A week had passed since the Brotherhood feast, and it felt like the calm before the storm. Between the war, Lily’s trouble and all the strife in the Brotherhood, I hadn’t stopped. Last night, I’d spent hours practising transformation spells with Ciesko. It worked so well that, with his usual cheerful patronising self, he kept me in his workshop until I could change every object he picked into the shape I chose. I was on my last legs when I returned home, but at least no nightmares came to haunt me.
Early morning, the front door slammed with such force that my mirror wobbled, and I instinctively caught it before the damn thing toppled and shattered. I’d barely awakened, spending the last minutes in a haze, staring at my reflection. The bed was still unmade, its sheets piled up in a corner, and yesterday’s clothes lay scattered over the chair. I shook my head to clear it, thenlooked down at the table, where my dagger and the vials on my alchemist’s belt reflected the light of the sharp winter sun.
I relaxed and smiled when I heard a familiar voice cursing. Tova was finally home, and I looked forward to sharing breakfast with him. I’d tried not to worry about Tova spending so much time on his research. Even though I knew it was important, on the few occasions he returned, he’d looked so gaunt it hurt to hold my tongue and not say something. I’d even considered moving to the Chapter House to shield him from my problems.Or to the palace once Reynard returns.The thought came unexpectedly, and my comb stilled in my hair as I realised I’d even considered that a possibility.
‘Drah’sa, are you in your bedroom? We need to talk.’ The question came from downstairs, followed by heavy dwarven boots thumping on the stairs.
‘Yes, I am!’ I shouted back, my hand shaking slightly as I continued detangling my braid. I’d forgotten to do it last night, now my hair looked like a bird’s nest after a toddler finished playing with it.
The door slammed against the wall, and Tova, huffing like a draft horse, entered my bedroom. ‘Good, I’m glad you’re here. I need to get into the Brotherhood Chapter House. Those fucking soldiers refuse to help me, and the mages? They know what’s at stake but don’t seem to give a fuck. You can make the Brotherhood help, though, yes?’ He grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet.
‘You’re not making any sense.’ I resisted frowning at his eyes, bloodshot and burning with fever. ‘Tova, what’s going on? What do you need help with?’
He paused, pulling his beard with such force that a few strands came away in his hand. ‘Right… you don’t know. I think I know what the schemata does.’
My agitated friend gave my hand another tug, as if this one sentence was a sufficient explanation. ‘Tova Orenson, sit the hell down and tell me properly,’ I said, pulling my hand from his grasp. My lips twitched when Tova rolled his eyes, pose rigid with annoyance, but after a long, deep sigh, he sat down.
‘After you mentioned the Wey Gates, I’ve been studying the designs with Lily, and I have an idea what this thing does.’ He paused, looking at me expectantly, and I gestured for him to continue. ‘The problem is that I don’t know exactly how it works. The metal structure they describe is bizarre, like they tried making the srebrec even more volatile. Why would anyone do that, Sana? It would release so much aether. The Artificer Masters think it’s just a failed prototype, but I know Mlot. It’s no failure. It has a purpose, and I need to return to Wiosna–’
This was a lot to take in, and I raised my hand, stopping him briefly. ‘You studied them with Lily… Our Lily?’ I asked, making sure I understood. ‘And now you want to return to Mlot’s fortress and get yourself killed because the metal is misbehaving?’
‘Don’t look at me like those fucking mages did.’ His brows furrowed. ‘If you won’t help, just say it. I’ll go on my own. It’s too dangerous to ignore, Sana, not just for your king but for my people too. You know Wiosna’s mountain is a dormant volcano. If Mlot starts playing with the aether… This could be the reason the miners were dying.’
I reached out to my friend. His hand, calloused and covered with scars, was larger than mine. He could easily break my bones if he squeezed too tightly. This mighty dwarf’s true strength was the ability to turn this destructive power into the most delicate of inventions.
I pressed his palm to my cheek. ‘Thank you for coming with me, for living in Truso. I know it cost you a lot, but Tova… you are not to blame for what’s happened in Wiosna. You didn’tabandon them.’ I didn’t know how to reach him, the guilt written all over his face breaking my heart. ‘There’s a death sentence hanging over your head. I don’t want you sacrificing yourself when you’re so uncertain.’
Tova’s features twisted in pain, the old wound he carried silently breaking free. I should have realised; the endless nights, working himself to the bone, going after the merchants who’d destroyed his hand. Tova lived with me, but a part of his heart had never left Wiosna, and the wound was still bleeding.
‘I have to go, Drah’sa,’ he said, weariness creeping into the lines around his eyes. ‘I’ll never regret joining you, but if there’s a chance to help them, I need to take it. Wasn’t that the reason you came here? To protect your family? You can’t expect me not to do something you did yourself.’
And that was the harsh truth in a nutshell. He was going to Wiosna. I would sooner let my vivamancy reshape the world than let him go alone.
‘Alright, Tinkerer, you got me there,’ I said with a smile. ‘But we’ll do it together. So, help me understand exactly what you discovered.’
Tova’s shoulders relaxed at my apologetic tone, and he sighed. ‘Did you know Lily can read old high fae script? She helped me decipher a manuscript about fae portals. Those schemata… Someone invented a portable device that opens a gateway. A person couldn’t pass through, but something small, like a letter or a package, easily could.’
I shrugged. ‘If you told me this two weeks ago, I’d have been surprised. Now? I’d believe you if you said she’s Lada’s illegitimate daughter.’ Tova paused, looking at me sharply, but I shook my head. ‘Sorry, Tinkerer, not my secret to share.’
‘Fine.’ He nodded, his fingers tangling in his bushy, blonde beard, which had grown significantly since we’d moved in together. ‘I struggled with the spells, but an artificer mage had atheory that the trigger for this thing might be a property of the metal itself.’
Tova pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, pushing aside my makeup to spread it out on my dressing table. I leaned over, wincing at the strong scent of clover oil, and studied the strange drawing. I recognised parts of the formula, but the majority didn’t make sense. He tapped a verse in the corner. ‘There.’
‘There what? Tova… be realistic. I can’t read new high fae, let alone this, and numbers made my head hurt,’ I said with an eye roll, and for the first time since he’d returned home, I saw him smile.
‘That’s why you have me, but it’s the reason I need to go to Wiosna. It’s a simple smelting process, but it contains a component I don’t recognise.’ Tova stood, huffing with frustration. ‘There’s a chamber below the throne room. Only a few know of its existence because that’s where the masters work with aethereal devices and artefacts. I have a feeling the answer’s there.’
‘Well, this is all fun and games, but how’re you planning on getting there? We’re at war with Wiosna, and our last adventure in the throne room didn’t end so well. Why do you think it’ll be different this time?’ I asked, pulling my knees to my chest. My worry for my friend grew as I watched him pace.
This was completely insane, and as much as I saw merit in Tova’s plan, the practicalities of sneaking into Mlot’s underground palace were inconceivable. I’d have to warn Reynard about this discovery as well.
‘I can let them capture me or tell him I was spying on the humans.’ He stopped by the fireplace, his gaze growing distant. ‘I’ll think of something before we get there, but I have to go.’
‘We need to find Reynard first and warn him. Then we’ll go to Wiosna, and if the fighting hasn’t reached there, you can hand me over as a token of your loyalty,’ I said.
Tova’s eyes widened, then a hard, determined look crept in. ‘No, he’ll kill you on the spot. I’ll find another way. There’s some who still owe me a favour or two. When I tell them about my discovery, I know they’ll listen.’
‘You trust them?’ I asked, wishing I could trust people as easily, but my experience told me otherwise.
