19. Sybilla
Chapter 19
Sybilla
D usk settled over the courtyard outside Umber House. Night market merchants’ tents were rising. Source-wielders cast enchantments to hold the canopies up without posts. The floating lanterns danced above, already lit for this evening’s reprieve from the heat.
I waited for Fen and Asterie outside the Egress. The carved opening in the stone wall of the building offered them shade.
Asterie stepped out first. Vangard, her wolf-like beast, trailed behind her in a form no larger than an average dog. His horns were curled back, and his talons scraped against the cobblestone. I’d seen him much larger, yet now he trotted at Asterie’s side, looking more like a devoted pet than the vicious beast I’d once witnessed fight for my city.
Fenris, draped in a heavily patched thick green cloak, followed, glancing around the darkening streets as though assessing threats. Asterie wore her usual black robe and stone- faced expression. They’d be awfully warm in a few short minutes.
Wanting to be out of my heavy gown, I’d opted for a cream-toned linen dress and woven-leather slip-on mules. Elsedora had taken me to the night market again to pick out attire that suited me and the weather.
“Welcome.” I forced a chipper greeting. My voice still rasped, and I longed to be back in bed. I’d push through if only because I wanted to be among friends.
As Asterie and Fen approached, Van headed straight toward a cart selling meats. The merchant shooed him away.
“Van!” Asterie tapped her side to call him before turning to me. “My Queen.” Asterie attempted to curtsey, but Van knocked into the back of her legs and threw her off-balance.
“Needy animal,” Fen mumbled with a smirk as he grabbed Asterie’s arm to steady her. “How are you, Sybilla?”
My resolve for propriety waned, and I reached around and hooked both of their necks to draw them into an embrace.
“I’m alright, but we must speak inside,” I whispered before pulling away from them. “It’s too warm outside anyway. Next time, dress lighter.”
Asterie’s gaze slid down to the healing wound across my cheek, and her brow furrowed. At least I was still using my Luz-blue silk ribbon as a choker to hide the bruising—that would have only worried her more.
“Archery accident,” I explained with a lump in my throat. I hadn’t touched my bow since leaving home. I’d left my weapon in the Luz armory. Telling them about the attack would only distract them, and I needed their attention on my people, on rebuilding the city.
A shadow loomed near the door of Umber House.
“Krait, good to see you,” Fenris said.
Darvanda grunted.
He stood at the entry to Umber House, looking both annoyed and imposing.
“That means hello and he has missed you so very much in Darvan-dick,” I teased. Krait glared at me but shifted to allow us to walk ahead of him through the doors. “How is Luz faring?”
Asterie said, while casting a sideways glance back at Darvanda, “It will be a long process to restore things to their former state, but everyone in the city is housed. We are making do. It’s moving along; progress would be much faster with more magical aid.”
“The Nadiars have agreed to send Griffiths.”
Asterie squeezed my arm in thanks.
I was in the Sahlms while my people made do. That felt wrong, but I could rest assured that my advisors were doing all they could. “Can we send aid from the Sahlms?” I asked Krait.
Asterie’s brows rose at the word “we,” and my cheeks grew hot. Although we were allied, that did not mean that there was a we.
He fell into step beside me but didn’t look at me. His jaw tightened before he shook his head. “I cannot let anyone step across that border. Not until I know they can do so in peace, not until their future is secure. You heard the other rulers. There will be ‘concessions and decisions’ on a case-by-case basis.”
I wanted to argue, but I found myself at a loss for a compelling enough reason for him to aid a realm that had so readily turned his people away, a realm that continued to make it difficult for them to return.
I nodded and sucked in my cheeks. “Fair enough.”
“Wine?” I asked Asterie. I held out the bottle, and it left my fingers, floating across the table to pour her a glass—a charm I particularly liked for its efficiency in keeping my glass full.
Large serving dishes were brought in. An array of mixed grains and meats paired with decadently spiced sauces graced the table. The flavors were less subtle and often spicier than in Luz cuisine; my palate grew used to the taste.
Elsedora sat next to her brother, chattering about her life in the Sahlms. They’d only briefly been able to speak in Luz before we’d left. The ease between them cut through the tension around the rest of the table as bowls were passed for everyone to serve themselves.
Ryn hadn’t arrived yet, and Krait leaned back in his chair, watching us like a predator sizing up prey. Forks scraped plates, and I found myself happy to share a peaceful, albeit stiff, meal.
Van sat beside Asterie’s chair with his head in her lap. His wide, begging eyes stared up at her, requesting meat scraps, which she’d happily snuck him multiple times since dinner had begun.
“What has been happening in the Corridors? And do you foresee any threats in the moonstone?” I asked Asterie.
