The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(60)

He tapped his heartsglass. Despite the cold, he wore no shirt, and my heart quickened at the sight. “It’s almost instinct to close my eyes and know where you are.”

“Do you know what’s strange? Mykkie said something similar not too long ago. Like she could feel Polaire still, because they’d shared heartsglass.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“Couldn’t stay asleep.” I looked up at the stars. “We can’t run away, Kalen,” I said softly. “I can’t sit by while Druj and the Drychta attempt to create darksglass. Without us, they could force Khalad to create lightsglass for them. And if they find the First Harvest, then it will only be a matter of time before they combine the two to make shadowglass. Once we’ve found a solution to that, we can leave. I’ll go with you anywhere.”

He tried to hide his disappointment and nodded. “Fair enough. Lord Garindor says a mountain must be passed to gain darksglass. There is something more to that than simply spells.”

“I’m not sure we can rely on the books. Darksglass alone is enough to frighten me. A spell where all the seven daeva are contained therein. That must be the daeva’s bezoars. And then there’s lightsglass, which requires the souls of the Five Heroes or their descendants—which Khalad can do. We must prevent Druj from getting his hands on them.”

“That should be easy enough. You have the azi, and I doubt it would willingly turn itself over to anyone else. And there’s the nanghait’s bezoar that we’ve taken, and the zarich’s.”

“And part of the taurvi still back in Kion. I could try to send word to Mykaela to keep an eye on it.” I looked at him. He smiled, and it was like our previous fight had never happened.

“I’m not going to ask you to talk to Fox,” he said. “I…don’t know how to fix what’s happening between the two of you, but it might be easier once we put down the Drychta threat. It was a courageous thing you did tonight, even if it was a little spontaneous.”

“You saw?”

“While I was sleeping. Not all, but enough to understand. I can’t explain how.”

“I don’t know if it will ever be the same between Fox and me.” I closed my eyes and kissed him slowly. “But I have you.” I burrowed my fingers into his hair. “Every path I’ve chosen and every decision I’ve made, you were my one constant. I meant what I said last night. If anyone tries to hurt you, I swear on everything that I am I will hunt him down.”

“And what about the rest?” His hands moved lower. “About exchanging heartsglass?”

“In a heartbeat, if I could. When this is over, as you said.”

“Agreed. But you can’t control the future,” Kalen reminded me gently, his breath warm against my mouth.

“I don’t care. I’ll bring us back from the grave if I have to, silver heartsglass or not.”

“And I will kill anyone standing between us,” he promised, before his lips closed over mine, “even if I have to crawl out of my grave to do so.”





“She said nothing of her location?” Lady Altaecia studied me like she could discern my thoughts from my expression alone. The Dark asha gave me no reason to believe that she wanted our conversation to remain a secret. She abandoned me while her brother offered sanctuary, though he had every right to turn me away. I was loyal to her tale first and foremost—let her politics hang.

“She wanted to pay her respects to Lady Mykaela, milady.”

“She’ll make for the Hollow ranges,” Lord Fox predicted grimly. “Kance’s army is there. If he’ll lead the charge, so will she.”

“But will it be on our side and Kance’s? It’s easier to treat her as a foe rather than as a friend nowadays.”

“I would much rather ignore them both and attack Drycht instead,” Empress Alyx fumed. “Every hour that we do not set foot in the desert kingdom gives them more time to prepare.”

“I’d rather not have an army attacking us from behind, Your Majesty,” Lord Fox disagreed. “We’ll have to muddle through them first. I’d choose a delay over lives lost. And whatever Tea says, she believes there is a trap waiting for us in Drycht. The Hollows will be good middle ground.”

Lady Altaecia turned back to me. “I don’t suppose you will agree to stay behind.”

“I hope you would permit me the honor of accompanying you, milady.”

“You are dedicated, which is admirable. What do you say, Your Majesty?”



“We shall take Lord Knox’s soldiers and half our army and make for the Hollow Mountains,” the empress decided. “The rest will stay behind. I do not want to see what remains of Kion lost to either more dragonfire or blighted folk.”

The beautiful woman gazed at her daughter and her consort. “What say the both of you? Whatever her intentions, Tea attacked my kingdom. Any other ruler would have considered that an act of war. What reason should I have to spare Tea’s life, rather than have her hauled up in chains—or killed—before she can work her compulsion on anyone else?”

The princess spread her hands helplessly. “You trusted her once, Mother. You saw the lies the elders wrought to make her bitter. You saw her thrown out of home and kingdom, seeking refuge in other nations like a vagabond, despite everything she has done to protect us. She minimizes our casualties as she directs her anger against the elders. She bears us no ill will. Read her letters, as I have.”