“Well, there’s shadow whispering,” Calyra said. “Shadows carry sound, you know. If you’re in a dark enough space, some can use them to tune into sounds from far distances.”
“I think you’ve actually already done that, Devora,” I said, and she looked over in surprise. “You told me once that you can hear whispers from my men all the way up in your tower. That’s not something a normal Veridian can do.”
“Impressive.” Thecae nodded at her.
Devora moved a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks turning pink under the praise. “Okay, so, there are lots of differentvariants.” She tapped her spoon against her bowl. “How could I use them against Scarven?”
We hadn’t told Thecae and Calyra everything, just enough for them to get the gist of what we expected Devora to do: infiltrate the governor’s mansion and learn his secrets. If my friend Lark trusted them, I figured it was safe. They certainly held no love for Scarven after the way he tried to control the borders between our provinces.
“You can’t be too obvious with your magic,” Everett pointed out across the table. “He’s supposed to think you’re from Mysthelm.”
“Well, I’msoglad I learned all that shadow combat I can’t even use,” Devora said, cocking her head at Thecae with a sarcastic smile.
He tipped his cup at her. “You’ll be thanking me when you find yourself at the sharp end of a blade.”
“Nobody’s going to be at the sharp end of anything,” I cut in. “You’ll get close to him and make him intrigued enough to want to show you more. Once you’re past his main wards, it’s just a matter of gathering intel. You’re not trying to single-handedly bring his mansion down. We need to know where he’s keeping his stash of fatesprig, what he’s doing with it, and how we can get past the wards to destroy it.” I ticked each item off on my fingers.
Devora turned to face me, locks of that red hair falling over one shoulder. “Why are you so confident he’d let me get close enough to find out any of this?”
“I told you, he likes to collect things. We only just allied with Mysthelm. It’s been centuries since we’ve had magic-less people wandering our empire. He’s going to covet someone like you. Someone he’s neverhadbefore.”
“So what, I smile and look pretty? How am I supposed to make sure I get his attention?”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Arowyn said with a snort. Devora raised an eyebrow, and Arowyn shrugged. “You’re hot, Devora. And young. And men are pigs.”
Everett grunted. “Present company excluded, I hope.”
“I said what I said.”
“Look, Scarven is an intelligent man,” I started. “But he’s also incredibly arrogant. He rules this province with fear. And while that’s satisfying to him, it’s not enough. I think…” I trailed off, sorting through how to word this next part without giving away my proximity to him. Not many people knew of our relationship.
“I think in his quest for power, he’s grown lonely. He wants someone to share it with. Someone who’slikehim. I’ve always wondered if these experiments are his way of trying to turn people into himself.” I waved a hand in the air. “Most are either disgusted by him or are too scared to do anything other than blindly follow him. But very few areinterested. I think if you were to show intrigue in his work, his desire for that connection would tempt him to share more than he’s usually comfortable with. You just have to take advantage of that.”
Devora stared at me, then blinked slowly. “How do you know so much about him, Nox?”
My jaw clenched, but I held her stare. She didn’t know the truth. The fact that I shared blood with this vile man was something I hardly ever admitted.
“It’s my job to know the enemy,” was all I said.
For the rest of the evening, Calyra and Thecae talked through the intricacies of shadow melting, marking, and whispering. Calyra was particularly skilled at shadow whispering, and she had the rest of us move into the training grounds and speak near the shadows to see if Devora could train her own magic to carry the sound back to her. Arowyn told some rather questionable jokes, while Everett recited excerpts from his books on Veridian magic.
Devora couldn’t hear a single one. But even I had to admit, the atmosphere was lighter than it had been since before Devora joined. In just a few short days, Arowyn and Everett had become as comfortable with her as they were with anyone in the Order. She fit in better than I could’ve imagined.
Part of me was relieved. As a leader, I wanted unity.Shifters were pack creatures, and the pack worked seamlessly when everyone was on the same page. But the other part of me still felt guilty. As if I was pardoning her betrayal, sweeping it under the rug like nothing had happened.
I didn’t know how tolet go.
But I was trying.
“Alright, last one. Nox, you’re up!” Calyra shouted, her voice echoing to the far end of the training grounds where I stood.
With my Shifter senses, I could hear her saying to Devora, “Remember, all shadows are connected. They can speak to one another. Just imagine the shadows aroundhimcarrying the sound back to your own. Relax your mind—don’t force it.”
I heard Devora’s soft inhale and exhale. A moment later, I leaned into the shadows in the corner.
“Look, Devora,” I whispered, knowing she was far too tired for her magic to work. “The thing is, Iwantto trust you after everything you’re doing to help my people.” I scrubbed a hand down my face as I forced the words out. I was speaking more to myself than anyone else at this point. “But it’s hard to give up that control for someone I barely know.”
I took a deep breath and murmured, “I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re becoming one of us now. So…thank you. I know I haven’t said it yet. Thank you for what you’re doing. It—it means a lot.”
