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The Eagle nodded. “The pirate’s goal is always profit. If this person is a Northerner like you, you’ll hear of their request for a sum in a port city. Look there. Now tell me of the gods.”

“We will look for Mayra first,” Maev said, unbraiding her hair and running her fingers through the waves, brushing the debris from the long strands.

The Eagle scoffed. “She won’t answer. Don’t waste your breath.”

“What do you mean? You’ve tried?” My stomach growled, and I searched around the fire for food, just realizing I hadn’t eaten today.

“No. But many have, for many years. She only answers to those of her first children, her direct bloodline, who are able to descend to her dark depths. And the pure-blooded Sea-legs that live in her domain haven’t come to the surface for many decades.”

“How do you know this?”

“I knew one. Once.” The shift in Eagle’s demeanour made me think he had been close to this person.

“There is a shrine of hers at the edge of my canyons by the north coast. It used to be that when a true child was born, they were to come to shore when they reached the right age and test their lungs in the air above. It became dangerous and eventually fatal for them to come ashore. They were hunted and killed, so they stopped coming, and the tradition ended. They cut away from the rest of the legacies, as well as their half-blood siblings who remained on land.”

“So Mayra abandoned the others of her legacy?” I asked. “My friend is a Sea-leg.”

Kazhi’s brow went into the air, knowing who I meant.

Did she think Nuo would laugh at me, calling him my friend?

“She doesn’t answer anymore. She stays hidden in the deepest parts of her seas.” The Eagle put his hands on his knees, sitting with his back straight. His posture showed arrogance, ego and a confidence that rivalled Kazhi’s.

“Then we look for Erabas? We need a direction,” Maev said.

Kazhi took another drink. “I want to know what you plan to do, Bones. Before you return the magic.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“What’re your intentions with the magic? If you do not find the gods, will you go to war against the Guardians?”

I went cold. “You tell me what you plan to do. And how you two know each other? Why did you never say anything when Nuo talked of the Eagle’s tale? What are you hiding from everyone?”

“I will say nothing. You may have more magic, but I have the power. I need to know what your intentions are.”

“The truth is the only way forward,” the Eagle added.

These two demanded a lot in return for nothing.

I let out a long breath. The man was right. I had no strength to lie about my plans. Maev would be the one upset with my answer. “I do not plan to fight the Guardians. I plan to return the magic or die trying. I will not go against either side. And I will not do others bidding.”

Our small circle went quiet.

Maev fidgeted but said nothing after hearing I wouldn’t help her people.

The Eagle stood and brushed past Kazhi to where a pile of belongings sat undisturbed beneath the overhang. He bent down, and close to her ear, he said, “I am sorry about Erebrekt. I was happy for you that you found a new place in this world. I hope he can return when this is all over.”

Kazhi turned away from us, murmuring something in response.

I couldn’t contain my sorrow when I saw the emotion on her face. She never showed how she felt, but with the mention of his name, pain tore away that stony expression, mixed with a fraction of hope.

The Eagle set a clawed hand on her shoulder. “It was him that made you change your path. Everything’s changed since then.” He returned to the fire, where he set a pot over the flames, suspended on three poles.

“There is another option for you, Bones.” Kazhi examined me, taking a deep breath, seemingly uncomfortable with what she was about to say. “There are others you could fight alongside.”

“You?” I asked. “The Guards don’t trust me, even after what I witnessed back in the pass. And I have a feeling you plan to travel to Rydavas, which means you plan to put my friend here in danger.”

“I’m not talking of the Guards.”

“The cryptic speech isn’t working for me anymore.” I crossed my arms. “We’ve danced around like this before. I am not interested in being caught in lies and games. If you want something, ask me plainly.”

The corner of Kazhi’s mouth twitched.

“I do not approve of this, Kazhi,” Eagle said, giving me a sour look as he stoked the fire.

“I’ve known her long enough. I trust her.”

“Never felt that way,” I muttered.

Kazhi’s lips turned up into a smile this time. “It was Bastane who convinced me it was you and not an evil spirit. He is right—you were never a good liar. You hid a lot, but you were a fool with your emotions and clumsy.”

“You still aren’t convincing me, Kaz,” the Eagle said as he made a soup that smelled mouthwateringly delicious.

I stayed focused on Kazhi, wanting to know where she was going with this.

“You come from a world that is controlled, and you have learned that it is the same here,” she said.

I nodded. “Though I would say the canyons are a lawless land. Far different than any I have seen before.”

The Eagle scoffed. “That only means its crimes are out in the open. My lands are just honest. A civilized society hides its crimes behind closed doors—behind a fabrication of security and peace. Here, you see the face of the one backstabbing you or stealing your things. There’s a truth behind this place. It’s reliable.”

“And it is a safe haven for those unwelcome on Guardian or Aethar lands,” Kazhi added.

“What do you mean?” Maev sat up. “Who else is there? We haven’t come across anyone in the canyons except those you killed.”

“Know that I will have you killed if the information I am about to give you is repeated.” Kazhi looked at Maev and me, and we both nodded.

“There are those of us who are pure-blooded legacies, who have lived a good number of years. Long enough to put together lies that are centuries deep. And over time, us purebloods have come together and decided to make a new world, a new people.”

Maev’s eyes lit up. “The rebellion is real.”

The Eagle was the one to react. “How do you know of this?”

Maev smiled at me. “I have a friend who hears stories on his travels. Whispers have reached him, where there are those who go against the gods.”

A deep chuckle came from the Eagle’s chest. “Not against the gods. Only those playing at one.”

