The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(111)

“That’s amazing,” Zoya said. “You’ve managed to get Polaire to sit and stay.”

“I found it entertaining.” It felt good to hear Mykaela giggle again, clear and bereft of pain. “She’s been on my back for months, and now it’s payback. But where is the azi?”

“Usij broke our bond during the fight. I don’t know how he did it.”

“And you’re no longer linked to the azi?”

Before Daanoris, I would have kept this a secret. I’m learning from my own foolishness at least. “No. I reached out to it again.”

She sighed. “Tea.”

“I forged no new bonds with it. But I learned that I no longer needed to compel the azi for it to obey me. Familiarity might have something to do with it. It’s free to come and go as it pleases, but it’s choosing to stay near.”

“I’m not happy about this, but I understand. Can you control it again if you have to? I don’t think we can trust it acting independently, however noble its intentions.”

“I think so.”

“Good. Its help could still be invaluable, and we have few choices for allies.” She turned to the old forger. “It’s good to see you again. We thought we lost you at Daanoris.”

“Truth be told, I was very nearly lost. You have a very clever protégé here.”

“We have high hopes for her,” my sister-asha agreed.

“Although she still acts without thinking half the time,” Polaire said, still frowning. “Althy has been telling me about the Faceless’s book. How you could not deign to tell us earlier? I don’t—”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure if this was the right place to ask, but curiosity was getting the better of me. “You knew of the book too—the Heartshare rune.”

Polaire hesitated, then sighed. “I suppose I owe you an explanation. I’ve flouted the rules a few times myself.”

“A few times?” Althy quipped. “At least a hundred times is my best guess, and that is a conservative estimation.”

“I recall many nights in my youth misspent because of all the trouble you talked Althy and me into,” Mykaela chimed in.

Polaire rolled her eyes. “Fine, I am the scoundrel of this bunch. But I stumbled upon the rune quite by accident when I was your age, Tea.”

“Did you find it in a book?” Kalen asked.

Polaire shook her head. “I came upon it at Mistress Clayve’s study actually. She was the former head of House Imperial before Hestia took over, more than ten years ago. We had our dance exams, and I thought I had made a bad mess of it. So when an opportunity arose and I found her study unguarded, I snuck in to see my results, possibly to change any unsatisfactory scores and criticisms. I found several papers on the rune on her desk. It gave comprehensive details of its usage and effects. I had never been a good student, even at my best, yet it burned itself into my brain—I could not forget it if I had wanted to. I suspected that it was forbidden, and perhaps that was its appeal. I never thought to use it until recently, when Mykaela grew worse and I was desperate.”

I felt cold. “But why would the elder asha have a Faceless’s rune?”

“I was foolish enough to ask Mistress Clayve then,” Polaire snorted. “She nearly went into hysterics at the question. She refused to answer and dumped chores on me in retaliation. I snuck into her study again afterward, but the papers were gone. They were nowhere to be found, no matter how hard I searched.” She gazed steadily at me. “Do you think there is a connection?”

“There has to be. This cannot be a coincidence.” Hidden runes wielded by Dark spellbinders, lost over time—deliberately—by the asha, to prevent Dark witches like us from rising too high. I felt sick to my stomach, remembering Aenah’s words.

Althy shook her head. “But why would they hide such runes from us? I have made my own inquiries into the matter like you asked, Tea. I could find nothing incriminating.”

Mykaela frowned. “Althy says that they have been very vocal about us since you left Daanoris. The empress refused to allow them to see us, but they were very persistent.”

The plump asha sighed. “It is still not a sign of guilt, but it is obvious there are details they are hiding from us. Not surprising, really.”

Zoya frowned. “The association has been a thorn in our side since Likh. There must be a reason for their meddling. Did Aenah give you any reasons, Tea?”

“No, unfortunately. Just that they wanted to control what Dark asha can do to some extent.”

“Perhaps it is prudence?” Althy suggested. “The book is proof enough that some runes shouldn’t be drawn.”

“I think it’s more than that though. Aenah hinted that there was some big secret they didn’t want us to know.”

Empress Alyx paced back and forth. “There is still the matter of Prince Kance’s illness and the Duke of Holsrath on the throne in Telemaine’s stead. We cannot afford to divide Kion when there is still Odalia to deal with. We can deal with the elders afterward.”

“Kance takes priority,” Kalen said tersely. “Khalad, how quickly can you re-create an urvan for the prince?”

“I should have everything done by tonight.”