Page 3 of Ties of Legacy

She offered the item to Olivia with a smile. “I hope you do decide to go to the city. And if you do, maybe you’ll find this helpful.”

Olivia unwrapped the item with a quizzical expression, almost as if she was uncertain she would like whatever was inside. Avery glanced at Laurie, who was watching with an avid expression. From Olivia’s response, Avery could guess she had a long history with unwelcome surprises presented as gifts. She probably had more brothers at home than just Laurie.

When the soft material fell away, Olivia held up a tiny mirror with an elegant silver frame and handle. She gasped.

“It’s beautiful!” she said at the same moment her brother cried, “It’s tiny!”

She gave him a stern look, and he shrugged.

“What? It is tiny. I’ve never seen such a small mirror.”

It was true that the mirror was too small to reflect Olivia’s entire head, but she could see most of her face, and she stared down at it, rapt. Avery wondered what she saw.

“It comes from Auldana,” she said lightly, and Olivia immediately gasped.

Tearing her eyes from the mirror, she stared at Avery with shocked eyes.

“Auldana?” she cried. “I can’t accept something so valuable.” But even as she said the words, she clutched the mirror against her chest.

Avery chuckled. “I think you already have.”

“What does it matter where it was made?” Laurie was already losing interest in the gift now that he’d seen what it was.

“Don’t you ever pay attention in school?” Olivia scolded. “I know your class learned about the other kingdoms’ Legacies. The Auldana Legacy lets the Auldanans make mirrors with all sorts of fantastical properties.” She looked up at Avery. “What does this one show?”

“When it reflects a person’s face, it shows their true emotions rather than their actual expression,” Avery replied.

She’d never felt the need for such an item herself. In a lifetime of travel she’d been exposed to countless people, and her parents had taught her to read the subtle shifts of their expressions and to hear the truth behind their words. But Olivia had spent her whole life in one village. If she was going to move to the capital, she might need the extra help.

Olivia pulled the mirror away from her chest and peered into it, eyes wide. Avery wanted to ask if she saw any shift in her reflection, but she remained silent. When Olivia began to sputter her gratitude, she cut her off, however.

“Don’t thank me too quickly,” she said dryly. “I’ve been carrying that around for over a year, and there’s a reason I haven’t sold it in all that time. It was made by an apprentice, and it doesn’t always work.”

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Olivia breathed. “I’ve never received a gift like this in my life.” A determined light filled her eyes. “I am going to go to the capital. I’ll have my father write to his cousin tonight.”

Avery smiled, her satisfaction shot with only the slightest hint of concern. After encouraging her to go, she hoped Olivia didn’t meet with disaster in her travels.

She shrugged the nebulous worries aside. Olivia was going because she wanted to go. If Avery carried the worries of everyone she met, her mind would be too full of worries to function.

Her mother had warned her many times against getting too attached. Avery had always been allowed to play with the local children, but she’d rarely stayed anywhere long enough to form true friendships. Only the cousins she’d traveled with had ever qualified for that title.

Avery took Nutmeg’s lead rope and called a cheery farewell to Olivia and her brother. The two had begun squabbling—Laurie demanding Olivia’s help with rolling the pumpkin, and Olivia protesting that she had to protect her new gift—but they broke off to ask if Avery needed directions.

“I think I can find the smith on my own,” Avery said, her emotions hovering between amusement and sadness. She’d always wanted a sibling.

Nutmeg began walking, and Avery kept pace with her. As they went, she shook out her arm, wincing at the bruise that was already forming. It reminded her again of her parents. They had been half-proud and half-concerned over Avery’s penchant for throwing herself into danger. She’d resolved a hundred times to be more cautious in the future, but she couldn’t see someone in trouble and not respond. And most dangerous situations called for quick action—there wasn’t time to sit around thinking through all the options. So what else could she do?

It didn’t take long to reach the source of the thick stream of smoke. As expected, it originated from a large, open smith’s workshop. The clanging of metal on metal rang down the street, clearly heralding the building’s purpose.

Avery slowed as she approached, her new acquaintances forgotten in the anticipation of the moment. She had been waiting six months to meet Henton’s smith.

Olivia had said nothing interesting ever happened in Henton, but for an unremarkable village in the middle of Sovar’s extensive grazing lands, it was unusually famous. Knowledgeable sources all knew that the most remarkable smith in six kingdoms had chosen to settle there. No one knew why, and Avery could only conclude he must have wanted peace and quiet.

But if he had hoped to avoid attention or customers, he had failed. Few customers visited him personally—they would have to travel to do that—but traditional merchant caravans were always eager for his wares. He had a list of commissions that stretched months into the future—thus why Avery had been forced to wait.

Avery didn’t usually accept such direct requests from her customers. She preferred the freedom of choosing where she traveled and when. But the townsfolk of Bolivere had been desperate—too desperate to put an order through the traditional merchant systems and wait the extra time that would require. They needed help as soon as possible, and Avery had been concerned enough to assist. Her subsequent six months of travel had been more unsettled than usual, her thoughts always circling back to northeastern Glandore and the isolated town of Bolivere as she wondered how many more had died.

Nutmeg arrived at the smithy, and Avery secured her rope to the post provided for the purpose. As she straightened, her gaze caught on a figure on the far side of the street. He wore a travel cloak covered in dust, and he leaned against the side of the building directly across from the smith, his intense gaze on the smithy.

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