Sadly, Killian was already gone. He hadn't been present to hear Evrin's confession. And the mystery of Killian's upbringing remained. Who were his parents? Why had they left him?
Ella remembered the promise she'd made at the Sentinel. She had made a promise to bring Killian home.
Her plan was still in its infancy, but it depended wholly on learning the lore of the Akari.
What could she do to make Dain Barden agree to teach her their secrets?
The problem was, Ella could think of plenty of things the Akari might want, but nothing they seemed to need.
Heating stones? Nightlamps? Enchanted weapons?
Ella thought again about the revenants she'd faced in the war. The idea of Akari revenants wielding anything more destructive than steel weapons made her blood run cold.
Even so, Ella knew the promise of enchanted weapons wouldn't be enough. The Dain simply didn't need them.
Just that morning, Ella had asked Dain Barden if someone could show her around Ku Kara. She'd felt that if someone taught her enough about Akari culture, she would find something they needed.
Barden had been pleased, in his way, and asked Ada to show Ella around. Ella knew the Dain felt that if the houses knew more about Akari culture, they would cease to be so filled with fear and revulsion.
Ella had learned a lot, but still hadn't found anything the Akari needed.
She thought about Dain Barden Mensk and the forces that drove him.
As it grew dark in Ku Kara, Ella finally realised what it was she could offer.
~
"WHAT is it?" Dain Barden asked.
"I wish to speak with you," Ella said.
The Dain dismissed the aide he'd been talking to with a nod.
"Well? How did you find the tour my daughter gave you? Was it insightful? Are my people degenerate?"
Ella decided honesty was the best approach with the forthright ruler of the Akari. "You know that's not how I feel. And I still need your help. So I looked for something I could offer you. Some magic device or tool to make your lives easier. Perhaps some toy or entertainment."
"And what did you find?"
"Your people are content, and there is little I can offer."
"I could have told you that. So you'll be leaving in the morning, then? You can save your farewells for the morrow."
"Whether I leave depends on you, Dain," Ella said. "After learning more about your people I think I do know what I can offer you, and why you should teach me your lore. I believe I can offer you what no one else can."
The Dain sighed. "And what is that?"
"People fear your lore, Dain. They don't understand it, and what they don't understand frightens them." Barden frowned, and Ella grew earnest as she saw his interest was piqued. "Dain Barden, I've been shown the secrets of the Hazaran elders, and been taught animator's runes. I've been instructed by a Petryan elementalist and I'm a qualified enchantress from the Academy of Enchanters in Sarostar. People know me as someone who tries to understand the different schools of lore, and how they fit together."
"Go on," he said warily.
"I've also known the Lord Regent, Rogan Jarvish, since I was young, and my brother is the Lord Marshal of Altura. My friend Shani, an elementalist, is an adviser to the High Lord of Petrya and the Kalif of the Hazara is a… close friend of mine. You, yourself, saw who came to my brother's wedding."
"What are you getting at?"
Ella steadily met Dain Barden's steely gaze without flinching. "Teach me your lore, Dain. Let me show the world there's nothing to be afraid of."
Barden turned away, and it was some time before he spoke. "What if we teach you, and what you learn frightens you?"
"Lore is never frightening, Dain. It's what people do with it that keeps me awake at night."
The Dain was silent for so long that Ella wondered if he would ever speak. Finally, the words slowly came. "Go back to your lodgings," he said. Ella felt disappointment sink through her. Barden spoke again, and Ella's eyes lit up with hope. "Someone will get you in the morning. We'll see how frightened you get."
~
ELLA woke fresh and excited. She dressed quickly and then paced in the main room of Oma Jen's small house until the old woman made her sit down.
There was a knock on the door and Ella jumped up, throwing on her cloak and opening the door before Oma Jen could come close.
A plump Akari in a grey robe bowed when he saw Ella. He wore a circle of bones around his neck and his robe bore the Akari symbol, the withered tree.
"Enchantress, I am Aldrik. The Dain has spoken to me about you. Please, come with me."
Ella followed the necromancer through the city and down a stairway cut into the ice. Aldrik started by giving Ella a tour of the vast chambers beneath the city. It was here that the necromancers did their grisly work, patching up the dead, bringing them back to a semblance of life, and recycling their bodies when their long service to the Dain finally ended.
Slabs of ice were laid out in neat rows and columns. On each a body stared sightlessly up at the ceiling high above. The necromancer took Ella to one of the closest.