Page 40 of The Sundered Blade

“My door will always be open to you.” There was no lie in Senaya’s statement, only weary resignation. She did not believe Leisa would ever come looking for her again.

“Be safe,” Leisa said stiffly. “And if you choose to look for me…”

She did not finish the sentence.

“Should the Five Thrones survive what is coming, perhaps we will meet again.”

Karreya turned just in time to see Senaya turn her horse down the road to the left and move south at a trot, not once looking back over her shoulder. Not once giving any visible sign that she was leaving behind anything that she valued or regretted.

It was still a lie, but that was not Karreya’s place to reveal.

Leisa took a few deep breaths as she watched, fingers clenched tightly on her reins. “I never truly expected anything from her,” she said softly, “so I don’t understand why it should hurt now that I know this is all I’m going to get.”

Because hope was tenacious and unpredictable, and it crept up on silent feet until it surprised you with the strength of its will to live. Because sometimes it refused to die even when you knew it was necessary.

But Karreya did not say that.

“Perhaps when we have finished our mission and eliminated the threat, Senaya will be able to lay her fears to rest,” she suggested instead.

“But if she is only willing to fight for me when there is no risk, how can I trust her?” Leisa stated the facts with raw honesty. “How can I believe she won’t run away again the moment something is difficult or painful? I can’t, and I would rather we end things like this than allow her to break my heart over and over again.”

“Did you gain the knowledge you needed?”

Leisa shrugged. “I understand better now what I ought to be capable of, but in theory only. There was much that does not seem to work for me, and I cannot tell whether it is a matter of practice or the fact that my father was… what he was.” Fae seemed to be a word not to be spoken in front of others. “It will take time to explore—time we do not have at this present moment.”

“Your power matters less than your confidence.” Karreya had found that this truth applied both in magic and in life. “Perhaps you must simply move ahead and trust in your instincts to guide you.”

“Are you ready to do the same?” Leisa threw her a sharp glance. “This next part of the plan relies more on you than on me.”

Karreya nodded. “I do not embark on a mission unless I am prepared to complete it, as there can be no hesitation once that mission has begun. Whether I know what I must face or not, I will not falter.”

“Then I guess it’s time.”

Leisa turned her horse to the right and nudged it with her heels, trotting ahead until they fell in at the back of a larger group of riders, all heading for the main gates of Hanselm.

But the closer they came, the deeper the crease between Leisa’s brows as she looked around her. “This has all changed so much since I was here last,” she noted. “There were farms as far as the eye could see. Orchards and fields filled with crops. Now…”

The land grew nothing but tents and hastily thrown together barracks. Paddocks for cavalry horses. There was a stench in the air, of too many living creatures crowded into a small space. And along the road, fully half of the travelers wore the red uniform of the Garimoran army.

They were the sights and sounds—and smells—of war.

When Karreya and Leisa finally reached the gates, the indications of a kingdom in conflict continued. Every traveler was searched and questioned, their passes scrutinized and stamped, and several turned away. A farmer with a wagonload of crops cursed furiously as his cargo was rummaged through without care or concern, spilling and bruising the fragile fruits and vegetables.

Their own entry proceeded without incident, though the guard did reiterate the warning about leaving the city before their pass could expire, unless they were able to find gainful employment. He rolled his eyes when he said it, as if he knew perfectly well there was no employment to be had.

“Thank you,” Leisa said with a gracious nod as he handed back their pass. “We will use the days wisely.”

And then they were off into the city, making their way down a wide road of fitted golden stone, much of which was obscured by the dirt left behind by thousands of travelers.

There was a smell here, too—but to Karreya’s nostrils it was the stench of fear, despite the appearance of a well-designed, prosperous city.

The buildings were all of that same golden stone, with graceful proportions, arched doorways, and a proliferation of windows. Most structures bore black wreaths of mourning for the late queen, and even the fountains that splashed cheerfully on every street corner were covered in dark shrouds. Yet, in general, it appeared to have once been a lively and pleasant city, where there was time and money to spare for luxuries such as the brass lanterns lining the margins of the main road. Most opulent of all to one from the harsh, dry lands of Zulle were the trees and flowers that sprung up from boxes and borders on every side.

And this was where Niell had grown up. Where he’d spent his life hiding, pretending, constantly in conflict.

For the most part, Karreya had been able to avoid the imperial court, and the deadly swamp of intrigue and politicking that went along with it. But she had seen enough to know, intimately, how it would change one compelled to swim in its waters. This golden city and the palace lurking at its heart were the forces that had shaped Niell from his earliest years, and she found herself deeply curious—almost hungry—to understand him through this place.

But that was a mission that would have to wait. Hanselm was a larger city than Karreya had expected, and there were far more watching eyes than she had sensed in Viali. Suspicion seemed more common than trust, and it would make their present errand far too difficult to risk dividing her attention.

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