“Oh, bother this!” exclaimed Ana, pushing to her feet and pacing the confines of the tower room. She turned, leveling Saga with a look of pure fire. “Again, the high chieftains want to protect you, but I’m tired of their rules…tired of stepping around the truth. You’re aVolsik. You ought to be treated like a queen, not a child.”
Saga blinked, but Ana was not done. “The group I work with is called the Uppreisna. In the old language, it means theUprising. We are those who wish for a change in this kingdom.”
Saga stared at her. “What do you mean?”
Ana’s eyes shone. “I mean…there are many in Íseldur who oppose the Usurper. Those whose families he’s persecuted without cause. Whose land and titles he’s stripped and forced into hiding. We seek justice and a better future for this kingdom.”
“Usurper,” Saga repeated, stunned at Ana’s daring to voice such things.
Ana turned, gaze settling back on Saga. “We’ve reason to believe the queen is using the Klaernar to steal Galdra for her own purposes. We believe she is building a weapon to seize control of the kingdom.”
“A weapon?”
“Or perhaps, she’s building an army,” said Ana. “Truly, we know little of her plans. But it is clear the queen plays at something. Alfson is involved, several Klaernar kommandors?—”
“Svaldrin,” Saga burst out.
“Your Highness?”
“Something is afoot in Svaldrin. Patients and testing of some sort. A maester by the name of Lekka. They are…dosing them with herbs.” She closed her eyes, trying to recall the details. “Alpine catspaw had the most success. And…their beststockof something was stolen by a person named Skraeda.”
“Skraeda,” growled Ana. “A traitor.” She grew thoughtful. “I do not know what kind of herb would weaponize the Galdra. But I shall send word to the Uppreisna at once. They’ll send out our best Shadow Hounds. If our kin are held in Svaldrin, they’ll find them.”
“Shadow Hounds?”
Ana’s lips curved up. “I forget, Your Highness, you know so little of the Galdra. A Shadow Hound is a type of Galdra able to weave light in various ways. Most often, it helps them blend with the shadows, giving them the gift of stealth.”
What Saga wouldn’t give for that. “Are there Galdra who can…” Saga hesitated, her mind at war. Keeping parts of herself hidden was how she had survived. Yet after years of wondering, Ana was here, filled with tantalizing answers. And after what the woman had just shared, Saga felt bold enough to share her own damning secret.
“Are there Galdra who can read thoughts?” Saga forced out. Her skin felt too hot, too tight, as she waited for Ana’s reply.
“Readers,” said Ana softly. “Galdra whose gift allows them to read threads of thought. Extremely rare.”
Reader.Saga’s brows drew together. After all these years, she had the true name for her Sense…
“Readers,” continued Ana, “belong to the class known as the Mind Galdra. These Galdra are highly intuitive—meaning their gift flows passively, without need for their source, nor Cohesion. After the Cohesion Rite, however, they can exert their will upon the threads.”
Saga’s gaze snapped to Ana’s. “That all sounded like another language.”
Ana paused in thought. “Before Cohesion, a Reader canreadthe thoughts. But after Cohesion, a Reader can”—she hesitated—“writethe thoughts.”
“Cohesion?”
“’Tis a Rite Galdra go through to come into their full power.”
Saga swallowed. “And after this Rite, a Reader couldwritethoughts…what does this mean?”
Ana’s smile turned excited. “It is said a Reader can exert their touch to threads of thought. That they might influence them.”
“Influencethoughts,” repeated Saga. This revelation made her feel like a minnow in a very large pond. There was so much she did not know…
Lost in thought, Saga busied herself with the scrolls. Gathering a sheet of outer parchment, she copied the addresses in Lady Geira’s handwriting.
“My foreman has sent word to the Uppreisna’s high chieftains,” said Ana eagerly. “It’s time to stir them from their comfortable halls in the north. We must attempt another rescue.”
Saga blinked.
“You should not live amongst these vile murderers.” There was an edge to Ana’s voice. “Nor should you be amongst those who betrayed and deceived the Volsiks.”
