Page 30 of Stars May Burn

I looked around his workshop. The only light came from the white-blue lamps. “But that’s not what you do, is it? You’re not an approved artist.”

He gave me a serious look. “No, I am not.”

I licked my lips, feeling like one verbal misstep would send me off a cliff edge. “Some types of kryalcomy are illegal in Fenland.”

“Many types. But that’s not what you’re learning today.” He turned back to his large collection of unrefined metal. “There are two more types of metal you should be aware of. Jadum”—he held up a white rock—“which magnifies kryalcomy.” He then held out a smooth black rock. “And this is yadum, which nullifies kryalcomy.”

“Nullifies?”

He nodded and tossed the black stone into the nearby lamp. The light died at once. He skipped over and fished the black rock out of the glass case, and the light returned. “Ta da!”

“Are those banned as well?”

He scoffed as if I’d just asked the stupidest of questions. “No, no, they are merely integrated into devices so you need less infusing from kryal and so they can be switched off easily. Most devices have them. Every time you turn your lamps off with a switch, you’re triggering the mechanism that releases the yadum.”

I nodded. That made sense. It was alarming how little I knew about the devices around me.

“Isn’t yadum what you make those special knives out of for the soldiers?”

His shoulders tensed and then loosened. “Yes. And there’s nothing illegal about them. They’re just plain yadum.”

“So, if you were to stab something that used kryalcomy with one of those daggers, it would stop working.”

He nodded with a wry expression. “Though I would recommend using switches rather than daggers to turn your lights off.”

“But…”

Callum tossed the metal back into an open box. “And that concludes our lesson for today.”

I hesitated, my voice sounding small. “But…what is it that you do?”

Callum gave me a flat look. “If I told you that, Kasten would have my head. I will let him tell you, not me.” He moved off behind me.

I clenched my fists in my skirts and took a deep breath. “You say that like it’s easy for me to talk to him. He barely looks at me.” Even as the words came out, I was shocked at how easily I said such vulnerable words to a man who was little more than a stranger. Something about his rudeness was disarming, giving the expectation that there should be no pretense between us, only honesty.

Callum sighed heavily behind me as if I were being dramatic. “Look, life isn’t easy for Kasten. At all. He’s in big trouble. He doesn’t want to implicate you in it. The less you know about what’s going on, the better off you will be. He wants you to stay innocent, so the king can never blame you for any of it. And so you’re not a target for Lord Lyrason.”

Lord Lyrason?

My chest tightened. “I want to help Kasten. I’m his wife. There must be something I can do. The more trouble you’re in, the more help you need. Doesn’t he trust me? I’m sure there’s a way I can prove my loyalty.”

Callum shooed me out through the workshop door and closed it behind us, locking the large bolts with padlocks. “The last thing Kasten needs is another person to worry about. He has given you comfort and safety. Don’t throw it back in his face.” He turned to Meena, gave her a quick nod as if he were somehow handing me over, then strode back to the castle.

I stared after him, itching to look more closely at the things in his workshop. I thought of the strange pyramidal device dropped at my feet by the fugitive. Was that one of the illegal devices Callum had made? It hadn’t looked like a device for heat or light. So maybe something to do with air or water? I had never heard of such a thing before.

Maybe if I could prove myself useful and trustworthy, Kasten would explain what was going on. If not, I would have to slowly piece everything together myself.

Miss Claris would be horrified at the thrill that ran down my spine.

KASTEN

The mid-morning sun was still cool, but that didn’t prevent me from being encrusted in dust and sweat from the road. I pulled off my sticky gloves as I entered the hall. I gestured to Sir Cley and Robert. “Go to your families.” I frowned at Robert. “And don’t show your face inside the castle for at least a month. From now on, you stay out of the Red Men’s affairs. I’m putting you directly under Sir Jon’s command, and mark my word, he will report back to me if you put a finger out of line.”

Robert bowed and scurried off with hunched shoulders but a relieved expression. He was already looking healthier after a day of rest before we’d set out in the early hours of the night.

I brushed some of the dirt from my face, frowning when my fingers caught stubble. Every limb ached. Whiskey. I needed whiskey. I looked toward the closest servant, an older man who was gathering our coats.

“Where’s my wife? Is she awake yet?”

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