I’m worried you’ve reverted to your old ways.”

  “I haven’t gambled since before Father died.”

  “That isn’t entirely true. You’re playing a different game, with higher stakes. You’ve been courting danger.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t deny it.”

  Nels bit down on things he knew he shouldn’t say and looked away.

  Suvi said, “You’re too important to throw away your life.”

  “Horseshit.”

  “Has it not occurred to you that I can’t perform my function as Guardian without you?”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it. Oh.

  “It hasn’t? How is that possible? Do you remember when we went to Keeper Mountain together? Do you remember closing the gate against the Old Ones? Because I do. It takes all three of us—all of our powers—to protect the whole of Västmark, even the Waterborne. Me. Ilta. And you.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  She continued. “I know you took the war with Acrasia personally—”

  “I failed everyone.”

  “If you did, I did too.” Suvi shrugged. “I still don’t know why anyone would want me in charge, but here I am. And I’m going to do the absolute best I can with what little I have. And that isn’t insignificant. Do you know who taught me that?”

  “Who?”

  “You.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes. ‘Oh.’ ” Exasperated, she folded her arms across her chest. “Fine. What’s done is done. Lucky for everyone you came back alive. This time.”

  “I’m … sorry.”

  “Apology accepted.” She let her arms fall to her sides and then seemed to search for a place to sit. “On to the next order of business. What information were you able to get?”

  He sat up, wordlessly giving her part of the sofa. “Edvard is determined to appear neutral. Or at least his idea of neutral. We can’t expect any more obvious help. However, given the ease with which we got away with the silver, we know where his sympathies lie.”

  She rejected his silent offer and opted to drag a wingback chair across the room to a space in front of the fire at his left.

  He’d gotten up to do it for her but had been too late.

  “That’s good, I suppose,” she said.

  Nels resumed lying on the sofa. “He seems to be gambling on the Acrasians being satisfied with conquering Eledore.”

  She tugged down the hood of her cloak and unhooked the decorative star-shaped clasp at the neck. Then she left the cloak draped over the back of the chair behind his writing desk and joined him by the fire. “For Ytlain’s sake, I hope he’s right.”

  “The Acrasians didn’t stop with Marren, and they have yet to disband their army,” Nels said. “You know, Edvard attempted to induce me to leave with him.”

  “His mistake.”

  “I considered his offer.”

  Suvi made a sound that was almost a snort from the comfort of the wingback chair. “You did not,” she said. “He attempted to control you, and you told him to sod off.”

  Nels raised an eyebrow at her vulgar Acrasian. She held his gaze.

  “You’re right.” He listened to the fire crackle for a while before continuing. “Why are you here? You know you shouldn’t be anywhere near Eledore until spring.”

  “Maybe I wanted to spend the winter with my only living family member?”

  “You can’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”

  “That hasn’t stopped you. Why should it stop me?” she asked. “The Acrasians have quite the bounty on your head, you know.”

  “It hasn’t helped them much in finding me so far.”

  “Dylan says this winter is going to be a bad one. By the way, you should thank him. Risking the trail this late in the season was a stupid stunt. He used a great
deal of power to ensure that you weren’t caught in that storm.”

  “Oh.” I should’ve known it wasn’t luck.

  “What else did you learn?” She kicked off her slippers and propped her feet up on a pillow.

  “Edvard gave me all the information he had on Acrasian troop locations and supply trains. After the Acrasians left, of course.”

  “That, along with the money,” she said. “He was helpful.”

  “The silver was enough to make a payment on what we owe Clan Kask and buy some supplies from Captain Julia. Should help in your negotiations with Dylan.”

  “Where did that come from?” Suvi asked, motioning to the chests.

  “Merta,” Nels said. “The citizens buried their valuables in one of the mines. That is only a small part of what we found.” Between the war and variola, no one was left to lay claim to it.

  Suvi’s face brightened for the first time. “Oh, my.”

  “Sebastian says two of the other mines are viable—at least, the records say they are,” Nels said. “Unfortunately, all the tunnels are set to blow. Sebastian can handle the explosives, but we need someone with mining skills if we’re to make use of what we’ve found. There’s no one among the troops. I asked. Think Slate can find someone? Quietly?”

