Chapter 39 The Vyrecall
The Vyrecall
The silence does not break all at once. It stretches, thin and strained, the heat of what Colsar has done still pressing against my skin, the ash settling across the table and floor as though the room itself is trying to absorb what just occurred.
Then Venya moves. Her hands lift slowly at first, then with a force that does not belong to her, light pouring through her fingers in a way that is too bright, too uncontrolled, her head tipping back as her body arches with it.
Her eyes roll upward, showing nothing but white as her voice spills out, wrong in its cadence, wrong in its shape.
"Bring death and ruin to the Queen Heir," she says, the words spilling over themselves, repeating without breath. "Bring death and ruin to the Queen Heir, bring death and ruin to the Queen Heir, bring dea—"
Uralish moves before she can finish, his hand clamping down hard around Colsar's arm, his attention snapping to me with a clarity that cuts through everything else. "Up," he says.
We are already moving.
The room fractures behind us, voices rising, chairs scraping, power building in uneven bursts as we push past it, Colsar's hand closing firmly around mine as we leave the chamber, Syle falling in behind us without question.
We do not slow. The corridor blurs past, the quiet of it broken by the force of our movement, until we reach my chambers and the door closes behind us with a soft, final sound that feels entirely out of place.
Uralish turns immediately. "You must pack and go," he says, the words coming fast now, stripped of everything unnecessary. "There is no time. She just issued a Vyrecall."
"What the fuck is that?" I ask.
“It is a summons,” he says, impatience cutting through the words. “A sanctioned call for blood. Anyone within range who bears you ill will will feel it… and be given cause to act.”
Colsar lets out a low sound beside me, something close to a growl.
"I see," I say, my voice quieter than I expect. "How long do we have?”
“Not long,” Uralish snaps. "And everyone in that room heard about the twins. Now they will know what you carry is powerful. They will come for you."
I look between them. "How did a deathmage get into Alarna?"
Uralish's jaw tightens. "I have never seen it happen before. Not once."
Syle's voice comes through my mind, controlled. "It likely did what they always do. It killed him and took his body."
"Yorali usually steers clear of us," Uralish adds. "They have never shown interest in Alarna. Not like this."
I hesitate, then say it anyway. "I think Aunt Jularin had something to do with it."
Syle shakes his head at once.
Uralish lifts a hand slightly, stopping him before he can continue. "Why do you think that?"
"Because she was the only one who knew I was carrying twins," I say. "She took an interest in me when I first arrived. My pregnancy. My skills. I thought it was kindness."
Syle exhales, slower this time. "She has always been the kind one," he says. "This would surprise me. But I suppose nothing is impossible."
"I cannot figure out what the motive would be," I admit.
"At this point, none of that matters," Uralish says. "You must leave. Tonight."
I look at him. "Tonight?"
"Tonight," he says, his tone grim.
He moves as he speaks, pacing once before continuing. "My troops for you are in the Avanki Desert. You have a sworn commander, Wyn, and a general named Trophi. They are trustworthy, but they will need time."
"Once ready, they will travel at lightpace."
"At what?"
He exhales. "It is a form of magic used by Avanki warriors. When used on their horses or even their own bodies, it cuts days off travel time. You cannot use it now. You are too weakened by the pregnancy. Later, perhaps."
He continues without pause. “Between here and Shalvar, the fastest route is underground. I have a ward I have been loosening for months. For this exact moment.”
Something in me stills at that.
“I told you from the beginning that the child could not be born here. Now that I know there are two, this is even more true,” he says. “I planned your exit before you ever arrived. The only thing missing was your blood. Both of yours.”
He nods once toward Syle and Enovar. “Time was limited, but once you gave it, the three of us were able to prepare a path through the wards. It will hold long enough for you to cross.”
Something tight in my chest eases before I can stop it. No one has ever planned for me like this. Not the Baron. Not anyone. Uralish does it without making it something I owe. Without trying to take anything from me.
"Alarnans have always feared invasion since geographically they are the closest to Thrykis," he says. "There are underground escape routes. They are warded. Mostly safe."
He looks at me directly. "There are three safehouses. You will stop at each one. They will give you the location of the next. You will give them the password Northwood. They will give you coordinates."
His voice lowers slightly. "Each safehouse is warded against the undead. Use as little magic as possible. They are drawn to power."
"The Avanki troops will meet you at the third safehouse."
"The first is below the surface. There are paths in the underground tunnels." He pauses, as though making sure we are paying attention.
“The second is in an abandoned village,” he continues. “It was overtaken once. Now it is mostly empty. The safehouse is well protected. The undead there can move during the day, but they prefer night. Leave at daybreak.”
He looks between us. “The safehouses are people I trust. That does not make them safe. The borderlands are unstable. Threns will be searching, and even those not looking for you may still turn on you for what you carry.”
