The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(72)

“I’ll see to it.”

“Can you accompany Khalad for a bit, Kalen?” Likh asked. “I want to discuss something with Tea.”

Kalen looked over at me, and I nodded. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised.

“I don’t trust this Agnarr fellow,” Likh began heatedly after they left. “I don’t care if he thinks you’re not the right kind of Dark asha, even if you clearly are. We don’t have another twenty years for the next one to come along and meet his requirements. There are Drychta and Faceless in Yadosha right now. He and the Gorvekai can afford to wait in their little corner of the world, but King Kance can’t!”

I was watching the kaleidoscope of colors in Likh’s heartsglass change from silver to red to blue to yellow in dizzying patterns. He was angry for other reasons. Was it because Agnarr had called him Lady Likh?

I didn’t realize I’d spoken the question aloud until Likh froze, the scowl slipping from his face. I pushed on hurriedly.

“Is that how you want to be called? Admittedly, it feels odd to hear others call you Lord or Sir.”

Likh’s expression turned pained. “Lady puts me off guard, gives rise to other thoughts. But would it be strange to ask for that title?”

“Is that what you’d like?”

He spent several seconds in thought, then straightened. “Being a girl or a boy or a Deathseeker or an asha isn’t about how you were born; it’s about who you are. You had no say in how you were born, and neither did I, but my ability to be true to who I am is the reason I’m an asha, not a Deathseeker. And the reason you’re an asha, not a Faceless.

“I don’t want to make other people uncomfortable, but I want to be who I am, and I need to understand my pride in that before anything else. Even if there are no spells to give me that shape, it doesn’t stop me from knowing I am a woman, whatever else they may say. Can’t…can’t I at least have that?”

“And I’ll support you,” I promised, smiling. “Every step of the way, Lady Likh.”

Likh grinned sheepishly. “It sounds so much simpler than doing it.”

“The best truths are always simple, I think. Life makes them complicated. Agnarr sounds like a rather perceptive person, and he seems to get to the heart of the matter quickly. I bow to his wisdom and yours.”

Likh laughed, suddenly shy. “Thank you. I’m not entirely convinced of his wisdom yet. But back to the issue at hand—now that you’ve been refused shadowglass, what do we do? We’re no better off now than we were before coming to Istera.”

“I don’t want to be their chosen Dark asha, Likh. But perhaps we can find another compromise.”

“We’ve received word from the Gorvekai,” Kalen said, returning with Khalad. “They want to see us.”

“Let’s not keep them waiting.” Khalad treated my injury, then we stood. “Shall we see what Lord Agnarr wants, Lady Likh?”

Likh giggled. Khalad looked puzzled, but a smile tugged at the corners of Kalen’s mouth.

“I am sorry,” Lord Agnarr said when we had entered his hut, “that we could not come to an agreement.”

“How exactly is Stranger’s Peak capable of its magic?” Kalen asked. “It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. How has this been kept a secret for so long?”

“The average asha or Deathseeker may enter, but they will find nothing there on their own. Dark asha and Faceless who have attempted shadowglass have reasons to keep our secret. If they cannot be chosen, then it is to their benefit that no one else is. The legends of Hollow Knife and Blade that Soars have always been shrouded in mystery. But there is one detail that many have forgotten: where the two brothers fell, a mountain rose in their place.”

Khalad stared. “Stranger’s Peak marks where Blade that Soars and Hollow Knife died?”

“We are both blessed and cursed with this legacy. The visions you’ve seen inside that sacred mountain are truths that have not yet come to pass, Lady Tea. They show the price you must be willing to pay to accept shadowglass.”

“I’m sorry I was not worthy,” I said.

“There was nothing you did wrong. We each have different roles to play. A farmer cannot be asked to assume the responsibilities of the bricklayer. They may not be as powerful in the eyes of others as, say, a king, but they are important to running a kingdom.”

“But what now?” Likh blurted out. “We are running out of time. Even as we speak, war is brewing between the Odalians and the Drychta. Faceless have King Aadil’s ear. Nothing good will come out of this, and they will not stop until they get their hands on shadowglass. How long before they come after you to demand the location of the First Harvest?”

Agnarr smiled. “They have tried in the past and will never succeed. They have connived and schemed for centuries, always seeking a way to push past our defenses. But we will prevail.”

“Will you?” Likh challenged him. “You might have bested them in the past because you outnumbered them, but that’s no longer the case. They’ve rallied other kingdoms to their cause. Drycht was not the first to turn. Odalia came close. Aenah was only defeated through Lady Tea’s efforts. You may have more runebinders on your side, but how would you fare when faced with armies twenty times your size? They will have no qualms about manipulating other innocents to wage their war against you. Can you say the same?”