by Rin Chupeco
“Tea! Fox!”
Our family stood several yards away, waving. My parents looked unchanged, though my dad stooped a little more than I remembered. Wolf and Hawk had gone from chasing each other around my father’s forge to becoming bearded blacksmiths like my father. Wolf was even starting his own family, which made my head spin. Beside them, Marigold, Violet, and Lily bloomed like their namesakes. Rose and Lilac, not quite asha but my sister-witches still, were the same as always, but Daisy had become even more beautiful. My heart ached, knowing how fast they had grown. Was this how Fox felt whenever he had come home on leave from the army?
Yes, my brother murmured.
We were swept up in a sea of hugs and kisses, my siblings surrounding us. “You rarely write!” Hawk complained, clapping his oldest brother on the shoulder. “You used to write enough to fill a book when you were in the army but then practically nothing after you and Tea left for Kion!” He turned to grin at me then—they all did, a little awed as I stood in my hua with its delicately embroidered waist wrap. What money Fox or I could save, we always sent their way, but I was self-conscious that my outfit cost more than what my family normally made in a year.
“Lady Mykaela was kind enough to invite us for the ceremony,” Marigold said happily. “So many people! It’s like solstice back at home, only the dresses are prettier.”
“I got a new heart for the occasion,” Daisy informed me proudly, displaying a gorgeously intricate heartsglass around her neck, gleaming red.
I groaned. “Daisy.”
“What? I dumped him because he was a louse. I wish I had a pretty silver heartsglass of my own.” Ever the opportunist, she turned to smile brightly at Kalen. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Tea bunny?”
Growing older hadn’t altered who my family was. Had I changed to them? Did they still see me as the twelve-year-old with her head constantly in a book or did they see me as an asha?
Because I had changed. I wasn’t the girl they remembered. Would they be afraid of me if they knew the runes I wove, if they knew the monsters I’d raised? Would the girl they knew have hidden an azi in her mind and told no one? I knew the answer to that, and it hurt. I was a puzzle piece that no longer conformed to the shape of their lives.
“Thank you, Mykaela,” I whispered as my family joined the rest of the asha.
She smiled. “I know how difficult it is to be away from family.”
I had no time to voice more of my gratitude when my parents descended upon me.
“You’re not eating right,” my mother fretted. “Have they been feeding you well? Are you working too much?”
“Please, Mama,” I mumbled.
My father was a man of few words. “We’ve missed you, Tea,” he said in his low rumble, and I blinked back tears.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit.”
“We heard about you putting down daeva.” Worry colored my father’s heartsglass.
“I’m protected. The Deathseekers and the king’s soldiers make it a point to accompany me…and Fox, of course. The prince even accompanied me once.”
“The prince!” My mother clapped a hand over her heart. “Lady Mykaela told me she would introduce us to him today. Imagine that! Never in my lifetime did I think we would meet the king and his son!”
“Everyone’s excited.” My father cast a glance back at Daisy and Kalen and added dryly, “Even your oldest sister, although I suspect it’s for a different reason.”
To set Daisy loose in a roomful of eligible noblemen was always a bad idea. I hesitated. On one hand, it was amusing to see Kalen looking out of sorts. On the other, he had been nicer to me as of late.
Fox approached, knowing the plan that ran through my mind. My parents turned delightedly to him as he began introducing the other asha.
“Perhaps one of the king’s soldiers can show you around the city,” Kalen said as I headed for Daisy.
“But I’d feel much safer with you,” Daisy persisted, her hand tightening on his Kalen’s arm. I felt a twinge of irritation. This was moving too fast, even for her.
“He’s right, Daisy,” I said cheerfully, worming my way between the two, taking great care to remove my sister’s hand from Kalen’s as I did. My sister glared daggers at me. “Lord Kalen is a high-ranking member of the Deathseekers. What little time he can spare, he spends with me.”
“With you?” It was my turn to grab Kalen’s arm, pulling him away. “You can have your pick of suitors in Kneave, Daisy, but it would be nice if you could leave mine alone.”
