Chapter 1

Present day...

“Please wait here and I will inform the Mistress of your arrival,” the butler said, after showing Leena to the sitting room.

“Thank you,” she replied. She’d never been inside a house as opulent as this one before, even after her family had moved from the camp into town. The furniture in the room was all made from matching wood, delicately carved and polished to a golden sheen. There were paintings on the wall, a woven rug covering most of the floor, and other pieces of art scattered around every surface and nook.

Large windows made from real glass lined the east wall, some of which were cracked open to allow the summer breeze to circulate. Glass windows were rare in warm Sanvar, and most windows were simply open to the outside air. During a heavy rainstorm, wooden shutters could be set in the openings to block them off. Leena hadn’t seen glass windows that could be opened and closed in place until she’d come north.

She laid her bundles on a nearby table and sat down. The chairs all had permanent cushions built into them, rather than separate cushions that could simply be replaced when they wore out.

A young and very beautiful woman entered the room, followed by an armed bodyguard.

“Welcome to my home,” the woman said. “I’m Renny Senshall. Mr. Halson tells me you bring a message from the Cordaea expedition? Have they returned?” She eyed the packages on the table but didn’t ask about them.

Leena stood. “They’re still in Cordaea, but they sent me on ahead to inform you—and your patron and his brother—of the expedition’s success.”

“Success? That’s wonderful!” Renny exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. “And everyone’s all right? Treya and Razai and the others? Varsin’s at his office. Would you like me to send for him? And Burton?”

“That’s not necessary. I must be going soon, but yes, everyone’s all right. I brought personal messages.” Leena separated out the stack of letters from the other packages and passed them over to the girl. “Messages from Treya and Razai to you, and from Ellerie and Marco to Varsin Senshall and Burton Senshall. And there’s one more message in there from Treya to a Mother Ola. She said you’d be able to deliver it for her.”

“Of course, and thank you so much! But might I ask your name? I don’t recall seeing you with the others.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Leena. I was hired on as the cook.”

“It’s good to meet you, Leena. They sent you on ahead? Were they delayed in returning?”

“Not delayed, but we found the ruins of Tir Yadar, and there are a lot of details to take care of. They’re still there now, and they plan to head west back to Aencyr soon. That’s a city in Bancyra.”

“Yes, Burton has mentioned the name,” Renny said, then glanced down at the bundles again, her curiosity apparently piqued. “And what are these?”

Leena unrolled the cloth wrapping around the two long and narrow bundles, revealing the twin magical arming swords Corec had discovered in the room beyond the armory. She lifted one up, holding it across her palms, and the blade began glowing with a soft red light.

“Oh, my! Is that magic?”

“Yes, they’re enchanted,” Leena said before setting the sword back down. “One for your patron and one for his brother.” She unrolled the other, much smaller bundle, and carefully lifted out the platinum necklace set with diamonds and sapphires. “And this is for you. Marco says the gems are real.”

The girl’s eyes grew wide. She took the bejeweled necklace and held it up, the gemstones reflecting sunlight from the windows. “It’s ... lovely. It’s incredible!”

“These are the first payments on your shares,” Leena said, “but we don’t know yet what the total value of each share will be. Marco asked me to tell you and the other investors that this right here could end up being the major portion of your profit. He and Ellerie intend to negotiate a final agreement once they reach Aencyr and can get some help in appraising the rest. I’ll then bring the agreement here for your approval.”

Renny didn’t appear to have heard her at first, still staring at the necklace, but then she blinked and looked up. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. You intend to sail back to Cordaea then all the way back here again before the others return? Do you really expect them to be delayed for that long?”

Leena had decided in advance what to say. Marco already knew about her abilities, and he certainly wasn’t going to keep quiet.

“No,” she said. “I’m a mage, of sorts, and I can cross distances quickly if I need to. I was in Cordaea with the others this morning. I came straight from there to Tyrsall, and Treya told me how to find your home.” The Seeking had helped too, but there was no need to mention that.

“Oh?” Renny said. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about magic.” There was a hint of skepticism in her voice until she looked down at the swords. Then she laughed lightly and shook her head. “I thought you said you signed on as a cook.”

