Book 3: Chapter Six

Corec stretched out in the bath, glad to finally be in a place where he could leave his heavy armor off for a few days. His mail shirt would be sufficient for walking around town.

The trip from Snow Crown to Tyrsall had been long and boring, with the only high point being that the farther south they went, the less cold it got.

There was a knock on the door and Katrin peeked in. “Hey, everyone’s ready.” She was already clean and dressed, with her hair done up.

“Now?” he asked, looking down at the comfortably warm water.

“That’s what you get for drawing the short straw,” she said, snickering.

Corec groaned. “Let me at least wash a little first.” He grabbed the bar of Valaran olive oil soap and stood up to lather his body. Katrin stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face, tapping on the doorframe as if she was waiting impatiently.

Then Shavala appeared. “Ellerie’s looking for you,” she said to him.

Corec splashed back into the water.

Katrin burst out laughing. “I already told him.”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” he said, feeling his skin heat up—from blushing, he suspected, rather than the warmth of the bath.

“Good,” Shavala said. She turned to Katrin. “Do you still want to go shopping tomorrow?”

“If we’re not needed for anything else. We don’t really have to invite Ellerie, do we?”

“The rest of us are going, so it would be a nice gesture,” Shavala said.

“Treya isn’t going.”

“Because Treya only wears those gray tunics. She says she can get more at her chapter house.”

“Fine,” Katrin said with a sigh. “I suppose I can deal with it for one day.”

Corec said, “I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

Katrin raised her eyebrows. “We’re only going to the Tailors’ Quarter. I didn’t think you’d want to come anyway.”

“Oh, no, I guess not. Pick up a couple of shirts for me, will you?”

“Sure.”

Corec waited, but the two women kept talking. Finally, he said, “Uh, Shavala?”

“Yes?” she asked him.

Katrin laughed again. “He’s embarrassed that you’re here.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you later. Come on, let’s go.”

With the women gone and the door once again safely closed, Corec splashed water over himself to rinse the soap off, then climbed out of the tub, dried himself off, and got dressed.

He found everyone gathered in a private dining room the innkeeper had allowed them to use. It was after dark, but flickering lights from the oil lamps danced around the room. One lamp stood at the center of the table and two more hung from the walls.

Corec took a seat next to Katrin. “Razai is here,” he said.

“Here?” Ellerie asked, glancing around.

“In Tyrsall, not in the building. She was to the west earlier, now she’s to the east. She’s got to be in the city. I’ll try to find her tomorrow after I talk to Yelena.”

Ellerie nodded. “When you see Yelena, are you going to ask if she has any work for us?”

“Yes, but it’s not likely she’d have anything that could pay for the whole trip.”

“Do you have any other contacts here for possible jobs?”

“Bounty hunting, maybe, but from my small experience with that, it’s probably not worth the trouble.” He winked at Katrin. She rolled her eyes and poked him in the arm.

Treya said, “I could ask at the chapter house if there’s any work that Shana or Kelis haven’t already taken care of.”

Bobo raised a finger. “I’ve got some more salves and ointments and herbs I can sell off, but it’ll only come to about two gold total.”

“Are you going to the library tomorrow to look for maps?” Boktar asked. “I’d like to get started on planning our route.”

“Maps, and I still need to look for another source confirming that winged snakes can only be found in Cordaea, to make sure we’re going to the right place. Why not come with me? It would help to have two pairs of eyes.”

The dwarf nodded. As Ellerie had relaxed around Bobo, Boktar had as well. They’d begun treating him more like a member of the group rather than a man who’d stolen from them.

“We still need a translator,” Ellerie said.

“A friend of mine is concubine to a member of the Senshall family,” Treya said. “She might be able to find someone for us.”

Corec nodded. “Senshall is the largest trading house in Tyrsall. They have regular routes to Cordaea, so they must have people who speak the language. They might have some ideas about how we can find a ship, too.”

“I’ll ask.”

Ellerie counted on her fingers. “Yelena, jobs, maps, ship. Is there anything else we need to talk about tonight? What about supplies?”

Boktar said, “I’ll take care of that, but I can’t get started until we know more. First off, whether we can actually afford to go now, or if we have to wait. Then, I need to know our budget, the route, the cities we’ll be passing through, and how long it’ll take to reach them. A big question is the ship—will we need to bring our own supplies for the trip?”

