Page 10

niara

The fifth day of the Holy Convergence dawned with twin halos around the mother and daughter suns, a rare and unexpected phenomenon that the Order would no doubt interpret as an auspicious sign. For me, it felt like a warning—bright rings of fire watching me from above.

I’d barely slept after returning from my encounter with Keeran. An Ember Fae prince. First cursed as a young man and then summoned by Water Mages against his will. That meant one of us wanted him captured. Someone knew exactly who and what he was. But who could it be?

Only a priest or priestess would have the ability to channel enough power in order to summon an Ember Fae.

As much as I wanted to entrust High Priestess Valya with this information, part of me was afraid.

Could it have been her? She was the most powerful Mage.

And if she wasn’t the culprit, as I desperately hoped, would she believe me ?

I decided that I needed to speak with Amal again.

As the High Warden, he was tasked with our protection and security.

While he was a martial arts expert, his magecraft was not such that he could have summoned Keeran.

The threat the traitor posed to the Mages was great, and he would certainly have better ideas on how to flush this person out.

As the camp was being struck, I moved purposefully through the flotilla. The vessels were anchored close together, connected by floating walkways that bobbed gently with the waves. When we departed, they would be retracted, but they aided in loading and offloading all the camp supplies.

The wardens usually kept to a predictable schedule, doing training and drills in the hour after breaking their fast. I spotted Safina going through the forms of Fluidhand, her lithe body making the martial art look like a dance.

I gave her a wave and scanned the soldiers for the High Warden, but he was nowhere to be found.

Safina, probably sensing my distress and urgency, left her row to meet me on the floating bridge.

“Have you seen Amal?” I asked her.

“He and Priestess Ylena were heading toward the curator skiffs earlier. Why?”

“It’s, umm...” I wanted to tell her everything, but I spotted the Second Warden glaring in our direction. I couldn’t get my best friend into trouble right now. “We’ll talk later. I’ve got something big to tell you, but I need to speak with Amal first.”

She nodded, still concerned, and squeezed my shoulder before returning to the deck of the galleon.

The three curator skiffs normally surrounded the High Curator’s massive schooner and, as far as I knew, contained mainly offices and study rooms. It seemed an odd place for Ylena and Amal to have a meeting.

Two of the vessels were in their normal location, while the last had been moored at the edge of the flotilla, away from the bustle of the main ships.

Something about that felt odd to me, so I decided to check there first.

I approached slowly on the floating walkway, noticing the lack of activity.

The other ships were being loaded with equipment, but this one was suspiciously quiet.

So quiet that I could hear voices rising from an interior room.

I circled to the port side, where a porthole’s rusty latch had come a loose, cracking it open a sliver.

“If you can’t get this done—” Amal was saying.

“If you weren’t changing things every other day, we wouldn’t have to—” That was Ylena, sounding irritated as usual.

“Do you need me to speak slower? Because I will.” Amal’s tone was mocking. “It’s an ancient text. Written in verse. In an arcane language. The meanings of some passages are open for interpretation. The Second Curator said?—”

“You brought the Second Curator into this?” Ylena hissed.

“I asked her an abstract question, framing it as a thought experiment. She said our original interpretation was too modern. The translation of ‘Solareth vheren’kai trehal drahal’ as ‘Fire is captured before the ultimate end’ more likely refers to the night before the final day instead of the final day.

So we need to act on the second to last night of the Holy Convergence. ”

I pressed closer to the ship’s hull, heart hammering against my ribs. What were they planning for the second to last day?

Ylena groaned. “Moving things up an entire day will be very difficult.”

“None of this has been easy. Did you think it would be?”

“I still think the risks you take are too big. First breaking into the archives, now consulting one of the curators?”

“I told you, the Ember Fae archives were in disarray after the earthquake in Ashcrest. My presence wasn’t registered since they employed Water Mages to plug the plumbing leaks and fix the flood damage.”

I bit back a gasp. The ancient text the Ember Fae guards were searching for—it was Amal who had stolen it. Beneath my feet, the floorboards of the walkway groaned and whined.

