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“THANK YOU,” I TOLDAyona, for the tenth time since we’d properly met. She placed a cup of tea in my hands and shook her head in discontent.
“I told you, those manners aren’t needed here.” Her skirts swept gracefully across her girdle as she took her seat in a maroon, cotton-covered chair. I sat opposite of her at a wide tea table, fruit, and sliced cheeses snug against a warm loaf on the plate sat between us.
“Kalen doesn’t seem to think I have any manners at all. I’ve found it’s better to overcompensate.”
The Preserver was carrying in one of our duffels, procuring the items Ayona had asked for to enchant a location for my second stone.
“He acts like a brute,” she said in a low voice, flat enough that Kalen wouldn’t notice we were critiquing him from just feet away. “That boy is about as soft as they come. You will know it someday.”
Before I could ask how she was so sure in her assessment of his character, Kalen slid in between the table and myself to take his place and kneeled on the floor. Carefully, he rearranged Ayona’s cutlery and decorations to make room and spread out a map of the Continent. This one was far more detailed than the map that graced the wall in Cypra. The current figures known of the sea level were marked neatly next to the shoreline, elevations of mountains drawn to match the key in the upper right corner, and a marked “x” for each Sage court.
“Alright, here is the map, and here...” Kalen reached into one of his pockets, pulling out the first of my stones. I’d left it on the chair in the war room all those weeks ago. Discarded it, hoped toforget it ever existed. With Kalen, it seemed, things never stayed forgotten.
Ayona sat forward in her seat, pulling out her own trove of tidbits from the stitched pouches of her cloak, a jar of ground herbs, a small paint pot of red clay, and a black velvet bag. In a speckled stone bowl, she whipped the clay and spice into a draught, adding the dregs of tea left in my cup to smoothen the concoction. Her fingers were nimble as they worked, and even though the knots in them showed evidence of age, I could tell by the shine of stretched skin that beneath it lay polished, unbreakable glass. I imagined it clinking softly as she reached into the black velvet bag and scattered the contents across the map.
Bones.
From an animal, Ihoped. They were yellow and brittle old relics of life.
If the Shadow Sage did end up killing me after all of this, I thought it might be nice if someone would use my bones in a spell. Seemed like a waste of magic otherwise.
Anyona took my stone in her hands and closed her eyes. With one profound breath, she began to hum. A deep, honey-sweet note, undulating and never-ending. I tried to spot where she drew more air into her lungs, but over the next few minutes, there was no such moment. The sound grew louder as Ayona forced the air from her nose.
The table began to shake and the bones bounced rhythmically atop the map. A heavy thumping began from nowhere—everywhere within the room. Pots banged against the walls in a metal clap. The cooped chickens in Ayona’s kitchen began to cluck nervously. With a sharp kick of air, the stone bowl dropped to its side, draught leaking onto the area of the map denotedAegedonia, the Sea faction. The liquid’s infinitesimal grains ossified, thickening into a lump in the center of the faction,staining the rest a watery red. There was blood to be spilled, it said.
I don’t know how I knew, but the sudden feeling scratched at me.
“Ione.” My voice sounded strange. Thick. “It was Ione, Kalen. The Sage who betrayed Leoth, I’m sure of it.”
“Are you sure?” he said, face twisting as he looked closer at the map and flicked away the clump of residue that had gathered on top of a marker.
Ayona nodded to me. She did not have to look at the map to know. “Gwynore is right,” she said and wiped at the sweat falling down her neck. “A part of her soul lies in the High Mer’s castle. The bones of the dead are never wrong.”
“I believe you,” Kalen attended to her now. “But that doesn’t mean Ione knows that the stone is there, or that she attacked our faction. Your second stone could have very well been planted by one of the others. Gabriel or Dario.”
“Dario,” Ayona scoffed. “The sharpest arrow that ever missed its mark? There’s not a chance in mortal hell that he had anything to do with it.”
“Bold words for a woman who is currently draining his faction’s power stores to perform her Arts.”
To that, Ayona gave a small smile. The first I’d seen her make since we’d arrived. “I didn’t say he wasn’t strong,” she agreed. “Just that he lacks the cunning to stage a coup.”
“Yes, but he’s simple-minded enough to thirst for power. Power that the Shadow Sage could give him,” Kalen countered. Then added, “Besides, Ione despises her sister almost as much as she despises Gwyn,” He kept his eyes intent on mine as he said, “Something about her face.”
Ayona sighed. “Look, Kalen. I can’t give you a reason why the Sages do half of the things they do. Gods and kings are all made from the same cloth of stupidity, and I doubt there is a reasonfor this mess at all. Far be it one good enough. What I can give you is the location of Gwynore’s stone, which you now have.” She uncrossed her legs and stood, placing her hands above her hips. “My soup went cold an hour ago.”
“You’re right,” Kalen stood, too, so I felt compelled to join them. “We should go. It’s a long journey to the shore of Alto.”
Ayona surveyed the two of us, staring an undeniable second longer at me. “No, you’ll stay,” she said suddenly and then turned towards her kitchen and her anxious pets. “Can’t have the fate of the two of you in these woods at night on my conscious. There’s a spare room down the hall and to the left.”
Ayona pointed with her right hand and yelled out to us. “And I’d strip down tonight. The Land’s been scorching for the last week. Men and their damn tempers.”
KALEN STAYED IN THEsitting room for a time more, going over our travel route to Ione’s faction. I took the opportunity to be completely morose and alone in the spare bedroom.
Knees tucked in tight to my stomach, lying sideways across the bed, I thought back to the seconds on top of the Mountain before I jumped all those months ago. I was so ignorant of what life was, what life couldbe. The days I spent aimlessly had so much potential. Now I counted hours as they slipped through my hands. I had so much more hope during those never-ending days and nights than I did now.
Once I’d longed for the answers, would find no peace until I had them. Now they flooded in, and still, no peace followed. I wasn’t sure if it ever would.
The wool draped across the spare bed began to itch mercilessly at my face, even as I lay still. I turned my cheek to the other side but didn’t find any comfort. Not to mention, Ayona was right, the temperatures had risen at least a few degrees even though the sun had sunk over Grovsney. I sat up and began to kick off my boots when Kalen finally made his way through our open door.
