The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(62)

I stared at him, mouth agape. Was he seriously that oblivious? Had I been as oblivious with Kalen? That thought alone stopped me from laughing in his face. It wasn’t my place to tell him. It wasn’t likely he would believe me even if I did. That was Likh’s job now.

“Likh values your opinion more than he does either Kalen’s or mine. And he dissolved his wards to save you. I’d like to believe he was expecting a bit more gratitude than anger. Do you like him?”

Khalad looked astounded. “What? Me? I—I don’t know. I’m not in the habit of thinking of people—of anyone—that way. We’re… Heartforgers aren’t supposed to—”

“It’s not unheard of. I can cite a couple of instances of heartforgers marrying and raising children.”

“Ah, I don’t think the latter would be possible with Likh, Tea.”

I opened my mouth but caught myself. Likh’s desires weren’t my business to tell either. “There can be more to a family than children, Khalad. Or you can adopt. Or there could be other ways. I think you should talk to him first. Don’t start with anger or explain why he shouldn’t risk his life for yours. Just talk to him. No—listen. He doesn’t want to hear solutions. He wants you to hear him out.”

Khalad sighed. “I suppose I can try.”

“Lady Tea?” One of the soldiers poked his head into the room. “Stefan wants to see you immediately.”

Kalen was with Lord Stefan, Lord Besserly, and the other ministers when we entered the stateroom, though he didn’t look happy. “Lady Tea,” the First Minister started, clearing his throat several times. His heartsglass was crystal blue. “We have news.”

“I trust that the matter of choosing warriors for the azi has been settled amicably?”

“Yes. But that’s not what I refer to. A raven arrived from Kion, from the asha association.”

The room turned cold. Khalad muttered something indistinct.



“It’s a bit troubling, milady. They’ve accused you of fleeing the kingdom after murdering some villagers, including your own sister. I trust Lady Mykaela and know that she vouches for you, but if you have been found guilty as it says, we cannot take that lightly. They request you be placed under arrest and taken back to Kion pending your sentence.”

“The blighted incidents appeared only after your arrival,” one of the ministers pointed out. “It is an odd coincidence.”

“You forget that she took down the nanghait for us, Heathrow,” Lord Besserly argued. “And had Lady Tea been the instigator of those blights, then she would have let them happen instead of preventing them. We found the Drychta responsible, in case you weren’t listening.”

“That could have easily been a ploy orchestrated to win our trust.”

“And what did she gain by that trust? She asked for none of our secrets and made no concessions for it. I am a living testament to her loyalty. I owe her my life. The least we can do is give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“If I may speak?” I asked.

“Please do, Lady Tea,” Lord Stefan responded.

“There is reason to believe that the elders have been keeping secrets for years. Several asha and I believe that Kion was built on a lie. Magic was not a privilege we were given to keep, but a means to right an old wrong. Hollow Knife intended to heal a rift in the world with a rare spell, though the consequence would be to end our use of magic once and for all.”

“Those are the same precepts that the Faceless prattle on about!” another minister warned.

“I will never approve of the Faceless’s actions, milord. We have slain Usij and Aenah, and we will slay Druj and anyone else who would try to take their place. The elder asha want to keep the Faceless from their goal, but neither do they want to lose our magic, and so they have been doing their utmost to defy us at every turn. If you are a friend of Lady Mykaela, then you would want her to live, not die slowly from the Dark. We almost lost her. We’ve lost Lady Polaire already.”

“I don’t understand,” Lord Knox said. “To heal the rift sounds like a noble endeavor. Why would you take away your own magic?”

“The rift gives daeva life, milord,” Kalen said. “Without magic, the Faceless would be powerless. I don’t know if the absence of magic can truly bring peace, but it can guarantee the permanent death of those monsters and benefit at least four of your citizens. The elder asha prefer an endless fight against the Faceless and their runes, rather than be deprived of their own magic.”

“So you intend to rid the kingdoms of spells, Lady Tea?”

“I don’t know yet,” I answered honestly. “I’m as selfish as they are. I have too many friends who rely on magic, and I won’t be the one to take it away from them. But for now, I want to keep it away from both the Faceless and from the elder asha, to ensure they won’t misuse their abilities at the cost of anyone else’s.”

“Then this was all a trick?” another minister asked. “You did not murder these villagers as they claim? Or your sister?”

Kalen’s gaze sought mine, and I drew strength from what I saw there. “I have no memories of committing such acts. I only know that I would never have done so of my own volition. As for the others, I know that I am innocent.”