The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(51)

“Kalen!” Lord Besserly bellowed, appearing out of nowhere to clap him on the back. “The ministers would like to talk to you about your cousin and Odalia.”

“I am no longer King Kance’s representative, Your Excellency.”

“Ah, is Kance as prudish about nobles being with asha as his blowhard of a father? I wish Telemaine a speedy recovery, by the way, but I always figured Kance would be a lot more lenient.”

“Our distance is for an entirely different matter, your lordship.”

“A pity. There are talks of him sending a considerable portion of his army our way, and while I trust Odalia and Yadosha remain in good standing, we’ve got every reason to be more than a little uncomfortable about his decision.”

“What? Kance is sending troops here? When?”

“We received a missive an hour ago. While you might not be representing Odalia in any official capacity, we thought you or Lord Khalad might be able to shed some light on his perplexing behavior.”



Kalen glanced back at me.

“While we have only the highest respect for the Lady Tea,” the duke said apologetically, “she speaks for the Willows, and this is a matter that doesn’t concern them—yet. I know Lady Tea is as knowledgeable about the politics of the situation, but there are protocols to follow.”

“We’re to talk about it here? In the middle of all…this?”

“We never discuss politics unless we’re at least half-drunk, Lord Kalen. That’s how we maintain our sanity.”

“Go with them,” I said gently. “And take Khalad too. I don’t know what Kance is doing, but you both know him better than anyone else. I’ll go have a talk with Likh…and we can speak again later.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised as they headed for Khalad.

I took up the empty chair beside Likh once they had left. “Is he still mad?” I asked.

Likh nodded miserably, though not without anger coloring his heartsglass. Both he and the Heartforger had been silent all throughout the meal; Likh was studiously looking down at his food and doing his hardest to not look at Khalad, to the latter’s obvious displeasure. Kalen and I aren’t the only ones arguing, I thought with a sigh.



The runic wards had been rewoven around Likh, and they felt stronger than before. “What else was I supposed to do?” the boy asha asked. “The nanghait could have killed him!”

“And he was scared that it could have killed you,” I reminded him. “How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad for someone who’s been blighted.” Likh lifted a tankard to his lips. He was never this blunt, and I quickly learned why. All asha under seventeen summers were prohibited intoxicants—though like most establishments, the regulation was waived with important clients as long as the asha was under the supervision of an older mentor. The Yadoshan council house was a far cry from a conservative asha-ka, and as the only senior asha available, I wasn’t sure I could do much more at this point. “I was fine. I knew what I was doing. Forging hearts is his expertise, but I know my own strengths.”

I laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m just realizing how I must have looked and acted from Polaire’s or Althy’s point of view at your age. You do realize that he was frightened for you.”

“Yeah. But that was my own decision, right? He couldn’t have known Kalen would have fended off the daeva. I couldn’t have known what would happen if I hadn’t intervened. He keeps… He thinks that because he sees every emotion in my heartsglass, he gets to decide what is best for me!”

“He doesn’t see everything in your heartsglass,” I said quietly. “Khalad’s a very clever man and an exceptional heartforger. But sometimes his own feelings cloud his judgment and prevent him from seeing into heartsglass. He doesn’t know that you like him.”

He blushed. “And… Does he…?”

“I don’t know. He’s better at hiding his emotions than I am.”

“Well, if it isn’t the Lady Tea! Fancy meeting you here!”

I recognized the voice, but my groans were muffled as Aden, a Yadoshan trader and frequent customer of the Valerian, bounded over and enveloped me in a hug that would have given Rahim a run for his money. Balfour and Knox were directly behind him, laughing boisterously and already inebriated. “Last time I saw you was at the Dawnbreak tearoom last month. What brings you to our part of the world?”

“I’m considering permanent relocation, Sir Aden,” I said around a mouthful of arm, adopting Kalen’s proposal for the purpose of this meeting.

“Ha! There are so few asha here nowadays—sent back to Ankyo, more’s the pity—and you two are a welcome sight to see! Come sit with us for a little while, you and your beautiful lady friend! You are an asha too, aren’t you, milady?”

“My name is Likh,” Likh said, rising from his chair. “And thank you, kind sir. I’m an asha who’s never been to Yadosha before and would love to know more about what you do.”

“The more the merrier!” Knox proclaimed.

“Likh—”

“I’m only going to talk to them, Tea. Isn’t that part of what we do?” The boy asha drained his mug and stood. “Where were we, men?”