“So here is what you will do, my dear priestess.” Amal’s voice grew low and coaxing.

“Use that beautiful brain of yours to adjust your plans. And don’t worry too much about the consequences.

When we’re done draining the cursed Fae prince of all the Fire Moon’s power, we will overthrow Valya, install you as High Priestess, and fix everything wrong with the Order.

With strong leadership and vision—leadership that remembers what the Ember Fae did to our ancestors instead of being willing to placate them—we’ll start the work of restoring our people to their rightful place as rulers of Emberglade.

I know that you can do what needs to be done, my dear.

And everything will work out just as we planned. ”

My hands trembled. Treason. They were planning a coup against Valya—using “the cursed Fae prince,” Keeran, as a weapon.

The two went quiet, and I strained to hear. Then my stomach curdled in disgust when I made out the wet sounds of kissing.

Ylena’s voice spoke first. “You need to remember you belong to me, Amal. I don’t like seeing you toying with that little failure of an acolyte. We don’t need her for anything.”

I sucked in a breath, my blood turning to ice.

Amal chuckled, the sound totally devoid of warmth. “Niara? Valya trusts her implicitly. I still think it’s best to keep her close... For the time being.”

“So it’s strategy, then?” Ylena sounded amused. “Not just a taste for damaged goods?”

“She is pretty and na?ve,” Amal replied dismissively, stabbing a shard of ice into my chest. “And considering she has some kind of strange connection to our fire beast, she may be even more useful that I previously thought. But the hour grows late, my dear. We can’t afford to tarry.

I’ll leave first, so we’re not spotted together again. ”

I scrambled to back away from the window, stumbling on a loose board on the walkway. I was just steadying myself and beating a hasty retreat when a voice called my name.

“Niara?”

I turned to find Amal’s handsome face arranged in a look of pleasant surprise that didn’t reach his eyes. Taking a deep breath, I summoned every bit of control I possessed, forced my lips into a coy smile, and looked up at him through my lashes.

“High Warden.” I crafted my voice to sound breathless. “ I was hoping to find you alone. After our conversation yesterday... well, I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said about... deepening our acquaintance.”

Pretty and na?ve. He didn’t think much of me, so I tried my best to give him what he expected. Stepping closer, I put a little extra sway in my hips. “Perhaps we could arrange a time for later to... get closer?”

Amal studied my face carefully. I held my breath, wondering if my racing heart would give me away. Then his stern expression smoothed into a charming smile. “Yes, that would be most agreeable. This evening, let’s plan to meet after last meal.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it all day,” I whispered as seductively as I could manage, and then turned to walk away.

I moved at a measured pace, feeling his eyes on my back. Only when I was on the shore once more, hidden behind a stack of crates, did I allow my knees to give way. I crumpled onto the sand, body shaking with pain and fury as the reality of their betrayal washed over me.

Amal and Ylena had stolen the Ember Fae text. They had summoned Keeran. They were planning to overthrow Valya. And all this time, Amal had been manipulating me, using my feelings, laughing at me behind my back.

Niara ? Keeran’s voice touched my mind, gentle with concern. Your distress—I can feel it. What’s wrong?

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. I know who summoned you , I replied. The High Warden and one of the priestesses. They’re planning to use you in some sort of ritual in two nights to steal your power and overthrow our High Priestess .

There was a pause, and hot anger sparked in that second heart within me that belonged to him. How did you learn this?

I overheard them. I’m not sure if they suspect that I know.

Then you might be in danger , he responded.

They underestimate me . My thoughts raced. If I told Valya, would she believe me over the High Warden? If I confided in Safina, would I be putting her in danger? I wasn’t sure who to trust with this, but one thing was certain—I needed to get Keeran away from here as soon as possible.

Be ready tonight , I told him, rising to my feet and straightening my shoulders. For the first time in my life, the turbulent emotions within me—the anger, the betrayal, the outrage—didn’t feel like weaknesses to be suppressed. They felt like fuel for a fire that had been waiting to ignite.