CHAPTER 25 JAX
JAX
After I spent so many months in Emberfall, it’s odd to find myself sitting on a milking stool in Callyn’s old barn as if we were just here yesterday.
The animals are gone, of course, and much like the forge, a faint layer of dust clings to everything, but the deeper scents of old hay and manure haven’t dissipated.
If anything, the heat and the rain have filled the space with an earthy aroma that reminds me of the stables back at Ironrose at the end of a hot day.
It’s not bad, but it’s certainly not great.
It’s also the absolute last place I could’ve imagined a grouping like this.
Callyn and Nora are sharing a bale of hay to my left.
Nora seems to have grown three inches since I saw her last, along with a sharper jawline and a new resolve to her gaze.
Now she’s the same height as her sister, and if she hadn’t tackled me with a hug, I’m not entirely sure I would’ve recognized her.
Callyn has changed, too, though her differences are more subtle— and I haven’t decided if I like them.
She’s always been a bit wounded and wary, but there’s a new edge that wasn’t there before.
Though it’s possible I’m just annoyed to discover that she’s attached to Lord Alek again, who’s standing just to her left, glowering from the shadows.
It’s been months, but I haven’t forgotten the way he tormented me and attacked Tycho.
Every time I look in his direction, my jaw tightens, my fingers wanting to curl into fists.
He’s probably lucky I don’t have a weapon— though I have enough adrenaline surging through my veins to knock him flat.
He doesn’t seem to care. Since they arrived, Alek hasn’t looked at me once.
In a way, it’s making me angrier.
Tycho told Malin to carry the wounded scraver in here, and I was startled when Callyn jumped in to help.
Now Nakiis is lying on an old quilt over a thin layer of straw off to the side of the room.
The other one— Igaa?— stands over him, looking ready to claw out the heart of anyone who dares to come near.
The queen herself has all but collapsed on another bale of hay, the young princess curled up beside her. When they first climbed out of the carriage, the little girl was full of energy, but now her eyes keep flickering toward sleep.
Tycho stands near them both, leaning against one of the support posts, but I really wish he’d sit down.
His shoulder wound has bled through the bandages, and the rain soaked his tunic to his chest, making the bloodstain spread.
He looks too pale, but his jaw is set, his eyes clear.
It hasn’t escaped my notice that he’s also glaring at Lord Alek, and it’s probably good that he’s not armed either.
He’s holding his wounded arm against his abdomen, though. I hope he doesn’t pick a fight he can’t finish. It was bad enough watching the first time.
Once everyone was under cover, they shared information: Tycho revealing everything that happened in Emberfall, the queen revealing the challenges on this side of the border.
I thought the queen might be upset to hear that her courier was killed, but maybe she’s grown used to bad news, or maybe she expected it along with everything else that’s happened.
Once they were done, Callyn shared the way she and Alek were confronted by Igaa, and how she did her best to help Nakiis— though he’s clearly still in bad shape.
In turn, Alek explained about his confrontation with Lady Karyl— and the fact that she’s borrowed magic from the scravers herself.
A ripple of shock traveled through the group when we heard that Lady Karyl was able to travel so far in such a short time, but then Igaa spoke from the side of the room.
“If Xovaar has shared his magic,” she said, “this Lady Karyl can travel quite far.” She looked at Tycho. “Nakiis did the same for you, did he not?”
“He did,” Tycho said.
“How far?” said the queen.
“Twenty miles.” Tycho snapped his fingers. “Like that.” He looked at Igaa. “Can you do that? Can you return me to Ironrose Castle?”
“That much magic would send a flare into the sky and make this spot a target,” she said. “And I doubt I could manage it even if I wanted to.” She glanced at the scraver by her feet, then bared her fangs. Ice formed on the posts beside her. “I will not leave him.”
Sephran and Leo are the only two who aren’t here.
Malin gave Leo orders to depart at once with the letter Tycho drafted to the king, and he took off on horseback almost immediately.
He then ordered Sephran to sit sentry at the end of the lane.
I expected my friend to be bitter and annoyed to be excluded, the way he’s been for days, but for the first time, there wasn’t an ounce of rebellion in his voice when he said, “Yes, sir.”
