Page 220 of The Iron Flower

Professor Hawkkyn blinks at us, as if suddenly readjusting his entire view of the world, fierce astonishment in his silver gaze. His eyes don’t budge from us as he lifts his fist, palm out, and splays open his fingers.

The runes blink out of existence.

I pull in a deep, shuddering breath as he angles his head toward the hillock, indicating for us to follow, then turns and strides up the hill. Apprehension kindles my nerves as Yvan and I trail him up, our hands clasped tightly together.

When Professor Hawkkyn reaches the hillock’s stone face, he wordlessly pulls a small stone marked with an emerald rune from his tunic pocket and presses it to the rock wall.

I watch, transfixed, as circular emerald runes burst to life all over the stone. A portion of the wall shudders, like the surface of an agitated lake, then dissolves to verdant mist, revealing a rune-marked double door.

Professor Hawkkyn pulls the doors open, and blue light floods over us. Inside, two young Vu Trin sorceresses spring to attention and unsheathe curved rune-swords.

Professor Hawkkyn steps inside and speaks to them in what sounds like the staccato notes of the Noi language. Both sorceresses’ eyes light with surprise as their gazes fly toward Yvan and then me with no small amount of alarm, and I notice that they keep their swords unsheathed.

My heart thuds against my chest as Professor Hawkkyn motions Yvan and me forward. The sorceresses fall in behind us as we follow him into a narrow, tunneling corridor that slopes sharply down, and I can sense their eyes on my back. The air cools as we descend, and I breathe in the chalky smell of clean, water-washed stone.

The clank of metal on metal sounds up ahead, as well as the sound of men’s voices, and we soon approach a smithy that’s been built right into the cave. A blast of heat washes over me as I spot two muscular Smaragdalfar Elves busily pounding rune-swords into shape. The two smiths pause in their work as they catch sight of us, eyeing me with open astonishment mixed with a troubling edge of hostility.

There are runes everywhere in the network of caves, suspended in the air and glowing both Smaragdalfar green and Noi blue. Some are motionless, while others rotate lazily, and a few spin so fast, they look like solid discs of light.

We pass multiple weapons caches—swords and every type of bladed weapon jammed into large vaults hewn into the cave’s walls.Enough weapons to supply a sizable army.

The sheer scale of what’s happening here starts to dawn on me.The Resistance never left Verpacia. They simply brought it underground.

Yvan and I follow Professor Hawkkyn through another winding, narrow corridor, the repetitive clacking of wood against wood echoing off the stone walls. An expansive cavern comes into view up ahead, a wide variety of rune-weapons hang all over the stone walls. Commander Vin and her sister are sparring with rune-staffs, bursts of blue light flashing off the staffs with each parried blow, a sizable number of Vu Trin sorceresses intently watching their engagement.

We step out into a large, circular cavern and everything stops.

Commander Vin swings around to face us, her battle staff clutched in her fist. She brings one end of it to the stone ground with a decidedthudas her eyes narrow on me with potent focus. Close to twenty other sorceresses dressed in military garb stand around the cavern, lines of silver stars secured diagonally across their chests. Four of the sorceresses wear the dark gray uniforms and black head wrappings of their elite Kin Hoang fighting force.

Shock scythes through me as I catch sight of Jules and Lucretia hovering around a wooden table set by the wall, the table’s broad surface covered in maps and a pile of documents. I do a double take as my gaze takes in bespectacled Lucretia, her Gardnerian clothing gone and replaced by a black Noi military tunic and pants. There’s a sprig of glowing Ironflowers in her upswept hair.

“Elloren,” Jules says, blinking in obvious astonishment. Lucretia straightens, her eyes moon-wide.

They don’t know what I am, I realize.I look to Commander Vin, who’s watching me closely.

But you’ve known all along, haven’t you?

My composure snaps. I release Yvan’s hand and step toward her, a reckless outrage overtaking me.

“How long have you known what I am?” I demand of Commander Vin.

Murmurs of confusion fill the cavern.

“I didn’t know. I only suspected,” she says grimly.

“Know what?” Jules asks, stepping forward.

“Kamitra, what’s this?” Lucretia asks, seeming deeply thrown.

“I have power,” I tell them, not taking my eyes off Commander Vin. “Quite a lot of it, actually. And I can access it. Isn’t that right, Kamitra?”

More agitated murmuring.

“I gave you a blocked wand for your wandtesting,” Commander Vin tells me evenly. “When you dropped it, I suspected that you were powerful. Only a Mage of great power could summon enough magic to cause pain.”

Sounds of uneasy surprise ripple across the room as a feeling of unreality washes over me.

“You should have told me,” I challenge her, a bitter frustration rising in my throat, my voice becoming rough with emotion. “I could have helped my uncle. He’s dead now, at the hands of my aunt. Did you know that?”

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