Page 68 of A Fate Unwoven
The instinct to keep what she’d seen hidden flared up, but she forced the urge down. If Lena’s visions were showing her Wyrecian symbols, it was yet more proof that the answer to unlocking the Zvaerna chamber lay not in books, but in memories.
Lena leaned closer to the fire, her muscles relaxing as its warmth chased away the chill in her bones. “I saw a group of people in crimson robes, and some kind of temple. They were … chanting, I think. But I couldn’t make out the words.”
She left out the part about the symbol. If she was going to secure the severing ritual, then she needed to get a handle on her powers assoon as possible. But how? With little more than a week left until the Rite of Ascension?
Iska’s mouth was a thin line in her face.
The expression made Lena’s heart race. “You know what my vision means, don’t you?” she asked.
“Perhaps …” The acolyte trailed off, her threads glittering as she weighed her decision. “What do you know of theHæsta?”
Lena thought back to her mother’s stories. There was no use pretending she hadn’t heard the forbidden tales, not when Iska knew she’d likely told them herself.
“They were a cult loyal to the Furybringer, but they were hunted down by the Empire’s Fist decades ago.” Lena paused. “Weren’t they?”
Iska chewed on her bottom lip, the gesture making her look oddly vulnerable. “We thought they were, but there have been … rumors of their return lately. Emperor Vesric sent a team to try to find them, but nothing ever came of it. We’d all put it down to heretics using their name to invoke fear in the people, but then the incident at Emperor Vesric’s funeral happened …”
“What incident?” It came out sharper than she’d intended.
“There … was a heretic in the crowd who claimed to be a member of theHæsta.His Majesty met with her following the event. I’m not sure what happened, but afterward, he seemed … shaken.”
That night Dimas had come to Lena’s room and told her of his plans to reveal her to the court. She’d known something must have rattled him enough to risk a public appearance earlier than they’d planned, but she’d never imaginedthis.Like thekorupted,theHæstawere a myth, a story she whispered around campfires to warn of how power could corrupt anyone. The Wilds were rife with rumors of rebellion, but not once had she heard whisper ofHæstasightings on her travels.
“What do they want?” Lena breathed.
In her mother’s stories, theHæstahad been dedicated to preserving the Furybringer’s power. To honoring her legacy by corrupting every Fateweaver who came after her.
Iska must have sensed her worry, because she clasped a hand to her chest, her chin raised in silent determination. “Do not worry, Your Worship. The vision is a gift from Næbya, and we must believe it is Næbya’s way of leading us to them. Of showing you the location of your enemies, so you can stop them from whatever they’re planning. I’m sure of it. Trust in Her, show Her your devotion, and She will guide you.”
Reverence shone in Iska’s eyes, her belief so fierce Lena had to look away. Had Lena ever believed in something that strongly before? It must have made things so much simpler.
But life in Wyrecia was never simple, and Lena wasn’t about to rely on a goddess she didn’t worship to save her.
“You’re right.” Lena forced a shaky smile, a question forming in her mind. If her visions held answers to the past …
Lena took her lower lip between her teeth, as Iska had done, hoping the gesture made her look nervous and unsure. “I should be prepared, though, right? To protect Wyrecia from its enemies. Is there anything I can do to make the visions clearer?”
It was too quiet in her chambers. Any second now, Iska would hear Lena’s heart thundering in her chest. Would hear it—and know she was being manipulated.
But Iska simply said, “Some of the oldZværnatexts mention rituals once used to strengthen the Fateweaver’s abilities,” said Iska, her threads shimmering, “but the Order hasn’t used them in centuries—they were considered too risky, and most Fateweavers were strong enough after their training to not need them. If there are records of such methods, they’ll be locked away in the High Priest’s personal collection. I’ll mention it to Brother Dunstan. See if he thinks it’s worth considering.”
Lena didn’t have to fake the grateful smile that pulled at her lips. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Now, try to get some rest. We’ll pick up your training this evening.”
A part of Lena wanted to push Iska further. To twist and bend Iska’s threads until she took Lena to the see the High Priest immediately. But doing so would make her everything she was fighting so hard not to become.
So Lena tamped down the urge and let Iska leave. And when Lena was alone again, she settled into her breathing exercises, desperately willing her visions to return until the sky grew dark.
THIRTY
DIMAS
“So, that went better than expected.”
Dimas didn’t look up from his painting as Ioseph entered his rooms, the steady clomp of his boots a familiar, comforting sound. By now, all the foreign ambassadors who would re-pledge their allegiance to him during the Rite of Ascension had arrived at the palace, and his days were filled with political meetings over extravagant dinners. Today’s dinner had finished two bells ago, but the headache it had caused Dimas still lingered behind his eyelids, turning the edges of his vision black.
“Better, but not perfect.” Dimas sighed, clutching the paintbrush in his hand just a little too tightly.