“I would,” Bobo said. “Sailors eat the cheapest slop the captain thinks he can get away with. But we’ll have to negotiate use of the galley if we want to cook anything.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Sarette asked.

“Come shopping with us tomorrow,” Katrin replied. “We’ll find you some clothing you can wear as the weather warms up.”

“I meant, is there anything I can do to help us get ready for the trip?”

“We’ll be here for a few days,” Corec said. “Rest up, and we’ll let you know if we need anything.”

“That’s everything for now, then,” Ellerie said. “Is there music tonight?”

Katrin shook her head. “It’s too late to get started now, but the innkeeper promised I could have the common room tomorrow evening.”

The meeting broke up then, with the others heading out to the common room for supper, or upstairs to their rooms.

Katrin and Shavala stayed behind with Corec. Katrin said, “You were quiet. Ellerie did most of the talking.”

“Finding Tir Yadar has always been her idea,” Corec replied. “I don’t want to interfere with that. She and I have a good balance right now. I’ll take care of the things I’ve always taken care of, and she’ll take care of finding the city.”

“Are you sure it’s not because she’s a…” Katrin glanced around to make sure no one was listening, but didn’t complete her sentence.

Corec shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’m trying to follow Boktar’s example. He’s known her longer than anyone, and he doesn’t treat her any differently.”

She smirked. “You may not want to make fun of her the way he does.”

“No, that probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Have you decided about coming to Cordaea?” Shavala asked Katrin.

“Shavala!” Katrin exclaimed.

“What?”

“What’s this?” Corec asked.

Giving Shavala an annoyed look, Katrin said, “I’d thought about staying behind when you left, until I realized how long you’d be gone.”

“Why would you stay? Why didn’t you say anything before now?”

“I didn’t want to worry you until I’d decided, but I just don’t feel like I’ve been helping out very much.”

“I don’t agree with that, but Katrin, you and I are together. If you stay, I stay. I’d like to go, though—I feel like I owe Ellerie that much.”

She looked up at him silently for a moment, then smiled. “You should say things like that more often. Not the part about Ellerie, but the rest of it. Anyway, I’d already decided to go. That’s why I never told you.”

“I’m glad.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I should leave you two alone,” Shavala said.

“No, wait.” Katrin reached for the elven woman’s hand. “Why don’t the three of us go get something to eat, and talk about what we’re going to do when we get back from Cordaea? Treya, too, if she hasn’t already left for the chapter house.”

#

Shavala dipped her pen in the ink, then stared at the page, wondering if she had the description right.

She looked over at Sarette, who was standing and staring out the window that overlooked the dark street. On their trip south, Shavala had roomed with Treya as usual, and Sarette had been sharing with Ellerie, but since they were back in Tyrsall, Treya had gone to her chapter house for the night. Ellerie had volunteered to pay full price for a room of her own, which left Shavala sharing a room with Sarette for the first time.

“Do snow beasts ever get larger than the ones we saw?” she asked the stormborn woman.

Sarette turned away from the window to face her. “That was the first time I ever saw them close up. I think they were the normal size.”

“I’ll list it as ten to twelve feet then. Are they related to ogres?”

“I don’t know—I’ve never heard anyone mention that. What are you writing?”

“When I trained as a druid, my teacher lectured me over and over again about every plant and animal she could think of, whether they could be found in the Terril Forest or not. But there are some she missed—did you know there are fish that can fly?”

Sarette laughed. “How? Fish don’t have wings.”

“They have special fins. They push themselves out of the water, then glide in the air.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“We might, once we find a ship.” Shavala pointed to the sheet of paper before her. “Snow beasts were another that Meritia couldn’t teach me about. She knew they existed, but she’d never seen one, and had never met anyone who had. I’m writing up what I know about them, and about the flying fish, and I’ll send her a copy.”

Sarette nodded, then returned to looking out the window.

Shavala recognized the expression. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“It’s strange to be surrounded by outsiders—humans, I mean—and in a city so large. At least Lanport and High Cove were smaller than Snow Crown, but this place is different.”

“Just wait until you see it tomorrow, when the city’s awake. We came in after dark, and approached from the north, but Tyrsall is built along the coastline. You can’t really understand it until you see it from the west, and realize how big it truly is.”

“Why did you come here? The first time, I mean.”