His voice lowers slightly. “The outer regions have been cut off for years. Villages still exist, but barely. Trade is scarce. Provisions are scarce. You will be seen as opportunity.”
He looks between us. “Trust no one until the Avanki stand in front of you.”
He turns and murmurs something to Syle, who nods and disappears.
Uralish continues. "By the time you reach the third safehouse, you need only rest. You will stay two days. Once the Avanki arrive on the second day, there will be no need for safehouses or anything else. They travel fast, and moreover they have lightcraft."
Colsar looks doubtful.
Uralish glances at him. "There will be thousands of them. All with lightcraft. The undead will not go near them."
Colsar's expression tightens. "What about the Morraks?"
Uralish exhales slowly. "That is the one thing I do not know. There have been no sightings this week or last."
He looks between us. "If you stay here, someone will come for your life. If you stay here and give birth, your children will be at the center of the same Thren conflict when they come of age. And if you stay here, whatever allowed the deathmage in may happen again."
The door opens.
Syle returns, a small vial in his hand. He places it into mine.
Uralish's voice lowers. "I hope you do not have to use this. If you are bitten, drink it and deliver as quickly as possible."
My fingers close around it.
"Siakars and others can withstand the bite better than most," he continues. "But you are heavily pregnant. Vulnerable."
He was right. Hyverin had said the children could survive if born. If I were bitten, this could save them.
"If she is bitten, it could kill her," Colsar says.
"It could," Uralish agrees. "But your children may still live."
He glances at me. "And she is stronger than she looks. She might survive one."
"That will not be necessary," Colsar says.
"Do not be stupid," Uralish replies, before turning back to me. "Keep it."
I slip the vial into my dress.
He looks at Colsar. "Will Shalvar open their wards for you?"
Colsar's voice is calm. "They do not need to. I built them. And I am welcome there."
He pauses. "We will stay there for a time. Until she recovers."
Uralish nods. "Many of the Avanki have origins tied to the Beastlands. They will be at ease resting there."
He looks at us both. "I will pretend I do not know where you went. Most do not even know he rules Shalvar. They will assume you fled to Veynar. They will assume Venya's Vyrecall worked. Or that you died trying to escape."
"We didn't even kill him, the deathmage did."
"Yes but she has always disliked you the same way she disliked your mother. It is easier to blame you for all of it."
He puts his hands on my shoulders in a rare show of affection. "You are stronger than you think. Your lightcraft is strong. After all your training with Petunis, I have no doubt anyone that crosses you will fall easily."
He turns to Colsar. “Remember, trust no one.”
His eyes meet mine. "If you are harmed… you have the vial. If you are trapped, you have each other. I don't like this either, but your options are all quite poor. This is the only one that gives you a chance." He turns to me. "If your mother were here...she would want you to take it."
I look at Uralish. “You are not going with them, so how will the Avanki leave?"
Uralish laughs. “Do you think we were stupid enough to build wards our military cannot bypass?”
He exhales once. “The Avanki do not pass through the same way you do. They are bound to a separate system. Blood oath, woven into the military wards themselves. It only answers to them.”
I thought about that. "With so many exceptions, is that how the deathmage got in?"
"No. Every exception involves a blood connection to Alarnan royals. Soldiers take a blood oath. Your husband shares blood with the children. Whatever made it in here used means we are unfamiliar with."
Syle steps forward. "You have something else as well."
Enovar steps out, his form sharpening into place, a grin pulling at his face. "I am Chief strategist for the Avanki."
"I thought Syle was," I say.
"We both are," they say at once.
"One of us will go ahead," Enovar continues. "The other will remain here."
I look between the two of them. "How long can you stay separated from each other?"
"A while, but not forever," Enovar admits. "Long enough to get you close to Veynar."
I frown. "How will you get back through the undead?"
Enovar smiles. "They cannot kill what is already dead. And besides, I won't travel back to Syle."
"He disappears like a fucking mirage," Uralish grumbles.
Enovar ignores him. "I will meet you in Shalvar. I have contacts near Thrykis I plan to retrieve intel from."
I look at Syle. "Without him, how will you protect yourself?"
Before he answers, Syle lunges. They clash, fast and controlled, power moving between them until my vision fills with gold, the same overwhelming light I have seen before.
"You have the same power as your father," I say.
"Yes," Uralish replies dryly. "He is a fool, but he can hold his own without the annoying soul sucker."
The light fades.
Syle straightens. "I will look into Jularin," he says. “Our connection will weaken with distance, but know that I will not stop until I get answers.”
I nod. "I understand."
Uralish puts his hand on my shoulder in what might be an attempt at affection. "I will remain here as Regent," he adds. "Until you return."
He pauses.
"I will keep your seat warm." Then he steps back, already turning away as though the decision has been made.