Kalen’s mouth was working soundlessly. I stepped on his foot, warning him not to speak.
“Goodness!” Daisy’s hand flew to her mouth, looking both surprised and pleased. “Really? You never mentioned—”
I looped Kalen’s arm around my neck and snuggled closer to him. “It’s not like we want to announce it to everyone, but our relationship is not forbidden. Right, my love?” I poked Kalen in the ribs.
The Deathseeker coughed. “Yes. I, uh…”
“Oh, Tea! My little sister is growing up so fast!” Daisy clapped her hands in delight. She’d gone from flirt to doting sister in less than a second. “My apologies, Lord Kalen. I haven’t seen Tea bunny in such a long time, and I still see her as the shy girl she always was. So you really do love him, Tea?”
I planted as genuine a smile on my face as I could muster. “Of course! I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.” I tugged hard at his sleeve. Kalen was selling this poorly, and Daisy would be sharp enough to figure it out.
“Agreed.” Kalen’s voice sounded so strange that I had to peek up at him to see if he was all right. The next thing I knew, his grip around my shoulders tightened, and he pressed his lips against my cheek.
It was like a jolt of lightning lanced through my skin. I jumped, though it was not an entirely unpleasant shock, and Daisy looked satisfied.
“My apologies, Lord Kalen. Tea bunny, I can see he’s quite smitten. Ooh, Marigold and Lily will be so thrilled to hear!”
“Wait!” I shouted, to no avail. Daisy was already dashing over to my sisters.
“Tea bunny?”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “What did you do that for?”
“I thought you wanted me to be convincing,” he hissed back. “And whatever possessed you to say we were in a relationship?”
“Daisy has a lot of bad habits, but she would never chase after a guy who’s already taken.” I stepped out of his reach. “Look, since you’re clearly uncomfortable, let’s just pretend this never happened. I’ll deal with my sister.”
I was spared from making a further fool of myself by the trumpets sounding as the ceremony began.
My family looked on in awe as both Prince Kance and Princess Inessa stepped into view. I could feel a faint tightening in the corners of Fox’s thoughts, his heartsglass gleaming too brightly to be natural. I reached for his hand and squeezed lightly. After a moment, he squeezed back.
Together, we watched them formalize their betrothal. They exchanged heartsglass, as was the custom, a symbol of their commitment to one another, and I felt my own heartsglass flicker when the prince leaned over and kissed the princess, concluding the celebrations.
• • •
The party was in full swing by the time I entered the throne room, where dignitaries from most of the kingdoms mingled. Prince Kance smiled, catching sight of me as I entered.
“I’ve been looking for you all evening,” he said, folding his hands over mine, as was his habit.
“Are you feeling all right, Your Highness?” His face looked pale again.
“Kance,” he corrected me.
“Not today—a formal engagement in a public setting. Calling you by your first name wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“Then at least let me apologize.”
“That
’s not necessary, Your Highness.”
“It is to me,” he said earnestly. “I wanted to tell you personally about the engagement, but I didn’t quite know where to begin. After all my talk about taking command of my own life, this reeks of the worst hypocrisy.”
“That doesn’t matter, Your Highness.”
The prince shook his head, and his heartsglass shone a somber blue. “It does. First Drycht and then this situation with Likh and now my engagement… Father’s been impossible all week.” He stopped, his eyes unfocused.
“Your Highness?”
He snapped out of his strange reverie, blinking rapidly. “What was I saying?”
“I think you need to excuse yourself from the celebrations, Your Majesty. You’re not well. You haven’t been well since before the aeshma hunt.”
“You’re right. Perhaps after greeting the rest of the guests.” He sighed. “I haven’t even talked to Inessa tonight.”
“Do you love her, Your Highness?” I asked softly, fearing what he might answer.
He hesitated. “I think I could grow to love her.”
That was a consolation. “If you truly believe that she can make you happy, talk to her about your engagement. You owe each other that much.”
Prince Kance smiled wryly. “I agree. I should.”