“That was after I’d met Corec and Katrin, but I’d planned to come anyway. I’d always wanted to see Tyrsall and the sailing ships.” She laughed lightly. “I was scared at first. Human cities are so different than Terrillia, so crowded—like Snow Crown, actually. Terrillia is spread out; people don’t live so close together. But I got used to it eventually.”

Sarette nodded. “Are there any other elves here in Tyrsall?”

“Some—more than I expected. And I saw one of your people here once.”

“Really? I was wondering if I was the only one.”

“He was near the docks, with a spear like yours, guarding a group of seaborn.”

“I wonder why he left the Heights.”

Shavala shrugged. “I didn’t talk to him, but he was the first stormborn I’d ever seen.”

“Can we visit the docks tomorrow?”

“You want to look for him?”

“No, not exactly, but it would be nice to know there are others here.”

“I like to go there to watch the ships,” Shavala said. “I don’t have any other plans, besides shopping. Maybe Katrin will go with us.”

#

Treya’s first stop the next morning was at the Temple of Allosur, the God of Knowledge. The courtyard garden was dormant for the winter, with only the evergreen shrubs still showing life. The priest watching the main door recognized her and waved her through without question.

Inside, she wandered through the ornate halls until she found Priest Telkin in a classroom, teaching a group of young children how to read. He shrugged helplessly and pointed to his students, so she just smiled and leaned back against the wall to watch.

Priests of Allosur often served as itinerant teachers, bringing bits of learning to children whose parents couldn’t teach them themselves, but if these students were being taught within the temple, they had to have some connection to the church. They were too young to have already been identified as potential scholars and priests themselves, so perhaps they were children of the clergy.

When Telkin broke the class into small groups to practice on their own, Treya joined him in wandering around the room, helping the students who needed help. It brought back memories of her own first attempts at reading, back in the Three Orders orphanage in Four Roads.

Finally, Telkin dismissed the class and turned to her. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Treya. Unfortunately, you came on a bad day. I’m afraid Bishop Lastal is away on business of his own.”

“Actually, I came to talk to you this time. Do you remember when I asked you about healing?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be of more help.”

“No, I think the problem was that I was asking the wrong question. I shouldn’t have asked you how to heal; I should have asked what can be healed. When I was up north, I had to help a little girl dying of freezing sickness. I had no idea what to do, but, somehow, it came to me. If I hadn’t tried…”

“Ahh, I see your point. If you don’t know what’s possible, you may never think to attempt it.”

“Yes, and not just with healing. You know that one of my blessings is healing, and another helps me fight. I think I have more. We were attacked by men under the control of some sort of demonic spell, but I was able to stop them and cleanse the spell from their minds.”

Telkin looked shocked. “You’re certain of that?”

“As certain as I can be. We brought one of them back with us, if you’d like to talk to him. Despite trying to kill us, he was an innocent victim.” She left out what she’d done to Des and Arnol. That had been divine magic too, but she wasn’t sure what Telkin would think of it.

“Banishing a demonic spell is an impressive skill. I don’t have that blessing myself, but there are other priests here…” He thought for a moment. “We should gather any of the blessed who are here at the temple, and see if we can discover which blessings you’ve been granted. Perhaps you can even learn from my own blessing of protection.”

Treya nodded. Godborn or not, maybe now she could find out more about who she truly was…without having to speak to Bishop Lastal again.

#

“Corec!” Venni said with a wide grin, grasping his hand. “Come on in.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

She showed him into Yelena’s elegantly appointed public room, which was called a study but which doubled as a library, the walls on either side lined with massive bookshelves.

Yelena was short, with long, black hair. She was a stark contrast to Venni, her wife, who was tall and blonde. Both women appeared young, around Corec’s age, but they claimed to be over two hundred years old, attributing their long life to the warden bond. Yelena was wearing a simple tunic and leggings this time, unlike the expensive dresses he’d seen her in before. The tunic was still bright red, though, matching the warden runes she kept hidden from almost everyone.

Yelena’s husband Sarlo was in the room too, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on one of the desks, his fingers laced together behind his head. He appeared older than the women, having been bonded later in life.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me,” Corec said. Yelena’s quarters were in the heart of the ducal palace, so he’d had to send a messenger to her, then wait for the man to return with an invitation to visit.

“Thank you for holding to our agreement about notifying me when you’re in Tyrsall,” Yelena replied, sitting down behind her own desk. “What brings you back?”

