Chapter Nineteen
THE GENERAL
Sweat mingled with the agitation on my brow.
Sching. I clenched the hilts of my longswords, sweeping them in controlled arcs toward Finn. I needed this outlet, and Finn was my strongest opponent. Neither of us went easy on the other.
He spun, easily avoiding my blades, then lunged toward me. My elbow made satisfying contact with his chest. He grunted with the force.
Xuri asked me to stay away until she viewed Ruin’s life threads.
She knew where to find me when she was done.
I had been sparring for most of the morning, and my restlessness crept into my combat.
Finn delivered a swift punch to my shoulder.
I turned to find his weapons lifted and a self-assured, if tired, smile. We both heaved from our exertion.
“Water break.”
Finn nudged me as I bent over to grab my canteen from the ground. I glanced in the direction he gestured toward and straightened at the sight of Xuri coming our way.
I jogged over to meet her, the canteen forgotten. “What did you find out?”
She silently led the way to a nearby bench.
My arms crossed taut across my body. The last several days had sat heavy on me, one that sparring relieved, though barely.
The suspense of Rue’s recovery left me tightly coiled.
Even my jaw wasn’t immune. A light breeze ruffled across the fields as we sat down.
“May I show you?” The transfer of her visions to others was a newer skill. I’d hoped this time I wasn’t left with a pounding skull.
I shifted toward her and nodded, waiting, teeth gritted in anticipation. Xuri placed her palms flush against my temples and shut her eyes.
My mind exploded in an assault of visions.
Light flashed. Emotions seared. Images flared in vivid color as if projected in front of me.
I sped along a thread—both strong and delicate.
Lilac hair, a stone room, the dripping of blood.
Angry fists, sparring fields, inner conflict.
A friendship deeply forged, sinister reptilian eyes, a desire for home.
An unmoored ship, searching. Grief that made me double over.
Then the thread split into several strands.
Many futures. One stood out, thicker than the rest, and I followed it.
I coursed down a magenta thread. Xuri’s power coaxed it to reveal its secrets.
Softening, it released hazy images of a gathered army, destruction, a glowing cure.
A tether. Thick desire and depthless love thrummed through me.
My breath caught, and I centered myself amidst the overwhelm as the vision sped on.
Healing. Death. A catastrophic loss. Consuming darkness.
Then, a veil shifting into brilliant starlight.
A kaleidoscope of colors consumed my mind, shifting and merging.
I gasped for air, groping in the ether. Then abruptly, it ceased.
My eyes jerked open. I gripped the stone bench beneath me, seeking balance. Xuri’s rich, brown eyes remained glazed as she slowly came back to herself.
She cleared her throat, then placed her hand on my shoulder. “I think she might be the key. She knows about things we do not. And those images…” Her hand dropped to her lap as she gazed toward the Auren Mountains. “I think she can find the cure.”
I tensed at her words.
“You know I wouldn’t try to sell false hope. And she can’t go back to Haluma. You could help her see what’s really going on; she might be open to it.”
I frowned toward the ground, tasting the veracity of her words. “Does this align with what your mother foretold?”
“She doesn’t fit the profile, but looks can change. Maybe she’s the one foretold, maybe they’re two different people. But what I saw in her life threads… I really think she’s the one we’ve been waiting for.”
“Is she trustworthy? Or could this be a double-cross type situation? Something to make it look like she defected, but truly didn’t?” I needed more than sketchy reassurances that moving forward with Rue wouldn’t implode everything we had worked for. Visions were open to interpretation, after all.
“I wondered the same thing at first. But after my vision, and seeing her reaction to the news of the Surveille parasite, I believe it to be authentic. Perhaps you should speak with her and judge for yourself. And… I gave her a vision of my memories as well.”
My eyes widened at her disclosure.
“We need her on our side. I thought she should see what her king has truly been up to. How he has brought destruction and destroyed a generation of girls. What he did to our mother…”
I swiped a lock of hair away from my brow, my eyes unseeing as my mind churned—creating scenarios, predicting outcomes, daring to hope. “Fine, I’ll speak with her. Please notify me as soon as she awakens.” I stood, gripping her shoulder. “Thank you, Xuri.”