“And I have something that could help you with your exhaustion. Khalad made it.” I reached into the folds of my robe. The prince’s birthday was in three days but now seemed as good a time as any.
The prince brightened at the sight of the small glass pendant sparkling under the bright lights of the throne room. “I’ll keep it with me at all times.” He bent his head and pressed his lips against the back of my hand. “Thank you, Tea. You helped me understand that there’s more to a kingship than sitting on a throne.”
“It’s nothing, Your Highness.” My throat constricted. “And my best wishes on your engagement, Prince Kance. I hope you and the princess will be happy together.”
A melancholic smile appeared on his face. “Thank you. I wish I could—”
“Your Highness?” A courtier materialized by his elbow. “The king wishes to speak to you.”
“Let’s talk later, Lady Tea,” Prince Kance said, exhaling. “Please excuse me…”
I watched him stride to where King Telemaine and Princess Inessa waited and turned away. Polaire and the others were busy entertaining, something I was also supposed to be doing. This was a nobles-only event, so Fox was somewhere else in the palace with the rest of my family. I was on my own.
“You look like a little thundercloud hovering in the middle of a field of sunshine.”
I bit back a sigh and faced Kalen. “I’m flattered you made all this effort to keep the thundercloud company.”
“I was in the middle of a boring conversation with the Earl of Heides. You were an escape.”
“There’s something else eating at you.” I nodded at his heartsglass. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He paused, nodded.
I followed his gaze to his father, the Duke of Holsrath, who sat at the farthest table from the crowd, a drink in one hand and a small smirk on his face. Everyone pointedly ignored him, and the large coterie of guards around him was proof he was still a prisoner. He looked gaunt, undoubtedly from his time in the dungeons, though his hair and beard were freshly trimmed. He resembled Kalen on a superficial level, but I disliked him at first sight.
“I want him out of here,” Kalen said stiffly. “If it wasn’t in direct conflict with the king’s orders, I would have—”
He stopped at the sound of breaking glass. Heads turned toward the throne.
A glass had slipped from Prince Kance’s hand. He was ashen. He took two steps forward, his mouth forming my name before he collapsed on the floor.
I rushed forward, but Kalen was quicker, reaching his side before King Telemaine. “Send for a doctor!” the king roared.
Prince Kance took a deep, shuddering breath. His eyes met mine, then Kalen’s.
“Protect her,” he whispered.
Helpless to do anything else, the Deathseeker could only nod.
The prince smiled at him and then at me before the light in his heartsglass went out.
“It was chaos,” the asha said, reminiscing. “I remembered little else of that night—only faces hovering over us, Kalen yelling at them to stay back. It was terrifying to feel so helpless. I knew there was nothing I could do, yet I was convinced I’d overlooked some danger at the party.”
“You did everything you could, Tea.”
The Heartforger’s equipment had been sent for, and it was a strange collection of tools. Different glass containers of miscellaneous sizes and shapes stood on a row before the throne. Oddly colored liquid sloshed in many of these vials, bubbling and hissing and resembling no form of water I was familiar with. There was also an apparatus built like a pottery wheel but with more spikes and pedals than seemed necessary. The Heartforger ran his hands lovingly over it, inspecting every hollowed nook.
A cooing noise came from by the window—the taurvi’s giant eye peered quizzically down at us, and it sang a few short notes.
“Lady Tea,” I whispered. “You cannot treat the Daanorian emperor this way.”
“He is a horrible emperor, Bard.” Disdain marked her voice. “He did many terrible things.”
“Lady Tea.” This time it was Princess Yansheo pleading. “I do not know what impels you to treat my kinsman so poorly, but I beg of you. Whatever your quarrel with him, he is still the ruler of this kingdom, and he is my liege, however badly he has treated me. Daanoris does not deserve such punishment.”
But the asha shook her head. “Kings and emperors need the people more than the people need them, princess. Kings are kings only because one ancestor was quicker than another to place a crown on his own head. Bravery and courage are not passed down through blood. Kings and emperors do not require valor or good works; all they require is submission.”
