“Lusha,” I said, “why did you come here with Mara? What do you want?”
“The witches’ talisman, of course,” she said. “Or rather, to stop River from taking it. Whoever he is, I can’t allow something so powerful to fall into his hands. It was Yonden who worked it out—when River wrote to me, asking my help in guiding him to Raksha, but refusing to reveal any details about his intentions, we decided to search the stars for the truth. Many of the signs surrounding the expedition were strange and contradictory, but there was enough for Yonden to make the connection between Raksha and the tales of the witches’ sky city, and the power hidden there. At first I planned to lead River’s expedition to Raksha, as I promised, and then steal the talisman once we located it—destroy it, if I could. But once I discovered how River had altered Mara’s memories, I knew that course was too risky—he is too powerful. I decided I would beat him to the talisman, to prevent him from ever touching it. It was then that I enlisted Mara’s help—he may not be the Royal Explorer, but he has led many expeditions in his lifetime. I also hoped to break the spell on his memories, to unlock the secret of who River is, and what he wants.”
“Lusha, Lusha,” River said, “this is ludicrous. Think about what you’re doing. You know that by threatening me, you’re threatening the emperor himself.”
“Then I am threatening the emperor himself.” Lusha’s voice was ice.
“Lusha—” I said, horrified.
River exhaled slowly. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.”
“Stop, please,” I said, as fire crackled between them again. “Both of you.”
There was a painful silence. Lusha and River looked daggers at each other. Tem’s eyes flicked back and forth, his hand clenched tight around the kinnika. Mara leaned against the rock, his face pale. Azar-at moved quietly to River’s side.
River’s laugh cut through the silence. I drew a small sigh of relief, though the others did not seem comforted by the sound. They watched River with wary expressions.
“All right,” he said, waving a hand wearily. “You can stand down, Tem. I won’t fight you. Nor will I argue with the stars—there are far too many of them. But a thousand voices can be as wrong as one, and if I were you, Lusha, I wouldn’t put so much faith in the stories they tell.” He yawned. “I’m going to get some sleep. I had a very tiring night, and this certainly hasn’t helped. Azar-at, come.”
The fire demon slid across the snow toward River, following him into the cave. Mara leaped out of their way as quickly as if something had bitten him.
“What are you doing?” I said to Lusha. “Did you just threaten the emperor? I thought you cared about Azmiri’s safety.”
Lusha shook her head. Now that River was gone, she seemed to have deflated, as if he had taken some of her energy with him. She reached down to rub her calf, wincing. “That’s all I care about. If you’d only open your eyes, you’d see that.”
My eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with your ankle?”
“Nothing. I tripped back in the icefall. Tem healed me.”
“It doesn’t look healed. Why don’t you let River—”
“No.” Lusha’s voice was like a lash. “I’ll be fine.”
“I think you’d refuse help if you were dying. Let me see it, then.”
“I’d have to be dead before I let you use your unfortunate magic on me, Kamzin. Leave me alone.”
“I did what I could,” Tem said, coming to Lusha’s side. He looked relieved to have a reason to join the conversation. “But I’m not at full strength, and the healing charm wore off too quickly. I may have done more harm than good.”
“You did fine,” Lusha said. “I just need to rest it for an hour or so, then I’ll be as good as new.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, right. Like you were ‘good as new’ after a cup of Aunt Behe’s tea the night you fell asleep stargazing. You lost a toe to frostbite, all because you were too proud to complain.”
Lusha gave me a look of dignified disdain. “I won’t get into old arguments with you.”
“Let’s take another look at Mingma’s maps,” Mara said, touching her arm. “He hinted there might be an easier route to the summit beyond that ridge.” As he watched my sister, his gaze was filled with concern. Concern—and something more than that. I had to suppress a bitter laugh. I had seen enough men direct similar gazes at Lusha to know what they meant. He was in love with her—or at least, he thought he was.
Lusha nodded to Mara. “Fine. Kamzin, you’re not going any farther along this path. Get some rest, and then head back to base camp.”
I stared at her. “You can’t just order me—”
“If I have to get Tem to knock you unconscious and float your body down the mountain, I’ll do it.”
“Tem would never agree to that,” I snapped, though I was only half-convinced of this.
“Then I’ll have to resort to nonmagical means of knocking you unconscious. I can’t say I would mind the challenge.”
I stomped off, neither knowing nor caring which direction I was headed in. Tem called after me, but I ignored him. I knew that I was exhausted, given what I had been through, but I couldn’t feel it. Perhaps it was that I was still charged from the battle with the ghosts, or perhaps it was my anger at Lusha—her infuriating self-assurance, even when it flew in the face of all logic; her ability to bend everyone around her to her will—that drove me on. Either way, I walked for at least a quarter hour, wading through knee-deep snow, heedless of the danger I could be placing myself in by venturing out alone. I finally came to a precarious ledge that faced south, overlooking the undulating, dragonish spine of the Arya mountains. If it weren’t for the haze that still clung to the land, I could have followed with my gaze the route we had taken to reach Raksha, at least from Winding Pass. Mount Azmiri was hidden from view, but it was there, somewhere. I could feel it.
I lowered myself onto the ledge, swinging my legs over the vast expanse. My head whirled with a hundred different thoughts. Most of all, though, I felt lost.
How could Lusha believe what she had seen in the stars? How could she be so convinced—always so convinced—that she was incapable of making a mistake? Perhaps someone had tampered with Mara’s memory—perhaps it had even been River, despite his protests. But that didn’t mean River had some dark plot in mind. He was the Royal Explorer, the emperor’s trusted confidant. He had been sent on a mission to retrieve a talisman that could save the Empire from ruin, and Azmiri with it.
I learned my head against the rock, letting the sunlight soothe my painfully exhausted body. I had been so worried about Lusha, so desperate to see her again. And yet now I wanted only the last few days back, when River and I were alone and everything was simpler.