Page 124 of Artemysia
I repeat myself. “Find a way to create chaos amongst them, and you stand a chance.”
What I don’t say out loud is that this is why South Kingdom has lasted so long against the Syf attacks. Had Syf been more organized, there would be none of us left by now.
Toryl’s gaze lingers, unblinking and wide; he almost smiles.
So I drive my point home because strategy is my strength, and I’m confident. “And, if there’s no way to win, you can at least not lose. Battles of attrition can be won.”
“Marchioness. You are…remarkable.” He rewards me with warmth in his compliment but reaches to draw back the handle of his office door. He waves me toward the bathroom.
“Not yet,” I cut in before he dismisses me completely. “I answered your question, and now it’s my turn. Why would Syf spy on North Kingdom?”
His back is turned to me, but a muscle in his jaw bulges. “They need to keep us in check.”
“How?”
“They steal our recorded history of them, so we know less and less about them. Perhaps they want to erase our knowledge of them.”
“They steal our records of Syf? As in, old books and letters mentioning them?” Is that what happened when Limingfrost was ransacked? The Artemysian Syf must have stolen the books and records they needed right before the rabid Syf raided the village.
The prince whirls around, his penetrating green eyes unblinking, flecked with gold sparks from the lamplight.
The lights here are brighter.
Everything is newer, more modern than Stargazer, and I shiver at the unfamiliarity of it all.
“Ah, so you already know…” he says cautiously. His face is graver than it’s been all evening, and he rubs a palm against his brow.
“Why would they do that?” I ask. “Do they feel threatened?” It dawns on me. “Are there other pockets of Syf among humans elsewhere in the world? Or are they the only ones?”
“No. You misunderstand.” He halts, as if debating whether to say more, his gaze troubled. “North Kingdom and South Kingdom are all that’s left…”
“Left of what?”
“Thereareno other humans. We are one of only two human civilizations left in this world of Syf.”
My hand goes to my mouth, stifling a gasp. Did I hear correctly? This can’t possibly be true.
“The rest of the world is Syf, Marchioness Delphine.” His words shudder through me, and cold sweat forms over my body as if I just woke up from a horrible nightmare.
Impossible. He must be joking, except his expression says he means every word.
My mind is unable to wrap itself around this impossibility. My chest constricts, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.
His words scream out in my head.
The rest of the world is Syf.
How does the prince know this? Does everyone in North Kingdom accept this? Is he speaking the truth or merely testing me again?
Stargazer’s southern border has impenetrable mountains with a wealth of resources, and the northern border has always been a dangerous forest. Rivers on both sides run to the sea or into the mountains. We haven’t been able to expand beyond our borders. Could this be because of the Syf? But we haven’t needed to. We have all we need.
There wasn’t a reason to explore further, and it wasn’t even feasible in many respects. Scaling the southern mountains was impossible. Naval exploration of the seas was highly unsuccessful in the past, so we didn’t continue to pursue it, especially in the last twenty years when surviving Syf attacks became the priority.
We live in a Syf world. No. How? Was it always this way? Who else knows? My mind grasps for answers until Prince Toryl interrupts my fragmented thoughts.
“Not many know this. But I have proof. We’ll talk more after you clean up. You’re still tracking blood everywhere.”
What would you do, Marchioness, if you were surrounded by an enemy on three sides, and your back was against a wall on the fourth?
