“Hold your fire!” I barked at the royal soldiers. “Make no sudden moves, and leave the fighting to Fox!” Brave as they were to stand their ground, the soldiers’ swords and bows were as useless to the fight as silk ribbons and dresses.
The aeshma bellowed, but Fox dodged its attack, his own sword meant to distract rather than deliver a killing blow. Over the course of a year, Fox had had as much experience baiting daeva as I had had in putting them down.
The monster charged, and my brother vaulted over its massive head, the aeshma’s spikes missing him by inches. He landed, then swatted tauntingly at its nose. Even Fox was not above theatrics when there was an audience.
Pain blistered, an ache ripening behind my ears, but I fought through the hurt. I braided the wind around me, and a binding rune shone. The aeshma froze in its tracks as tendrils of my magic covered its form.
“Die,” I growled, and the creature fell, paralyzed. But it was not vanquished yet; it took strength to kill, and my headache was proving a hindrance.
A collective sigh of relief rose from the army. Prince Kance, his eyes unnaturally bright and his movements strangely stilted, stepped closer.
In my head, the shadows shifted. I had another vision of water and wings folded back behind me as I sped quickly through the depths of the sea…
I forced the image out of my head, but in that short, broken moment of concentration, the creature had gathered itself for one last desperate lunge. Kalen was already moving, grabbing Prince Kance by his robes and dragging him back as Fox jumped to shield him. One of the aeshma’s spikes caught my brother squarely in the chest, sliding out through his back.
“Die!” I shouted again, and the spell tore into the aeshma, straight to its heart. The hideous monster fell backward, dragging Fox along on top of it. Its stubby, furred legs kicked out involuntary before it shuddered and went still.
“Fox!” I’d seen him with far worse injuries, but an impaled brother was a vision no sister could grow accustomed to.
From atop the unmoving beast, Fox rose to his feet, still skewered. With a faint grimace, he set his boot against the creature’s ridged hide and ripped himself free with a wet tearing sound.
Around us, people retched. Prince Kance shook, averting his gaze, and Kalen was grim, his glare accusatory.
“I’m fine,” Fox said. “A little heartache never killed anyone.”
“You’re a moron,” I said, breathing easier now that I could see he was OK, and drove my knife deep into the fallen aeshma, ignoring the stench of entrails and blood as I probed deeper until I heard the telltale click of my blade against something stronger than bone.
I plunged my hand in and pulled out the violet-hued bezoar. The aeshma’s corpse immediately crumbled to dust. All that was left of it was the gem that gleamed brightly in my hand. It is odd, I thought, how something so beautiful can come out of something so grotesque.
? ? ?
Back in the palace, Prince Kance trembled. He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what came over me, Lady Tea. I was foolish enough to think it was safe. I didn’t know how close I was until you shouted.”
“A daeva killing is not something you see every day, Your Highness,” Fox pointed out. “In all the excitement, it’s easy to act impulsively.”
The prince smiled weakly. “I wouldn’t have called getting stabbed by a two-foot spike ‘excitement,’ Fox.”
“If the Dark asha had put the aeshma down completely the first time,” came the frosty rejoinder from the palace window, where Kalen had taken up residence, “then additional ‘excitement’ might have been avoided.”
“Perhaps if the prince’s bodyguard had been more vigilant,” I snapped back, “I might not have been so distracted.”
Kalen opened his mouth again, but Prince Kance beat him to it. “It’s nobody’s fault but my own, Kalen. I was careless, and if it wasn’t for your presence of mind, I might have met a disastrous end. In my haste to learn more about how asha do their work, I was careless.”
“I could have told you that in the safety of the castle, Your Highness,” I said, and Kalen made a small sputtering noise, and in my mind, Fox snickered. “Wh-what I meant was there was no need for you to view the daeva yourself!”
“For far too long, I have been sheltered from the realities of my own kingdom, Tea. I cannot rely on books and advisors to tell me how to rule. How can I govern wisely if I have none of my own experiences to fall back on?”
“The common people don’t exactly experience Daeva on a daily basis, Your Highness.”
“But you do as a Dark asha, don’t you? Lady Mykaela is still convalescing, so that responsibility falls to you. I wanted to see you in action, to help me understand how I might lighten your burden. Instead, it seems I have only added to it.”
I could feel my ears turning red and prayed that my cheeks did not follow suit. “Any burden you give will be light enough to carry. Your Highness’s safety is most important.”
“I cannot be protected from all dangers, Tea. But I shall strive to be more careful next time.”
“Next time?” I echoed as Kalen exploded with, “There’ll be no next time, Kance!”
“You cannot tell me what to do anymore, Kalen,” the prince said. “I must know what lies beyond my borders and within them. In fact, I had hoped that I could accompany you when you return to Kion.”
“Really?” My mood brightened almost immediately. Kalen’s glower spoke volumes.
“I believe we can make it in time for the upcoming darashi oyun. I hear that Zoya and Shadi are dancing the lead roles again this year. Are you leaving for Ankyo after Lady Mykaela’s Heartsrune ceremony?”
“A week or so after, Your Highness.”
“Khalad shall be attending too. I offered him a room at the palace, but Father thought it best for him to take up lodgings at the Kingshead instead.”
A shadow crossed Prince Kance’s face, and I knew why. Khalad had long since embraced his apprenticeship to the old Heartforger, but Prince Kance had never gotten over the guilt of inheriting the throne in his place.
“The old forger probably insisted,” Fox remarked. “He’s not a fan of the king or most nobles in Odalia.”
“I think it’s more than that. Khalad and Father had never been on the best of terms.”
“No, we haven’t,” King Telemaine agreed, entering the room. As always, I had to tilt my head to look at him; he was tall, but he would have been a towering presence even without his extraordinary height. “For the longest time, he blamed the asha and me for your mother’s death, though time with the forger has tempered his anger. But son or not, to welcome a Heartforger under our roof foments more distrust and suspicion. That Mykaela already resides here has not set well with many.”
“He’s my brother, and it is a ridiculous superstition.”
“I had not wished a silver heartsglass on Khalad, Kance, but even kings must follow custom. Even if I would have wanted otherwise. Lady Tea, Sir Fox, you have my thanks once again.”
My hands disappeared, engulfed within the king’s. Gratitude shone through his heartsglass, and I was embarrassed. “It’s nothing, Your Majesty.”
“‘It’s nothing,’ she says. Saving my son and putting down the terrible beast plaguing my kingdom is everything to me, Lady Tea, and I vow to do everything in my power to repay you for your service.” He paused, unusually hesitant. “Is—is Khalad doing well?”
“He is. He does a lot of good work, Your Majesty, and he takes pride in it.”
“Good, good. If only…” The king sighed, his eyes distant.
Bezoars found within kingdoms were customarily entrusted to their rulers, but I couldn’t move my hands to gift the gem. Fox solved my dilemma by fishing it out of my pocket and handing it over.
King Telemaine shook his head in wonder, staring down at the purple stone. “So many wars won and fought over such a small stone. Lady Tea, Sir Fox, please excuse us. There are certain matters Kance and I need to finalize before his birthday celebration.”
“I told you that we have no need for such lavishness, Father.”