Chapter 17

Hildra finally looked up from her intense examination of the sword, removing the strange eyepiece she’d worn. The black faded from her eyes as she ended her arcane sight spell. “There is a warding spell outside of the attunement,” she said, “but not for wardens. It’s looking for a specific type of mage.”

“What do you mean?” Corec asked.

“Some arcane mages have a natural affinity for certain spells. Even wizards, who can learn any spell they want, will build up that sort of affinity over time if they focus on a specific area. There’s no way for me to see what it’s looking for, but it’s looking for something. Whatever your affinity is, apparently.”

“A friend told me I’m something like a battle wizard.”

“That makes sense,” Hildra said. “It’s a sword, after all. The warding spell is the reason it reacted negatively to the people who touched it before you; they weren’t its preferred bearer. As for the other enchantments, it’s got the typical ones—strengthening the blade, always sharp, and never breaking. There’s one I don’t recognize. Has the sword ever done anything unusual?”

Corec couldn’t hold in his laugh. “Everything it does is unusual.”

“I mean beyond the behaviors you’ve described.”

“I can’t think of anything else.”

“Then be careful with it. If you don’t know what it can do, it might be dangerous. I won’t try to replicate it without knowing.”

“Replicate?”

Hildra tapped her wrist bands together and a shimmering barrier formed around her. She then held out her arm and a curved backsword flew off the wall toward her, the hilt thumping into her hand. A pale purple light slowly limned the blade. “For my own work,” she said. She swished the sword back and forth through the air, leaving behind glowing purple streaks. “Don’t touch the light—it’s sharp. Quite useful when you’re ambushed by a dozen footpads who don’t realize the blade can still cut them half a minute after you swing it. I found this enchantment on a dagger almost two thousand years ago, and liked it so much, I copied it for myself.”

Corec could only stare at the sight. “Someone told me nobody knew how to create permanent enchantments anymore,” he said.

Hildra smirked. “Every warden has their own gift. Have you discovered yours yet?”

The First had mentioned gifts too, when he was discussing how he’d found Corec in a dream.

“Uhh, no. I don’t think so.”

“You will in time. As for your sword, you say it was found in the Storm Heights? That’s in northeastern Aravor, yes?”

“Yes, north of Tyrsall.”

Hildra nodded. “It’s ancient work. How long has it been since the sword had another bearer?”

“Thousands of years, easily,” Corec said. With Hildra being a warden, he decided to be more forthcoming than he’d been before. “It was in the ruins of a place called Tir Navis.”

“From the name, that must be a Chosar city? Not many civilizations could have created something like this. The Chosar. The first peoples. Perhaps one or two others.”

“I thought the Chosar were the first peoples.”

“Modern historians consider them to be one tribe among many, and perhaps they were, but I’ve seen two different sources from before the Burning that suggested the Chosar drove the other tribes out of the Tirs.”

“Could I see those? My friends would be interested in that.”

Hildra sighed. “Unfortunately, my library burned to the ground during the rebellion that took down Queen Malda. That’s the name I went by back then. It was the rebels who first started calling me the Sorceress Queen. I started the war against myself, hoping a small bit of violence would sate the people enough that they could move on, but the rebels were angrier than I’d thought. They destroyed everything. I haven’t found any other writings from before the Burning.”

“What was the Burning? The First mentioned it too.”

“Nobody knows,” Hildra said. “We don’t even know how long ago it happened because there were so many different calendars in use. It was before Badru’s time, and he’s fairly certain he’s over four thousand years old. There was another warden before him who knew more, but he’s long dead. What we do know is that very few books and scrolls survived the Burning, and most of those were in bad shape. The Tirs were abandoned, and I suspect there was a long gap—perhaps a few hundred years—where little new writing was produced. Personally, I believe the people descended into barbarism, though I have no idea what could cause that on such a wide scale. Something involving burning, I imagine.”

The First was over four thousand years old? Corec had no idea how to react to that information. He focused on the small part of Hildra’s statement that he understood. “Not all the Tirs were abandoned,” he said. “Aencyr is Tir a Tir.”

“Tir a Tir?” Hildra asked. “What would that mean? The First Home? It sounds significant, but I don’t believe I’ve ever come across the name before. The city’s been rebuilt so many times, it’s hard to say if anything would be left from so long ago. That’s why you came here?”

