Magic collected under her palm,ready to be unleashed. Vi bet they were about to do a lot more than talk.
“We clearly have a lot to discuss.” Vi’s eyes darted to the weapon. Denja was a Lightspinner. No wonder Vi didn’t hear the crash of the sword she’d propped against the door. Denja had likely useddurroe sallvas tempreto hide her movements. “Why don’t you release that, and we can do so calmly?”
“Why don’t you summon one of your own like you did in the streets?”
Damn. She’d seen. Vi pressed her mouth into a thin smile. “I really don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’ve yet to decide what I want to do with you,” Denja said casually. “I know you’re not one of the queen’s women. And I’ll assume you know that travel to the Dark Isle isn’t permitted, so I’ll give you one chance: why are you here?”
What Vi wouldn’t give to have a simple answer to that question. Instead, she said, “How do you know I’m not one of the queen’s agents?”
“If you have to ask, you’re not.” Denja had some kind of communication with Meru, Vi would bet. “You’re wasting a lot of what could be your last breaths not answering my question.”
Vi locked eyes with the woman, swiftly debating her options. She could fight her way out—kill Denja. It wouldn’t be hard to get in ajuth calt. Even Taavin had been surprised when she’d used the words in that way. Then again, there was alwaysjuth mariy—destroy magic; Denja would use that on her the moment she started chanting.
Firebearing, then?
No, killing one of the Queen Lumeria’s agents would create more problems than it would solve.
“Really? Nothing to say for yourself?” Denja narrowed her eyes, blue and almost purple-ringed. She slid her feet forward and sank into her stance. “Then—”
“Your name isn’t Denja,” Vi whispered. Her whole body relaxed, overcome with a sense of knowing. But this wasn’t magic. What she felt was the overwhelming relief of recognition. How had she not noticed sooner?
“What?” She seemed genuinely startled, her grip relaxing slightly. Perhaps, Denja recognized her too, with some phantom echo of past lives they’d shared.
“Deneya?” Vi asked softly, trying to superimpose the face of the slightly older knight who had taken her to see Queen Lumeria over top of the woman before her. “It’s Deneya, isn’t it?”
“So you know my name. That’s possible for any good spy to find out.” Deneya tightened her grip again. “Especially one who could be working with the elfin’ra.”
Vi balked. “The elfin’ra are still sealed away on their island, aren’t they?” They should be, if Vi’s memories and understanding served her. The elfin’ra were sealed away along with Raspian, a barrier on their island tied to the Crystal Caverns.
“They’re constantly looking for ways to escape. Or finding agents to serve them who are not limited to the island.” This woman was vastly different than the level-headed, quiet knight Vi had met briefly. Yet her eyes were the same as the woman who had found Vi in the Archives.
“Deneya, a world away, you promised me that I would have your sword if I sought you out… Well, here I am, seeking you out.”
“What’re you talking about?” Deneya chuckled. “You’re not going to distract me, agent of evil.”
Vi sighed heavily. There was no way Deneya was going to believe her, not without doing something drastic. Vi would just have to hope Taavin forgave her.
“I’m going to usenarronow, to summon someone who can help explain things. Will you allow me this?”
Deneya seemed to weigh her options. She lifted her axe, resting it over Vi’s left shoulder. The blade was a hair’s width away from the flesh of her neck.
“If I hear even the start of a chant that begins with anything other thannarro,your head comes clear off.”
“Fine,” Vi agreed easily. “Narro hath hoolo.”
Taavin appeared off to the side as he usually did—rebuilt from glyphs of light until he looked nearly solid. Only the faint outline of magic around his form betrayed that he wasn’t actually there. He looked from Vi to Deneya, then back to Vi.
“Well, this is early,” he murmured. Then, with his attention squarely on Vi, “Did you miss where I told you to keep yourself a secret and act cautiously?”
“Believe it or not, I’m actually trying to keep myself alive right now.” Vi ground out the words. Couldn’t he see she had a war axe at her throat?
“What sorcery is this?” Deneya whispered, staring at Taavin.
“Can you tell her who I am? You know her from before, right?”
“Yes, I do.” Taavin turned to face Deneya. “Deneya Tallois, daughter of Arullia and Rox. Currently the first knight in Lumeria’s Order of Shadows. She who has been on the Dark Isle defending the Caverns for the past hundred years… It is a pleasure to meet you, again.”