Asterie stroked Van’s head between his horns. “All seems quiet. The defectors from the Sahlms and the North Corridor were pushed to the northwest corner of the realm.” Asterie glanced at Darvanda. “Not many survived the Warhorses—I no longer think there is a threat of Firose’s army rising under new leadership.”
“They returned to Sahlmkar,” Krait cut in.
Asterie eyed him. “And you condone war criminals hiding out in your realm?” she asked with seeming indifference, but her shoulders had grown tense.
Krait’s brow furrowed, matching her challenging tone. “They were detained upon entering the Sahlms. I positioned Sahlmsaran guards along the border. My guards in Sahlmkar already seek out those who Death-wield. Our prison is rather full of those awaiting punishment.”
He hadn’t told me any of that.
I took a long pull of wine, not showing my ire. “At the council meeting, Emmerick mentioned he is seeking advisors. Has he shared who he is considering?”
Krait’s attention shifted to me. I disliked the intensity of skepticism in his stare.
“He has not...” Asterie looked between me and the Shadow-wielding King. “Should we be concerned about him?”
Elsedora cackled at something Fenris had said, cutting through the weight of Asterie’s question.
“No, no. I just wish for him to have capable help, that’s all.”
“We visit frequently, so does Amara—he would tell us if anything was amiss. I’m sure of it,” Asterie assured me.
“What are sentiments like in Luz about my alliance here?” I asked.
Asterie’s gaze narrowed on Krait. “There is still hesitation about Source-wielders reentering Henosis, even among those in Luz.”
Krait let out a “Hmph,” resting an elbow on the arm of his chair and his head on his hand. “What else is new?”
Asterie didn’t seem deterred by Krait’s foul mood. “Skepticism has lessened since your aid during the attack. Word traveled fast that you saved the city. I only hope that we can continue to build that trust.”
It was the most polite threat I’d ever heard. She didn’t trust Darvanda, and she couldn’t be blamed for that. Her upbringing had been rooted in keeping magic distant from the realm.
“Do you feel a royal marriage between us will deepen that trust?” I folded my hands on the table.
The table quieted before Elsedora burst out in giggles. I knew Ryn had told her. The two of them seemed incapable of keeping secrets from each other.
As though his loose tongue had been summoned, Ryn opened the dining room door and stepped inside. “What did I miss?” he asked, looking at the mixed bag of reactions around the table.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Fenris breathed out, distracted from my revelation. “Rynall?”
The Prince of Phynx cracked a smile. “Shit—El said your notorious ass was still alive. But I didn’t believe it until now.”
Ryn crossed the room to grip Fen’s extended hand. He pulled him by the forearm from his chair into a short, aggressive embrace.
“So, not going to try to kill me then?” Fenris asked.
“Heavens no. If my father hadn’t died that night, I’d have killed him myself. His blood would’ve been on my hands,” Ryn said as his eyes dipped to Vangard, who was still gazing up at Asterie, happily wagging his tail.
“But the city...” Fenris trailed off. Four centuries ago, Firose had seduced Fen, her then fiancé, into giving her half of his power. She’d used it to compel Van to fight alongside Brennax and destroy Phynx.
Asterie grabbed Fen’s hand and squeezed it.
Ryn shook his head. “That was Firose and Stygian’s doing.”
I’d gathered that Stygian had been Krait’s Commander at the time of the fall of Phynx.
The mood sobered. Fen cleared his throat as Ryn found a seat next to Elsedora.
“Well then,” Elsedora said with watery eyes. She seemed overwhelmed to see them all in one room.
I fought the temptation to reach into her head. Seeing two people you loved make amends—that was a feeling I’d never experienced.
Asterie still stared at me, frozen from the casual announcement of my betrothal. I peeked into her thoughts, longing for her acceptance.
“Surely that cannot be a good idea…Has she fallen for the Shadow King?”
Her internal question made my lips creep up at the sides.
I winked at her and said, “I will let you recover your aura of indifference, friend. Rest assured that a strategic marriage is what’s best for the future of my reign. We’ll discuss the arrangements later and put together a formal announcement.”
Asterie nodded and said, “Eager to hear your plans.”
Empty plates floated away, and hours passed. Krait remained at the table but barely conversed with any of us. Fenris, Ryn and Elsedora chattered while Asterie and I conversed and nearly polished off a bottle of wine between the two of us.
“If you were an animal, what would you be?” I asked Asterie. The wine had warmed my stomach and blurred the edges of my vision. Being among friends felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket at the end of a long day. The lightness of it lifted me. Gone, temporarily, was the pain in my joints; gone was the fatigue. In pain’s place was an escape that would torture me tomorrow but felt lovely in the moment.
“I don’t know. What do you think I would be?” she answered.
I tapped a finger to my chin. “Hmm, an owl. Beautiful, wise, and with a constant expression of judgment. Especially right now.”
