Page 75 of A Fate Unwoven
“Because the last mention of it was centuries ago. It hasn’t been seen, or spoken of, since the High Priest of the Order sealed it away and made the high-ranking members of the Order vow to keep its existence a secret,” Roston explained. “These days, in the eyes of many of the devout, even suggesting the relic exists is akin to heresy. I did not wish to put you in such a position until I was certain theHæstahad truly returned. And now that they are spreading heresy about the Furybringer’s return …”
Roston trailed off. He didn’t need to say it out loud for the warning to be clear. If theHæsta’s plans to bring back the Furybringer somehow involved Lenora (and given the problems with Dimas’s bond with her, it was safe to assume they did), then he could not risk her losing control and succumbing to corruption. And if the Rite of Ascension did not work, or if the cult got to Lenora before it could be completed, then Dimas needed a fail-safe. A way to keep his Fateweaver out of theHæsta’s clutches.
“I’ll look into it,” Dimas said, turning to leave before he could change his mind.
Without Næbya to guide him, it was the only lifeline Dimas could reach for.
He only hoped he’d made the right choice.
THIRTY-THREE
LENA
The imperial city looked different in the daytime.
The first time Lena had passed through it, she’d been stuffed inside a carriage, her body exhausted and her power threatening to overwhelm her. Back then, the city had seemed like nothing more than a glorified cage, its stone walkways and oversized houses a mockery of the wooden villages her people had been forced to live in all their lives. With Finæn’s betrayal and the hopelessness of her situation too fresh on her mind, she’d been too seething with anger to fully take it all in.
The carriage window was small and offered only a glimpse of the buildings as they passed, but years spent learning to hunt in the Wilds made it easy for her to identify where potential other entrances to the tunnels running beneath the city might have been hidden. Any buildings that looked particularly old or important, or heavily guarded. It wasn’t much to go on, but after two days of practicing her magic on Casimir, using his threads to alter minor things such as the accuracy of his dice rolling, she still wasn’t able to summon the vision she’dhad before the chamber door. The lack of progress had her itching to dosomething.To find an escape route in case everything went wrong. Because even if fleeing Wyrecia without severing the bond meant a lifetime of pain and madness, it was still a better fate than becoming the empire’s weapon.
“We’re almost there,” Dimas said, breaking her from her thoughts.
Dimas sat on the opposite side of her in the carriage, his dark hair slicked back. He looked even paler than usual. Someone had done a decent job of trying to cover the dark smudges under his eyes with some sort of powder, but Lena could feel his exhaustion like a rope around her chest, tightening with every passing second. The emperor was terrible at guarding his emotions from her, and whilst she usually found it helpful to keep tabs on his state of mind, she needed to keep her own head clear. This was the first time Dimas had allowed her out of the palace. The first time since the night she’d first arrived here that she had the opportunity to see the city for herself.
“These people have traveled to Novobyrg to ask for my favor, right?” Lena shifted in her seat, the bones of her corset digging uncomfortably into her ribs. “What exactly am I supposed to say to them?”
The emperor had given her a brief explanation of their trip before they’d left, but in true Dimas fashion, he’d been vague on the details.
“I’ll do most of the talking. This is just about letting them see that you’re real, and that you’re here. You won’t need to use your powers on them until after the Rite of Ascension, and even then, it’s rare that any of them will be deemed worthy of a boon.”
Lena’s anger flared, and her power rose alongside it, fierce and demanding. She tried to settle her emotions before Dimas could sense them, but his proximity only seemed to strengthen their connection.
“You disapprove?” Dimas asked.
There was no point hiding it now. She shrugged a single shoulder, her gaze drifting back to the city beyond the window. To the smaller buildings with shabbier paint jobs.
“I suppose it’s the crown that decides if they’re worthy?” Lena asked.
“The decision is made by the Fateweaver and the reigning emperor, yes.”
“And if the Fateweaver and the emperor disagree, what then?”
A shadow passed over Dimas’s face. “It’s rare, but in that case, the emperor would have the final decision.”
Lena had to clench her hands into fists to settle the sudden rage flooding through her veins. She knew from her lessons with Iska and Brother Dunstan that once the Rite of Ascension was complete and the bond between her and Dimas was at full strength, he’d be able to fully sense whenever she used her power. It was yet more proof that whilst the Fateweaver may have held Næbya’s power, it was the emperor who controlled it.
Not for much longer.
They rode the rest of the way in tense silence, the rattle of the carriage wheels against stone vibrating through Lena’s bones. A number of guards rode ahead of them on ebony horses, leading the way to the lower city’s main temple. Lena had been bundled into the carriage before she could see their faces, but she knew the general she’d met the night of the mourning ball was amongst the convoy. No doubt Dimas’s personal guard, Ioseph, was there, too. Lena had barely seen the two apart since she’d met them.
The carriage began to slow as they came to a stop just outside a set of steps leading up to a large stone building. Its entrance was marked on either side by two great pillars, and a circular tower projected from the main building—a singular dome at its top.
A single dome, for a single goddess.
It was yet another manner in which theZværnapriests had erased Næbya’s Sisters, and the sight of it made Lena want to burn the whole place to the ground.
“The pilgrims are waiting for us inside the temple,” Dimas said before Lena’s rage could take control. If he sensed her sudden rise in anger, he saidnothing. “Brother Dunstan sent word to the temple priest with instructions to prepare for our visit. He would have come himself, but he has … other matters to attend to. We’ll enter together. Once we reach the altar, I’ll introduce you like I did at the mourning ball. The pilgrims will then be given a chance to present their offerings in exchange for your favor.”
Lena’s heart skipped a beat. “I thought you said I wouldn’t have to use my power.”