“Of course. But…”
I glanced up at her, my focus sharpened at her cautionary tone.
“She’s been trained as an elite soldier, fully indoctrinated.
The Liberation is depending on you to free us from Nolan’s power.
My memories might help her to see the truth, or she might view them as a ploy to convince her to join our side.
Stay on your guard with her. She might be the one to lead us to a cure, to getting rid of the veil, but she should be nothing more than that. ”
I bristled at her directive. I could make up my own mind. Destroying the king, and thus the darkness, was my only focus. I offered a terse nod before turning on my heel.
She called herself Rue, an uncommon name and one I felt confident wasn’t her given name.
I curled my fingers inward, the comforting weight of my black titanium rings cutting into my circulation.
I scowled at the thought of her having gotten so close to Korin.
But she had put herself in danger in order to protect the endearing land wielder.
Shadows seeped out of my knuckles. Foka, I didn’t trust her at all, but if she could aid us in finding a cure…
I shook my head at the mere idea of it. Ludicrous.
The thought chipped away at me. If there stood a glimmer of a chance…
I stalked my way across Aphellion, leaving the common areas behind. The bustle of the dining hall and elixist gardens faded. A breeze whispered down from the mountains to the west, colliding with the humid air from the Lyraean waterways.
The healers’ buildings came into view, their white limestone almost blinding in the afternoon sun. Without blemish, the hewn stone stood proudly, the healers’ magic mending even the rocks used to house them and their patients.
The door remained shut and I debated knocking.
After a beat, I opted not to. Respect was earned, and I hadn’t decided if she leaned more prisoner or ally.
The door swung open and I filled the threshold, hardening my gaze, even as my eyes adjusted from the blinding light of day to the dim glow of her room.
My anger churned with suspicion, barely restrained.
Rue turned toward me, eyes widening. She lay ensconced in her bed.
The light-blue coverlet scrunched haphazardly at her waist. The thin tunic provided by the healers barely concealed her small frame.
Her white hair fell in ripples over one shoulder, exposing the area of her neck where the Surveille parasite was extracted, now nearly healed.
Fading bruises diffused across her skin.
She adjusted her body in an attempt to sit upright. I watched her cover a wince with the movement, then brought up the blanket as if to shield herself from me.
Good. Let her feel fear.
As I drew closer, she subtly tensed, steeling herself.
Her face remained carefully blank as she bored into me with arrestingly vibrant eyes.
In expectation. In challenge. She lifted her chin, radiating a resolute strength.
Well, damn. Her eyes were the strangest shade of blue, almost purple.
Perhaps a trick of the low lighting? I released my shadows, banking my curiosity. A quiet threat.
Clearing my throat, I leaned against a dresser, its frame creaking in protest. “Seems you were in the right place at the right time.” My words emerged flat. A slight shrug her only response. “We keep running into each other. What brought you to Yarit?” I shrewdly assessed her every movement.
She tensed, but didn’t flinch, her expression unmoved. Her ongoing silence spurred me onward.
“Did you summon the drekis that entered this realm? The Scourge?” I stalked forward a step, letting my size fill the space, allowing my metal affinity to rattle the iron shutters on the walls.
Her shoulders slumped a notch, and she avoided my gaze.
“I was a part of the Scourge. Obviously, I’m not anymore.
” The last part came out as a whispered afterthought.
She took in a deep breath, rallying her words, facing me again.
“I was sent here to find the Crimson Wolf. Then I did…” Her breath hitched.
“And I couldn’t do it. I’ve betrayed my realm.
” Her hand absently drifted to her neck as she spoke.
It wavered before she dropped it back in her lap.
I tapped my finger on my leg, my rings softly tinging at the movement. I sensed her heart beating rapidly. Her fingers clenched to stifle a tremor, but she spoke truthfully. My mouth opened to ask another question, but she beat me to it.
“I would like to make a bargain.” Those piercing eyes met mine, expectant. Her sharp edges called to my own, a honed warrior in both physique and spirit, and I had the sudden urge to spar. Or take a cold shower. Her gaze fixed like a bolt of electricity—magnetic and unflinching.
