Chapter Thirty-Three
“Why can't we just burn the place down?” Ruspo asked, his black membranous wings rustling. “I'll fucking do it. The rest of you can wait here.”
“And what about Eliel?” Navin demanded.
“Oh, Eliel, is it? Are you in lo-o-ove?”
“Fuck off, you bat-faced buffoon.”
“What did you call me?” Ruspo's membranous wings whooshed open as he went for Navin.
I slammed my hand down on the table.
Everyone froze. All but Vas, who glared at the others as if he were my enforcer.
“We don't know what Bara's doing yet.” I looked around at my team.
“I have an idea, but I want to be certain.
And Navin is right, Ruspo. Eliel is innocent.
He's a prisoner. I don't know how he's being held, but he is. After seeing what that Hulfrin has in his basement, I think it has something to do with the silk.”
“Send me back, boss,” Sudar said. “I know how to get to the basement, and we didn't have time to fully search it. I saw other cases. And vats of liquid.”
“Yes, I saw those as well.” I grimaced as my memories replayed for me to take a closer look.
“The cases all held bones and larvae or cocoons.
The vats were cocoons soaking to loosen the threads.
What's bothering me is how many bones there were and the number that weren't glowing. We know he has Raltven and Eljaffna bones, but he may have others.”
“There were flying bugs too.”
“White emperor moths,” I corrected. “They're a type of silk moth.”
“So those white moths are carnivorous, and they make silk cocoons?” Vasren asked.
“Yes.”
“Why feed them bears and bones?”
I leaned back in my chair. “The bear is irrelevant. Just food for the adult moths. Sure, Bara uses them to clean his trophies, but what he's really after are the cocoons made by the moth larvae—after they've fed on bone marrow.”
“Why were you scared, boss?” Sudar asked.
“What?” I looked at him.
“You all but shoved me out of that room, and now you're avoiding answering my question.”
“What question?”
“I asked you to send me back.”
“No, you're not going back there. None of you are. Not until I've processed this information. There was an unseen presence there. We were lucky not to get caught.”
“The Raltven we felt?” Navin asked. “So what? We can handle them.”
“I'm not so sure they were Raltven. Sudar said they didn't sense you.” I tapped the table, trying to bring the pieces together. “Glowing bones. Glowing cocoons. Glowing thread. Glowing fabric. Fabric!” I jumped up. “Where's that length of silk?”
Cesha came forward with it. “Here, boss.”
I grabbed the silk, flung it out to unfold it, and settled it over my head.
Everyone gasped. Even Vas. I was more interested in the silk. It had stopped glowing and turned transparent. I could see them through it. There was also a strange tingling where the silk touched my skin. I yanked it off.
“What the fuck?” Vasren grabbed the silk and pulled it over himself.
He vanished. Only a ghostly outline of his shrouded form remained.
I looked at the Raltven. “Is that the presence you felt?”
All three nodded.
“It's the moths.” I sat down, my focus turning inward even as Vas removed the fabric to hold it up and stare at it.
It had become opaque and started to glow as soon as he removed it.
“The glow is energy. Latent magic. Raltven magic must be stored in their marrow.
Bara practically confessed to us! He told us he believed magic was stored in marrow.
He more than believes it—he knows it for a fact.
Feeding Raltven marrow to the moth larvae fills them with Raltven magic.
But they can't keep that magic. No one can gain magic through feeding upon it. It must be the process of cocoon production.”
I started pacing, letting my mind unravel the mystery. Unravel!
I stopped and looked at Vas, who still held the silk.
“Moths and butterflies undergo a process that no one has been able to explain.
They weave themselves into cocoons and liquefy their bodies.
Yet somehow they reform in that liquid and are reborn into new, entirely different bodies.
That must be the key. They have a unique ability to transform magic.
They process the magic with the marrow and make their cocoons from it.
The cocoons store the magic. After that, the procedure would be the same as making silk from regular cocoons.
Bara unravels the cocoons in those vats we saw, winds them onto spools, and sends them to the Spider to weave into silk.
But it all starts with the Spider. They kill people in Weisha, clean the bones, and send them here to Bara.
Bara turns the bone marrow into thread and disposes of the used bones in a city that isn't searching for the people those bones belong to.
He may even sell the bones at his spell supply stores.
