Page 63 of Thorns & Fire
Wren laughed, drawing back as she surveyed him.‘No crown for you, Your Highness?’
‘Oh, they tried,’ Zavier replied darkly.‘Stupid thing near bruised my skull.’
‘Probably because your head’s too big,’ Dessa quipped as she hugged him hello as well.
Zavier gave a huff of amusement.‘Delmirian air was good for you, then?’
Dessa blanched.
‘So you met Talemir Starling?’Wren asked hurriedly.
‘I did,’ Zavier replied.‘It’s thanks to him that I have a kingdom at all.’
Wren nodded.‘But you’re here and not there?’
‘I came back to submit my opus proposal.My council agreed that given the state of the midrealms, having another qualified alchemist on our side wouldn’t go astray.I’ll graduate to sage and then return to Ciraun.’
‘What did you decide on for your opus, then?’Dessa asked.
Zavier paused before answering, ‘A study on transmutation of sorts...’
Dessa’s furrowed brow mirrored Wren’s own confusion.‘That’s an unexpected choice for you.Metals?’
‘Not quite,’ Zavier said evasively.‘But I’m late to meet Master Norlander.I’ll see you both tomorrow?’
With another glance at Dessa, Wren nodded.‘Tomorrow.’
‘Good to have you back, Zave!’Dessa called after him.
Wren watched him go with the distinct feeling that something had changed in the Prince of Naarva.
Wren slid her satchel onto the table by Farissa’s bookshelves and sat down opposite her former mentor.‘What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this room.’
Farissa glanced up at Wren and the Bear Slayer by her side, worry etched on her face.‘What happened?’
‘Delmira is no longer barren,’ Wren told her.‘When we arrived, there were parts that had flourished.Fresh green grasses, wildflowers, birds...It is not as it was when I left.’
‘That ground has been poisoned for decades,’ Farissa replied, frowning.‘I’ve seen it myself.I’ve tested many samples of soil...Nothing new grows there.’
Wren struggled to swallow the hard lump in her throat, bracing herself against the mounting pressure.She had tried to keep her concerns at bay during their travels, she had tried to tell herself that Farissa would know what to do, but now she was standing before her, she realized something: this was so much bigger than her, than Farissa...The effects of whatever happened here today would be felt across the midrealms for centuries to come.
She took a deep breath.‘It does now.’
Farissa picked at her nails, something Wren had never seen the alchemist do in all their years of working together.‘Who else knows?’she asked.
‘Just us, plus Dessa and Kipp,’ Wren replied.‘But it was plain as day as soon as we set foot into the territory.It won’t remain secret for long.’
‘I’ll wager others know and have been keeping it to themselves,’Torj added.‘The land there looks more fertile than any I’ve seen in years, like the old Delmira.It’s kindling waiting for a spark.’
Dazed, Farissa rose from her chair.‘Audra must be informed at once.’
‘Wait.’Wren reached for the buckle on her satchel.‘I brought the silvertide rose with me.I didn’t misidentify it, not that I can tell.But I don’t want to make any more mistakes or waste any more time.’She took out the silkspore and revealed the samples she’d collected in the forest.‘Could you confirm its identity?Then I can start work while you and Audra figure out what to do about Delmira.’
‘Elwren, crown or not, Delmira isyourkingdom.You should be involved in these discussions—’ But Farissa’s words died on her lips as she took in the sight of the plant Wren held out to her.It was perfectly preserved, the deadly thorns guarding silver-white petals as soft as morning mist, the foliage rich and green.It looked as though it had been freshly picked, not transported in a satchel for several days.
The older alchemist’s hands trembled as she reached for the stem, tracing its heart-shaped, tooth-edged leaves, rolling the white flowers between her fingertips.The thorns were so sharp that blood welled on the pad of her thumb.‘Gods,’ she murmured.‘This grew in Delmira?’
Unease churned low in Wren’s gut as Farissa examined the plant with her mouth agape.‘It did.’
