“Y-Your Highness,” I stammered.
“I told you before that Kance is a good enough name for me.” He looked to the building. “I’ve always been curious of what went on inside that temple. Everyone’s been rather mysterious about it. I keep expecting some untold treasures tucked away inside, privy only to asha eyes.”
“Lord Kance, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, actually. I don’t think I’ve seen you since you left to fight the azi. And since our first meeting, you’ve been raised to asha, put down one of the most powerful daeva I’ve seen in my lifetime, and been instrumental in capturing one of the three Faceless leaders.” He grinned at my surprise. “The Faceless may be a carefully guarded secret, but Kalen trusts me. Not even my father knows of the Faceless’s capture, though he shall know soon enough. I promised I wouldn’t tell another soul of this.”
“I don’t understand. Why is Your High—why are you looking for me?”
“To thank you for saving my kingdom. The azi could have done more damage if left unchecked, more lives lost. And also to apologize. I thought about visiting you sooner, but Kalen convinced me to let you recuperate first.”
I made a note to strangle Kalen as soon as I saw him again.
“I had asked both Lady Altaecia and Lady Zoya to keep me abreast of what’s been happening with you. They were more than happy to tell me of your remarkable progress, so I decided there was no reason for me not to come and thank you myself.” He enveloped my hand in his, warm in the otherwise evening chill. “From the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks, Lady Tea. If there is anything within my power to offer you, on behalf of my father and of Odalia, do not hesitate to let me know.”
“A dinner.” The words tumbled out before I thought them through.
“A dinner?” The prince looked perplexed.
It was too late to take back my words. “Just…dinner. To ask you to dinner for once. Or even a walk would suffice. But not if you’re not permitted to—I didn’t mean that. I meant not if you have to bring a squadron of bodyguards for protection…” I was babbling. Were princes allowed to walk out with new asha? Did saving his kingdom entitle me to ask him to dinner? Etiquette books were mum on the subject.
“Dinner sounds nice.” He was smiling. “It would be my honor. We could do that now if you like.”
“I…I can’t. Not tonight.” My gaze drifted back to the temple.
He saw, understood. “I’ll wait for you to return.”
“I can’t possibly keep His Highness waiting…”
“His Highness insists. And I thought I told you to call me Kance.” He nudged me forward. “Go on. Take as long as you need to. I’ll be here.”
“Thank you, Your Hi—Kance.”
The thought of the prince waiting outside spurred my pace, despite the stiffness in my right leg. I would suffer a scar there, I was told—a permanent reminder of my encounter with the azi. I walked past the familiar corridors, following the snakelike tunnel until it once more opened into the majestic, empty chamber, where the oracle awaited me.
This time, I needed no prompting. Polaire had gifted me with a beautiful turquoise pin set with flutter strips of silver birds at its end. I took a deep breath and threw it into the fire.
“You have taken a living familiar,” she said. “And you have taken one that knows neither life nor death.”
“Yes.” I did not know how far into my future the oracle could see, but I realized I had never doubted her. Not since the first day I entered her realm, even when she asked me time and time again to consign my beautiful ornaments to the flames. Even now, the azi stirred in my mind, safe and hidden within Lake Strypnyk.
Even now, I could feel Aenah’s thoughts raging while she remained locked away within the dungeons of the Ankyon palace, warded from all magic.
“You have told no one.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Aenah was right—she holds the key to unlocking the rest of my abilities. There is a way for me to learn how to control daeva without having to sacrifice my life in the process. The asha elders would never have allowed me to do so. Aenah is locked up in the palace dungeons in Ankyo, but if I wish to, I can now command her thoughts the same way she once tried to control mine. Through this, I can learn all I need to know. In time, once I have greater command of these skills, I will tell the others.” It was like a dam bursting. Words poured from my lips, desperate to unburden my soul to the nameless, shrouded figure before me.
“Is that why you did not kill the azi?”
I swallowed. This was harder to defend than compelling Aenah.
“I do not want to kill it. It only wants to be left alone. Under my control, it won’t harm anyone.”
“You are dangerous,” said the oracle. “Left unchecked, you can spell the downfall of the Willows, of Kion. The asha should be alerted to the extent of your abilities. And yet—and yet—”
She trailed off. The fires burned lower until they were nothing more than tiny lights dancing above black coals.
“Return to your asha-ka,” the oracle finally said, and the fires rose up once more, burning anew. “And may the gods have mercy on the land.”
They are ready.
She was only seventeen. She rose, and the world rose with her. Creatures of nightmares lifted their haunches and howled at the dying stars above us. The girl turned and set her sights on the horizon. Her black heartsglass swung with her movements, and a queer light shone forth from its depths. Her familiar, the boy in black, stood beside her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she rested her head against his knuckles. Her fingers found his.
“Let’s go, Kalen,” she said.
I followed them as they moved across the beach, onto the road that stretched into the kingdom of Daanoris. A cold wind blew from the north, and with it the promise of night—a growing darkness tempered only by the moon above, burning with all the light to see.
The World of The Bone Witch: The 8 Kingdoms
ISTERA
? The coldest among the eight kingdoms ? Has gone to war with Tresea over the Heartsbane Islands in the past and still shares some animosity ? Separated from Tresea by the River of Peace CAPITAL: Farsun CURRENT RULER: King Rendorvik of House Petralta TRESEA
? Composed of mostly dense woods and wide plains ? Population is concentrated mainly in cities, with small scatterings of villages throughout CAPITAL: Highgaard CURRENT RULER: Czar Kamulus of House Ambersturg DAANORIS