12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Mace
I should've had the best sleep of my life. The bed was comfortable, the bath warm, and my stomach full of a meal better prepared than anything I could hope for during our travels.
And still, I spent the evening staring at the ceiling, wishing I was anywhere but here.
I am going through the motions. I am following the path Viola set for us, but all I want is to burn the fucking world until I get her back. I'm doing my best to hold myself together, to hide, even from myself, the fury that is boiling within me.
It's not her I'm mad at. I mean, I am mad at her, of course, I am, for leaving us and for being so fucking reckless. But mainly I'm frustrated that she's stuck there. She's fine. If she weren't, I would know. And I know that Himureal would not harm her. She is too important to him. But thinking of her there with him, with my brother acting as his high priest, makes my skin crawl.
The inn is simple but comfortable. The wooden beams crisscross over my head, and the sounds of the city waking up barely drown out Morrow's snores. The Summer fae is beside me on the large bed, arms folded behind his head, shirtless as she sleeps peacefully.
I slide out of bed and get dressed in the too-short black pants and black tunic Viola purchased for me in Dalery. I slide my boots on, slipping a blade into one of them and strapping the other to my thigh.
There's a mirror in the bathroom, and I find myself staring at my reflection. My green eyes are dull, and my hair has lost its luster. I've lost weight, and my cheekbones are even sharper now than they have been.
Leaving the room as silently as possible, I head down the stairs to see if the tavern has tea. I could use a morning boost.
To my surprise, Quade is here again, stocking the bar. He looks up at me with a start. "Mace Nightroot. You're up early."
"Is it early if I never slept?"
He laughs, and it fills up the whole space. "S'pose not. What can I do for ya?"
"Do you have any tea?" I say, sliding onto a barstool and resting my head in my palms.
"I have coffee if you need a boost."
Wrinkling my nose, I ask, "What's coffee?"
He stares at me like I have two heads. "What's coffee? You're shitting me, right?" I shake my head, and he rubs his hand across his forehead. "Damn, I guess we don't export the stuff, huh? Coffee's kind of like tea, but it's made from these beans we get in the rainforest. Let me get ya a mug."
Quade heads into the kitchen and returns with a large mug filled with thick, dark liquid. "How do you take your tea?" he asks me .
"Typically straight. No honey or milk."
"Then try your coffee that way. If you don't like it, I'll grab you some milk or something to temper it."
Raising the mug to my mouth, I blow some of the steam off before taking a gingerly sip. The liquid is bitter and fragrant, stronger in taste than even the blackest teas we have in Ytopie. It gives me an immediate jolt up my spine, and I look up to see Quade watching me expectantly.
"Whatcha think?" he asks, face cracked in a wide smile.
"I love it," I say, meaning it and taking another sip. "I may have to see if I can get some of those beans before I leave. The Shadowweaver would enjoy this."
"Huh, so the God really is your old lady then?"
"Old lady is a strange phrase."
He shrugs, picking up his own cup of coffee and taking a long sip. "She's a God, isn't she ancient?"
"She's twenty-eight."
Quade pulls his mug from his face and narrows his eyes at me. "We're putting the fate of Krillium in the hands of a twenty-eight-year-old girl?"
"She's a woman." Tulip's voice carries from the top of the stairs. Quade whips his head to her, and he raises his eyebrows. "And she's our best shot at stopping a God who seems bound and determined to fuck this place up, so maybe show some respect."
Plume and Morrow follow behind Tulip, and eventually, the four of us are huddled together with our coffee, making a plan for the day. Quade, still standing behind the bar, gives us directions to where we can find Xande.
"I gotta warn ya, though, he doesn't tend to like outsiders."
"They never do," Morrow says with a wry smile. "But we have to try."
We find Xande in a city hall of sorts. It turns out he has a proper office with piles of paperwork that make me realize I do not miss being the head of the Patricians. I can't think of much I miss about Ytopie.
I do miss my brother still though, in spite of everything.
Xande agrees to meet us and ushers us into his office. It's a bit of a squeeze, but we manage to get in enough to close the door behind it. Morrow leans against it, arms crossed in a guard's pose.
The city leader is older, with black hair speckled with gray throughout. His eyes are a watery blue, deep like sapphires, and his skin has a tawny tone similar to Viola's. He's got tattoos up his arms in intricate geometric patterns, and they reach up the collar of his shirt to his throat and wrap around his hairline. He wears a plain but well-constructed white tunic and knee-length black pants with simple sandals.
I have to admit, Xande was not what I expected when I planned to meet with the leader of a city as robust and thriving as Feria.
He sits down in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. He 's built like me, without bulk but not without strength. "This is an interesting development," he says, taking his time to look at each of us. "Three fae and a human. Mace Nightroot," he says, inclining his head to me, "I assume you're here because you've found out we've been hiding citizens."
I blink. It takes me a moment to realize he means hidden from the Race. "No, I couldn't care less about that. The Race is over."
Xande reclines in his chair, propping a foot up on the desktop. "You don't say? You don't care that we've hidden our population for as long as the Race has been around?"
"I'm curious to know how," I say with a shrug, "but honestly, that matters little anymore. I'm here for more pressing matters."