  “It’s possible. I’ll ask.”

  “About the Acrasians.” Nels paused before giving her the last of the news. “Something isn’t right. They’ve abandoned the eastern coast, not merely Merta but Mehrinna, too.”

  Annikki had verified Edvard’s report, at least the parts involving Mehrinna.

  Nels said, “Edvard seems to think they’ve withdrawn from all our cities. And in a hurry, from what he understands. It makes sense of what I’ve been seeing. There’s a great deal of activity along the Kristallilasi. Quite a few troops are holed up in Wyeth and Virens.”

  His sister’s face grew suddenly pale. “Why? Did Edvard say?”

  “I still think they’re preparing to attack Ytlain. But Edvard insisted that the Acrasians are merely leaving Eledore. They blame demons and ghosts. Ill luck. They claim whole settlements have vanished. Crops have been ruined.”

  She smiled. “My, you’ve been busy.”

  “Not that busy, and you know it,” he said. “I’ve not been as far north as Mehrinna, let alone Jalokivi, in months. I’ve focused my efforts along the new border.” Memories of what lived beneath Keeper Mountain sprang to mind. He was reluctant to speak of his fears out loud, but he did it anyway. “Are you sure we closed the ga—”

  “I’m sure.”

  “But not so sure as to stay away until spring?”

  Apparently unable to hold his gaze, she turned aside and changed the subject. “I’ve been consulting with the Silmaillia.”

  At the mention of Ilta, he raised both eyebrows. “You’re speaking to Ilta now?”

  For Suvi to put aside her grudge meant she was seriously concerned about what lay ahead.

  Or there’s another reason, he thought. Probably more than one, if I know my sister.

  “I’ve decided to forgive her,” Suvi said. “What good comes from blame? It won’t bring Mother back. It won’t change anything. It won’t make life any easier for anyone. It would only deprive me of my Silmaillia when I need her most.”

  “I’m relieved you changed your mind.”

  They sat in silence for a time. He’d thought she was finished speaking when she said, “You’re right, you know. Something is wrong in the north. It’s the same thing that is wrong in the south.”

  “The Acrasians?”

  She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “If only that were all.” She bit her lip. “Ilta says it’s the … Old Ones. They’ve broken through.”

  “You said—”

  “Not in Jalokivi. Somewhere else.”

  Nels swallowed. “Do you know where?”

  “May I have some tea? Is the water hot enough?” Suvi motioned toward the kettle hanging on the swivel-hook.

  “It should be.”

  Proper black tea was one of the many items that would dwindle in supply as the winter wore on. Tea was imported by the Waterborne from the Republic of Massilia in the west. Ytlain imported Massilian tea as well through the Chain Lakes, while coffee and chocolate came from Acrasian plantations and colonies in the southern hemisphere. Acrasians loved their coffee and chocolate. Since a large number of the Hold’s refugees originated from the Regnum, coffee was easiest to get.

  Nels sat up. He then spotted the covered tray on the floor next to the hearth. Hungry as he was, he didn’t know how he had missed it before. His stomach let out a loud rumble. “You had Ilta prepare all this before I arrived?”

  “Ilta seemed to think you’d be more receptive with a full stomach. I’m surprised she isn’t here.”

  “She wanted to permit you adequate space to verbally eviscerate me in private.”

  “How thoughtful.” Suvi smoothed her skirts back, pulled up her sleeve before reaching for the kettle, and stepped to the hearth.

  He jumped to his feet when he saw the hem of her voluminous dress brush the flames. Yanking her skirts from the fire before they could do more than scorch, he said, “You’d best let me do that.”

  “All right.” She returned to her chair. Wrinkling her nose, she said, “You stink.”

  “Then maybe you should’ve waited until tomorrow to berate me.”

  “I—It couldn’t wait.”

