Chapter 33 #2
This knowledge settles like a weight in the pit of my belly. No way to stop it. That means there’s no way for William to stay safe in Wrohelm. I have to get him out of there. But I can’t leave to get him until I complete the Veil.
‘Princess, are you sure you’re okay? You do not look well.’
‘It’s probably another less-than-ideal side effect of being poisoned,’ I say, lifting my pained hands.
Uzra has been in this position too. He knows full well the discomfort I’m in.
‘Yes. Yes, you’re probably right.’
Since he’s here, I take the chance to ask another question.
‘One more thing,’ I say, ‘if I may? My grandmother. People don’t talk about her.
They were so excited about the return of the lost princess, yet I can’t glean any information – from anyone – about my grandmother or my mother.
No accounts in the library. No pictures in the palace.
’ It’s not as if I’ve wandered the halls extensively, but don’t royalty usually like to flaunt their painted portraits?
Not that Magnus is the flaunting type. I already know that.
Uzra presses his thumb to the corner of his lip, pulling at his skin slightly. ‘Magnus has not been forthcoming with information? That does not surprise me.’
‘I know that she was Sanning,’ I tell him.
‘Yes, she was. And he loved her fully. I think that was why he needed to block her out. He had a war to fight, one that grew infinitely more bloodthirsty because of Korvane’s betrayal. Reminders of his family served no purpose for King Magnus other than to cause him pain.’
‘So he destroyed all records of them?’ I question.
Uzra laughs. Softly. Sadly. ‘No, that is not the king’s way.
But his people … they did not wish him to suffer more than he already was.
Did not wish him to stumble upon the names in texts, or their images depicted in paintings.
And so, little by little, out of love for him, we removed them from the city’s history.
But of course, there are always those who remember.
Who hoped for the lost princess’s return. As your arrival here proved.’
A long breath of air blows from my lungs. To think that the people loved the king so much that they tried to remove his source of hurt is unfathomable. And beautiful. My hand splays across my heart as I try to comprehend the enormity of such an action.
‘Thank you. Thank you for telling me.’
Uzra nods. ‘I’m sure he will talk to you about them when he’s ready. He just needs time.’
A sad laugh huffs in my chest. Time. That’s one thing I’m not sure I have. ‘Thank you,’ I say again. ‘I should leave you to find Orla before she ends up getting bitten by your wolf.’
A belly laugh rumbles from the knight. ‘Oh no, Orla was right. She could dress that wolf up and ride around the city with braids in her hair and a tiara on her head and the damn beast wouldn’t so much as snarl at her.
If I tried it, on the other hand…’ He laughs again, but this time it fades quicker.
‘Princess, if you don’t mind, may I speak freely?’
‘Yes, of course,’ I reply, surprised by the sudden change in his tone. ‘That is what I want, always.’
‘I suspected so. It’s about Prince Kyor.’
The ease that I felt only moments ago evaporates as a sea of churning dread fills my gut. ‘What is it? Is he all right?’
‘Fine. I just wanted to say that he is a good man. Truly. Especially considering…’
‘Considering his father. Yes,’ I say softly, ‘I know what manner of man he is.’
‘No doubt you do. The men here are growing to respect him greatly. That is no small feat considering the atrocities his father has committed. Atrocities he made us commit in his name.’
A bubble of pride rises within me. People seeing Kyor for who he really is, not the man his father has tried to make him, is all I could ever hope for. I just need him to see it too.
‘Thank you,’ I say again. ‘And tell Orla it was lovely to meet her. I won’t forget about that cake.’
He gives me a deep bow and departs, and I set off again for the river to find Magnus.
When I reach the water, I see the cluster of Issen – Magnus among them – harvesting downstream, but rather than immediately heading towards them, I pull on my Morathkian magic.
My muscles instantly loosen. The ease of using magic that I have such control over is a pleasant reprieve compared to wrestling with my ice powers.
While my unwanted outbursts are lessening, I still have difficulty directing my power or choosing what form it releases from me.
Not only that, but I’ve grown so powerful that Stefan now takes us so far into the ice fields that the city is no longer within sight.
My powers find the weeds effortlessly, and drawing in a long breath, I let the magic flourish.
The thin strands of green lengthen and thicken and are well over double in size when I stop.
I will do more downstream and upstream later, but it’s better not to do it all at once.
Partly for the water life, but also so that the Issen do not grow suspicious.