It's a brilliant partnership, spreading their crimes over two kingdoms and decreasing the risk. And all to produce magical silk. Dear Gods.”
“What is it?” Vas asked. “You've thought of something else.”
“We've determined what the glowing silk is for. These people have found a way to steal a Raltven's shadow-form. But that's not the only magic they're stealing.”
Vasren stood up and went to the table. He set down the glowing silk and picked up the white silk. Lifting it, he looked at me. “The Eljaffna bones.”
“Yes. But why Eljaffnas?” I rubbed a hand over my face. “Eljaffna feed on blood to sustain themselves. Why would anyone want that . . .” I trailed off.
“What is it, boss?” Drellan asked.
I looked at Vas.
His eyes widened. “Surely not. How would they even know?”
“We know.”
“Great fuck, it's bad enough that they have the ability.”
“What are you two talking about?” Cesha demanded.
I looked at my team. Each of them had earned my trust over the short time we'd been working together. But this was about the safety of an entire race. If the Eljaffna's secret got out, it would be catastrophic. Then again, Bara had discovered it. And the Spider, whoever he was.
“Tell them,” Vas said. “I wrote to King Tor'rien. He already knew. He asked me to keep the secret.”
“And yet you want me to divulge it?”
“They need to know what we're fighting. They'll find out anyway.”
I cracked my neck. “All right. All of you must first understand that the secret I'm about to share with you could lead to the death of an entire race. We need to keep this quiet.” I met each stare and stopped at Baelxa.
“Why are you looking at me?!” Baelxa growled.
“Because you're a dumb fuck,” Yesmic said.
Grekan punched Yesmic in the face, then pointed at him. “No one calls my brother dumb.”
“Thanks, brother,” Baelxa said.
“What the fuck!” Yesmic swiped the blood from his nose. “You call him dumb all the time!”
“Yeah, it's all right for me to call him dumb. That's affection, asshole!”
“I'll give you some affection.” Yesmic stretched his neck and spread his wings as he took a step toward Grekan.
“Cease!” Vasren stepped between them. “You're all a bunch of dumb fucks! Katai tells you he's about to trust you with a secret that could lead to the extinction of a race, and this is how you react? What the fuck is wrong with you?” He glared back and forth between the men.
Grekan pointed at Yesmic. “He started it.”
“I'll end it too.” Yesmic bared his teeth.
I darted forward, spun downward in a spiral, and knocked Yesmic and Grekan off their feet. Vas stepped back and crossed his arms as I stood over the two men.
“We do not fight each other. You can tease, but don't be a dick.” I pointed at Yesmic.
“Thanks, boss.” Grekan got up.
“These are all your brothers now, Grek.” I transferred my glare to him.
Cesha cleared her throat.
“And your sister,” I added. “You know Yesmic was acting as a brother when he said that.”
Grekan grimaced but nodded.
“Thanks, boss,” Yesmic said and stood.
“You were still a dick.”
Yesmic's wings drooped. “Yeah, all right.”
“And?”
“I'm sorry, Bae.”
“It's all right, Yesmic.” Baelxa grinned. “It was worth seeing you and Grekan get dropped onto your asses.”
Yesmic snorted. “Yeah, well done, boss.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at Vas. “Any doubts now?”
Vas shrugged. “They can be a bunch of man-babies, but I think they're trustworthy.”
Cesha cleared her throat.
Vas frowned at her. “Woman-babies?”
“No!” Cesha rolled her eyes. “I've been trying to point out that we're not all this immature. It has nothing to do with my being a woman.”
“Ah, yes. My apologies.”
“We can keep a secret, boss,” Drellan said. “Tell us.”
I resumed my seat on the bed. “Swear to me. All of you. I want your vows that you will never repeat what I say to you.” As I looked at each of them, they gave me their vow.
Only then did I continue. “When Eljaffna drink blood, they gain control of the donor.
I'm not sure how long their dominance lasts, but it's not permanent.”
“Control?” Navin asked. “As in full control? Can they command them?”
“Again, I'm not sure how it works exactly.”
Vasren took over. “I fed an Eljaffna, and she commanded me to bring Katai to her. I obeyed even though he's my mate.”
“Holy fuck,” Behez whispered.
“She had enough control over you that you handed over your mate?” Navin asked. “How many times did you feed her?”
