The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(20)

“There are many spells in my book that hold the answers to your troubles. Once you acquire such tastes for power and appreciate its sweetness, you shall stop playing asha and come to us, the Faceless, where your skills will be put to better use.”

“Never,” I spat.

“Never is such a long time to promise, Tea. We live too short of lives to consign ourselves to an eternity you may regret. And it is not terrible to have a black heartsglass. We are stronger with it, more steeped in the Dark, less vulnerable to darkrot. Ah, but the elders will not allow you to think that.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Black heartsglass will never be taken from you the way Mykaela’s heartsglass was taken from her. Black heartsglass will always return to you regardless of anyone’s control, whether you wish it to or not. Is that not temptation enough to take my book?”

“The process makes it less than appealing.”

She laughed. “A little corruption is good for the soul, Tea. The book I speak of lies within the Odalian cemetery. Where lies poor forgotten Millicent Tread of Istera, there you shall find your true calling.”

I said nothing and headed for the door.

“Until we meet again,” Aenah called after us before the heavy metal doors slid shut.

“Tell the commander that Garveth is to have time off until his wife gives birth,” I instructed one of the passing soldiers. “And I want all guards keeping watch over this cell, standing at least twenty feet away. No one but the Deathseeker who delivers her meals may approach.” I knew it would probably be ineffective, but I had to do something.

“What did she mean about an azi lodged in your mind?” Fox demanded as we left the prison. “You killed it two years ago, didn’t you? Has it been resurrected?”

I swallowed. “No. I never killed it.”

“This sounds like a private conversation between you two,” Khalad said nervously from behind us. “I should be going.”

“Stay, Khalad,” Fox commanded. “You’ve been taking memories from Tea all this time. Did you not know about this?”

The forger swallowed. “Well…”

Fox gaped at him. “You knew?”

“It’s part of our oath as Heartforgers—memories are no one else’s business but their owner’s.”

“It didn’t want to fight!” I protested. “The azi was under Aenah’s influence. It fought her as much as I did. But now I’m in its mind and it’s in mine, and I know it meant no harm.”

“Break your bond with it, Tea! It’s too dangerous!”

“I don’t know how even if I wanted to. But it knows I’m not the threat Aenah was. It’s made no move to attack since I took control.”

Slowly, Fox shook his head. “That doesn’t make it harmless.”

“Harmless or not, it hasn’t done anything to me. There’s something about this bond that makes us aware of each other’s presence. And…and it gives me control of it when I ask.”

“Tea!”

“What do you expect me to do, Fox? Tell the asha elders? Khalad, tell him what would happen if I did.”

Khalad swallowed. “You’d be locked up just like Aenah. You’d be considered a source of danger to everyone, and neither Mykaela nor even Altaecia has that much authority to protect you.”

“Tea, don’t you think Mykaela ought to know at least?” my brother persisted, though much of his irritation was gone, knowing Khalad had spoken the truth.

“She won’t know how to break the bond any more than I do. At this point, I know more about handling daeva than she does. And as for the others…” Telling Mykaela meant telling Polaire, and after my blowup at Polaire the other day, telling her would be tantamount to telling the association. “That I’m a bone witch makes it worse. There’ll be people crying for my head soon enough. King Telemaine and Prince Kance could even be accused of conspiring with me. I won’t let that happen.”

“I really should be going,” Khalad said nervously, backing away. “I really should put this memory in a safer place.”

“Khalad, come back here. I’m not done with—ah, hells. He’s gone.” Fox turned back to me. “I’m not ‘other people,’ Tea. I’m your brother. You should have told me.”

“I know about your dislike for daeva, Fox. I knew you wouldn’t approve.”

“Not approving doesn’t mean I’m not going to stick by you. Your problems are my own.” He paused. “At least that explains the disorienting sensations I get from you sometimes.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try my best not to keep anything from you again,” I said, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

“I like how you say ‘try,’ like you would do it again if you thought it would spare me the trouble.” My brother sighed. “I guess we have no choice then.”

“No choice in what?”

“We have no choice but to find that blasted book that harpy’s been yapping about. If there is guarded magic in it that might break your bond, that warrants a look.”





“I remember that day,” the Heartforger said. “Your heartsglass shone so brightly, Tea. There was anger and frustration and sorrow, an unhealthy combination. I remembered Aenah’s too. She was afraid of you, no matter how she tried to hide that. She was adept enough at disguising it, but I could still see the flecks of blue.”