The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(80)

“You killed so many people, Tea. They were your friends—”

“Enough!” The daeva’s howling grew. Then came the sound of stones shattering; one of the beasts had struck a column, destroying it with a violent sweep of its tail.

And then Lord Kalen appeared, his hand on her shoulder. The Dark asha closed her eyes and took long, steady breaths. The daeva quieted but was still uneasy. “If I cannot convince you of my innocence, Your Highness, then there is no hope for me, and we do nothing now but waste time. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to save Fox. I make no promises for everything else.”

The bone witch’s hands unfurled. Her nails had scored deep, painful-looking grooves into her skin, red blood dripping down the floor.





21


The number of soldiers is often directly proportional to the importance of the noble in tow; in Prince Kance’s case, over half of the standing army had been dispatched to protect him while I slew the aeshma.

The emperor of Daanoris was not only the troops’ undisputed leader but was also venerated by the people as a god-king, so nearly the whole army turned up for the hunt, to my horror. Daeva are not predictable creatures, and my worry during Kance’s excursion was magnified tenfold here.

Emperor Shifang was just as adamant about seeing me in action, perhaps inspired by my impromptu match against his soldiers. Inessa was as insistent too.

Khalad, the most prudent noble of the bunch, elected to stay behind with Likh and Shadi. Both Tansoong and Baoyi accompanied the emperor. Zoya was practically purring, here in the open, away from the palace, where we could once more channel runes. As soon as the wards were gone, I had instinctively reached out to find the azi, and the relief when it responded to my thoughts was enormous.

I had taken the opportunity to scan the emperor and his officials with Scrying but could not find anything out of the ordinary. Shifang was oftentimes too concerned with himself for his thoughts to be relevant. Tansoong’s mind thrived on petty details such that most issues of substance were beyond his capacity. Baoyi’s thoughts were calm, his mind sorting through the paperwork still needing work in the palace, though that was overlaid by apprehension concerning the daeva we now hunted. Experience told me this did not exempt them from an alliance with any of the Faceless, but it seemed less likely somehow.

Fox was quiet; we were riding separately for once, with me on Chief and him on a gray Daanorian stallion beside the princess. I understood the emotions thrumming through his head: anger and annoyance that Inessa was along for the ride and the same frustrations I felt about the potential casualties. But riding at the forefront was grim eagerness. We were finally going to face the daeva that killed him. Revenge had been a long, exhausting road, and we were nearing the end.

I rode with Kalen. We had little chance to talk since reports came of the savul being spotted near Lake Kaal. In this vast expanse of fields and small hills, I could feel the azi more keenly in my mind. Free of care, it coasted along the edges of Daanoris far above the clouds, aimless and happy. I envied it.

“Kalen?”

“Hmm?” His eyes were trained ahead, where the lake gleamed back at us.

I toyed with the sword on my hip. “You always said my fighting wasn’t up to par.”

“That’s true.”

I glowered. “I would have appreciated a little more encouragement.”

“There’s no encouragement on the battlefield, Tea. Surviving means you’ve improved, but that doesn’t guarantee living through the next fight.”

We were the first to reach the lake. I dismounted quickly, as did he, and heard the others behind us following suit. I stared out into the waters. It looked no different to me than the lake back home, and I wondered if the savul too had made Lake Kaal its home the way azi had made Lake Strypnyk its residence.

“It’s so peaceful here,” Princess Inessa murmured.

“Be on your guard, Princess,” Zoya told her. “We’re in the daeva’s territory, not the other way around. Fox, don’t let her out of your sight.”

“I’m not planning to.”

The princess frowned. “I’m not going to run around and get myself lost, Zoya. I’m not a child.”

“When you decided to tag along, you became exactly that,” my brother told her.

The girl muttered something under her breath. They had finally stopped avoiding each other outside of training, though being civil was still difficult.

The emperor looked around disdainfully and issued a question.

“What did he say?” I asked Zoya.

“The emperor may look regal, but I’m not sure if he takes his brains out to exercise often enough for my taste. He wants to know why the savul hasn’t shown up yet. Do you sense anything amiss?”

I directed my thoughts toward the blue waters. I felt the azi graze against my mind. “No, there’s nothing here.”

“The savul may have moved on,” Inessa suggested.

“It’s a creature of camouflage,” Zoya said. “It can mask its presence well enough that you would barely know it was there until it was on top of you.”

“But if Tea couldn’t sense anything…”

“No,” Fox broke in quietly. “It’s nearby.”

“How do you know that?”