“And where is old Gen now?” Rii asked.
Linn lowered her eyes. “Gen shi’sen did not survive.”
“And the jade tablet is stolen,” Ruu’ma murmured.
Her words were met by a heavy silence.
Linn had to summon all of her courage before she forced the next question through her lips. “Pray tell, shi’sen, what is on that jade tablet?”
“It holds information on the Heart of the Gods,” Ruu’ma answered.
“Ruu’ma!” Ying’s admonishment was sharp. “That is sacred knowledge, protected within these walls.”
“Knowledge that we have failed to protect; knowledge that has been takenoutof these walls,” Ruu’ma shot back. “In fact, thesewallswe stand in now might have been burned or lootedhad this girl not warned us in time. If the current Empress of Cyrilia has the tablet and is, indeed, on the hunt for the Heart, the world as we know it is at the cusp of unraveling. Our empire is one of tradition and custom, but we must move with the changing times, Ying shi’sen. Action, counteraction.”
The Shadow Master pursed his lips with an air of sullen deference; even the Imperial Messengers remained quiet.
Linn recognized her chance. “What is the function of the Heart of the Gods, shi’sen?” She was careful to keep her head bowed in respect. She could sense Ying’s glare on her, an uneasy tension in the air between the Temple Masters.
Ruu’ma watched her for several moments longer. And then the Diviner Master yielded. “Ko Linnet,” she said. “Let me tell you a story.
“Long ago, according to legend, the gods left the earthly world for ascension to the Heavenly Palace. Before they did, they scattered remnants of themselves around the world—traces of energy that we still strive to understand. In the snow daemons of our winters, the spring tree nymphs and summer ocean spirits, the searock of Bregon, the Deities’ Lights of Cyrilia…and in us, the wielders.”
Linn had heard this story before and had been surprised to find it echoed in other nations’ folklore as well. Ana had told her of Cyrilian myths, and Ramson of Bregonian legends…all mentioned the remnants of the gods—whichever ones those happened to be—left in this world.
“Over time, their energies flowed into certain elements, imbuing them with unusual powers. Stones of the Dark, able to stifle magic of this world. Reins of the Sea, to steal and control the gods’ powers…”
Her words sank slowly into Linn.Blackstone,her mind whispered in Cyrilian.Searock—or siphons.
Ruu’ma continued, “But the most coveted of all is a living, breathing source that pulses with the gods’ powers, filling ours with echoes of their magic.”
“The Heart,” Linn whispered.
Ruu’ma turned heavy eyes on her. “It is said that our first Temple Masters watched the gods carve out a piece of their hearts and sink it into the Northern Sea of Whispers. Since then, the Heart has continued to beat, with all the magic of this world originating from it. Truth faded to lore, facts to myth, with some claiming the heart will grant a mortal the powers of a god.” A wry smile. “Power, power, alwayspower.
“But what the Heart truly does is connect to all the energy—alchemical power, or magek, as the Cyrilian and Bregonian scholars would call it—in this world…and whoever holds it can control it at will. Everything related to the flow of energy—of magic—in our world will be in their hands. Imagine, then, what one can do with that kind of power. Destroy our world…or re-create it at will.”
A shiver ran up Linn’s spine. “So…” She spoke slowly, the path between dots slowly winking into existence. Why Morganya had been so adamant on seeking out the siphons. Why, now, she had sent forces halfway across the world, to find the map to the Heart. “If one had the Heart and the Reins of the Sea…”
“…then, one would hold the ability to take all the power of this world,” Ruu’ma finished for her. She nodded gravely at Linn’s look of horror. “The world has slowly been tipping, Ko Linnet. With the discovery of the Stones of the Dark came a means to oppress magic wielders of our world, as we have seen in Cyrilia.With the Reins of the Sea, one may borrow as much power as they so desire.” Her voice rang, steady and powerful as the currents of a river through the temple. “I have long studied the lore of gods through my divination, just as the alchemists in Cyrilia study their Affinites and scholars in Bregon study magen. And I, for one, fear for the path that humanity has set itself upon.”
“Enough.”A voice rang out, piercing their conversation. There was movement from the back of the assembled crowd, and among the Imperial Messengers, one stepped out. The sash around his waist, red as opposed to the black of the others around him, marked him as the authority here. His gaze was steel as he set his eyes upon her. “This is a matter for the Emperor and the Temple Masters—His Imperial Majesty has not even received the full report of what transpired today. You—and thatforeigner—”
“His name,” Linn interrupted, straightening, “is Kaïs. And we are emissaries of the Red Tigress of Cyrilia. We came here to warn—”
There were murmurs around the hall between the Temple Masters. It was unheard of, taboo, even, to speak of fighting for an enemy nation. The red-sashed Imperial Messenger narrowed his eyes.
“A traitor, then,” snapped Ying. His shadows twisted around him. “Ruu’ma, my tolerance has run out. Already, we have said too much. Look at her; listen to her speak. She is as good as a foreigner to us. And she fights on behalf of an enemy empire.”
Linn grasped for words, but it felt as though her voice had died. The enmity between Cyrilia and Kemeira was long known, and it had seeped into the minds of their people.
Ana had sent her here to try to change that.
“Please, listen to me,” she said, but the dissenting voices grewlouder as the Temple Masters and Imperial Messengers began to speak among themselves. Next to her, Kaïs found her gaze. He hadn’t understood the exchange between her and the Temple Masters, but he’d read the desperation on her face and heard enough of their tones to guess.
He gave her a single nod.You can do this.
You must do this.
