Wait—what? “You’ve been to the Amrin Mountains?”
Aiden’s apologetic shrug was almost comical.
“When?”
Neither Anees nor Khayrivven seemed in the mood to answer her questions, but Aiden got to his feet, prowlingover and perching on the armrest of the sofa next to Lory. “This isn’t right. She shouldn’t be dragged into this fight. She barely got her magic under control.”
“Barely is an overstatement,” Anees commented.
Between Anees, Khayrivven, and Aiden, Lory felt like an outsider, and she’d been left in the dark for too long. If no one else, these were the three people who’d been there for her after the branding. If anyone would tell her what was going on, it would be them.
“Why are they sending me to the Amrin Mountains?” Holding her breath, Lory waited for one of them to fill her in.
When Khayrivven shifted in his seat once more, his knee brushing the length of her thigh, his expression was grave. “The Triad has been sending students to patrol the Criulian border alongside ashmarked troops.”
All right, patrolling a border. That didn’t sound worse than the trials the Triad had in store for her.
Khayrivven’s eyes met hers, stormy clouds brewing within them as he seemed to ponder how much to share. “They’ve sent phantoms, mostly. Thornlings sometimes, but never ashlings who haven’t developed at least a modicum of control over their powers.”
“Frost has been,” Anees reminded him, and the ice wielder cringed beside Lory.
“Not all the way up into the mountains. Just into the lower regions, but that was bad enough.” A shudder shook Aiden, and his hand slipped on his knife. “I mean, have you seen the place?”
Lory gave him an incredulous look. “I wouldn’t be asking questions if I had—obviously.”
Ignoring Aiden’s comment, he continued. “Bellmont was sent because he has a level of control over his magic that many ashmarked never achieve.” The appraising look of the captain fell upon Aiden, who lowered his head as if embarrassed by the attention. “Apart from that, he’s a street rat just like our gutter gem, here.” His eyes flicked to Lory, not a hint of humor dancing in them as he used the questionable endearment he’d chosen for her. “Unlike loyal ashmarked, Bellmont is dispensable to the Triad—just like Lory.”
He got to his feet, returning to pacing as if that would clear his mind.
“Why send me now? Why not right after they discovered what I am?” While Lory was still trying to put two and two together, Khayrivven was already miles ahead, his mind working out the details of the changed situation.
“Because you are advanced at Veiled and your magic is powerful, even if you don’t yet know how to properly control it. They’d rather send in someone like you and lose them than send in the child of a reputable Dunai family and answer to them if they don’t make it back from the mission. That’s why children they pick off the street are still so useful for them.”
Pawns—figures in a game the world didn’t even know Ulder was playing, the Triad his next sure-fire way of gaining access to whatever valuable magic was out there.
“Is there a reason to think we won’t return?” The knot in Lory’s stomach hadn’t unfolded, and the longer she waited for Khayrivven to spill the truth, the more her anxiety spread.
“If you mean escape, I’d rather you didn’t try. I’ve got things to lose.” He exchanged a glance with Anees that told Lory he had no clue to what extent Lory knew the lengths he’d gone to ensure the Triad let her live. “The borders have been a dangerous place for decades. Criu guerrilla units have been hiding along the deadly trails, setting traps and ambushes. The Brestolyan army has lost too many men in attempts at securing the mountain paths, so they started sending in ashmarked—magical units to open the travel routes and trading channels once more, but so far, we’ve been losing more ashmarked than we can afford.”
Lory had definitely never heard about the Criu units controlling the Amrin Mountains.
“I thought the conflict was resolved.” A helpless glance at Khayrivven, Anees, then at Aiden, and Lory realized she knew next to nothing about what was really going on in Brestolya. Whatever the world believed the conflict with Criulias was, it was so much worse.
“Brestolyan army? Criuliasispart of Brestolya. Why are they blocking access to the province?” If there was ever a good time to get information, it was now, when Khayrivven was worried about her safety and upset with the Triad for even considering sending her into such dangerous territories.
Khayrivven shook his head. “Who said the conflict has been resolved. Hundreds of soldiers get called to the front lines every week. Ashthorn graduates make up a fraction of those numbers, but we’re stronger, more efficient with our magical capabilities—and with the secretive nature of the academy, apart from the families who have a tradition ofmagic, no one knows we exist as a military unit, anyway. That gives Ulder a considerable advantage when he sends us in to kill fellow Brestolyans.” His voice, so hard it could have been made from steel, told volumes about the horrors he must have endured in his young life. She’d seen how broken he was from having to face his own people, to fight them on Ulder’s orders. But this hadn’t been a one-time thing. After all those years, they still sent him into what Lory now understood was enemy territory for the King of Brestolya, to neutralize those who dared think to rise against him.
“They still stand against the king,” Anees continued when Khayrivven’s voice trailed away. “Criulias has been fighting for independence for years. The Brestolyan army only consists of Sen Dunai and Naolapians anymore, and what few Criu have joined the ranks rarely survive the first year of training. Some Sen Dunai can’t get past Criulias’s strive for independence, so they tend to find ways to create deadly incidents for Criu cadets.” Her features tightened as she watched Khayrivven pace between the door and the opening to the bedroom, like she’d watched him walk out of such incidents alive but had spent her fair share of time dreading for his life. “It’s bad, Lory. The road across the Amrin Mountains has been paved with blood. That they sent you on a mission is as much praise for your skill and power as it is a verdict.”
Her gaze met Khayrivven’s, who stopped, folding his arms over his chest, feet braced apart in an unmovable stance. “They’re sending you there to make a statement.” His tone was so different, full of anguish, despite the face of thecaptain he was wearing. “That they can do whatever they want whenever they want, and there is nothing I can do about it.”
A statement, not for her but forhim.
As Lory’s mind spun with thoughts, she got to her feet, closing the distance between her and Khayrivven and taking his hand into hers. “Whatever awaits me there, I’ll face it.”
Because he’d traded his life for hers. If she refused, he’d die.
A confirming glance at Anees earned her a nod.
