Seven
My heart skipped a beat. Kysa stiffened, her expression going hard and dangerous, as we all turned to face the owner of the
voice. Raithe stood in the center of the building, out in the open and far from any concealing shadows or darkness. Obviously,
he wanted to make certain he was seen. He stepped forward, his eyes glowing softly in the dim light.
“What do you want here, iylvahn?” Kysa asked. Her voice was not biting or cruel, just stiff. A clear indication that he was
no longer part of this group, that he was a stranger now.
Raithe’s calm expression didn’t change. “I want to see where we stand,” he said simply. “Before we head out on a long, dangerous
journey together. There are a few things we have to discuss.”
“Yes.” Kysa’s tone could cut rock. “There are.”
“Kysa.” Halek’s voice rose through the tension. He paused, then scratched the back of his head with a grimace, as if he was
uncomfortable. “I know your clan hates the Deathless,” he said, “but maybe he had good reason to keep that bit of information
from us. I mean, I’m sure he’s not allowed to tell people that the queen of the iylvahn is—was—the last remaining Deathless
from ancient times.”
“I am certain his reasons are sound,” Kysa replied, not glancing at Halek.
Her cold black eyes continued to stare at Raithe, who met her gaze without expression.
“Logical, even. I am sure he was under orders not to tell us anything about Irrikah or the queen he serves. But that does not change the fact that he does willingly serve a Deathless. Which makes him an enemy of my people.”
“Would a blood duel clear the air between us?” Raithe asked in a low voice, making my insides turn. Kysa had mentioned a blood
duel before. I didn’t know what that was, exactly, but I could guess.
“It might,” Kysa replied, before making a dismissive gesture with one gauntlet. “But it is impractical. If either of us dies,
that is one less person to protect Sparrow on the journey, and my vow comes first. Personal grudges are not as important as
stopping the Deathless King.”
Raithe nodded. “Then it seems we are stuck with each other until we can find the piece of the loom,” he said. His pale eyes
abruptly shifted to me. “However, I understand that some things cannot be forgotten or ignored. If my presence will make it
more difficult to achieve our mission, I can ask the queen to replace me with another kahjai, or even one of our warriors.
Someone who has no past with any of you. If that will make it easier, I will gladly step aside.”
Everyone looked at me, as if this was my decision alone. My stomach roiled, my mouth going dry as Raithe held my gaze, waiting
for an answer. What was I supposed to say, knowing Kysa despised him? Knowing I couldn’t trust him, much as I wanted to?
Knowing that his fate loomed ever closer. And that this choice could be the deciding factor for whether the iylvahn lived or died.
Did the queen tell you about your fate, Raithe? Do you know that, very soon, you’re supposed to die? Would it make any difference if you knew?
He didn’t know, I realized. He had told me, before we reached Irrikah, that he was absolutely certain he didn’t want to know his fate.
What had Kysa told Halek that night? Everyone knows that trying to avoid your fate only puts you on the path to meeting it.
My heart ached. I wished we could be like we were before. Me and Raithe, not knowing our futures, but knowing we could depend
on each other to survive. I wanted to trust him. I knew there were reasons Raithe couldn’t tell me about the queen; I wasn’t
even angry about that anymore. The kahjai had only been doing his duty. And I knew that cold, sometimes scary exterior was
mostly a facade. That his real personality was warm and funny and surprisingly gentle. That, for such a skilled, cold-hearted
assassin, he revered life and used violence only when he had to. But I didn’t want him to have to choose between me and the
Deathless queen. Because that choice could rip us both apart, and I was terrified to face the truth of what his decision would
be. What it had to be.
Still, leaving him behind was unthinkable.
The uncertainty would drive me crazy. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, wondering where the kahjai was and if his fate had already found him.
Maybe I was being selfish. Maybe I was simply sealing his fate with this decision.
But if, as the Fateless, I could ignore prophecy and unravel the thread of anyone I touched, then I would take this chance and hope to change what Fate had decided for him.
I bit my lip, using the pain to clear my thoughts, and shook my head. “No, Raithe,” I said quietly. “I want you to come. I’d
rather have you with us than not.”
For just a moment—so fast I probably imagined it—his expression softened, relief flickering through his eyes. But it was gone
in a blink, and he nodded stiffly. “As you wish,” he said in a flat voice. “I will meet you tomorrow at the gates to the labyrinth.
