Chapter Forty
Amalthea
After a full week in the tedious company of Lady Kayara, Thea was beginning to wonder if a continent filled with corpses was really that bad.
If one of those corpses belonged to Lady Kayara, Eurobis might be much improved.
She’d gotten no closer to finding any of the necromancer’s objects of power. Lady Kayara was young, but not so young that she fled the dawn, which made for very long nights of entertaining and very short days for searching.
Dyna chaperoned without complaint. Thea didn’t really need a chaperone, especially one who was likely tattling to Demos about every flirtatious comment.
Of course, Dyna wouldn’t think it was tattling.
She’d think she was just updating the general on the fact that Lady Amalthea has requested to stay longer than planned in the company of one of the court ladies, and Demos would know full well she’d been originally set to return to the mountain kingdom after only a few days.
And Demos would know that with Thea, delays meant dalliances.
Not that the uptight general would ever be jealous. No, he was just judgmental, and there would be some lecture about “duty” and “professionalism” in her future, at which point she would remind him he wasn’t her superior.
Today, in a bid to change her poor luck, Thea had coaxed Lady Kayara into taking them to a nearby village. The three rode at a comfortable pace, Thea and Kayara side by side while Dyna stayed a horse-length behind.
“That is so fascinating,” Thea gushed absentmindedly as the vampiress finally paused in her retelling of the supper she’d shared with Ophelia—and twenty other vampiresses—six months ago. Something about redecorating the ballroom. “The queen must value your counsel immensely.”
“Do you truly think so?” Lady Kayara puffed up her chest, the reins a bit too tightly gripped. “Her Majesty is so inscrutable. But then I did see she’d changed the chairs out for the style I recommended.”
“I do,” Thea lied easily. “And you know the kingdom so well. Not just the physical palace. You truly understand the essence of Ioni.”
The vampiress wrinkled her nose. “Someone has to. I mean, have you heard what they’re saying about that upstart witch king?
He’s tried to send three parties—of men!
—through our border this year alone. All the others before understood it was better to keep to themselves, but he keeps pressing.
As if they could ever stand against vampires. ”
The bigger insult was surely that they were men than mortals; the northern kingdom took its no-males-allowed policy seriously. It had been the first law the queen had enshrined in the land. “How curious. I suppose he’s simply greedy and trying to annex some land?”
It was a stupid supposition, and the indulgent look Lady Kayara gave her said even the vampiress realized it. “That wouldn’t make any sense. No, I suppose he’s looking for something. What it could be, I can’t guess. Oh, lovely! We’re here.”
Here was an outpost on the side of a cliff.
The village went right up to the icy edge.
The three dismounted and led their horses through the entrance.
The town wasn’t large, just a few dozen buildings, homes and stores alike, with billowing smoke coming out of the chimneys.
Vampires and humans milled about. The vampires were easy to pick out not just because of their white hair and red eyes, but because you could actually see those features, unlike the humans who were bundled in scarves and fur hats.
“I’m parched,” Lady Kayara sighed, looking at Thea from beneath her lashes.
Thea blinked innocently like she had no idea it was an invitation to go find a quiet room somewhere now that they were out of the palace.
“I believe we passed a blood den just over there. You should go slake yourself before we continue. It was an arduous journey.” It was a simple two-hour ride over even terrain. “In fact, take Dyna with you.”
“Lady Amalthea, I’m to guard you,” Dyna protested.
“Nonsense. You must be thirsty as well, and Lady Kayara is far more valuable here than I am. I’ll simply wander for a bit, and you’ll find me when you’re done.”
She said it all with a smile, but it was obvious it wasn’t a suggestion. Reluctantly, Lady Kayara nodded, and Dyna gave a slight bow.
Lady Thea tugged her bright blue cloak around her and pressed forward once the two were out of view. Merchants called to her, seeing the rich cut of her dress singling her out as a wealthy tourist, a good mark.
How far she’d come from her humble beginnings.
The edge of the village was surrounded by a wooden fence that wouldn’t stop anyone determined from careening over the side of the cliff. Thea wasn’t quite that desperate yet, so she just looked out, studying the landscape.
The tools for the necromancer were scattered in the kingdoms: the grimoire, the wand, the sword, the armor, and the one even history forgot.
The Black Grimoire—that, Raphael had found in the goddess’s temple. The most infamous of the relics, since several lines of witches had grimoires.
The other relics weren’t tools other witches used. It made them even harder to hunt. The goddess-blessed tools couldn’t be destroyed by any means, so instead they’d been hidden away. Lost to time, even among the immortals.
But Thea knew—knew—the wand was in the northern kingdom. She had seen it.
Well, not the wand itself, since even Eka’s magic couldn’t pierce the protections that shrouded them.
But she’d seen enough, a glimpse at the temple itself.
Her magic didn’t superimpose the visions on a map.
But she had seen it, in a valley with strange trees on one side, sitting in the center of a frozen pool.
All the cavorting with Lady Kayara was for this.
Thea scanned the distance, trying to pick it out. Everything was covered in snow. Even in the night, with the moon reflecting instead of the sun, it was bright.
Her eyes wouldn’t suffice. Not unaided.
Thea pulled off her fur-lined glove, fingertips quickly growing numb in the cold. Anagenni had temples in all the kingdoms, long since abandoned. She leafed through her cards discreetly. Witches were few and far between here, so a deck like hers was a prize.
There, an enhancement card.
They were crappy cards. Not because they didn’t work—they did—but they took a toll.
They would magnify a person’s abilities—fortify their strength, improve stamina, or in this case, vision.