“You aren’t in much of a position to do such a thing. And right now, I don’t think you can be trusted. You had a change of heart after meeting Korin? Bravo. And now you’re aligned with the rebellion?” I scoffed. Waves of anger radiated off of me.
“I realize what this looks like,” she forged on.
“Which is why I want to strike a deal with you. I’m an elite spy.
I can see auras, and weed out traitors, dissenters, liars.
I can proficiently wield water. I am willing to help you.
King Nolan is not who I thought he was.” She stopped talking, seeking to control the tremble in her voice.
Her breath heaved, “In exchange, I would like for me and my sister, Delah, to be given safe passage. Far away from here. Where we cannot be found. King Nolan won’t let me live.
And after what Xuri showed me, I don’t want to return to Maripol anyway. ”
Surprise warped my thoughts. Her boldness and fear equally prominent as she recognized her bleak situation.
I chewed on her words, contemplating. Unconsciously, I resumed drumming the same finger against my leg.
She glanced down at the movement and I abruptly stilled.
“Thank you for letting Xuri observe your life threads. If it weren’t for that, I would gladly have killed you myself.
The safety of my family and my people are paramount.
But you might prove very useful to me. And for that, I’ll consider your bargain. ”
She nodded once, a tinge of relief softening her brow.
“How do I know you aren’t truly spying for Haluma?”
Indignation prickled and she crossed her arms. “I guess you don’t.
Unless you have someone who can pull memories.
But I can assure you I am not a dreki. I have not made that trade.
I have little else to offer beyond my word, and whatever your oracle saw.
” She could throw daggers with that challenging stare.
Not many would dare to respond so audaciously.
I perked up at her defiance, swiftly chiding the curious beast inside.
But her magic. That’s what really gave me pause. The last water wielder had perished decades ago, and I had no means of reaching the underwater realms without one. But with Ruin, I could gain access to what I desperately needed.
“You will have round-the-clock guards. I would like to train with you to determine your strengths. Lucky for you, I’m in need of a water wielder. One wrong move from you, one whiff of treason, and our bargain is void and I will dispatch you myself.”
“Yes, you said that before.” She pointedly glared at me. My shadows swirled around in warning and she blanched.
I studied her, seeing past her bravado to the fear beneath.
My power subtly relented. “Things will go easier for you if you’re open to ideas that might go against the stories they packaged for you.
You might be surprised to find that what you thought was true may not be.
When you’re ready to learn more, come find me. ”
She appeared to wilt before my eyes. “Like what? Tell me one thing you think I don’t know.”
Her words were tangible, deflating things.
I wanted her to understand, but I didn’t want to completely demoralize her; I had worked with many orphans from Haluma who struggled intensely at the outset of learning their lives were a lie and they had been brainwashed.
And Ruin was technically still in recovery from a parasite; I really did need her for her power. I would have to tread lightly.
“I already know that Glint is refined Berine. And Nolan uses it on his own people. My sister suspected his treachery. Xuri revealed the deepening veil and the effects of how he drained your previous oracle. There is nothing left for me in Maripol.” She shrank beneath the admission.
Whether due to her physical recovery or the emotional output, I wasn’t sure.
Somehow she had pieced together the distortions despite Haluma’s consuming propaganda. Perhaps Delah was able to convince her after all. I offered a curt nod.
“We will start training tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for her response as I took my leave, the door slamming at my exit.
She unnerved me. She dared to make a bargain with me after leading drekis to our doorstep. Was it really Korin that made her defect?
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I had barely gotten any sleep in the last several days. Not with sorting through newly recruited spies, Ilayah’s passing, and making sure no other assassins portaled in. Then there was the issue of Queen Avery’s request to dine. I had yet to respond.
Multiple loose ends dangled in my periphery; it wasn’t the wisest time to go traipsing to the coast. But seeking an alliance with the Nereid Queen might shift the tide of this entire war.
I closed my eyes as the idea burrowed into my bones. I let that persistent weed of hope peek through the cracks. It had shriveled to near nothing. But with a water wielder on our side, we could take one more step in the right direction. Because I couldn’t meet the Nereid Queen without one.