Page 83 of The Cradle of Ice
He shook his head, perplexed and unsure. Had she been teasing him, an amusement to idle away the passing leagues? He suspected Llyra’s interest in him lay along those same bored lines, only the guildmaster was far more forthright about it all. Kanthe found his confusion dissolving into irritation.
He headed down the passageway toward his cabin.
“Kanthe,” a voice called behind him.
He turned to find Frell leaning out the doorway of a cabin he shared with Pratik. The two had been locked in there for most of the voyage. They had been trying to decipher the pages torn from an ancient book discovered at the heart of the Abyssal Codex. The labor had clearly taken its toll. The alchymist’s eyes were shadowed by exhaustion, his chin and cheeks stubbled and dark.
Frell waved to him. “We need your help.”
“My help?”
“Just get in here.” Frell withdrew inside, clearly expecting his former student to obey and follow.
Kanthe shrugged, happy for the distraction. Surely decrypting the inked passages from an ancient tome was easier than understanding the wiles of a woman.
At least for me.
He crossed down the passage and entered the cramped cabin.
“Close the door,” Frell warned.
The alchymist leaned over a small table. Pratik stood on the other side. A stolen page lay between them. Another two had been tacked to the far wall. A pair of bunked beds stood along one side, looking untouched.
Pratik held a large lens in one hand, peering at one of the many images on the page before him. The tiny icon looked like a cracked golden egg with a serpent crawling out of it. The picture was illuminated in bright colors, though the paint was chipped and pocked by age. The lines of writing that wrapped around the image fared worse. The words were barely legible.
But that wasn’t the biggest concern.
“We’re making little progress,” Frell announced. “Pratik knows some ancient Klashean which offered hints of the context. And the pictures help. But what we’ve discerned is muddled and in pieces.”
“What’ve you figured out?” Kanthe asked. “Anything more about that dark goddess that the Dresh’ri worship?”
“No. The pages I stole only mention the Vyk dyre Rha once.”
Kanthe frowned. “And you still think it might be Nyx?”
Frell had shared all that had transpired in the dark heart of the Codex, including his own fears about the identity of the dark rider atop a winged beast.
Then again, Nyx was on all their thoughts, especially after Llyra’s disturbing report two days ago. Somehow, Hálendii had learned that Nyx and the others had set off across the Ice Shield. The kingdom had dispatched ships in pursuit. With no way to warn Nyx’s group, all they could do was fret.
“I’ve no further insight about the Vyk dyre Rha,” Frell admitted. “But the one mention we found here does tie the Shadow Queen to a concerning image.”
Frell shifted to a page on the wall. He pointed to another of the illuminated icons. This one showed a silvery countenance of a full moon, only its lower half lay shattered, with the broken pieces spilling down the page.
“Could be moonfall,” Kanthe conceded. He waved to the other pages. “What else is in all these scribbles?”
Pratik shrugged. “Nothing that makes sense. Most of it relates to some great war.”
Kanthe pictured the bomb dropped atop Ekau Watch, the smoky flume of that destruction. “Well, a war is starting.”
Frell shook his head. “The battle described is not a prophecy of a war to come. But more like history. Or maybe legend.”
“Definitely out of the ancient past,” Pratik agreed. He drew Kanthe to the other page on the wall and swept a finger across a swath of passages. “This entire section is written in the tongue of the Elders, the language of the old gods. And here it dates that war.” Pratik ran a fingertip over a few words. “Pantha re Gaas…”
“The Forsaken Ages,” Frell translated. “The time before history. That’s when this war is said to have taken place.”
Pratik nodded. “The battle must be important. Why else include it in an ancient book of prophecies?”
Frell planted his fists on his hips. “More importantly, what does any of this have to do with the Vyk dyre Rha and the threat of moonfall?” The alchymist turned to Kanthe. “That’s why we need you. To help us put it all together.”
