19. Everett
Everett
Two days after we passed the Shattered Spine, we finally made it to Saltmourne, the southernmost island state of the Triad Realm.
We exited the port and took in the city, my legs unsteady as they adjusted to the absence of rocking waves.
Kieran leaned against me for a moment to catch his breath, holding a cloth-wrapped arm against his cracked ribs.
The ship medics put a burn salve on his blistered arm and bandaged his ribs as well as they could, but he still flinched any time he took too hard of a step on that side.
Beyond the water was a world of sand unlike anything I’d seen before, even in the tropical climate of Iluze.
This was a desert. Everywhere we turned were sand dunes, white-washed towers, and golden-brown, rolling hills that went on for miles.
The architecture was stunning. I couldn’t help but crane my neck as we passed, staring up into the high buildings.
Some of them had windcatchers built into the towers.
I remembered reading about these being used for arid climates—it helped keep the area cool.
Tessa had to tug me along to keep me from stopping and staring at everything in our path.
On our way to the Harbomaster’s office, people eyed our heavy clothing with strange looks.
Men and women strode by in lightweight linen tunics, dyed silks that flowed behind them in the arid wind, and scarves wrapped around their heads to shield from the sun and dust. Tessa, Kieran, and I looked out of place in our cloaks and fur-lined pants from Drakorum.
“We might need to buy some new clothes,” I muttered as we walked up a limestone pathway leading to a large, tan building—the High Council’s chambers.
I pulled open the double doors to reveal white floors, marble columns, and portraits lining the hall.
People filtered in and out of offices with stacks of papers and steaming mugs.
When Tessa, Kieran, and I came to a halt on the threshold, a woman with a pencil behind her ear approached. Her gaze trailed from my cloak to my heavy boots, then back up again.
“You must be the foreigners,” she said by way of greeting.
“Kieran Blackwell, ma’am,” Kieran said, ever the diplomat. “These are my associates, Everett Swift and Tessa Briar. The Empress of the Veridian Empire has sent us, at the High Council’s request.” He pulled a letter with the official seal of the empress from his jacket pocket.
While the woman looked down at the letter, Tessa mouthed, “Associate?”
“Just go with it,” I mouthed back.
“Right this way, Master Blackwell,” the woman said, tipping her head toward Kieran.
Tessa couldn’t hide her snort. “Bet he loved that.”
I helped Kieran as the woman led us up a marble staircase and to another corridor. An ornate wooden door rested at the end. She knocked swiftly, and when a deep voice boomed, “Enter,” she pushed it open.
Inside was a large man with a dark auburn beard sitting behind a desk. A plaque with the words “Fraser Bay—High Council Chancellor” sat before him. My eyes were instantly drawn to the bookshelves built into the walls behind him. My fingers itched to reach for the leather tomes adorning the shelves.
“Master Bay, your guests from the Veridian Empire have arrived,” the woman said with a little bow.
“Thank you, Rina. That will be all,” the man behind the desk said, his voice low and rough. He leaned over and stuck his hand out to Kieran. “Fraser Bay, Saltmourne Chancellor.”
“Kieran Blackwell,” he responded. “This is Everett Swift and Tessa Briar.”
“His associates,” Tessa added. I pursed my lips to keep from smirking.
“We’re happy to welcome you to Saltmourne,” Bay said. “Your arrival marks the first formal exchange between our people in…well, forever,” he added with a chuckle.
“I would say it’s long overdue, then,” Kieran replied smoothly. “The Veridian Empire values stability along its borders and its seas, and we’re honored to learn more about your land.”
The chancellor nodded. “As am I. I can’t speak for the other two chancellors in the Realm, but I hope this is the start of a beneficial alliance for us both.”
I tilted my head. “The other two chancellors?”
“The Triad Realm is made up of three separate island states, each run by their own High Council,” Bay explained.
“Saltmourne, Ash Serah, and Twin Tides. We’re independent of one another.
Myself and the other two chancellors keep up correspondence, but we have little bearing on how each other’s territories are ruled. ”
“So, you have no king or queen?” Tessa asked. “No emperor?”
“We’re more of a democracy,” Bay said, stroking his auburn beard. “Our people elect the councils and chancellors. I’ve been fortunate to hold this position for several terms now.”
“Your people must really trust you,” Kieran said.
“I hope so. Which is why it was a risk, inviting a strange empire into our borders. But I was too curious not to.” Bay’s chair squeaked as he shifted forward, curiosity gleaming in his beady eyes.
“The chancellor over at Twin Tides was staunchly opposed, you know. She’s worried your… abilities may pose a threat to us.”
My nose twitched at the word. Our abilities. It felt unusual to talk about our magic with outsiders. These people looked at us like they wanted to inspect us beneath a magnifying glass the first chance they got.
“We’re not a threat to you, any more than you are to us.” I said. “We both want the same thing.”
He held his hands in the air. “Oh, you don’t have to convince me. I like that empress of yours. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. But Twin Tides and Ash Serah might take a bit more delicacy.”
“Then we shall go to them ourselves,” Kieran said. “Ensure them of our intentions and relay Empress Aris’s desire for mutual cooperation and peace between our realms.”