The last thing I need is Ranveeg or Stefan learning what I can do and chaining me forever by the river, forcing me to grow more supplies that they can dry and use to march on Morathka with.
Confident that there’s a lot more of the Issen plants than there was before, I continue towards the harvest, though Magnus is already wading out of the water by the time I reach him.
‘Rose, this is an unexpected surprise. Can I help you?’
‘Possibly. I was wondering if we could have a talk?’
‘Always.’ He beckons me away from the riverbank, but I can’t help glancing back. The riverweed they are harvesting is substantially skinnier than the leaves I just aided. It would be much more beneficial for them to harvest those.
‘Is there a reason you’re choosing to harvest small leaves?’ I ask with feigned innocence. ‘Not the larger ones upstream?’
Magnus frowns. ‘There is a denser field upstream?’ he questions.
‘Yes, absolutely. I saw it with my own eyes only a moment ago.’
With a wave of his hand, Magnus calls one of the farmers over. ‘The princess says there is a decent field of riverweed upstream,’ Magnus informs him. ‘Please check it out and move your people there if necessary.’
‘As you wish, Magnus,’ the woman replies before heading off in the direction of the newly burgeoned crop.
‘So,’ Magnus says to me once we’re alone again, ‘what is it you wish to talk to me about?’
I draw in a breath, giving myself one last chance to back out of asking this. But it’s the right thing to do. I know it is.
‘I wanted to ask you if you know anything about vows,’ I say.
‘Vows?’
‘Yes. Blood vows. The type that prohibit you from speaking of certain matters.’
‘You are under one?’ he asks.
I hesitate. ‘Sort of. My friends took one for me,’ I tell him. ‘It doesn’t feel right that I can speak of the matter to others, but they cannot. I wish to free them of it.’
Magnus’s lips remain tightly pressed before he speaks. ‘And this vow that your friends took, were you the anchor?’
I frown. That’s not a term I’ve heard before. ‘The anchor?’
‘Were you the one who guided them, Rose? Who took the vials?’
‘Yes.’ I nod, and as his eyes darken, I have the feeling I don’t fully understand the weight of this word.
‘You may not have given your blood, Rose, but their lives are still bound to a secret that you know. If you were to speak of it, it would not be your life that’s forfeit, but theirs.’
‘What? No…’ The air rushes from my lungs with such speed my vision blurs.
How did I not know such a thing? All this time, I have held my friends’ lives on the tips of my tongue and not even realised.
All those moments I could have slipped. Could have told Kyor. It chills my blood to even think of it.
My breaths come shallow and quick, though I try to steady myself.
‘So, this vow, this anchorage,’ I ask Magnus as I begin to walk again. ‘Is there a way to break it?’
Magnus lets out a long sigh as he continues walking. ‘Blood vows are exactly as they say. Vows made between you and another that fill your very veins. No part of your body is free from the power of such magic.’
‘Yes, but are there ways they can be revoked?’ I ask with a fraction more frustration than I’d planned.
Thankfully, he shows no annoyance at my rushed tone. Instead, he inhales slowly. Contemplatively.
‘While they are intended to be permanent, there are ways in which they can be revoked.’
‘There are?’ My heart leaps unexpectedly. ‘What are they?’
Magnus pauses. The caves are up ahead, and the vandsang is loud in my ears. I wonder if perhaps he’s going to tell me this is a matter that must wait until after the Veil, but how my mind will settle in such a case, I can’t imagine. Thankfully, he sees as much.
‘If all parties agree that the vow is no longer needed, that they no longer need to remain silent, then nothing more needs to be done. The vow will be broken.’
‘No spell, no ritual?’ I question.
‘No. A conversation is all that is required. An agreement. After all, what are words, conversations, if not spells we constantly weave upon one another?’
‘All parties,’ I repeat, ignoring the rest of his confabulation and thinking back to the day I made the vow to keep William safe.
Given how Jonas has already held the secret for so long and Kay is William’s sibling, I didn’t see any need to include them.
The only people who took the vow were Ruben, Benny, and Caz.
Meaning that if I wanted to, I could break the vow and my friends would be safe if I were to speak of William. I could ask them to end it, and I could tell Magnus – and Kyor – about my brother. The knowledge causes a fluttering of nervousness to radiate through me.
‘I hope that answered your question?’ Magnus asks.
‘It has. Thank you,’ I say, only to suddenly change my mind. Because it may have answered my question, but Kyor’s case is completely different. There’s no way his father is going to allow him to break the vow.