“Not exactly. We’re looking for a place called Tir Yadar.”

Hildra smirked again. “The center of Chosar civilization. You’re not the first to seek it out. You think it’s in Cordaea?”

“Maybe. A friend has a possible lead, and I came to help. Do you know of anything on the other side of Silent Waters?”

“Silent what?” Hildra asked, wrinkling her brow. “Oh, Nera Athoryvos? I’ve never heard anyone translate the name before. I’ve been to the other side, but never through the swamp. I always crossed the lake or the mountains. There isn’t much directly east of the swamp—just a few independent towns before you reach the barrens.”

“Barrens?”

“It’s a wide area where not much grows. If you’re trying to cross, make sure to bring plenty of food.”

“It’s a desert?”

“Not really. It gets enough rain, but you shouldn’t travel too close to the rivers. Without any vegetation to hold the rainwater, they flood quickly. People have tried to set up farms there, but they can’t get anything worthwhile to grow. There are some shrubs and bushes that the birds like, but not much else. Plenty of old ruins, though, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“Do you think Tir Yadar might be there? I’m not sure what direction we’re headed after we make it through the swamp.”

“My son’s gone in farther than I have, but he didn’t see anything that looked like it might be a city. Still, if you find it, I’d like to see it for myself.”

“I’m sure we could let you know.”

“Barrens?” Ellerie asked. “I don’t remember seeing anything like that on the maps.” She unrolled her own map and laid it out on the table. “East of the swamp?”

“Yes, about a hundred miles beyond the swamp and the mountains,” Corec said. “It’s a large area.” With his finger, he circled a spot that extended halfway down the eastern side of the swamp. “Hildra’s map didn’t show it either, but I think this is about where she said we’d find it.”

“All of our maps are from Nysa,” Josip mentioned. “The mapmakers here in Aencyr may have something more accurate. I’ve heard of the barrens, but I’ve never been beyond the mountains.”

“Let’s look for a better map, then,” Ellerie said. “We need to know where we’ll be leaving the swamp, and how far south the barrens extend. I don’t know if we’ll need to go through there or not.”

“Are you sure Tir Yadar is on the other side?” Marco asked. “Senshall doesn’t have any outposts east of Aencyr.”

“If Nera Athoryvos is the right swamp, then we’ll end up somewhere east of the mountains. If it’s not, we’ll have to look farther south and see if we can find that all-shrine that the book mentions. But the swamp is a better choice—it’s less likely to have changed over years.”

The factor sighed. “I suppose I can withdraw some extra coin so we can resupply on the other side, then.”

“Thank you,” Ellerie said, not wanting to antagonize the man when he was being helpful for a change. “Once we do make it across, we’ll still have farther to go, and I’m not sure how far or in which direction. The author didn’t mention the barrens, but I don’t know if that’s because the land has changed or because we’ll be going south of there.”

“Our other clues aren’t going to be of any help,” Bobo said. “Nobody knows of any notable shrines to the south, and the only winged snakes we’re likely to find are in a sanctuary just south of the city. The rest were hunted as trophies.”

“That still means we’re in the right region, though,” Ellerie pointed out. Between discovering Tir a Tir and learning of a way to end the warden bond, she was in too good of a mood to be dismayed by minor setbacks. “I just wish I knew where the swamp road ends. Or if it even still exists.”

“No one I spoke to knows of a road through the swamp,” Josip said. “Getting the horses and mules through will be a problem. We’ll need a local guide to avoid getting lost—one of the swamp people.”

“Swamp people?” Ellerie asked.

“The folks who live there. Mostly humans, but there are a few dwarves too.”

“Will you be able to talk to them?”

Josip nodded. “They speak Nysan.” He hesitated. “Uhh, there are boggarts in the swamp, too.”

“Boggarts are just children’s stories,” Marco said.

“My cousin saw one!” Josip protested. “He was in the fens east of the Bancyra Mountains, and came back to camp to find it stealing his food.”

“It was probably just a bear or a mountain lion.”

“Taking his supper right off the fire?”

“What’s a boggart?” Ellerie asked.

“They’re little creatures who live in swamps and marshes,” Josip said. “If we set out some food for them each night as a gift, and sprinkle salt around the camp, they’ll leave us alone. If we don’t, they’ll steal things—belt buckles, harness straps, bits of cloth.”