Be well, Fateless. Until then.”
He nodded to all of us, then turned and walked away. I watched him leave the stables, felt a piece of myself leave with him,
and wondered what other secrets the kahjai was hiding from us.
Maybe it was time I found out for myself.
The palace of the Deathless queen was never truly silent. Even when the moon had crept over the hidden city, bathing the outside
world in ghostly luminance, the halls of the palace still glowed with light. Iylvahn glided down the corridors, working, wandering,
speaking to each other in that strange, lyrical language. Watching them through my cracked-open door, I once again felt . . .
small. Dirty. Unworthy to be in a place like this. Unworthy to be in their presence.
But that wasn’t going to stop what I was about to do next.
I closed my door, leaned my forehead against it, and took a deep breath.
Tomorrow we would leave Irrikah, and everything I learned of the city would be lost. Before that happened, I wanted to see it for myself.
I was Fateless, so maybe the magic of the city wouldn’t affect me when I left. Maybe I would remember my time here.
I was tired of hiding away in my room. It was time to get out there and see Irrikah, the kingdom of the Deathless queen, and
discover what she was really like.
I opened my door wider and peered into the hall. Empty. I stepped into the corridor and closed the door softly behind me,
intending to slip out of the palace unseen and head into the city.
“Where are you sneaking off to?”
“Goddess, Halek!” I jumped and glared at the Fatechaser, who had appeared behind me, a bright, mischievous grin on his face.
“Have you been taking lessons from the kahjai? Don’t creep up on me like that.”
He raised a knowing eyebrow. “The sneak thief accusing me of creeping up on her? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I wasn’t sneaking.” I frowned at him. “I was just going into the city.”
“Alone.” The brow arched higher. “And obviously trying not to be seen. I think that’s the very definition of sneaking.”
I sighed. “Fine. Yes, I’m going to poke around the city a bit. I’m not trying to find anything specific—I just want to explore
Irrikah without any guides or guards lurking over my shoulder.”
“Sounds suspicious,” Halek said, and grinned.
“Count me in. And no,” he added, “you can’t sneak off without me.
I’ve been wanting to see Irrikah for a long time now.
I tried to get Kysa to come with me, but she is rather determined not to have fun here.
So you get the privilege of my illustrious company instead. ”
I rolled my eyes. As if I could get rid of the Fatechaser. Once Halek decided something, it was impossible to change his mind.
“Let me guess,” I said. “This is Fate at work, right? We’re fated to explore the city together, because you ran into me tonight?”
“Honestly? With you, I have no idea anymore.” Halek shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m here, and this sounds like fun.”
He held out an arm, that bright smile lighting up his face. “So shall we go see if we can’t defy Fate tonight?”
No one stopped us as we left the palace. No guards barred our way, no chancellors appeared, insisting that we have a guide
to lead us through Irrikah. The sentries at the palace gates did eye us with suspicion, but we slipped past them without incident
and walked down the curling, winding steps into the city.
As before, I was struck by how beautiful Irrikah was. Flowering tree branches overhung the terraced pathways, swaying gently
in the breeze. Creeping vines curled up walls and dangled from rooftops, creating curtains of greenery. Everywhere I looked,
color intermingled with the stone walls and structures that made up Irrikah. Even the waterfalls and small streams flowing
down the mountain were perfectly placed. The entire city was like one enormous piece of art, created just for the iylvahn.
“This place is so beautiful,” Halek sighed as we entered an open square.
A fountain dominated the center, with a pair of iylvahn perched on the lip, trailing their fingers in the water.
The Fatechaser gazed around the square and sighed again, then turned to me.
“So, what do you think the iylvahn do for fun around here?”
I shrugged. All the buildings looked the same: sculpted and elegant, but strange enough that I couldn’t tell what was a home
and what was a shop. If the iylvahn even had shops. “Maybe we should ask someone.”
“Good idea,” Halek said, and walked up to the iylvahn sitting at the fountain. “Hey, there,” he greeted them cheerfully. “We’re
new to Irrikah—your city is absolutely stunning, by the way—and we’re looking for places to go. Do you have any suggestions?”
The two iylvahn stared at him, their expressions politely blank. One of them smiled, but it was a stiff, forced smile that
didn’t reach her eyes. “If you are looking for entertainment, you can try the sylgellia,” she said, nodding to a large two-story building at the edge of the square.
Halek blinked. “Sorry, what?”