He also hasn’t looked at me all morning, but unlike Lord Alek, I think Sephran is simply ashamed.
After Sephran is gone, the queen turns to Malin, takes in the bars on his sleeve, and briskly says in Emberish, “If the Truthbringers are planning an attack, then we must take action. You, Captain, will ride to the Crystal Palace. You will ask to speak with—”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” Malin says, smoothly cutting her off. His tone is cool, but his expression is genuinely penitent. “I am sworn to Emberfall, and to King Grey.” He pauses. “I am not under your command.”
Half the people in the room suck in a breath. Alek surges forward. “You are speaking to the queen—”
“The king has returned to Emberfall,” Malin says evenly. “She is not my queen.”
Off to my left, Callyn’s and Nora’s eyes are bouncing back and forth. I wonder how much of the Emberish they can follow.
“Insolence,” Alek snaps. He takes another step forward, and Malin draws himself up. Immediately, Tycho straightens, pushing away from the beam he was leaning against. The tension in the room triples.
Clouds above. I’m on my feet without even thinking about it, my hands already curling into fists.
“Jax!” Callyn hisses in surprise, but I ignore it. There was a time when I would have backed down from Lord Alek, but those days are well behind me.
For the first time, he seems to notice that he might be outnumbered, because he falters slightly. But it’s only for a second, once he evaluates his opponents. Only Malin is armed, and Tycho is clearly injured. Alek’s gaze narrows, and his hand falls on the hilt of his sword.
“Enough.” Queen Lia Mara holds up a hand, and we all freeze.
Her voice is quiet and sure, but her eyes haven’t left Malin.
The queen seems genuinely struck by what he said, because a flare of annoyance washes over her face, followed by a swell of anger, and finally regret.
But then she turns to Tycho— one of the few who didn’t seem shocked at Malin’s response.
“If he is not under my command, is he under yours?”
“Not really, no.” When her eyes flare wide, Tycho gives half a shrug with his good shoulder. “He’s an army captain. His orders came from Grey himself.”
“And my orders,” says Malin, “are to protect the King’s Courier.”
Alek’s hand finds the hilt of his sword again. “Maybe we should remove your obstacle, then.”
Yes, I’m definitely going to punch him in the face. I take half a step forward.
“Jax,” cries Callyn, as if she can’t believe I’m even a part of this.
“Enough,” says the queen. She lets out a breath, and it’s a sound full of sorrow. “I know my husband. I know he would agree with your actions, Captain.” She glances at Alek. “You will be civil, Alek.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He’s scowling, but he obeys, taking a step back.
Callyn leans toward me, but she glances between us. “What are they saying?” she whispers. “Do you know?”
I’m shocked to realize that I do know— and until this very moment, I didn’t quite realize they were only speaking in Emberish.
But before I can answer, Alek turns to her and mutters in Syssalah, “The captain is refusing to obey the queen’s order.
She intended to send him back to the Crystal Palace. ”
Callyn’s eyes widen, but Nora shoots up from her spot on the hay bale. “I’ll go!” she says. “Your Majesty, I can return—”
“Nora!” cries Callyn. She grabs her sister’s arm as if she’ll yank her back onto the hay bale. “You can’ t—”
“Yes, I can! Your Majesty, I can—”
“You can’t even ride,” Callyn growls.
“Of course I can. I’ve been learning with Verin.”
That seems to draw Callyn up short.
Little Sinna sits up in the straw. “Princess Nora is leaving?”
The queen strokes her hair. “No. Not yet.” She looks at Nora.
“Though I am grateful for your offer, Nora, I’m not willing to send you off alone.
” She glances toward the scravers in the shadows, continuing in Syssalah.
“We’ve all been awake all night. None of my people are in any shape to go riding back to the Crystal Palace. ”
“We’ve been awake all night, too,” says Tycho. He glances at Malin, then back at the queen. “None of us are in any shape to take on the Truthbringers right now, especially if they’re working with scravers and they have weapons of Iishellasan steel.”
“I’m fine,” Alek snaps.
“So am I,” Malin says darkly, making it clear that he’s understood every word.
I fold my arms. “Me too.”
