A Queen of Thieves & Chaos (Fate & Flame, #3)

“But how? How does one rid us of this terrible poison that is tearing apart Islor, murdering its people every day?” Telor looks to me. “I will admit, I do not know much of caster affinities or what a key caster is capable of, but I assume if you were capable, you would have done it already.”

He might not know about caster affinities, but he’s wise and his words are sharp. And they offer a new clarity. “You’re right, I can’t do it. Not on my own. I need help.”

“From whom? Mordain?”

“No. From the nymphs.”

Telor’s eyes widen, but he remains quiet.

“They built Ulysede. Their power is at its pulse. You’ve been inside the city for hours now. You’ve felt the difference, haven’t you? You’ve seen what it can do?” I gesture toward Radomir.

Telor studies the sapling. “I did not see this transformation that Zander claims, no. But I do feel the difference in myself.”

“That’s because the blood curse is gone. That’s what the nymphs’ power is capable of—reversing the fates’ summonings. Their power can take away the blood curse, making the poison not matter.”

“That is in here. What about out there, beyond these great gates, where people are dying? How do we help them?” Telor pushes.

The answer is right there in front of me. It’s been there all along. “By opening the nymphaeum door and releasing the nymphs. It’s the only way forward.” I look to Zander. “It’s always been the only way forward. We just didn’t want to see it.”

He nods slowly, my words finding purchase.

Telor’s eyes are wide as he shifts between the two of us. “You can’t be serious about opening the nymphaeum door!”

I swallow my nerves. No more lies. “We already have. We didn’t know it at the time, but when we unlocked Ulysede, we started the process. The nymphs will return on Hudem, and their power will rid Islor of the blood curse. It’s what prophecy has foretold.” And what Lucretia has promised.

Elisaf’s hand smooths over his mouth, but the move doesn’t hide his shock.

Zander drops a hand on his friend’s shoulder—a silent apology for not telling him sooner. “Romeria is right. As much as I have not wanted to admit it, as much as we have fought the idea of it, through the fire is the only way to get to the other side in this. Queen Neilina’s summoning started a chain reaction that has now forced our hand. The nymphaeum door had to be opened, whether we meant to or not. Things are now in motion that we cannot stop, so we must focus on what we can. One enemy at a time.”

Kienen frowns. “But will the Nulling—”

“Yes. It will open, and untold creatures will emerge.” Zander nods. “But that is an enemy we can see, that we can slay with our blades.” His jaw is set with determination. “We did it once before, and we will do it again, if we join forces.”

Will Malachi be so easy to slay once he’s taken over Elijah’s body and his feet touch Islor? Gesine is right. There are some truths better left unsaid.

“At least her casters will have something else to focus on when the Nulling opens,” Elisaf notes.

“Do you think Queen Neilina will abandon her aim to invade Islor?” Kienen asks.

“I do not,” Zander admits. “And I would never trust any alliance with her.”

“What about an alliance with the heir to the Ybarisan throne?” Radomir asks. “It seems to me the easiest way to solve the problem of Ybaris would be to kill Queen Neilina. The throne would go to Romeria.”

“Me?” I already have one throne I didn’t want, and now he’s suggesting a second?

Zander smirks. He knows what I’m thinking. “The thought has crossed my mind, and it is true that we will never see peace while Queen Neilina breathes. But she will not join the battle. She will not even cross the rift until she can declare victory.”

“And she will travel with a circle of Shadows and elemental casters,” Kienen adds. “No one will be able to spit on her, let alone kill her.”

No one except perhaps her daughter.

“Unless our odds change, our main strategy must be to keep Ybaris from crossing the rift pass.” Zander slides the stone that represents our various bands toward the rift on the map. “The king’s army is scattered across Islor, trying to contain this poison. I have written Atticus to inform him of what we know, but I imagine he is too occupied with protecting Cirilea from Kettling’s aspirations to risk focus on the north. That leaves us to hold Islor. I hope, with forces from Lyndel”—he holds up a navy blue stone to represent the city, and then another stone, this one purple—“and Bellcross, we might present a viable defense. Whatever happens, they cannot cross the rift. In that, we must be united.” Zander turns to Telor. “Will you march with us and face this threat together?” It’s a tentative rallying cry.

But Telor’s face tightens with doubt. “Hudem is in three days. It takes a week to move an army down through this mountain range and then up to the rift. We will not make it in time.”

“We will if we go through Soldor.” Zander taps the map.

“Where?” When did they come up with that plan?

“An old mining city, riddled with Nulling beasts, parts of it likely fallen right into the rift. The eastern entrance was barricaded centuries ago.” Telor shakes his head. “No one has gone there, for good reason.”

“I have,” Radomir counters. “It’s not as bad as you describe. Only two spots that open into the rift. There’s even a water source.”

“How delightful.” Elisaf is no more thrilled about this plan than Telor is, but he hasn’t been happy since the name Venhorn was first spoken.

Radomir shrugs. “The creatures in there are on the small side and easy enough to kill, though they tend not to bother my kind. They don’t have a taste for us.”

“And what about our kind?” Telor glares at Zander. “You cannot seriously be considering this? What about our horses?”

“I’ve ridden right through on horseback many times,” Radomir answers.

“And we have swords for the creatures,” Zander says evenly. “Radomir knows the passage well and says we can be through within thirty-six hours, placing us at the rift’s pass. But we must move as soon as possible.”

“My stronghold of three hundred will be trekking through caves and underground passages. They should emerge here”—Radomir taps on the map, on a spot north of us—“by nightfall. If we meet them there, we can march to Soldor together.”

“Traveling through the night?” Telor sounds doubtful.

“If it’s any consolation, it’s always night in Soldor.” Radomir chuckles.

“We use this passage, we do not stop, and after the second sunrise, we will be at the rift and ready to lead whoever is there. The saplings can wait until nightfall of Hudem to emerge.” Zander nods, as if the plan is coming together.

But he doesn’t have Lord Telor’s agreement yet, and by the deep frown across the lord’s face, I don’t know if he’ll get it. “The rift soldiers will see Ybarisans ride out and they will attack before I can reach them.”

An idea strikes me. “What if they don’t see Ybarisans. What if they see Ulysede’s soldiers?”