Fates, Kieran really was good at this.
Bay smiled, flashing a silver tooth. “I like the initiative,” he said.
“But words like those are easier spoken than proven. Traveling between the islands is particularly rough right now.” He glanced toward the window, where the port could be seen in the distance.
“The Imarian Sea has become…let’s just say, temperamental. ”
“Tempermental, how?” Tessa asked.
“Strange anomalies, missing vessels and crews, freak storms and disruptions in our navigational systems, things like that. It started a few weeks ago. The patrol units of all three islands are cracking down on anything out of the ordinary until we discover the source.”
Kieran’s brow furrowed. “Do you think it’s internal? Some sort of attack from one of the other territories?”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Bay said, steepling his fingers. “It could be coordinated, it could be natural disasters. It could be…other.” His gaze lingered over the three of us, no doubt thinking once again of our “abilities.”
“If you truly wish to assure the other councils of your intentions, then I won’t stop you from going,” he said. “But once you’re out there, you’re at the whim of the sea, and she’s a flighty mistress.”
Kieran inclined his head. “If it will help foster trust between our people, then we’re willing.”
Bay stood, extending his hand once more. “Excellent. I would offer you passage on Saltmourne’s finest ship, but Captain Starke’s crew left for a trip a week ago. They should be back in a few days, if you want to wait for them.”
“No need,” I said. “We have our own ship.”
“Suit yourself,” Bay said with a shrug. “I have a meeting to get to, but if you can stay for a day or two, we can talk logistics and go over some resource reports.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Kieran agreed. Tessa shot me a look that said it did not, in fact, sound wonderful.
I cleared my throat. This was the best chance to ask about what was weighing on my mind. “Master Bay, I actually have a question. About one of your…citizens.”
Kieran’s jaw twitched as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye. He had specifically told me not to barge in asking questions about a fugitive Veridian who’d come here undetected. He was worried it would ruin any tentative trust, but I had to ask.
Bay arched an eyebrow, and I continued. “It’s about a woman. Her name is Vera Duma. Someone at the docks mentioned her,” I lied. “I’m not sure if she’s here or on one of the other island states. She might be an employee.”
I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck. Why was this so difficult?
It wasn’t as if I could ask, Hello, have you seen this woman?
I think she secretly crossed into your realm to hunt down a sadistic, murderous Alchemist who escaped our empire and might be terrorizing your people. Oh, and she’s the love of my life.
Bay scratched his chin. “Can’t say I’ve heard that name around here. She doesn’t work for my High Council, at least. She might be on one of the other islands.”
I nodded. That was what I expected, but the words still made my heart sink. “Thank you, anyway.”
“My assistant Rina can provide you with anything you need in the meantime,” Bay said, moving out from behind his desk.
Tessa let him pass to get to the door, then asked, “Do you think she can get us some new clothes?”
We spent the evening poring over notes on taxes and tariffs, potential trade routes between Saltmourne and the Veridian Empire, and plans to widen passage through the Shattered Spine. The next day, Chancellor Bay and his assistant gave us a tour of Kharis, the capital of Saltmourne.
I was fascinated by the culture here. Back in Veridia, horses and carriages were how we traveled in most provinces.
But I hadn’t seen a single carriage here.
Instead, people traveled atop huge, tan creatures with humps on their backs, selling their wares from bags affixed to the animal’s neck and humps.
“Is that a camel?” I asked Chancellor Bay, drinking in the sight as one passed by with multi-colored bags strapped to its back.
“It is.” He gave me a strange look. “Have you never seen one?”
“Only in books. They’re incredible.”
He chuckled. “We can arrange for you to ride one later, if you’d like.”
“Really?” I blinked, lips tugging upward into a shy grin.
Tessa elbowed me with a laugh. “You look like a kid in a toy shop, Ev.”
I quickly cleared my throat. “I mean, only if we have time, of course.”
She smiled and shook her head, and we continued down the path.
Even while taking in the foreign sights, smells, and sounds around us, I didn’t stop looking for Vera the entire time.
Every building, every office, every tavern, every alleyway.
When Bay wasn’t listening, I asked anyone around if they recognized a woman of her description.
It was like trying to find a needle in an incredibly large haystack.
And knowing Vera, even if she was here, she wouldn’t go around making herself known.
Our carriage traversed up a low, sandy hill surrounding Kharis, giving us a beautiful view of the sand dunes, gleaming towers, and waves on the shore in the distance. We stopped in front of a row of buildings made of clay and limestone, with salt-worn signs hanging from their doors.
Chancellor Bay peered through one of the windows and sighed. “The harbormaster must be out. I was going to introduce you to him and his team, since you may be working with him more in the future. Maybe next time.”
As he walked away, I peeked inside the open shutters. I caught a glimpse of bookshelves full of scrolls and maps, and a couple of desks with supplies and parchments scattered on top. My gaze snagged on the one closest to the window, and something about it made me pause.
“Ev, you coming?” Tessa called. “Bay said we can go find that camel to ride.”
I shook off the strange feeling and nodded, and we made our way back down the street.