This time Alek doesn’t falter, but he finally looks at me, and his eyes are coolly assessing. In his gaze I can see that he’s remembering every interaction we’ve ever had.
Good. So am I.
Nora hops up from the hay bale again. “Me too,” she says, though her tone is more gleeful than threatening.
Little Sinna starts to sit up. “Me too!”
The queen sighs, then evaluates everyone in the barn.
After the longest minute, she runs a hand down her face, and her shoulders droop.
I barely know the queen beyond the time we spent together in Briarlock months ago, but her exhaustion is clear, and it’s obvious that Malin’s declaration has rattled her.
“We came here to rest and recover,” I say. “Maybe we should still do that.”
“And while we rest,” the queen says, “these Truthbringers and scravers ride toward my husband, intent on his death.” She looks at Tycho. “You said they may have a head start?”
He hesitates, then nods. “I don’t know that they would have set off for Ironrose immediately, because they were injured, too— but I also don’t know how many scravers and soldiers they had at their disposal.” He pauses. “To say nothing of those weapons.”
She looks to Malin. “Can your soldier beat them there?”
Before he can answer, Igaa speaks from the corner. “A human on horseback will not beat a scraver in the sky.”
The queen grimaces. Her face nearly crumples.
Tycho takes a step toward her. “Lia Mara,” he says softly. “The king is not defenseless.”
“He barely survived the last time,” she says, and her voice breaks. “He needed your help.” She takes a gasping breath. “He needed my help.” Another breath. “And now we’re stuck here.”
Those words hang over the room. Because if Leo can’t make it back to Ironrose ahead of them, then this half- injured crew with too few horses definitely can’t.
“Could we summon the scravers and Truthbringers here ?” I say. “Draw them away from the king?”
Lord Alek scoffs. “So they can kill us ?”
“Are you volunteering?” I say.
His eyes flare in surprise. Maybe he thought I’d still be the blacksmith who used to cower in front of a powerful lord, but that Jax is gone.
Alek takes a threatening step toward me, and I stiffen— but Tycho steps out in front of him.
He might be injured, but right this moment, he looks like he could take on an army barehanded.
“If you ever touch him again,” he says icily, “I will break every bone in your body.” I’ve never heard him sound so vicious, and it makes me shiver. Especially when he adds, “Then I’ll heal you so I can do it twice.”
Alek inhales like he wants to retort, but the little princess gasps. “Tycho!” she cries. “Why would you be so mean?” And then she bursts into tears, clinging to her mother.
“Because he deserves it,” Tycho snaps.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” Alek says to the little girl. “He couldn’t hurt me if he tried.”
“Enough!” the queen snaps. “This fighting is useless.” She looks between Alek and Tycho. “And it will cease.”
Neither of them says a word. They’re simply glowering.
The queen sighs and looks at me. “We couldn’t outrun scravers either, Jax.”
Callyn looks back and forth between us. “But we have magic here.” She looks toward Igaa and Nakiis. “Could we summon them somehow?”
The scraver’s eyes gleam in the darkness. “If Nakiis shares his magic with Tycho, the others would know it immediately.” She pauses. “It would heal some of the damage from their wounds— and it would also strengthen their magic. It would be like a beacon in the sky, summoning them.”
For the first time, the queen looks thoughtful. “Do they have any weaknesses?” she says. “Could we lay a trap?”
But Alek says, “No. What kind of trap would you lay?” He sneers. “Lady Karyl has magic. Who knows what others have accepted it as well— or how many scravers this Xovaar has at his disposal. According to your story, you have one weapon that can stop them.”
As soon as he says it, I think of the rod of Iishellasan steel that pierced Tycho’s shoulder. Immediately, a solution snaps into place in my head. I’ve never believed in fate, but all of a sudden, taking shelter at the forge seems predestined.
“We only have one weapon for now,” I say.
The queen frowns, but Tycho’s head snaps around. He meets my eyes, and he smiles. “For now,” he agrees.
“What?” says Callyn, looking between us. “What does that mean?”
“We have a bar of Iishellasan steel,” I say, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “So if we just need to make more weapons . . .”
Tycho’s smile widens. “Then it’s a good thing we have a blacksmith.”