Page 87 of A Fate Unwoven
Dimas walked toward the altar where, centuries ago, his ancestor had invoked Næbya’s power to ensure Wyrecia survived.
And now it was his time to do the same.
Dimas tore his gaze away from the altar. “Where will we find what we need?” he asked.
Mouth tight, Brother Dunstan brushed past him, stopping before the stone wall behind the altar. With a whispered word Dimas didn’t understand, the edges around one of the stone blocks began to glow.
And then the stonedisappeared.
Dimas let out a sharp breath. “What—”
“It is an oldZværnaillusion,” the High Priest explained, reaching a hand into the newly revealed gap in the wall and pulling out a thin, mahogany box. “The secret of the activation sigil is passed down from High Priest to High Priest.” He turned to face Dimas once more. “Before I give this to you, you must promise me that you will only use it in the direst of circumstances.”
“I promise,” Dimas agreed, his attention glued to the box. Brother Dunstan hesitated a moment longer before placing it in Dimas’s hands, his fingers ice-cold. “Thank you, Brother Dunstan. For trusting me. I won’t let you down.”
Brother Dunstan’s lips pulled up into a half smile. With a nod, he stepped back, releasing Dimas’s hand—and the box—as he went.
Hands shaking, Dimas flipped the clasp on the box and opened its lid. Inside lay a simple iron bangle, the metal engraved with a variety of old Wyrecian symbols. The only adornment was the gem at its center, an ebony stone as dark as a winter’s night.
“Razeniye,” Dimas breathed.
“Yes. It is the only piece of therazeniyestone the Order were able to get ahold of before the first Verlondian queen built her stronghold around the mountains where it is sourced,” Brother Dunstan explained. “It was inlaid into the bangle and spelled with sigils to subdue the Fateweaver—and thus the Furybringer’s—power upon contact. To … limit her access to the source energy from which Næbya’s magic comes. And once on, it can only be removed by someone with Ehmar blood. After it was used to bring down the Furybringer, the bangle—and the spell that created it—were sealed away, and it was widely believed to simply be a myth.
“It is imperative, therefore, that if you use the bangle, you do sodiscreetly.If the Verlondians discover that the bangle is, in fact, in our possession, they may try to steal it so that the queen’s latest magical advisor can decode the spell that makes it work.”
And if they did, the Verlondians would be able to use their infinite supply ofrazeniyeto make fate-knew-what kind of weapons against the Fateweaver.
“I’ll be discreet.” The weight of the box in his hands suddenly felt too heavy. “I’ll need to come up with a way to get the bangle on Lenora, preferably one where she won’t fight back …” She was the least trusting person Dimas had ever met, and fate-knew how much she already knew of the bangle given her storytelling background.
“I may have just the thing you’re looking for.” The priest moved past him once more, crossing the small space to a large bookcase. He hesitated for a moment, brow furrowing as he looked over the books.
“… Is everything alright?” Dimas asked.
“Ah yes, I just could have sworn I placed this book on theotherside of the shelf …” Brother Dunstan shook his head and pulled out a thin tome bound in leather. “Ignore me; I am forgetful in my old age. Here, this is what we shall need.”
He opened the tome to a page containing a list of ingredients and a faded sketch of what looked to be a bush ripe with berries.
“The tonic we need was … perfected by an Order member by the name of Brother Cynric during the age of the first Fateweaver. If dosed correctly, it will put the target into a deep sleep. There is … justonesmall caveat.”
The tone in the priest’s voice made Dimas’s stomach flip. “What is it?”
“This particular brew calls for the juice of blackhynbineberries.”
Dimas frowned, searching his memories for the hours spent learning about Wyrecia’s local wildlife.Hynbine. Grows best upon disturbed soil. When ingested in small doses, it can cause a deep, restful slumber. In larges does, hynbine has been known to cause hallucinations, madness, and even death.
“I assume,” Dimas began, his heart pounding, “you know theexactmeasurements required for this tonic?”
The thin line of Brother Dunstan’s mouth grew even thinner. “It … varies, depending on the users build, but I believe I can calculate the correct dosage if given some time.”
“No. No way.” Ioseph grabbed Dimas’s arm, looking more afraid than Dimas had ever seen him. “You can’t seriously be considering this. You know what could happen. If the dose is too strong, and the Fateweaverdies,you—”
“It’ll be alright, ’Seph,” Dimas interrupted. He knew full well what would happen if Lenora died. “We’ll get the dose correct, and just to be safe, Brother Dunstan can make an antidote. Can’t you?” His gaze darted to the priest.
“I … can try.” Brother Dunstan hesitated. “But there have only been one or two recorded cases of someone successfully curinghynbinepoisoning. That being said, if this is yet another trial from Næbya to determine your worth, then I have faith She will not let you and Lenora die.”
Faith.There was that word again. The thing he’d found wavering more and more over the last few weeks. And now, if he wanted to save his people and keep his crown, he’d have to rely on it entirely.
Heart in his throat, he met Ioseph’s worried gaze, hoping he sounded surer than he felt. “Næbya will protect me. I know she will.”