“Once. Over a week prior.”
Every expression went horrified.
“You see how that could be damaging,” I said.
“No one will want to feed them.” Cesha looked from the team to me. “They would starve.”
“Yes, probably. Or, more likely, they'd be forced to resort to extreme measures. Abductions, forced feedings, enslavement. If I were them and the rumors started to spread, I'd get the Dragon Kings under control as soon as I could.”
“Holy fuck,” Vasren whispered.
“Ah, so you understand now.” I motioned to him.
“They could have secretly taken control of Serai, but they haven't.
That's the key thing to remember. They have power that they've chosen not to use.
I've encountered some terrible Eljaffna, but I've also met good, honorable men and women of that race. They don't want that.”
“They don't want to be discovered,” Sion said.
“It's more than that. If they took control, it would be a matter of time before people learned the truth.” I lifted my head.
“Take it from a human—there is only so much oppression you can endure before you fight back.
The Eljaffna have the power to take control, but they'd have to fight constantly to retain their control.
It's too much. They know they're better off as they are.”
“Control!” Drellan declared, his eyes wide. “Boss, that's the magic Bara takes from Eljaffna bones. The magic to control others.”
“Yes, that's our conclusion.” I nodded to Vas. “I saw a white ribbon on Eliel's wrist and a matching one on Bara's. Now, I think they're silk ribbons made with Eljaffna Magic. They must establish a link—one ribbon controls the other.”
“So, I go in and untie that fucking ribbon.” Navin shrugged. “Easy.”
“To save your boyfriend?” Ruspo teased.
“Ruspo!” I snarled before Navin could slice the Tyasmoran's throat.
“Sorry, boss,” Ruspo muttered.
“Don't you understand what this means? I doubt Bara and his partner are manufacturing magical silk just to have invisible guards and force their lovers into compliance. This is a business.”
“They're selling the silk.” Vasren tossed the material onto the table. “And I doubt they'll be discriminating in their buyers. Someone could take over a kingdom without anyone knowing.”
“That would be one extreme,” I said. “But it would be risky. I imagine people would be more interested in controlling their clients and competitors. Or going invisible to steal or spy.”
“Or kill,” Navin said with a warning look at Ruspo.
Ruspo stuck his tongue out at him. “I wasn't flirting, by the way. Don't get excited.”
One second, Ruspo was standing; the next, he stumbled into the wall. Blood dripped out of his nose.
“What the fuck?” Ruspo wiped his nose. “It was a joke.”
Navin, back where he began and looking as if he'd never moved, crossed his arms. “I'm sensitive.”
“You little—”
“Enough!” I stood up. “What the fuck did I just say? We don't fight each other! You wanna spar it out? Fine. But no sneak attacks like that. He came at you with words. Retaliate in a similar fashion. I know you're smart enough, Navin.”
“Yes, boss.” Navin grimaced. “But he was rude. I'm fucking tired of the Eliel jokes.”
“I agree they're getting tiresome. So he's going to let you have that hit. Aren't you, Ruspo?”
“Yes, boss,” Ruspo said grudgingly. “Sorry, Navin.”
Navin lifted his eyebrows and dropped his arms. “Oh. Uh. All right then. We're good.”
“Great. I'm glad you children have worked things out.” Vasren looked around the little room. “Can we get back to figuring out how to expose these motherfuckers?”
“Expose them?” Behez looked at me. “Is that what we're going to do?”
“Yes,” I said. But before anyone could protest, I added, “After we take down those in charge.”
My crew didn't look mollified.
“You're going to notify King Raventar as well, right?” Vasren demanded.
“Yes, Vas. I'll tell him when I have proof. We'll need to go back to Rushao and find the Spider and the bone cleaner anyway. So he's going to need to monitor the city.”
Vasren got up. “Fine. Figure it out. I have to meet with Bara's friend to keep up our ruse.”
“Bara's friend?”
“The one who's supposed to help me find us a place to rent.”
“Oh, right. Be careful. Try to keep your head down in case there are any Dragons about.”
“I'm sure we'll be traveling by carriage. No one will see me.” He kissed my cheek and walked out.
I waited to hear the sound of Vasren's boots on the stairs before I looked around and said, “When I said we're taking them down, I meant we're killing those motherfuckers and burning their empires to the ground.”
My crew cheered.