Marco rolled his eyes. “Or they’ll steal children from their beds. Or they’ll lead men to their deaths in the swamps. Or they’ll cause milk to go sour and horses to go lame. Or they’re twelve-foot tall monsters, but the only part anyone ever sees is their hands poking up out of the water.”

Josip glared at him.

Ellerie forced herself to keep a straight face. She liked Josip more than Marco, but it all sounded like superstition. “We’ll be careful,” she said. “It wouldn’t hurt to leave a little food out. Do you think we can get the horses and mules to the other side?”

“I don’t know. The swamp people mostly use rowboats to get around.”

“Let’s hope that’s not the only way. We’d have to pay to stable all the animals here, and then buy new ones when we’re across.” She ignored Marco’s wince. “We need to find out more about the road that the book mentions.”

“It doesn’t really work that way,” Leena said. “I can’t Seek the swamp road because I don’t know what it is. I’d need to know more about it first.” That rule didn’t always seem to apply, but, luckily, Ellerie didn’t press her on it.

The elven woman sighed. “Well, it was just a thought.”

Ellerie had become a friend, and Leena hated to disappoint her twice in a row—she hadn’t had any luck in Seeking Tir Yadar either. She had a sudden thought. “You’re worried about how to get the animals through the swamp, right?”

“Yes,” Ellerie said. “If we have to turn back to find a place to stable them, we could waste days or weeks.”

“What if I Seek a safe way through?”

“You can do that?”

“I can try. It’s an idea rather than a location, so it might not work, but if I can see the swamp, I may be able to do it. We’ll have to be closer, though. My Seeking range is short, and I need to see the area.”

“Thank you!” Ellerie said, then grimaced. “I’m sorry I keep bothering you about this. I know you’re more worried about those men who attacked. You’re still planning to come with us, right?”

“The Seeking is sending me in the same direction you’re going.”

“Why did your ... clan? Is that the right word? Why did they choose you to go after these men? You’re not a fighter.”

“You mean my camp—my clan is all the Zidari. They didn’t send me. I came because those men killed my parents.”

Ellerie looked down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I had to do something. My brother’s a Traveler too. What if they come back?”

“What will you do if you find them?”

“If I can get better at Traveling, there are ways to fight.”

“That’s why you were looking for Yelena?”

Leena nodded. “I need help; I haven’t been able to do it on my own. But she’s back in Tyrsall, and I don’t know why the Seeking sent me this way.”

Ellerie bit her lower lip. “I think I do. And it might be the same reason the magic is keeping you with us. Corec is like Yelena.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They’re called wardens.” Ellerie paused. “I’m not sure how to explain it. Wardens are mages who can somehow strengthen other mages’ abilities.”

“Sarlo said she could make it easier to use my magic.”

“That’s one way to look at it. I don’t know how it works, but Treya insists she’s gotten much better at healing since she met Corec. My spells have improved too, but I don’t know how much is thanks to him and how much is from practice and studying.”

“You and Treya?” Leena said. “If I asked, would he... ?” It seemed too good to be true.

“It’s not that simple. He’s already done it for six of us, and Yelena told him it will only work eight times. I’m surprised she made the offer without meeting you. She told us she spent a lot of time getting to know her ... other friends ... before asking them.”

“Sarlo said something about helping them out once I was trained as a Traveler.”

“Oh, I see,” Ellerie said. “That makes sense. As a Traveler, you can move from one place to another, right? Maybe Yelena wanted you to take messages back and forth for her.”

Realization washed over Leena. Traveling was why Sarlo had sought her out in the first place. It was what the mysterious man in Telfort had been after, too. The north wasn’t like Sanvar, where the Zidari provided a network of Travelers to the empress in exchange for her protection. Northerners didn’t have Travelers. Not many of them, anyway.

“No, not messages,” she said slowly. “When I master Traveling, I’ll be able to take other people with me. I went from Matihar to Telfort in a single jump—that’s thousands of miles. That’s what Yelena wanted. I’m so stupid. I thought Sarlo was just being friendly.” She’d trusted him, too. Not that he’d lied to her about it, but it almost felt like he had.

“Thousands of miles?” Ellerie asked. “I had no idea. Yes, I can understand why Yelena would want that.”

Leena took a deep breath. If that’s what it took to protect her brother, she’d accept the price. “Would Corec?”