Page 45

“I don’t think the territories required much encouragement from Koschei to do that,” Vassa argued, utterly unafraid of the High Lord in all his glory before her. Her jaw tightened, though, as she looked back at the lake. “But if Made objects, particularly evil ones, are stirring, wanting to be found . . .” She nodded distantly. “Yes. That would certainly imply that Koschei is making a move to escape from his lake—at long last. He wants an arsenal.”

“It could be that our enemies are well aware of his intention to liberate himself,” Rhys said. “And the threat it would likely pose to them, even if they uphold their side of whatever this bargain is. They’re seeking the box that contains his life-thread so they can use it to control him, should he prove . . . unwieldy.”

“Then find it first,” Jurian advised.

Now Vassa rolled her eyes. “It is impossible to find. Koschei hid it himself—and I’ve never heard him utter so much as a hint as to its whereabouts.”

“What is a life-thread?” I asked. “Did you ever hear Koschei mention it when you were at his lake?”

Vassa shook her head. “No. Never. But life-thread or not, if your enemies seek the box, they go on a fool’s errand. It cannot be found. And when Koschei discovers their treachery, he will make them pay for it, lake or no lake.”

Even Amren, for all her talk of urgency, hadn’t suggested hunting for the box as a solution. She must have understood it to be as impossible as Vassa had just declared. Not that I was going to ask Amren anytime soon.

“It all ties together somehow,” I said. “Koschei pushing for this invasion and wanting to be free of his lake. Why he’s doing it now, when he would have had the perfect opportunity during the Hybern War while we were all distracted. And what does he stand to gain from this particular invasion? We need to find out before it bites us in the ass.”

Not missing a beat, Rhys clarified, “But first, we need to obtain proof that Koschei is manipulating Rask, Montesere, and Vallahan so that the other territories pressure them to back down. And we need to stop Koschei from escaping his lake and attaining whatever Made items are now stirring.”

“Stop him—not destroy him?” Vassa asked.

“Ideally destroy, but I’ll take just stopping him for now, if that death-box of his truly can never be found.” I put a hand on her arm. “Are you any closer to uncovering a way to break your own curse?” I knew it was a sensitive subject, but I had to ask.

Lucien winced. Even Jurian glanced warily to Vassa. But the queen—former queen, I supposed—lifted her chin. “We’ve had an endless stream of shamans and soothsayers coming to the house. None of them can make heads or tails of my curse.”

At her resigned sorrow, I really should have let it drop, but I found myself asking, “Your fellow queens sold you out to Koschei, but why was he interested in you in the first place? Why bother with any of the females he has trapped there?”

“Beyond being a narcissistic monster?” Jurian quipped. Lucien grunted with agreement.

Vassa’s eyes slid to the far east of the map. For a moment, I thought she might ignore my question, but then she said, “My distant ancestor was the Fae female who trapped Koschei in the first place. All the females now trapped in his lake are descended from her. All human, all with that mere trace of Fae ancestry. In his delusion, he believes some key to his freedom lies with us. Our ancient bloodline. And . . .” Her voice sharpened with anger. “He also takes sick pleasure in trapping the descendants of the female who cursed him. As if it gets back at her in some way.”

“That’s despicable,” I breathed.

“He’s despicable,” Vassa said. “He’s nothing but a creature of hate and greed and rot.”

“Have you returned to Helion to have him try again to break your curse,” Rhys asked.

Vassa ran a hand through her shoulder-length red hair. “I did. Or rather, I begged him to come and take one more stab at it. He swaggered down here a few months ago, took one look at me, and said it was a lost cause.”

It was an effort not to inspect Lucien’s face for any sign of discomfort. Had he been present for this encounter?

He still doesn’t know, Rhys said into my mind. That Helion is his true father. Let’s keep it that way.

Why? I shot back down the bond.

Because it’s valuable information that should be wielded at the right time.

You’re such a schemer, I accused him.

Always.

“Vassa has to be mindful about who to approach regarding her curse,” Lucien explained, golden eye whirring as it scanned over the map. “The moment Koschei learns she’s trying to break the enchantment, he’ll summon her back.”

“You have a bargain, though,” I said to Vassa. “You’re allowed to be out in the world for some time before returning to the lake.”

Vassa’s blue eyes darkened to stormy seas. “Yes, but I also agreed not to try to break the curse.”

“So if Koschei learns she’s broken her promise, he’ll break his,” Lucien finished gravely.

I knew firsthand how powerful Fae bargains could be. Knew that if broken, the binding magic could exact a terrible price.