“What is the rebellion?” I asked.

“It has no name.” Kazhi took out one of her knives, weaving it between her fingers.

“It will never have a name, and those in it will never say. But it is a series of connections where pure-blooded legacies know the truth—that there is some hidden force controlling our world and changing it for the worse. That bloodlines are being thinned, and war is a growing threat. Hate is purposely spread between the continents. The Guardian lands are controlled with lies, and the Rydavians are controlled through fear. Those who seek the truth fight for neither side and for both.”

“It is uncertain the gods are aware of the power struggle between their children,” the Eagle said. “They may not know of the Council blaming everything on the Aethar or that the Elders blame the Veydians for the lack of resources.”

Maev stiffened at the mention of her own people at fault.

“Rem is often seen at the Guardian city, as you’ve seen, Bones.” Kazhi reminded me. “I believe he is beginning to piece together someone is hurting the legacies, someone trying to take control.”

“So what do you want from me?” I asked. “What can I do with my magic? I said I wouldn’t fight either side. Who are you fighting against?”

Kazhi leaned forward. “I want to know what’s going on. I no longer have eyes in Avenmae. Several of my contacts have gone missing over the years.”

“If I did see something or knew anything, how would I tell you?” I asked. “What am I looking for?”

“If you hear anything of this hidden leader, who I believe is hiding behind the guise of the Council, I want to know about it. I want to know if the Elders of Avenmae are aware that this person is setting fires to Veydes. I want to know if they are part of it themselves. I want to know why there are more of the scarred Southlanders than ever and why, now, they are attacking Veydes as if someone has instructed them to do so. The Council will say it is you instructing them. They are organized. They never were before. I will find you from time to time or send someone in my stead to hear anything you have discovered.”

“The Governor’s daughter mentioned she was taking orders from someone,” Maev said. “Her journals spoke of it, though she never said their name. Only that it was a male.”

Kazhi was spinning her knife on the tip of a finger, focusing on the blade. “The journal you passed Bastane will be useful. Your translations are good, though inaccurate at times.”

“You can read the language of Day.” Kazhi had told me what the script on my swords said. “Why didn’t you know what was in her journals?”

“There was no access to them before you stole the ship. The opportunity was a blessing I never saw coming. I can’t risk anyone questioning my loyalties. It will ruin years of work on my part.”

“And how come you haven’t discovered the secrets at the Guardian City when you’ve been there so many times?”

Kazhi could pull secrets to her using magic. She should have heard something.

“Magic users can sense magic users. I do not use my skills in populated areas. I have been discovered before, and it cost me a great deal.”

“And if we find who is controlling the Council?” I asked. “What then? Do you turn on the Guards? Do you expect something from me?”

“My brothers will be told when they are ready. Nuo is too hot-headed, and Bastane has been too loyal to his bloodline, but he is quickly changing. Those who know of my allegiance know that no harm is to ever come to my fellow Guards. They are protected.”

She shot a warning look at the Eagle, but he made no move to acknowledge it or to apologize for nearly killing Brekt.

“And me?” I asked.

“I can not help you, Bones, on your search for the gods. Nor control where you point your magic. But if you survive and have the desire to make a change, I would ask that you destroy whatever is hurting all of the legacies.”

“Your secrets run much deeper than I thought,” I mused.

Kazhi only shrugged. “The Guards thought I killed for the Council,” she said, eyes downcast. “I never corrected them. I did get rid of those the Council wanted out of the way. But those people always found their way to the canyons, where a certain friend kept a clear path to safety. I’ve killed far fewer people than the Guards believe. ”

I inhaled sharply. Did that mean she had never meant to kill Brekt, even when he saw her coming to assassinate him?

She’d been the one who had given him the long scar down the side of his face. If she hadn’t meant to kill him, she made it believable enough.

I turned to the Eagle. “You kill anyone that comes onto your lands … to keep it safe for those the Council wants dead, for those Kazhi sends to find safety?”

The Eagle held my stare. “The passage is safe for those who agree to join our cause. And I ferry them to a safe haven. An open pathway exists from the north coast to the south, and those who exist above land and below seas may travel it if they have my approval.”

“That’s why they call you the Ferryman,” Maev said.

He nodded. “Every tale has an origin of truth.”

Though I knew nothing of the two purebloods sitting at the fire, I knew they were part of something big. They may be deadly—killers even—but what they represented didn’t feel that way. I think they were trying to make a change for the better.

Something deep within my soul shifted, and a new kind of fire was lit that had nothing to do with the magic.

It called to me, the cause. I wasn’t being asked to fight the Aethar, or the Guardians or the Council—those things asked of me never sat right.

Now, I was being asked to save people on both sides of the sea.

Defending those who needed help, regardless of their legacy, the lands they came from or their beliefs.

To be a hero meant you might have to defend those you didn’t align with. It meant saving those you might not think deserved to be saved. That was something the power of the Ikhor could do.

That was the fight my mother trained me for—protector, not killer.

“I will help you,” I said to Kazhi.

She didn’t seem surprised as she stood to leave.

“You’ve had your eyes open to the world for a long time, Bones.

I know the magic chose you for a reason.

Whether the reason is because it needed a strong host or because it latches on to those who are angry, I hope you know that doesn’t matter now.

What matters is that you use that as a strength.

Hone that anger and hate into a sharp blade to take down those that create more of it.

Previous Ikhors may have been evil bastards, but lead by example and show the world that anyone can break the cycle by simply choosing to do so. ”