The card wasn’t made with that purpose in mind, though, so Thea had to be careful of her intent when activating.
It was a strain on her system, and since it hadn’t been made by anyone with real talent, the risks were higher.
With only one eye, Thea was particularly sensitive to changes in her vision.
But she needed to see.
Thea activated the card.
The world around her splintered, then re-formed. Every snowflake was a distraction as she tried to shepherd her brain into focus. The card let her take in a lot more visual information, but it was hard to concentrate.
She gripped the railing, wood creaking under her palm. She didn’t put the deck away or bother with the glove in her other hand, scanning over and over.
White snow, white snow, white snow. She could make out the exact shape of the drifts, count the trees at the perimeter, but none matched the vision.
She ground her teeth in frustration. The others would be back soon, and she couldn’t offer any explanation. Nor would she be able to get back here without a guard.
Sixth hell damn every cursed bit of ice, she couldn’t make out anything to match her vision.
She’d been counting on this. The first few days with Lady Kayara, she’d tried to pump her for information about such a place or any history of Anagenni.
The vampiress knew nothing of import—nothing Thea could coax out anyway.
This had to be the right area. She couldn’t squander the chance.
She shut her eye for a moment, the magic draining away.
When she opened it, she had to blink away the bleariness.
Her deck still in her hand, she thumbed through the options.
Disguise magic—useless. Defense magic—unnecessary.
She had packed cards for warmth, ones that guarded the elements, but nothing was suitable.
One card left with creation magic, weak as it was.
And what would she create—a spyglass? It wouldn’t do her any better.
She cursed every god she could think of as she thumbed through them all.
Wait—this one. Not much better than the enhancement, but maybe it could work.
It was a novelty, made by a zoamancer . . .
“Lady Amalthea! There you are.”
Thea tucked the cards quickly inside her cloak, slipping her glove on with the card beneath it. She turned and gave her companions a bland, pleasant look. “I was just enjoying the view. Your kingdom is lovely,” she praised Lady Kayara, like the vampiress had forged it herself.
“Thank you. If you like this view, there’s an even better view over there.” Lady Kayara pointed a bit away.
“Perhaps Lady Amalthea would like to go inside for a bit, given the cold,” Dyna said.
“Oh, I’m quite all right.” Thea didn’t have time to waste. “Let’s see it.”
The vampiress led the way, and all Thea could think about was the card in her hand. She’d never used this magic before.
“Here we are,” Lady Kayara declared. She pointed out different landmarks, and Thea half listened in case there was something useful, and she could reply without seeming utterly oblivious.
At the same time, she activated the card. Magic crackled from her fingertips, shooting up to her head. She hid a wince behind another banal smile at the vampiress, then tried to refocus on the thread of magic.
Tiny shivering paws, a twitching nose. No, not strong enough. She moved the magic on.
Fangs, claws, hunter. The feel of blood on her raw flesh, on her teeth. Stronger. But not suitable.
The magic could only give her one more try.
A rapid heartbeat pounded in triple time, vibrating through Thea. Wings. Yes, she needed wings. It was luck—or Eka’s own hand—that the magic finally locked her in a snowy owl in flight.
The card wouldn’t let her control an animal. It was a creature with its own thoughts and feelings. But it would let her look through its eyes and communicate. The world was fuzzy, the bird focused on any prey unfortunate enough to scurry in its view.
Hello, Thea ventured in her head.
The bird startled. Witch?
I’m a witch. Amalthea. Though this is borrowed magic. Do you have a name I can call you? Time was limited, but that was no excuse for poor manners.
You may address me as Mina.
Mina, Thea thought. I apologize for the intrusion, but I ask for a favor.
And why would I grant a witch using borrowed magic this favor?
“We can look around the town,” Lady Kayara was saying, and Thea followed along, arm in arm as she tried not to trip over her feet.
Her vision swam between her human eyes and the owl’s.
She had practice with Eka’s superimposed visions, but this was even harder to balance.
The magic was unintuitive, and the owl was focused on bargaining.
Thea suspected a plea for the greater good wouldn’t mean much to the owl.
It was sentient, but it probably didn’t give a hoot about witch-vampire politics.
What do you want? Thea asked.
I want prey.
Okay. Prey she could figure out. Okay, how about mice? She could lure some in the palace, surely.
She could hear Mina huffing in her mind. I can catch mice anytime I like. I want something better.
Squirrels? Thea offered.
Squirrels were rejected. So were voles, rabbits, hares—which were worse than rabbits, apparently—and snakes, which was fine since Thea wasn’t even sure how to find one.
What kind of prey do you want, Mina? The magic would hopefully last a few hours, but it would all be for naught if she couldn’t strike this damn bargain. She didn’t have another card in her deck that would let her connect to an animal.
Something I can’t get myself. Impress me.
Okay. Something an owl couldn’t hunt. How about tea cakes?
Tea cakes?
She could feel the animal’s confusion. She pushed an image of it, then not just the image but the taste.
Mina considered but rejected it.
There went fruit, fish, cookies, roast duck, and almost anything else Thea was reasonably confident she could get her hands on.
What they settled on? Steak.
It was almost time to leave the village when the negotiation ceased. Thea prayed desperately that the connection wouldn’t have a tight range that would snap with distance.
I need you to find this place for me. She pushed the image from her head. Do this, and meet me here—she sent another image of Ioni, specifically her room with its balcony—and there’ll be steak waiting for you.
Once in accord, the owl took to the skies again. Thea watched with double vision, half her mind on the owl’s path and half on the steps in front of her. And Thea prayed once more to Eka that this plan would work.