“Once the others learned I was a mage, they hired me for that instead. There hasn’t been much need for cooking during the past weeks anyway—there’s no firewood near the ruins.”

“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Renny said. Then her voice grew more hesitant. “When you see Her Exalted Highness, please relay Varsin’s apologies. We were not aware of her identity when we met with her. If we’d known, we certainly would have arranged for a better meeting place than an old office at the company building.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Leena said, puzzled.

“Lady Ellerie—is that the right term of address? Our contacts in Terevas were uncertain of her status. There are rumors she removed herself from the succession. We weren’t checking up on her, I promise!” Renny was speaking in a rush. “We simply wanted to learn more about our new business partner. It was such a shock to discover she was Queen Revana’s daughter. We have dealings with House di’Valla.”

Leena wasn’t sure how to respond. Ellerie was a princess? The daughter of the queen of Terevas? In all this time, as she and Leena had been growing closer, she’d never once mentioned that. Leena had shied away from personal entanglements while her brother and her people were still in danger, but with what they’d learned after the battle, she’d begun to hope that wouldn’t always be the case—that someday soon, perhaps, she and Ellerie could discuss a future together. Why had the elven woman toyed with her? Had Leena misinterpreted her signals? Had Ellerie only intended friendship after all, or not even that? Or were elves truly as capricious as the old tales suggested?

“I’ll pass your message along,” Leena said, burning with embarrassment. “Will you please inform the other investors of my visit? I need to go.”

“So soon? Won’t you please stay for supper? I’m sure Varsin would like to discuss the expedition with you in person.”

“Thank you, but I can’t. There’s another task I must take care of today. Perhaps I can speak with you more when I return with the agreement?”

Renny looked disappointed. “Oh, very well, but I’ll hold you to that. We’ll be looking forward to your next visit.”

“I believe Marco and Ellerie will have more details for you by then as well.” Or, rather, Leena hoped to have a better idea of what Ellerie wanted her to tell them, and right now, she didn’t want to return to Tir Yadar to ask her.

She didn’t bother to leave the house first. After bidding farewell to Renny, she Traveled directly from the sitting room to her family’s camp. Nobody noticed her at first, and she took the opportunity to steady her breathing and wipe the moisture from her eyes. She’d only intended on a short visit to spend some time with Udit, but perhaps a few days away would help her get her emotions under control, to make sure she didn’t say something to Ellerie that she’d regret later.

She could hear the laughter and shouts of the children playing outside the camp. Rather than interrupt them to find Udit, she decided to track down her uncle first. She found him reading outside his tent.

“Uncle Rohav,” she said.

“Leena!” He set the book aside and climbed to his feet. “Is there more trouble?”

“No, we haven’t seen any sign of another attack. That’s not why I came. I’m here because I’d like to complete my training.”

Ariadne sat on the rim of the World Fountain, brooding as she stared out across the courtyard. Behind her, the fountain was dead and silent. Water no longer flowed over the silvery globe, and the magical lights that had once displayed the lands and seas of the world had faded.

But the fountain was, at least, something familiar, and she had no other place to be. Her new suite in the Mage Knight quarters—the one she’d been given just a few weeks ago when she’d received Hera’s panoply—was now empty of anything other than piles of dust and grime and a few rusted metal bits that had once held the bed together. Her family’s apartment in North Tower was empty too, except for a ceramic cup she’d never seen before. It made her feel like an intruder in her own home.

The vast fortress complex was no better. In some ways, it was worse. Beyond the totem walk, Fortress Central’s doors stood wide open, the intruders going in and out as they mapped and measured, inventorying the contents that remained.

Fortress East appeared intact, but only if she didn’t look too closely. The barracks, the administration offices, the military hospital, and one of the armories had survived. Everything beyond that appeared to have been crushed in a massive cave-in. That wasn’t supposed to be possible. The entire mountain was warded against it.

Ariadne had hiked to the eastern side of Mount Yadar to find some other way in, but nothing was recognizable and she hadn’t managed to find any of the eastern entrances into the city. The roads and trails were gone, the signs and markers were gone; even the trees were gone. There was no sign of the marshaling yards or the cavalry stables. The cave-in had certainly destroyed the mess halls and the officers’ quarters, but had it reached the military academy and the rationing depot too? Had her people still been here when it collapsed?