All the Stars and Teeth(78)

“Kaven killed her years ago, when she was trying to sneak others into our camp,” she continues after a moment’s pause. “But the trees she engineered are in abundance, here. Their wood is light and pliable, and the trees grow back to full size within months of being cut. Her dream was to use them to create newer, faster ships. And we’ve been trying to do the same.”

Thinking of Keel Haul, I sneak a glance at Bastian, but he keeps his attention firmly focused ahead. Despite the coolness of the air, sweat slicks his skin.

“Trying?” I ask, prying my focus from his trembling hands and returning it to Zale. There’s tension in her jaw as her eyes bore into me.

“The king burned our ships,” she says in a voice that’s pure gravel. It slices straight through me slick as steel, catching my breath in my throat. “For years he cut us off from traveling; only recently has Zudoh produced enough wood to manufacture ships again, which is how Kaven’s been able to grow his army in recent years. But it’s been slower for us, since we have so few people to help build.” Her words ring heavy with pain and exhaustion.

I think back to everything I knew about Zudoh. That they were banished. That they turned against Father in a fight, and that he was wounded.

But they weren’t just banished. They were imprisoned, their ships burned as they were left here with Kaven. All of this—all the suffering and fear that’s happening upon Zudoh’s soil—is because of him.

Nothing I say will be enough, but still I tell her I’m sorry through a throat that’s thick with cotton.

Part of me wants to believe that, if this is the truth, then Father surely must have had a good reason. But what possible reason is there that would warrant landlocking an island?

“We’ll be finished with one in another season or two,” Zale continues. “It’s been years in the making, as there aren’t many of us to work on it between all our other tasks. But it’s almost finished.”

“You don’t sound as pleased about this as I would expect,” Vataea says.

“Would you be pleased if you had to choose between your family and freedom?” Though Zale’s never struck me as anything but powerful, I notice for the first time how small her hands are as she balls them into fists on her lap. “We build the ship over the mountain, so we can get it to the water when we’re stocked and ready to try to break the barrier. Though we’ve created tools to make the climb possible, I’m afraid not all our people are fit for that journey. If we’re to leave, we’d have to leave some of them behind.”

“What about using Curmanan magic?” I press, though even suggesting they use another magic feels wrong on my lips.

Zale smiles sadly. “Our camp is small. We’ve a few who’ve tried to practice it, but levitation is a high-level skill. None of us have been able to master it, and we’ve no time to keep trying. It would take years we don’t have. We even thought about using Valukan earth magic to build a path through the mountain, but it would take too long to do it slowly, and would be too loud to do it quickly. Once we get over the mountain, we need to be quick to collectively try to break Kaven’s curse. He’ll notice the moment it’s down, so we won’t have time to linger. Climbing is our only option.”

My nod is slow as the words sink in. I can’t let this happen.

“Why does he have such a hold on this island?” Ferrick asks. My palms are slick with sweat I wipe over my pants, trying to relax enough to focus on Zale’s answers.

“Kaven believes everyone should learn whatever magic they want,” Zale tells us. “And he thinks that Montara magic—your soul magic—should be something we practice widely. But what he refuses to believe is that some are perfectly content with only having their one magic. That not all of us wish to spend our lives mastering every form of magic out there.”

“How big has his following grown?” Bastian asks so quietly his words are barely audible.

Zale narrows her eyes and inspects him again. Her cheeks hollow as though she’s biting the inside of them, assessing him like a puzzle.

Bastian tries not to look her directly in the eye.

“Not as large as it could be, since he’s trying to force people to learn a magic many of them can’t handle,” she eventually answers, ceasing her scrutiny. “But probably half of both Zudoh and Kerost follow him. I don’t think he has much of a hold on the other islands; maybe small numbers if anything. It’s not practicing multiple magics that makes people sick you know. It’s only when they try to learn Aridian magic.”

Ferrick looks vaguely ill. “What do you mean, Aridian magic? There’s no way anyone else can learn that.” He turns to me to see if I share his surprise, and I sink into myself. “Did you know about this?”

“I didn’t want to believe it either,” I offer him quietly. “Not until I saw it.”

Understandably, this answer doesn’t please him. He sits back on his hands, shaking his head as Zale explains. Beside him, Vataea listens intently.

“It’s far from proper Aridian magic,” Zale clarifies. “But somehow Kaven’s created a version that’s not quite right. He used to kidnap people and force them to learn it. Now that he has a following though, he shares it with them. But most who try to learn this magic suffer and die immediately. Those who survive become warped. Corrupted, like him. That magic is likely what made him so awful in the first place.”