Page 79 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

“We’ll have to leave some extra coin for him,” Kheldryn says, brushing silvery hair out of her face. “He’s very attentive.”

“The poor bastard deserves it for dealing with the likes of us,” Gryska agrees, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Spooning the last of my stew into my mouth, I chew slowly, unable to rid my body of the worry gathering in my abdomen. After what happened last night, this mess we’re in…

Part of me wishes I’d turned down Viridian’s offer to be a diplomat. Perhaps things would have been different. But if I’d never left High Keep, then I wouldn’t have gotten close to Asheros.

A pang in my chest tells me that if given the option, I would do it all over again.

“Lymseia?” Kheldryn asks.

My head snaps to her. “My apologies, what did you say?”

“We’d like to go over the plan again,” Kheldryn says.

“The plan. Right,” I say, clearing my mind. “We return to Arella’s cottage and look for anything that can indicate where our target’s gone. Then, we follow where that trail leads.”

“You say that as if it were so simple,” Savell grunts.

“It is simple,” Asheros interjects, pushing his empty bowl away from him. “We use what’s available to us.”

“And then what?” Savell asks, furrowing his brow. “We corner him? Bring him to Orim’s family manor? What happens when we find him?”

Narrowing my eyes, I press my lips together. Preparedness is the key to a successful mission. Not knowing what comes next has me on edge.

“We’ll decide what to do when we reach that point.” Asheros’s words emit an air of authority. “Time isn’t our ally.”

“Why?” I demand. “What’s happened? What do you know?”

Asheros meets my gaze, his expression apologetic. He takes a breath. “Your mother—Steel has formally denounced its alliance with the Bronze Court.”

Shock overtakes my mind, my question slipping from my lips before I can stop it. “She’s backing Maelyrra?”

“Not yet.” Asheros runs a hand through his hair. “At least, not publicly.”

“Wonderful.” Sarcasm bleeds through my tone. “Why would she break ties with House Avanos but not publicly offer her support to the Pelleverons?” I wrack my mind for any logical explanation but find none. “Without allies, Steel is vulnerable.”

“House Avanos doesn’t hold public favor,” Asheros explains, looking at me, “but neither does Maelyrra—not yet that is. And you must remember, as far as anyone knows, you’re still missing, Bladesinger. The disappearance of the second-born daughter of a Head of House does not go unnoticed.” He pauses, shifting his focus away from me. “But… There’s other news.”

“What other news?” I demand.

Asheros’s face hardens, though I see the worry pooling in his eyes. “A crepulnai was spotted in the Gold Court.”

My stomach plummets. “What? That’s impossible. The Old Gods were banished long ago.”

“So we thought.” Asheros touches the pads of his fingers to his mouth. “The claim has yet to be investigated. But if true, the implications are dire.”

“A crepulnai spotted while there’s all this unrest amongst the Courts… This isn’t a coincidence. It can’t be a coincidence. Whoever killed Vorr has ties to the Old Gods.” A chilling realization settles into my bones. “Gods, that must be how he was able to evoke his wings.”

“My thoughts as well,” Asheros mutters. He swallows, cheeks taut with tension. “So, though there are unknowns, we must capture Vorr’s murderer as soon as possible.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the wooden table. “Should war break out between the Courts, Inatia will be vulnerable to an outside attack.”

“You think a kingdom from one of the other continents would attack us?” Kheldryn asks.

“It’s possible, but that’s not what I meant.” Asheros’s jaw tightens, his shoulders raised. “The crepulnai were the obedient soldiers of the Old Gods. If the red-eyed male has evocation magic, then he has ties to them, probably even serves them. Should Inatia weaken—or, gods above, tear ourselves apart from the inside out—it’s possible the Old Gods could seek re-entry into our world, ending the Banishment.”

Silence falls over the table, the heavy weight of it bearing down on us.

This is so much bigger than any of us could have imagined.

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