Chapter 60
‘You’re seeing this, right?’ Caz’s voice is the first thing I hear. ‘This is real, right?’
‘Yes, this is definitely real.’ Benny is the one who responds.
They must have followed me straight through the illusion, not waiting even a second, and every one of them has a weapon in their hand – although like me, those hands mostly hang by their sides.
The shock of what we are seeing is too great to keep them up.
‘How…?’ Kyor’s voice is low, resonant with disbelief. ‘How did we not know?’
The illusion masked a ravine, a gap within the mountains through which we can pass. But it is what is at the edge of that ravine that has stolen our voices. Slowly, I take a few steps forward with Fen by my side, feeling the others following me.
My hand trembles as I try to move my dagger out in front of me. Dinah told me to show the blade, and I am not foolish enough to disregard her advice, though it feels utterly unnecessary.
I stop close to the edge of the ledge we stand on.
It leads down to a great valley unlike any place I have ever seen before.
The land is white with snow, and a wide river weaves through it, pure blue and glistening.
It’s not the landscape itself, but rather what sits upon it, that has stolen my breath.
There, on the edge of the river, is the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
From this height, every building appears to be a miniature work of art. Sculptural in form, their glass roofs catch the light and scatter it across the city.
No, not glass, I realise. Ice. Perfectly carved ice. Sunbeams strike and refract them into thousands of prisms, which sparkle and shimmer in the air around them.
‘It’s not an illusion,’ Benny whispers as if he knows the thought before it has even entered my mind. ‘The city is real.’
It’s beautiful. This is the home of the Issen? This?
The home of vile, barbaric warriors? Because that is what we have been led to believe the Issen are.
But this is not a city of barbarians.
Even from this distance I can see the roads that weave in between the buildings. This is masterful. Elegant. Beautiful.
Did you know? My voice echoes through to Fen’s mind. Did you know such a place existed?
No, Little Raven, he whispers back, his voice filled with awe. No I did not.
The group huddles close, and I know they’re waiting for me to respond, to act. To lead.
But how can I? I came here expecting a fight, to find myself face-to-face with angry warriors, and instead I am here, staring at a view I could lose myself in for a lifetime.
But I don’t have a lifetime.
Not when William is still in danger in Wrohelm. Not when that pattern still grows across his skin. The thought is enough to spur me on.
‘We should go down,’ I say, as much to myself as to the others. ‘Find someone who can help us.’
Perhaps I should go first, Little Raven. Elska and I can check for risks.
I shake my head before I respond to him. No. We don’t know how they’ll respond to dire wolves. They might be like the Torailians. I want you by my side the entire time.
Then that is where I shall be, he says simply.
With my mind made up, I steel myself and turn back to look at the group.
‘You don’t have to do this,’ I say to them. ‘I’ve asked so much of you already. You’ve brought me this far, and if you want to leave now, I understand completely.’
‘Leave?’ Ruben says the word as if my comment is the most absurd thing he’s ever heard. ‘We’re not leaving you now. Not here.’
‘You have to be realistic,’ I try again. ‘I pray to the Gods that the Issen will help us. But the truth is, we don’t know what we’re going to find down there. For all its beauty, we could all end up being arrested or even killed,’ I warn darkly.
I look at Kyor next, but his eyes lock on mine with unwavering certainty. ‘I told you, Thorn, I’m with you to the end.’
Warmth floods my heart, but I don’t have time to bask in it.
My attention moves next to Caz, who offers a shrug.
‘Bit silly to turn back now, isn’t it?’ she says. Only then do I notice how her hand clasps Thessa’s. They are together in this, then. Together in this with me.
I look to Loch. He’s rocking a little. ‘Off we go, ice and snow,’ he hums a little ditty. ‘Off we go, ice and snow.’
‘Are you coming, Loch?’ I ask gently.
‘Ice and snow.’ He nods. ‘Off we go.’
Right then.
My eyes shift to Benny, but unlike the rest of the group, he’s not looking at me. Nor is he looking down at the city.
Instead, his attention is sweeping around us to the rock face that we just walked through and the edges of the ravine.
‘Benny? If you want to go now, you can take Loch back to the Eastern Isles—’
‘Shh,’ he whispers. ‘Look.’
‘Benny?’
His eyes widen, flashing me a look of fear as he meets my gaze. There’s no hint of his usual smile on his face, and my pulse skitters as I tighten my grip on my dagger. Static hums in the air as Kyor reads my action.
‘Benny, what is it?’ I ask again.
‘The rock face,’ he says. ‘The edge of the ravine … I don’t think they’re real.’
My brow pinches. ‘What do you mean? They’re part of the illusion?’
I don’t know why he looks so fearful of this. After all, we all just walked through what appeared to be a solid mountain to get here. It’s not that surprising that there would be more illusions inside. And yet, before I can say as much, a collective gasp sounds out from the group.
We’re surrounded.
A dozen men with pale, icy, lace-lined skin stand around us. They are dressed identically in dark robes that only highlight the paleness of their faces, and their eyes are locked on us.
A crack of thunder rumbles through the sky. A warning from Kyor.
‘They are unarmed,’ Ruben hisses.
‘They don’t need weapons,’ Kyor snaps back.
He’s right. I killed Oke with nothing more than ice that I drew from the air, with no skill or experience. I suspect it would take nothing more than a blink of an eye for these men to send shards through every one of our hearts.
And yet they haven’t.
Instead, they are standing. Staring. As if they are waiting.
I take it you don’t want me to rip out their throats? Fen’s voice comes through my head.
Not if we want them to help us, no, I respond. I need them to actually speak to us.
‘Thorn,’ Kyor whispers.
‘I’ve got this,’ I say, turning in one direction and then the next, trying to work out to whom I should address my question, only to notice the way in which they are staring at the dagger in my hand.
They need a sign, one that tells them I come in peace.
As slowly as I can, I twist my hand, tilting the dagger so that it lies flat on my palm, then kneel down and place it on the ground, all while keeping my eyes locked on the closest Issen to me.
‘My name is Rose Kultavaris,’ I say, fighting the tremble in my voice. ‘I believe I am part Issen. I come here not to fight or for war, but to—’
Before I can finish, he drops to the ground, his head bowed as he lands on one knee.
‘Thorn?’ Kyor says it as a question, and as I twist to look at him, I see the reason why. The Issen I was speaking to is not the only one who has knelt on the ground. Every one of them has taken the same stance.
‘Your Highness,’ one of them speaks, his voice a low rasp. ‘We have been waiting for you.’ His bow deepens even further until his arms are stretched out on the earth in front of him.
I look to Kyor, to the prince, the question etched in every line of my face.
‘They were expecting you?’ I ask.
His face pales as he turns slowly, taking in the Issen who surround us, every one of them now bowed low on the ground.
‘I don’t think it’s me they were expecting,’ he says. ‘Thorn, look.’
Goosebumps rise on my arms. On my neck. On every patch of skin on my body. Every pair of Issen eyes, every Issen hand, is reaching out in the same direction. Reaching out towards one member of our group.
Towards me.
It’s you, Little Raven, Fen’s voice echoes in my head. You are the one they’ve been waiting for.