Before was one moment, an invitation that couldn’t be rescinded, when I hurled fire and ice like spears—until they turned on me. “I don’t know.”
He smiles and nods, but there’s an impatient snap to his stride as he summons Halina and crosses the room to talk to Kauko.
“Please, sir,” Halina says, bowing her head as she stands before Nisse. “I’ve had an idea.”
Nisse raises his eyebrows, his lips twitching with amusement. “You have?”
She gestures at Kauko. “He has said that many of his priests and apprentices fled to the Loputon wood.”
Nisse nods. “A miracle if any of them survived. I lost two warriors there—they went to hunt and never returned! It bears the stink of a cursed place.”
“I know a few trappers who can move through it as easily as our city streets.” She glances at me, and the cunning in her eyes sends a tremor through me. “With little red still struggling, perhaps you could pursue other options.” She holds her hands out, palms facing each other. “Two parallel paths. Either will lead to where you want to go.”
But only one will bring me the acceptance of my tribe again. I stare at her, betrayal choking me.
Nisse must read the clammy panic on my face. His smile is kindly as he pats Halina on the shoulder. “I happen to have a great deal of faith in—what did you call her? Little red?” He laughs. “You Vasterutians and your pet names. It’s charming.”
Halina bows her head again and meekly translates as Nisse begins to speak with Kauko about what might be the best material to acquire for my new tunic and cloak, so that I will look fearsome when we invade—the Krigere version of a Valtia.
Relief and gratitude nearly buckles my knees. He’s not giving up on me . . . yet.
Sig lets out a quiet chuckle, and I turn to see him watching me. With a smirk, he points to the nearest torch, and a tendril of flame sprouts from its center, spiraling into the room like a ribbon. I gape at it as it snakes prettily toward me. Sig swirls his finger, and the flame obeys, following its motion with loving attention. He stares at it with such devotion, a melancholy wistfulness that makes my chest ache as I watch.
“I wish I could control it like that,” I say. And I’d better learn quickly.
Sig opens his palm, and the fire jumps into it, forming a ball that grows until it’s nearly the size of a shield. I take a step back as sweat streams down his cheeks and chest, wishing for cold to temper the flame. The fireball shrinks a bit, but my cold wind fills the entire room and draws the others’ attention.
“Sig!” Kauko shouts. He jabs his hand forward, and Sig makes a choking sound as his back slams against the stone wall, his face cherry red with heat. Despite his apparent love for fire, he’s very sensitive to it.
“Did he hurt you, Ansa?” Nisse asks, running toward me.
“No, not at all,” I say, wincing as blisters cover Sig’s handsome face. “I think he was just showing me.”
“He’s unpredictable,” says Nisse. “Kauko controls him, but you shouldn’t get too close.”
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask. “He’s treated less like an apprentice than a prisoner.” Or a caged animal.
“When the temple was overtaken, many atrocities were committed,” Nisse says. “And apparently Sig was nearly burned alive when his magic was turned back on him. Kauko saved him, but he couldn’t heal him for hours, so Sig has been left with his scars. Kauko says it has affected his mind and memory, and that Sig does not know friend from enemy right now. The elder seems devoted to the boy, though.” He bows his head and speaks very quietly. “And apparently he has fire magic in abundance, and he is a good ally to have when we invade. Between the elder, this fire wielder, and you, there is no chance the criminal wielders who hold the temple now will triumph over us. They’ve put an impostor queen on the throne, but she has no power of her own. However, the wielders around her are very powerful, and they are the ones we will face on the battlefield.”
“We have a month of winter left.”
“But we don’t want to give them time to prepare for our attack. There are rumors they are raising an army, and that means warrior lives will be lost if our victory is not decisive.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I look out the window at the gray sky. “I . . . I heard a rumor that there are many warriors who have sealed themselves up in a different part of the city.”
Nisse’s green gaze turns decidedly cold. “I wonder who you’ve been talking to.” But then he sighs, and the ice melts. “Truthfully, I fear for them. They’ve been holed up for weeks, and though I’ve supplied them with food, it’s not all they need. With so many people packed into such a small space, with inadequate drainage, I’m afraid disease will come to visit them.”
A chill shimmies down my back. “No,” I whisper, thinking of all those andeners and children, all those warriors. “They still refuse to come out?”
“They demand to hear from Thyra. They will act on her will, and her will alone.”