“We’re planning to sail to Cordaea, but I also needed to speak to you. I’ve got a few questions, and I was hoping you might know the answers.”

“Oh?”

Corec considered where to begin, and decided to start with the easiest question first. “You said Three was to the southeast, right?” he asked Sarlo. “Could she be in Cordaea?” The First had claimed that Three knew how to banish the binding spell.

Sarlo glanced at Yelena, who nodded. He swung his legs off the desk and stood up to walk to the bookshelf behind him, which held a globe. He spun the orb, then stopped it and closed his eyes.

“It’s possible,” he said after a moment, opening his eyes again. “The southern part of the continent, or perhaps an island in that direction, or some other land beyond Cordaea. She’s outside my direct range, so I can’t tell you more than that.”

“You’re still looking to find a way to end the bond?” Yelena asked. “Or is this something different?”

“I promised some of the women I bonded that I’d keep looking.”

“And yet, even before you asked about Three, you’d already said you were planning to go to Cordaea.” Yelena waited, staring at him intently.

“Do you remember Ellerie, the nilvasta woman? She’s looking for an old city that used to be somewhere in Cordaea. Since we’re going there anyway, and Three is in the same direction, I figured I should find out more.”

“An old city?”

Corec hesitated. How would Ellerie feel if Sarlo found the city before her? And yet, if Sarlo could find it, it would be silly not to ask. “A place called Tir Yadar.”

Yelena raised an eyebrow. “Tir? One of the Chosar cities?”

“Chosar?”

“Chosar, or Ancients, or first peoples, whatever you want to call them. They all mean the same thing, or close enough.”

That wasn’t what Bobo had said, but Corec couldn’t remember the details well enough to ask. “Yes, I suppose. Ellerie knows more about it than I do. Do you know where it is?”

Sarlo shook his head. “I can’t help with that.”

Yelena said, “The Tirs are either warded against scrying or they simply no longer exist at all. That’s why so few have ever been found. You’re likely wasting your time.”

“There’s one in the Storm Heights.”

She leaned forward in her chair. “Snow Crown is a Tir?”

“No. There are ruins farther south in the mountains. The stormborn have been exploring them.”

“They’ve kept that quiet, but that’s not a surprise. They don’t talk to outsiders much.”

“They know about wardens, too.”

“What? Who told them?” Yelena’s expression wasn’t a happy one.

“They say they’ve had stories about wardens for as long as they can remember—mostly children’s tales. And a warden named Leonis visited them a hundred years ago.”

“Leonis…Leonis…it sounds made up, but masculine. A man?”

Corec nodded.

“It’s not a seaborn name, and I doubt the First has been doing any traveling. That’s got to be Four. I knew he was north of Larso at one point. It’s easy enough to reach the Storm Heights from there.” She stood and paced back and forth behind her desk. “What have they heard about us?”

“They knew I was a warden, and they know a little about how the warden bond works. I couldn’t answer many of their questions. I didn’t tell them who you are, but they’d like to talk to someone who knows more than I do.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Yelena said firmly. “I suppose I should be thankful, now, that they don’t speak much with outsiders. There aren’t many written references to wardens, but I hadn’t considered the idea of stories passed down orally.”

“They don’t mean us any harm.”

“We’ll see.” She sighed. “Was there anything else?”

“Yes—have you ever heard of Prince Rusol of Larso?”

“Second son of King Marten, now the only son? What about him?”

“He’s been sending men to kill me. We think they’re affected by some sort of demonic magic, but none of us know much about that sort of thing. I was hoping you could tell us more.”

“I haven’t been to Larso since before Marten’s father was born,” Yelena said. “Describe this demonic magic.”

“The men who attacked us, their eyes glowed red, and they acted like feral animals. They don’t speak, and they don’t seem to understand when anyone else speaks, but after Treya freed them from the spell, they claimed there was a voice that told them what to do. This was the third time they came after us—once in the free lands, once south of Circle Bay, and now west of the Storm Heights.”

“Treya is the priestess?”

“Yes. That’s why we think it’s demonic magic. Ellerie said divine magic could break a demonic spell.”

Yelena tapped the side of her cheek thoughtfully. “That’s true. I have experience with demons, but none recently, other than that business in High Cove. I don’t allow them to enter Tyrsall. But yes, it could be demonic magic. Demons have ways to compel others to their will. Why do you think the prince is involved?”

