Page 118 of The Iron Dagger
Hara studied his corded arms and tall form. “With your power, are you sure you aren’t part Ilmarinen yourself?”
Roger laughed, delighted. “If only my mother could hear you say that. She insisted that my father was a distant Ilmarinen cousin. Always wanted to rub shoulders with them. But if that’s my kin,” he said, nodding toward Seith. “I’m better off a bastard.”
Hara grimaced, inwardly agreeing. She wished she had never learned who her father was.
“I’ll leave my familiar here,” she said, watching as Seraphine received pets from a witch nearby. “If anything is amiss, she will come and fetch us. We’ll be just down the mountain to see some friends. Unfortunately, I don’t think their home is big enough to sleep upwards of fifty sorcerers.”
“It’ll be nice to sleep under the stars,” said Roger with a grin. “I almost missed the cold; my world was sweltering.”
Hara smiled at him and went to where Gideon waited with her mother.
“Who is he?” Gideon asked lightly as they made their way across the plain.
“Roger Brightbellow. He is a powerful fire mage. It’s thanks to him and Odessa that we were able to get out of the ice.”
After a pause, he said, “Is Odessa his wife?”
“No, she just offered to help. She is able to make things weightless with her magic.”
“Hm,” said Gideon, but it sounded more like a snort. “He seems like he’s much older than us.”
“He’s a little older, but I don’t know if he’s married,” said Hara. Then she noticed the firm set of his mouth that gave away his nonchalant expression. “Are you jealous?”
“Why should I be jealous of an older, muscular sorcerer who can make fire powerful enough to blast through ice walls?” said Gideon irritably.
“Don’t forget his rugged good looks,” teased Hara.
Her mother surprised them both when she patted Gideon’s shoulder.
“You are very handsome,” she said. “And you’re brave—you have no magic, but you still went into the stone. And you dress well.”
Gideon’s expression at this dismal list of accomplishments was so pitiful that Hara couldn’t help but laugh.
When they reached the cottage, Alcmene came running out to meet them. They all embraced, with many tears and so much squeezing that Hara found it difficult to breathe. The fae couple stood in their doorway, glad smiles lighting their faces.
When they had all gathered inside the snug burrow, food and steaming drinks placed before them, the fae woman turned to Hara.
“How did you do it?”
Hara took a drink to wet her lips, and then she told them of the monster, the knife, and the disintegrating stone.
“There is an old saying,” said the fae man. “‘Have knowledge of poisons, and know where your enemy gets their water’. It seems iron was an effective poison.”
“Your skill has grown,” said Alcmene proudly. “To perform a transformation of that size while under stress—it’s no easy task.”
Hara felt her neck growing warm at her tutor’s praise. How she wished she could show her the formulas she and Melietta had been working on in Sarai’s laboratory.
“So, the stone is gone,” said the fae woman.
“Will the fae be upset?” asked Hara. She knew it was sacred to them, but it seemed to inspire fear more than devotion.
“Some might, for the principle of it. That place was special because it was the largest intact deposit of sorbite ever found, but we have mined it for centuries. The fae still have smaller stones to use for magic.” She held up her hand, and for the first time, Hara noticed that she wore a bone ring set with a cloudy, deep stone.
The fae woman rested her hand on the table, and Hara tore her eyes from it as the woman spoke again. “I am more worried about the Emperitor’s reaction. You have the gift of Sight. What is Corvus doing right now?”
Hara gathered what reserves of strength she had left and cast about in the influence, trying to find Corvus. She found him easily. He was huddled in a dark office, sitting on the floor and bumping his back against his desk repeatedly. His hands were curled like claws against his head.
She felt for Commander Falk, and he was also in his study, but he was gazing out the slim arrow slit windows. His hands were behind his back as he gazed down at the darkened city. A faint sound reached her, as though a crowd of thousands was roaring below. There was a knock on his door, and Turnswallow entered.