"Well, isn't this a surprise? Then I'll help you out. Get the fuck out of my city." His pose and tone are casual, but there is an undercurrent of venom in them. I match his pose, pulling Influence to the surface of my body and coating my words in it.
"I don't think we will. Krillium needs your help."
I see my magic begin its work. His body relaxes slightly, and he inclines his head to the side, urging me to continue. He must've wanted to hear us out on some level and was posturing his strength. "Go on then," Xande says, waving his hand.
I quickly recap our story, from summoning Himureal to our journey through the Lowlands. I emphasize the beast attacks, how the ecosystem of Krillium is starting to fail, and how Himureal wants to see the world just ruled by Winter. Xande seems receptive to my words, nodding as I recount our adventures.
"Where is this Shadowweaver then?" he asks, looking between all of us. "No offense, but it's clear neither of these ladies here are Gods."
"Some taken," Tulip says with a sneer. Morrow places a hand on her shoulder.
Plume speaks up this time. "The Shadowweaver has asked us to complete this portion of the journey as she travels to Ytopie in search of the final journal. She is the only one of us who has the potential to get in and out undetected by the Frostweaver."
It never crossed my mind that Viola could come back with the journal. If she did, that would be a silver lining to this whole situation.
"And she sent you lot here to take an artifact from my people?"
"That artifact is the final piece to stopping Himureal and restoring the balance of Gods. We're trying to protect all of Krillium here. Don't think being through a rainforest will protect you from the God of Winter," Morrow says with a glare.
"How can we know she's any better if we can't speak to her?" Xande says skeptically. "This could all be bullshit."
"Is there anyone here in town who recently docked from one of the other cities?" Plume asks thoughtfully. "We've been to all the other cities. They may be able to vouch for us."
Xande taps his chin and nods. "Let's go see, shall we?"
At the docks, the familiar brine of the sea greets us, as well as a line of ships, all in different sizes and levels of wear. At the far end, something catches my eye. A large ship, looking a little worse for wear, with tattered red sails. I elbow Morrow. "That ship look familiar?"
He grins, and we point it out to Xande. "Let's go speak to that ship, shall we?"
Approaching the ship, I see a familiar figure leaning against the railing, looking down at the dock. Her wide hips and graying red hair stand out against the blue of the sky. "Kira!" I shout. She squints down at me, then laughs.
"I'll be fucked, Mace Nightroot. Damn, let me get Jaz."
Xande looks at us with a raised eyebrow, but before he can say anything, Jaz jumps over the railing and crashes into the dock. Their curly hair is shorn even closer to the scalp now, and even though it's only been a month or so since we've seen them, it's nice to have a semi-friendly face again.
They pull Tulip into their arms with a pat on the back. "Tulip, glad to see you kept yourself alive."
"Likewise," Tulip says with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's the damnedest thing," Jaz says with a smile. "I was in Colris picking up some steel, and wouldn't you know it, a sweet little voice started whispering in my ear that Viola needed me. So I loaded up the ship and took off as fast as possible. We just got in this morning."
Jaz can't take their eyes off Plume, who is flushed red. "Glad you got my message, Jaz. Nice to see you again."
"You too, Plume."
"I hate to break up this touching reunion," Xande says, arms crossed. "But these fae here are trying to tell me we've got a God who's trying to take out another God, and they want some of my people's artifacts to do that."
"That about sums it up, yeah," Jaz says with a shrug. "Where's Vi?"
"She went to Ytopie to get the high priest of Winter's journal," I say without inflection.
"Ah, makes sense. Divide and conquer and all. She coming back here?"
"We believe she'll be back soon," Tulip says with a smile.
Xande holds his hand up, once again interrupting our conversation. "I'm just trying to figure out if what they are telling me is true."
Jaz rolls their eyes, arms crossed over their chest. Today, they've got on a blue tunic that moves in the breeze and tattered black pants tucked into high boots. Many knives glint from a belt around their waist. "Ask anyone on these ships, man. This is the real deal. The Frostweaver is trying to change Krillium, and the Shadowweaver is trying to get the other Gods back to save it. Get them what they need."
I clap Jaz on the shoulder, and their eyes soften as they look at me. "I'll stick around until Vi gets here, okay? If it was important enough for Plume here to somehow send me a message in the air, I think I'll make myself available should the Shadowweaver need some transport."
"That's very kind, Jaz." I smile. "We'll be in touch as soon as she arrives."
Xande still seems unconvinced, so he takes Jaz's advice and asks someone from every boat we pass back to the city. All of them confirm that either they or a family member watched the Shadowweaver perform magic and that they believe in her. Eventually, Xande realizes he can't deny us anymore and pulls us into a hidden ally.
"Look, okay, it's clear you lot are the real thing. I just need you to be aware that what I am going to tell you is a huge fucking secret that even half of our citizens don't know about. On the edge of the city, you'll find a little white stone house with a red door. Living there is a man named Brillian. If anyone has this, it's him. But you cannot mention him to anyone except the Shadowweaver, do you understand me?"
The cloak and dagger routine has us confused, but we all affirm to Xande that we will keep the secret. "And," Xande adds, "I didn't tell you about him. Please. He is dangerous. So this information did not come from me."