“The men were from the mercenary army that he’s raising. He recruited the group we spoke to for some special task, and that was their last memory, other than the voice.”

“What did you do to anger him?”

“Nothing. I’ve never even met him before. Could it have something to do with the wardens? The stormborn recognized me as one. Others could as well.”

“Larso doesn’t like magic, so if he knows about wardens, it’s possible. But I don’t keep any agents in Larso, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. Do you intend to move against him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Taking down a royal family is difficult, but it can be done. In this case, you already have a wedge you can use to drive away his popular support. Larso doesn’t like mages, and he’s using magic himself. Prove that to the people, and you’re halfway to forcing a civil war. Then you just need to make sure your side wins. Difficult, in this case, since it’s the side that hates magic, but possible.”

Corec stared at her in shock. “I don’t want to start a war! I was planning to stay as far from him as possible, at least until I figure out what he wants.”

“How do you intend to do that if you’re staying away from him?”

He slumped. “I was hoping you’d have an idea. I sent a letter to my father this morning—he’s in the Black Crow Mountains—and Treya’s writing to the Three Orders chapter house in Highfell, but it’ll take us months to hear back, and I doubt they’ll know anything about it.”

Venni muffled a laugh. “You wrote to your father telling him that his crown prince is trying to kill you?”

“No, I just asked what Rusol’s doing with his mercenary army, and whether there’d be any problems if I tried to visit home sometime in the next year. Hopefully we’ll be back from Cordaea by then.”

Yelena said, “When you return, stop by and I’ll let you know if I’ve heard anything, but don’t expect much. My nearest agents are in Matagor, and they’re merchants, not spies. I’m not going to set up an operation in Larso unless you intend to fund it.” She waited expectantly.

“You mean hire someone? We can’t even afford the trip to Cordaea yet. Do you know of any jobs we can take on?”

Sarlo and Venni both laughed.

Venni said, “You’ve got to learn to think like a warden. Wardens make jobs, they don’t take them. You’re not a caravan guard anymore. Go find some king and tell him you’re his new advisor—or, better yet, find a place in the free lands or down south that nobody’s laid claim to, and make it your own. I keep telling Yelena we should do that, but she’s a city girl.”

Yelena allowed a brief smile to flicker across her face. “I don’t know of any jobs appropriate for your particular skills, but Venni’s right. You work for yourself now, or if you work for someone else, then you do so on your own terms.”

Corec sighed. Their advice didn’t seem particularly helpful for the situation. “All right,” he said. “Thanks. Oh, one last thing.” He reached for the scabbard on his back, but froze when Venni tensed and laid her hand on the hilt of her sword. Even Sarlo had edged backward to where his staff was leaning up against a bookshelf. Corec moved his hand away from the sword harness. “I just wanted to show you something.”

Venni relaxed. “Sorry. It’s part of the job, you know.”

“Show us what?” Yelena asked. She’d remained expressionless and unmoving the whole time.

Corec reached for the scabbard again, this time more slowly. After detaching it from the harness, he drew the sword, then set the scabbard on an empty desk nearby. The blade glowed its familiar pale green as he held it out.

“We found it in those ruins in the Storm Heights, but I’m the only person who’s able to touch it. Is there such a thing as a weapon that can only be touched by a warden?”

“That’s not what’s happening,” Venni said. “It’s attuned to you. It won’t accept another bearer while you’re still alive. What did it do?”

“It hurts anyone else who touches it—they say it’s a stinging sensation that quickly gets worse. But then when I tried, it didn’t hurt at all, and it started glowing like this. I’d planned to leave it behind in Snow Crown, but it made a horrible screeching sound and started glowing too brightly to look at. Oh, and they told me that one person managed to hold on long enough to grab the hilt, but he claimed the sword was too heavy to move.”

Venni chewed her lower lip. “That’s warded more strongly than usual. It stung other people before you’d ever touched it? Did the attunement begin from a distance, or was there some other reason it didn’t like them?”

“What do you mean?”

“Normally, the protections don’t activate until the sword attunes to someone, and it shouldn’t have been able to do that until you touched it. But there might be an additional ward that seeks a specific type of bearer and prevents anyone else from getting close. Here, try this.” Venni drew her own sword, Dart, which glowed dark red just as it had that day in High Cove. She laid it out on the desk near his scabbard, the glow fading as her hand left the hilt. “Touch her.”