  “Why?” He went through the motions of preparing the tea in silence, allowing her time to get her thoughts organized. When he finally handed her a finished cup, he could see she was ready to talk again. His guts clenched. Whatever she was about to say wasn’t going to be pleasant. He knew his twin. The line between her eyes was more prominent, and her jaw was tight. That expression never meant anything good.

  Settling down once more, he reveled in the comfort of a fire and warm porcelain against his palms. His toes were no longer cold. He felt safe and somewhat relaxed for the first time in months. He relished it all the more, knowing it wouldn’t last.

  “I’m frightened,” she said.

  “More than usual? Why?”

  “Ilta had a vision. The broken gate,” she said. “It’s in Acrasia.”

  “What?” He jumped to his feet again. “No!”

  Suvi said, “We must seal it before they gather any more strength.”

  “No! Let the Acrasians rot! We owe them nothing!”

  “We can’t do that.”

  “We damned well can,” he said.

  “We can’t!”

  “And what about Keeper Mountain? Are you proposing we spend the rest of our days traipsing about the continent? Because I’m not saving the Regnum at the cost of what is left of Eledore!”

  Suvi said, “We won’t need to go to Keeper Mountain to perform the ritual, if we find the broken gate in the south.”

  “How does that—”

  “First, you’re assuming that the portal in the north is the important one. We did too, but we were wrong. It isn’t. It never was. All the gates are linked, and because of this, when we close one portal against the Old Ones, we’re closing them all. That’s why it requires so much energy. That’s why a Silmaillia is needed.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I can have Ilta bring you the books we found in her grandmother’s library,” Suvi said. “You can read for yourself. They’re quite old, however. You’ll have to be careful.”

  “If Saara knew this, why didn’t she tell Ilta?”

  “We’re not certain she did,” Suvi said. “We’re still looking into that. A great deal has been forgotten since the days of Kassarina Ilmari, the first Queen of Eledore.”

  “If it doesn’t matter which portal we close, why can’t we just close the one in Jalokivi? Why risk going south?”

  “Because if that worked, the southern gate would be closed already,” Suvi said. “It isn’t. Ilta says she’s seen it. Something is wrong in Acrasia, and the only way to fix it is to go
there ourselves.”

  “All right. That’s the first part. What’s the second?”

  “The Old Ones are already free in Acrasia. We don’t know for how long. Nonetheless, if they’re free, they’ll want to open the way for others of their kind. The historical record states this. They’ll travel north, if they haven’t already. They’ll attack the other gates. We must stop them before that happens. Because if it does, we will be traipsing all over the known world as Kassarina Ilmari did.”

  Nels swallowed. He thought of the troops he’d left secreted in the wilds, and shuddered. Have I abandoned them to a worse enemy? “We have to do something.” We must get message birds out as soon as the storm clears.

  “I thought you’d agree,” Suvi said. “I was hoping you would know what to do.”

  “Me? Why would I?”

  “You’re the one who is to save—”

  His fist tightened. Not you, too. “That was a stupid rumor. If anyone should know that, it’s you. I am not the savior of Eledore. That was a joke my first regiment used to mock a spoiled, impudent boy. Nothing more.”

  “The Silmaillia disagrees.”

  “We both know that Ilta is not infallible.”

  “That prediction wasn’t hers. It was Saara’s, her grandmother’s.”

  He set his cup on the floor and stood up. “She was wrong, damn it! This is what we are now! A few ragged survivors hiding in our own burial mound! For the goddess’s sake, don’t put this off on me! I’ll let you down! I let everyone down! That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t want the responsibility. You’re the one they crowned! This is your decision! Not mine!”

  Wounded, Suvi looked away.

  Shit, he thought. Now I’ve done it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “Yes, you did.” Her long brown curls hid her face. “You’re right. I was never meant to be Queen. It was you who was supposed to rule. Not me. You.”

  “Horseshit. You’re a born diplomat and leader. You always were. I would’ve made a mess of everything. We both know that.” He put out a hand to touch her arm, but she flinched away.

  “I haven’t given up. I can’t,” she said. “And I won’t. This isn’t over until the very last of us is gone. I refuse to see it any other way. And if you aren’t with me, I need to know now. Because I can put someone else in charge of my army.”