Page 52 of A Frozen Pyre
“What does this have to do with Ophir? Our wedding—Idon’t want it. I have no desire to marry your sister. I don’t want anyone other than you. You know I’ll be kind to her,” he promised. “You know I’ll be fair and just and treat her as though she were my sister. But I can’t imagine how my life and hers intersect, Caris. Please, tell me. Please, tell me what to do. What does she have to do with any of this?”
Ophir’s heart thundered.
Silence stretched between the three of them. Within the room, all was quiet. In the hall, nothing stirred. Ophir did not dare to breathe, lest anyone catch her presence. She pressed her ear against the wood even harder, hoping against all hopes that she wouldn’t miss her sister’s words.
“Ophir is the end of the world. She is its beginning.”
Nineteen
Dwyn’s blink was slow and heavy. One eyelid at a time, sheforced herself to remain interested in those before her.
“Galena?” She repeated the name, a frown on her lips. She examined the Raascot woman, from the glossy sheet of black hair to the enormous dark eyes that faded into a golden gradient near her pupils. Perhaps Dwyn should feel more in common with Suley. They were both terribly foreign in a country that had no familiarity with their presence.
She couldn’t bring herself to conjure sympathy.
Galena made a face. “And what kind of a name is Dwyn?”
Dwyn narrowed her eyes. “A lovely one, thank you very much.”
“As is mine.”
Suley clapped her hands together to draw their attention. Six cages of birds continued to chirp. Water babbled. A new lutist—a human in his late teens—plucked chords with musical enthusiasm beyond her doorway. “Galena is my friend,” Suley clarified. “And Dwyn is a…manufacturer.”
Dwyn’s hand twitched against the urge to smack the fae. She’d confidently announced to all the castle that she manipulated water, and she had been thrilled to receive credit for the power to travel across the map. She hoped Galena hadn’theard of the aforementioned gifts, or the castle was going to get suspicious.
Suley turned away from the small writing desk in her room. She’d lined a number of raw materials—namely minerals, from iron and silver to gold and bronze—ready to be manipulated with a fae with the power to manufacture.
Dwyn sank her weight into her hip. “So, are we going to make Suley a pendant or not?”
Suley took a step to put herself between them. “I’d like it to be something that goes on my upper arm. Something that can’t be removed unless they’re willing to kill me altogether. Make it gold.”
Galena, a striking fae with the glossy wings that adorned those of Raascot lineage, frowned. She tucked her wings behind her before moving to the bed. She sank onto its ledge as she examined Suley, saying, “I understand you not wanting it to be a necklace or earring or anything that could be easily torn free, but I’d challenge you to reconsider. If it’s a ring, even if your enemies find you, the worst they can do is take your finger. If it’s a cuff for your bicep…”
“I met a priestess with a ward on her bicep,” Suley responded. “It’s quite common among the holy. I think it would add an extra element of mystery, don’t you?”
Dwyn and Galena swapped skeptical expressions.
“How long did you study?” Galena asked.
Dwyn looked to Suley before she realized that the question was being asked of her. “Oh, I’m a natural. I haven’t trained.”
Galena’s dark hair danced around her shoulders as she shook her head. “Manufacturing isn’t enough as an innate ability. Those who do it with lasting effects train under the master manufacturer at the continent’s university. If I’m able to make something that neutralizes…”
“I can also speak to metal,” Dwyn said.
It was the neutralizer’s turn to blink. “Oh. That’s…lucky.”
Suley looked to her sharply, then looked away.
Dwyn had borrowed more than one life in preparation. Tyr had not been thrilled, nor had he been a quick study as they’d practiced. She didn’t have the patience for his soft heart. A killer was a killer whether or not they felt bad about their actions. The pitying apology he’d offered to his targets before taking them down had changed neither their fates nor their eternal resting places. Still, he preferred to cling to his moral superiority as he honed his craft, and Dwyn had taken more than she’d needed. Manufacturing was a given. Speaking to metal was essential. But she knew she’d need to shield herself from Galena’s neutralizing ability if she hoped to craft while withstanding the fae’s abilities. She was also quite certain she’d need to heal if she was rapidly burning through one power after the other. Seven corpses later, she didn’t know how long her stolen lives would last, but she was ready.
She had a ticking clock over her borrowed abilities and a need to know whatever secrets Suley thought were worth such a trade. Should Dwyn fail the first time, she needed to be sure she could make more than one attempt at manufacturing. She’d also prepared for the need to fuse metal, in case basic manufacturing didn’t come with such nuance. She was ready.
“I’ve never worked with a manufacturer,” Galena said.
With the flick of her wrist, Dwyn motioned for the raw materials to collect beneath them. Suley moved quickly as she relocated the precious metals.
“I’ve got it,” Dwyn lied. “Just focus your intention.”