“What?” Would her sword react the same way his had?

“Trust me,” Venni said.

Corec tentatively poked the hilt with his finger, but nothing happened. There was no spark and no pain.

“Now, try to pick it up.”

He set his own sword down and grasped Dart’s hilt, but when he tried to lift it, it barely moved. Struggling to pull it up with both hands, he managed to raise the sword at an angle, the tip of the blade still resting on the desk. He looked at Venni. “What does that mean?” he asked, setting it back down again.

“Dart is attuned to me, so nobody else can carry her. Not easily, anyway. Before I found her, anyone could have taken her. Even now, someone could steal her if they really wanted to, but it’s more trouble than it’s worth. They wouldn’t be able to attune her until I die.”

“I didn’t know that was possible.”

“Attuned weapons are rare, even among other magic weapons. Most enchantments are simpler—typically to keep the blade sharp at all times and prevent it from breaking.”

“Then where did these two come from? Are they related?”

Venni shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Yelena said, “The secret of creating a permanent enchantment has been lost for a long time, but we don’t know how long. Your sword came from a Chosar city, which is more than we know about Venni’s.”

“Why can I touch Venni’s, but no one can touch this one?” Corec asked. “Why did it act differently when I tried to leave it behind?”

“Your sword has a more complex enchantment,” Venni said. She reached out for the blade, but a green spark arced toward her fingers. She gasped in pain and drew her hand back, then grinned at Yelena. “Do you want to try it? Just so we can prove it’s not warded to look for wardens?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Yelena replied. “I’ll bow to your expertise that now that it’s been attuned, it will harm anyone but him…regardless of what sort of bearer the initial ward was seeking.”

#

Razai gazed out over the plaza in her Aden disguise, trying to catch a glimpse of Dallo or any of his few remaining men. With Kahlvin in prison and Eben having abandoned his holdings, Dallo was the last of the three gang leaders who’d tried to take over the docks. He’d escaped the constabulary—or had possibly been tipped off—but she’d heard rumors that he’d shown his face in his old territory a few times.

She’d caught one of his lieutenants a week earlier, the man who’d murdered Talai’s bodyguard. Unfortunately, he’d screamed too loudly when she’d started breaking his fingers, so rather than getting any information out of him, she’d had to kill him before he drew attention. She’d left his body draped over a decorative fountain in front of Dallo’s old headquarters. Razai didn’t know if the gang leader still owned the building, but the people who lived around there would certainly recognize the body…and the warning.

She was no longer being paid by the divers, but she hated to leave a job half done. Or perhaps she was just bored. She had the day off since Renny was planning to stay home to visit with an old friend, but Vash and Wotar were both out with the caravans. There was no one to go drinking with until Lanii’s crew surfaced for the day.

Razai had been guarding Renny for three weeks now, and the concubine was still a puzzle—flighty as a bird one moment and as serious as a scholar the next. The real problem was that with the gangs out of the way, the girl didn’t need one bodyguard, much less two. Razai’s position seemed more a sinecure than anything.

Eliminating Dallo would ensure the last of the threat was gone. Perhaps that was the real reason she was waiting in the plaza. She didn’t want to accept Renny’s charity, but she didn’t want to leave town until the job was truly done.

There was movement in front of her, and suddenly Corec was standing there. “Razai?” he asked, staring at the Aden disguise, which he’d seen before.

She froze. He’d been to the north for so long, she’d grown complacent. The warden bond didn’t tell her how far away he was, only what direction he was in, and she hadn’t checked in over a day. She checked now, reflexively, and almost snarled when she realized he was standing north of her, so it felt the same as it had before. Useless bloody spell.

“What do you want?” she snapped.

“Just to talk,” he said, holding his hands up in front of him. “We got paid for taking care of the demons.”

“So?”

“I’ve got your share. Six gold and some silver.” He counted the coins out of a pouch.

She hesitated, but gold was gold. She took it. “Now, could you leave? I’m trying to work here.”

He looked back at the plaza, obviously trying to figure out what she was doing. “First, tell me how you knew about wardens,” he said. “And about me.”

Razai sighed. “Someone asked me to watch you, and tell him what you were doing.”

“Who was it? Prince Rusol?”

“You mean from Larso? The one that killed his brother?”