My friend’s demeanor softened, and she cracked a thin smile. “I am never judging you.”
“I know, but you look like you are.” I chuckled. “What about me?”
Asterie said too quickly, “A horse.”
I scoffed as her eyes went wide.
“Not in looks!”
“Yes, yes, keep digging a hole for yourself,” I teased. “Why a horse?”
Krait dared to stifle a laugh as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“They’re such majestic and beautiful animals—but that’s not why. Did you know that a horse can hear your heartbeat? They are most comfortable when those around them feel confident. Like how you can feel others’ emotions…you are attuned to those near you, and when they are unsure, you’re more likely to spook.”
“That is profound and utter bullshit. But a decent save, I suppose,” I said and swiped at her with a napkin.
“Wait, what am I?” Fenris asked.
Krait cut in and deadpanned, “Tomcat.”
Fenris spit a mouthful of wine back into his glass. “Come now, I’ve changed my ways.” He held a hand toward Asterie as though showcasing her as proof of his innocence. Asterie leaned her shoulder into him.
“You two certainly knew each other well in a past era,” Asterie noted.
“And you”—I pointed at Elsedora—“are a fox...definitely a fox.”
Elsedora did a jig with her shoulders, looking proud to be likened to the curious, elusive animal.
Elsedora turned to Ryn and squinted in thought. “Hmm...” Her expression brightened. “Oh! Wolf.”
Ryn rolled his eyes. “Does this have something to do with me howling at the moon?”
“I can make you do that if you’d like,” Elsedora said, and Ryn flushed.
Krait stared at me expectantly over his wineglass. My head tilted to one side because I wasn’t sure there was an animal in existence that complemented his nature.
“I’ll think on yours,” I answered his unasked question.
Elsedora said, “I’m surprised she didn’t just say what we’re all thinking. You’re a bear.”
With a chuckle, I shrugged. It wasn’t the worst comparison.
Asterie stifled a laugh, too, and hiccuped. “I think I’ve had enough to drink.”
Wine was always the answer to stiff conversation.
Feeling triumphant, I smiled.
“Stay!” Elsedora said. “Oh, it would be fun to catch up more. Krait, can they? There are spare rooms by my quarters.”
I joked, “Are you sure you want to hear what they get up to at night?”
Asterie’s usually pallid cheeks turned crimson. “Is this what friends speak of?”
“I suppose,” I said with a shrug.
“Fine,” Krait said, surprising us all.
The charmed wine bottle poured another glass of wine for me and Asterie.
Later, Fenris requested a private word with Krait and Ryn. He leaned down to kiss Asterie’s temple before he followed the others into the courtyard, and my heart clenched. The silent understanding between the couple reawoke a longing in some depth of me that I thought I’d let harden over.
Royals rarely found love that was so simple and pure. We negotiated a sensible marriage. We produced heirs to take our throne. Then the cycle repeated.
Elsedora stood and placed her forearms on her chair back. “I am going to go check with the maids so a room can be prepared. Asterie, keep Sybilla out of trouble, would you?”
“I have been little trouble,” I defended.
“Fine—prevent anyone from causing her trouble then.” El winked, leaving the room with a flouncing gait.
“She’s a handful,” I noted.
“She definitely comes from the same stock as Fen.”
I huffed into my wine and pushed back my chair. “Come, let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”
I led Asterie down the hall toward the sitting room. Van walked at her heel, seemingly still searching for food scraps.
After entering the cozy space, we sat on a deep suede sofa. It felt like a cloud against my back muscles, which had begun to ache again as I sobered. Vangard curled up at Asterie’s feet and grumbled in contentment on the plush rug. The dim light from the candelabra above and the solid, thick wood doors made for a perfect place for a private conversation.
“Now that we are alone, take off that ribbon and tell me honestly what happened to you here.” Asterie cut through the lightness in my mood.
“You’re demanding when you drink,” I said. Instead of coming up with another excuse, I grabbed one end of the ribbon and unwound it from my bruised neck. My friend leaned forward with a furrowed brow, her glistening brown eyes settling on my neck.
“Sybilla...” she breathed out. “What has he done? Is he forcing you to marry him?”
“It was not Darvanda. I am fine here—truly. Marriage was my idea, and neither of us has any romanticized fantasies. It is a political arrangement.”
“Then who did this?” my friend demanded. “Because that does not look fine to me.”
I stiffened. “That is what I hope to discover. You always carry a moonstone, right?”
Asterie reluctantly reached into her robe pocket and withdrew a smoothed iridescent gem. “You owe me more explanation than ‘I am fine here’ first. Also, the moonstone has been spotty about responding to me recently. My power as an Oracle has waned since that night in Luz. It may help if you channel some of your power with me.”
A lump grew in my throat. I owed my friend answers.
