“The Forger confirms it.” The old man had permitted me to inform the mistress of the Valerian of his assistance, but I thought both Althy and Polaire counted as honorary members, if nothing else. “His sources also report that it hides inside Lake Strypnyk.”
“Even if he is right,” Lady Mykaela pointed out, “and he often is—what makes you think you would fare better than a squad of Deathseekers?”
“Because Dark runes are weak against it. Because I have a better chance at taking it down than twenty Deathseekers. Remember the darashi oyun. Nearly all the asha in Ankyo present, and still it escaped us. You’re throwing away a lot of lives when you don’t need to, when all it would take is one of me.”
Lady Mykaela took a deep breath. “That is dangerous thinking, Tea. We are the only two Dark asha in Kion. I can—”
“The azi took too much out of you,” I interrupted her. “Please, Lady Mykaela. I love you like a sister. I really do. But you brought me here to help you, to send daeva back to their graves. And I was scared at first, even resentful. But now I see how important we are. I’m ready. I’m willing. I survived one daeva. I have more experience dealing with the Dark now than all the other asha combined, except you. Everyone has trained me for this. Let me show you what I’ve learned.”
“You still have a duty to your patrons,” Mistress Parmina said. “You cannot abandon your responsibilities, not when you have been booked months in advance—”
“Asha ask to be excused from entertaining patrons for official duties all the time,” I pointed out. “I’m sure most of them will understand.” I’d come prepared, placing a stack of papers in front of Mistress Parmina. “I asked Ula for an accounting of my record. As I have been working at least six hours every night for almost three months without taking an evening off, I’ve earned three times what an average asha might make in a year. Despite the substantial debt I owe the Valerian, I have almost repaid it. All I ask is some time off to hunt the azi, and as soon as I return, I will work another three months. Please think of this as a small investment in my future, Mother.”
I could practically see Mistress Parmina’s mind calculating the amount of money she could make, the fame I could bring. The price I command for entertaining guests, already exorbitant, would shoot up. Behind her, I could see Lady Mykaela smiling at my ingenuity, though not without reluctance.
“Very well,” the old woman said, “I will give you a month’s leave. No more, no less. But if the azi is not at Lake Strypnyk as you claim it is, then you are to return immediately, and you shall no longer waste my time with any more of these foolish wild-goose chases.”
“That was smooth,” Polaire murmured to me after the old woman had left the room, still clutching at the papers. “You struck her where it would hurt the most—at her purse strings.”
“This is too dangerous,” Lady Mykaela objected. “I should go with you. If something goes wrong, it would be good to have another Dark asha with you.”
“Absolutely not,” Polaire returned. “You’re still too weak to travel. You need another year’s worth of rest, and the only sure thing to come out of traveling with us is that it will take longer for you to recuperate. I don’t think your presence will help us in any way, not in the condition you’re in.”
“Us?” I echoed.
“Naturally I’ll be coming with you, little idiot. I’m at the peak of health, and I could use a leave of absence from all those parties myself. Althy would come if she could, but Princess Inessa is fond of her, and her role as her protector isn’t as easy to take a leave of. Shall we get to packing?”
? ? ?
Polaire had spoken too soon; the asha-ka association had approved our request for an audience, but it was the only thing they were willing to grant.
“Absolutely not,” one of the old women thundered—Mistress Hestia of House Imperial. Her heartsglass glimmered burgundy and teal, Mistress Parmina’s slight regarding the Falling Leaf cha-khana still rankling her. “We deny your request to leave for Odalia. The Deathseekers have agreed to assume this responsibility, and it is no longer our concern.”
“There are twenty of them dead in Odalia,” Polaire said, who had volunteered to speak on my behalf. Councilor Ludvig was with me, and I had hoped his presence would help sway them to our cause. We stood on the very same stage which I had danced and sang for them on, the same stage where I had refused to burrow into their minds to take a silver hoop off a piece of string above my head. “And there will be countless more if we don’t act. This is not a common daeva, Mistresses. This is an azi, the most powerful of the darkspawn. Not even the Five Great Heroes have ever defeated it, and its lair remains unknown to this day. It is a reclusive beast that goes out of its way to avoid humans, but its sudden appearance at the darashi oyun indicates some new evil at work. It must be neutralized as soon as possible—that will require the talents of a Dark asha, not a Deathseeker.”
“Deathseekers are aware of the risks they take whether they face off against an azi or a tiger cub, a monster or a human. All the rulers of the Eight Kingdoms have agreed that this must be left up to the men. They are prepared to sacrifice their lives; we are not prepared for you to do the same.”
“But why? Isn’t that what I’m here for?” My bitterness echoed through the large chamber.
“Yes, but at a time of our choosing. You are still too young and too inexperienced to handle a daeva of this magnitude, and to send you to the azi is tantamount to suicide. We have not invested this much in you to send you off according to some foolish whim. Perhaps when Lady Mykaela is well enough—”
That was the last thing I wanted. “But I have faced it down before, and I can do it again! I understand that there are risks, but you must agree that even places like the Willows can be attacked. If I am safer here than I would be anywhere else, it would not be by any large margin. If there’s a chance we can find the daeva, then it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”