“But there is no one else fit to rule, milady.”
“In Odalia, they tell us that all men are made in Blade that Soars’ s image, and all women in Dancing Wind’s. What claim would he possess to hold the crown better than yours, princess?”
11
For two days, a line of worried doctors traipsed into the prince’s bedchamber and traipsed back out again armed with conflicting diagnoses. King Telemaine held a vigil by his bedside, but not even Princess Inessa or Lady Mykaela was allowed entry.
I divided my time between waiting anxiously in the hallway and sitting in my room, desperately searching for something, anything, within Aenah’s Faceless book that could help the prince. “What good are you?” I finally sobbed, flinging it in a brief fit of rage. What was the use of Scrying and puppets when they couldn’t save the prince?
Kalen had taken the events worse than I had and was reduced to pacing Kance’s hallway, rejecting food and rest. “I can’t think about eating at a time like this, Tea.” He looked like he hadn’t slept since the prince collapsed.
“You’ll become as sick as His Highness without anything in your stomach.” I shoved bread into his hands. “Do they even know what’s happened to Prince Kance?”
Giving in to my bullying, Kalen accepted a piece. “Nothing yet.”
“Why not ask Althy to help? She’s the best healer among the asha.”
Kalen sighed. “Politics. Lady Altaecia is a Kion asha, and as friendly as they are, to ask for help from a neighboring kingdom is a sign of weakness.”
“But not at the cost of the prince’s life!” I insisted.
“I wouldn’t put my son’s life over the needs of the kingdom.” For all his bulk, King Telemaine could walk silently when he wished to. Kalen jerked to attention. “Lady Mykaela, however, has taken a look at him, even she was at a loss.”
“Can’t we do
anything?” I pleaded.
He smiled kindly at me, though his eyes were heavy with fatigue. “It warms my heart to know that Kance has friends he can trust. But his illness is beyond our understanding. The doctors can find nothing wrong with him, save for his heartsglass turning an unusual gray. All he does is sleep.”
Dread seized my gut. “Gray? He won’t wake up?”
“So they say. The best doctors in the kingdom and they have no idea. Lady Tea?”
I was already backing away. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I have to go.” I tore down the hallway, heart pounding. A sleeping sickness. Where had I heard that before?
Kalen caught up to me easily as I reached the gate. Fox, so attuned to my emotions, was already there astride Chief. My horse-familiar pawed at the ground, eager to be off.
“Where are you going, Tea?” Kalen yelled behind me.
“To see Khalad!” I vaulted onto Chief, who was intelligent enough to pick up on my thoughts. Soon, we were cantering into the city, leaving the Deathseeker staring after us.
Khalad was hunched over another one of his creations when we burst into the room. He started but deftly caught the delicate heartsglass before it fell. “Please knock next time, Lady Tea,” he said sternly. “This new heart has a very rare memory. It’s not every day you find one over a hundred years old—”
“Prince Kance is ill, Khalad,” I gasped out. “They say it’s a sleeping sickness!”
Khalad’s eyes widened, his expression suddenly stricken. “Kance is sick?”
“He has been for two days! His heartsglass turned gray right before my eyes! Wasn’t that a symptom of the sleeping sickness the old forger was investigating?”
He flushed. “But that’s impossible! The master was certain there would be no such cases in Odalia.”
“That’s not how illnesses work,” my brother objected.
Khalad rummaged through a pile of books in one corner of the room, returning with several parchments.
“Master conducted a thorough investigation,” he explained, unrolling one of the parchments. “There have been four known incidents so far. Baron Cyran of Istera: age twenty-three. He went to bed one night and couldn’t be woken the next morning.” He uncovered another. “The Earl of Mancer, from Arhen-Kosho: age thirty-eight. He was out hunting boar when he suddenly toppled off his horse. Here’s another: a royal princess from the house of Weixu, of Daanoris: age sixteen. She fell unconscious in the middle of a ball.”