Asterie spun the stone between her fingers while I told her about the attack in my bedchamber, about speaking with the prisoners and where they’d claimed to be sent from.
She listened intently as I told her about having full Reverist abilities, being the Last Daughter of Isleen and trying to figure out Krait’s fixation on my involvement in destroying Caym.
“Darvanda believes the Death Origin sent them? And that he is in Helos?” Asterie reeled back, her brow dipped into a deep crease. “Do you think that?”
“It’s a ridiculous claim. There’s no proof that the Death Origin has risen...No proof that the Sources are even sentient.” Doubt coated my voice. Because I did believe in Krait’s worries. It bothered me how easily that belief had developed.
My friend shook her head. “I once thought the same. But when I was...” Her voice caught, and I touched her shoulder. “When I died, I met Origin Asterie, my namesake. She told me something peculiar. She said, ‘Try not to make Death more than an acquaintance. He is difficult for me to negotiate with.’ At the time, I’d been convinced the Lacero curse would summon Death himself. But she’d intervened.”
Staring at the hutch across from us, where a dustless collection of ornate clay bowls was displayed, my mind raced. Amara’s actions that day in the bailey of the Keep, as my city was being saved by Darvanda’s army, corroborated Asterie’s story.
“Amara,” I mused. “That day, she summoned the Sun Origin too—they must’ve pulled you back together. The texts say Astros and Asterie were siblings. Do you think they cheated death?”
Asterie straightened and extended the moonstone between us. “Maybe…or they bargained with him. That was what the Lacero curse was supposed to have allowed me to do.”
My eyes widened as the moonstone between us glowed an iridescent blue. “We need to try to see what’s coming,” I said and placed my hand atop hers. “I’ve never done this before.”
Asterie put her other hand on top of mine. “Stick with my thoughts. I’ve only tried taking someone with me once.”
I nodded in anticipation, but sweat gathered on the back of my neck and my throat constricted.
Asterie’s eyes glassed over in a milky hue, and then she pulled me in. It felt like slipping out of my own consciousness, like being torn from the plane of existence where we sat.
Murky water. I walked, alone, through a shallow pool. Asterie was gone.
Had I failed to follow her so quickly? Darkness engulfed me—like being at the center of a lake at night, with no moonlight or stars.
“Asterie?”
I heard no answer.
“Hello, little Isleen. I’ve been waiting for you. Watching you,” a grating voice whispered, and breath hit the back of my neck. The voice felt familiar, as if it had been guiding me my whole life.
When I spun around, no one was there. “Who are you?”
“You do not remember?”
The hair on my arms stood. “I am not Isleen.”
“You are the one they say can stop me. Your blood. But you will not!” That vicious snarl was ingrained in my mind.
Mattock.
Memories of being sixteen, of slipping into the North King’s mind, of being pushed out by another entity flooded my senses. That was the voice I’d heard in Mattock’s head all those years ago.
“Yes, you remember now. We’ve met many times from many faces.”
Out of the shadows in front of me, a cruel countenance appeared, shrouded beneath a veil of darkness—featureless yet tormenting, depthless yet sharp. His eyes glimmered green and danced with amber rage.
Death approached me.
I stepped back, but my shoulders met a cold black fluid wall that bound my wrists and ankles. I was trapped—trapped here with the Death Origin. I strained against whatever material was constricting around my limbs.
I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t plead. “You…you sent men to kill me.”
“No. I tested you,” he said. “And you are just who I’ve always thought.”
I was taken back to a million moments that should have told me Death sought me.
The moment a rope had wrapped around my neck.
The morning one of my maids had died after testing my breakfast.
The night when northern soldiers had invaded the Luz courtyard.
I had skirted him for so long.
I couldn’t free myself with force. There was no way out of this prison of darkness. He held my mind between his fingertips.
The figure was so close that I now could smell the putrid scent of death on his breath.
“You will never fulfill the prophecy. You will be mine and not his. I will revel in taking all those who you love; I will turn them to dust. Surrender to me and save them from suffering. I can spare them, spare you.”
He held out a gloved hand.
When I opened my mouth to scream, nothing came out. Then I let go of every ounce of the rage I carried in a silent cry that shook the fluid darkness around me. The wrath, a violent wave, washed away from me and threw Caym back.
I fell through the black viscous void until abruptly landing, a scarecrow hanging on nothing but air.
When I stopped, I came face to face with Emmerick. He looked through me. His eyes were glazed dark green—nothing like the rich brown warmth I knew. There was so much gold around him on the walls. Helos. He stood in the throne room.
He stepped away from me and handed a tall male figure in cream-colored robes a dagger and a rolled piece of parchment. The light caught the blade, and an etched symbol appeared on its pommel—three skulls run through with a triangle.
Then he said, “Take this back to Sahlmkar. It must only draw blood.”