Corec had been about to say something, but instead had a coughing fit. “Rusol killed Prince Rikard?”

“I didn’t see him do it, but it’s got to be him. Younger brother, son of a concubine, but only one person stood between him and becoming heir to the throne. It wasn’t an accident, you know. The saddle’s straps were cut—I saw them.”

“You were there?”

“My employer—my former employer—was curious about what had happened, just like he was curious about you. I was nearby, so I snuck into the palace grounds and took a look.” That was understating the amount of interest Vatarxis had shown in Rusol and his family. Razai had been there specifically to spy on them, to see how they reacted after Rusol became a warden. The family had kept things quiet, though, and Vatarxis had been pleased with Rikard’s death, so Razai had eventually been given another task that led her away from Larso.

“Who is your employer?” Corec asked.

“He’s nobody you’d have ever heard of. Don’t worry about him—he never asked me to kill you, just to watch. I quit when you bonded me. I didn’t sign up for that.”

“I’m sorry. We’re still looking for a way to end the spell.”

“You’d better be.”

Corec’s brow furrowed. “Why did he want you to watch me? Is he another warden?”

“I don’t know why, and no, he’s not a warden.” Razai managed to keep herself from laughing at the thought.

“But he is the one who told you about them?”

“Yes.”

“What else do you know about Rusol? Why is he trying to kill me?”

She stared at him, wondering about the change in topic. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s working with some sort of demon to send men with red eyes to attack me.”

“Red eyes?”

“Humans with eyes that glow red. They turn back to normal when we kill them or free them from the spell. They said there was a voice that told them what to do.”

That did sound like one of the clumsier types of demonic compulsion. Glowing eyes could sometimes be a side effect.

“There weren’t any demons in Telfort when I was there, but that was a few years ago. I don’t know what Rusol’s up to now. I never even saw him—I was in and out in less than a day.” The lie came easily. Whatever Vatarxis’s interest was in the two newest wardens, he was more concerned with Rusol. Corec was merely an afterthought. But if Corec discovered she knew more about the prince, he’d never leave her alone.

“Do you think he might know about wardens, like your employer does?”

“How would I know?” The discussion was getting into dangerous territory. Luckily, just then, Razai saw her prey working his way through the crowd. “Now, I’ve answered your questions and I’ve got better things to do with my time. Don’t look for me again unless you find a way to end the warden bond.”

She stalked off, trailing Dallo but taking care to keep out of his sight. Corec didn’t follow her, but if he was in Tyrsall, it was time for her to leave. Six gold pieces was a significant amount of money, and on top of what she’d already saved, she could make it to Matagor in comfort. No, not Matagor—some of Corec’s friends were from there. Farther away. Southwest through Abildgar, and then on to Chondor or Deece. Maybe even directly south to Nobitar or Sanvar.

But first, she had to deal with Dallo, then tell Renny she was leaving. The girl deserved that much. Perhaps she would know of a job outside the city.

#

As soon as they were alone, Treya hugged her old roommate. “I like your new butler.”

Renny smirked. “Varsin warned Mr. Jovan about his behavior, but he didn’t stop. I only complained about how he treated you, not how he treated me, but Varsin and Kelsa caught him at it a few times, so now he’s gone. Mr. Halson is a big improvement. Did you just get back?”

“We made it in last night. The Storm Heights were cold.”

“Well, of course they were,” Renny said, laughing. “If you’d switch to the Order of Concubines, you could just stay here. You wouldn’t have to keep journeying.”

“Most of the time, I like it—just not in the mountains in the middle of winter. I might stop soon, though.”

“Oh!” Renny clapped her hands together. “Your journeying is over? You’re coming back?”

“Not back here, probably. We’re thinking of Four Roads or South Corner, maybe Circle Bay.”

“South Corner? Four Roads? Those are in the middle of nowhere! Why would you go there? Wait! We?”

“Remember that group I’ve been traveling with? We’re thinking about settling down and finding work. My healing magic keeps getting stronger, and it just seems like I should be doing more with it. If I stay in one place, people who need me will know how to find me.”

“The group with the baron’s son?” Renny said eagerly. “House Tarwen of Larso, right?”

Treya snickered. “Trust you to remember a man’s rank. Yes, him, his girl Katrin—she’s a bard—and a dorvasta woman named Shavala, but she wants to be close to the Terril Forest. That’s why we’re looking at Four Roads and South Corner.”

“He’s already got a girl?” Renny sounded disappointed.

“Yes, so you can stop dreaming about some great romance for me.” Treya decided not to mention that Corec had asked her to help him with correspondence and information-gathering, two duties that typically fell to concubines. It would just give Renny ideas.

“Oh, fah! All right. But I thought you’d mentioned more people than that.”

“The rest of them aren’t staying with us.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Well, we’re not going there right away. We’re sailing to Cordaea first.”

Renny’s eyes grew wide. “Cordaea! Why?”

“We’re looking for an old city—or probably the ruins of one, since nobody’s heard of it in a long time. We think it’s in Cordaea somewhere. After we find it, we’ll come back here and look for a place to live.”

“Why look for old ruins?”

“Do you remember that spell I told you about?” Treya allowed her rune to shine for a moment before hiding it again. “The people who created it might have once lived in that city, and maybe they left behind a way to undo it. Ellerie—she’s a silver elf—she’s hoping so, anyway. I’m not sure about it anymore. The spell might be what’s making my healing magic stronger, and I don’t want to go back to how it was before.”

“You’re going all the way to Cordaea for that?”

“Not exactly. Ellerie was already looking for the city even before the spell. She wants to find it because nobody else has found it. The rest of the group is going, so I might as well.”

“Treasure!” Renny exclaimed. “You’re going on a treasure hunt!”

Treya couldn’t help laughing at her old roommate’s exuberance. “Maybe, but I think Ellerie just wants to find the city.”

“I wish I could go!”

“If you really want to…”

“No, I’m just being silly. I’ll leave the journeying to you. I’m happy here.”

“If you want to help, I know the Senshall Trading Company works in Cordaea. Do you know anyone who speaks the language?”

“Which language? Nysan, Doravi, or Stoneborn?”

“Nysan, I think, since we’re going to the southern region. One of my friends is a dwarf, and he already speaks Stoneborn.”

Renny said, “I’m sure Varsin knows somebody who speaks Nysan. We have regular shipping routes to Ankarov Dor and Nysa. We even run our own caravans there to haul things from the inner kingdoms.”

Treya thought about that for a moment. “Then maybe you can help us find maps, too. If Senshall has caravans actually going into the interior, your maps might be better than what we can find at the library.”

“Maybe. Varsin’s brother Burton handles Cordaea, but I could ask Varsin to ask him.”

“Thank you!” Treya said, hugging her roommate. “And you know more about boats than I do…we need to find a cheap way across the ocean. Do you have any ideas?”

“How cheap?”

“Very cheap. We’ll be gone for months, and we’ll need to pay for food, horses, and supplies. At the moment, I think we’ve only got enough for about a third of what we need, and that doesn’t include the ship. We’re looking for work, but we need to keep the cost down as much as we can.”

Renny smiled widely. “I could loan you the money.”

“What? How?”

“Oh, I never told you! I started my own company! It’s like a farmers’ collective, but for the seaborn divers.”

Treya stared at her in surprise. “A farmers’ collective? How did you come up with that idea?”

“Well, you told me to talk to my father about investing in fishing boats, but he said I’d just lose my money doing that. But then he said the divers make decent money for no investment at all, other than their time. Only, the fishmongers’ guild and the other buyers don’t always give them a good price, so I thought we could centralize that, like we learned in our classes. And it worked! I don’t make very much money, but I have more than I started with, and I’ve still got my bond price. I could loan you half of what I’ve got without affecting my operations.”

Treya laughed. Renny was so excitable, it was sometimes hard to remember that she’d been at the top of all their classes.

“Congratulations! But I’d hate to take money from you. I have no idea when I’d be able to pay it back. Or if I’d be able to pay it back.”

“It’s a treasure hunt! You’ll find treasure!”

“We probably won’t, you know. We already searched one set of ruins in the Storm Heights, and there was no treasure there—even in the parts that the stormborn hadn’t explored yet.”

“Oh,” Renny said, looking so downcast that Treya had to hug her again.

“I still appreciate the offer. Bobo thinks we might find some pottery or other things left behind, and if we do, he says he could find buyers, but I just don’t know if it would be enough to pay you back.”

“Well, I’ll still talk to Varsin about the other things, and maybe he’ll have an idea about the ship as well.”

“Thank you.”

“This place you’re looking for—does it have a name?”

“Tir Yadar.”