Thon hunkered down beside Kollanan, pressed his palm against the dirt. He closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and nodded. “Solid and stable. There is no cause for worry.”
Koll raised an eyebrow. “A king who does not worry is not protecting his people.”
“Perhaps protecting is my job too,” Thon said. “Maybe I am here to hold the world together while everything else tears it apart.”
Kollanan leaned against the boulder, feeling the rough stone against his shoulder. “I saw what you did at Lake Bakal. In the coming battles, I intend to rely on you, though I do not know what you are.”
“I am a mystery to myself as well, King Kollanan,” Thon said with a shrug. “When I find the answer, I hope we will all be satisfied.”
“About his power,” Elliel said. “There’s also a gentleness in him to counteract it.” She brought them each a bowl from the pot and sat down. “Thon reminds me of a fine blade. One should admire its beauty but beware of its edge.”
“At least I know what a blade is,” Koll said. “Do we even know whether you are a wreth, Thon? You look like one, but I am no expert.” He had seen only the frostwreths at Lake Bakal.
“There are similarities,” Thon admitted. He held out his hand, inspected it, tugged at his dark locks. “And if so, what sort of wreth am I? Obviously not a frostwreth, and I do not believe I am similar to sandwreths either. The two lines descended from Raan and Suth. I do not see how I belong to either of them.”
“Another race perhaps?” Elliel said. “I know little about wreth history, but what if Kur created another line of people, people who look like you?”
Thon raised his eyebrows.
“You are an anomaly,” Kollanan said. “A useful one.”
“A powerful one,” Elliel said.
“Then how and why was I sealed inside a mountain with my memories erased, like some unhatched creature in a cocoon? Who am I, and what Am I meant to do?” He frowned, deep in thought. “Did other wreths turn against me?” He touched the strange tattoo on his face. “And why strip me of all my memories? Were they that afraid of me?”
Kollanan said, “Your powers alone could give people reason to fear.”
“They frighten me, too,” Elliel said. “Even though I know you are no threat to us.” She reached out to touch the markings on his face. “I didn’t know my identity either until you brought my memories back.” Finishing her meal, she set the bowl on the ground and removed the golden ramer band from its place at her hip. In wonder, she held it up to the firelight. “You made me a Brava again, helped me find the power in my own blood.”
She squeezed the cuff around her right wrist until the metal fangs bit into her veins. Blood trickled down the pale skin of her arm, providing the catalyst to ignite her ramer. Bright flames encircled the cuff and covered her hand. When Elliel concentrated, she extended the fire and raised the slender bladelike torch high in the forest clearing. “I am a Brava again!” She lowered her voice, spoke to herself. “And I will never forget what Lord Cade and Utho did to me.”
Intent on the ramer, Thon reached toward the blazing blade. He twitched his fingers, twirled them, and the fire changed color from orange to yellow to a pure white, which then dropped down to a deeper blue, then violet before cycling to a dark crimson. Elliel shuddered with pleasure as his wild magic surged through her.
When Thon released his invisible grip, Elliel’s shoulders slumped, and she let the ramer flame sputter out. She removed the red-stained golden cuff, and the blood flow at her wrist stopped.
“Your ramer is interesting,” Thon said to her. “I wonder if Kur envisioned such things when he created the wreths.”
Kollanan said in a gruff voice, “Their god has nothing to do with us.”
“If Kur created the world, you are still part of it,” Thon said. “Although according to the story, Kur vanished long before wreths created humans. He has not seen anything of the world in a very long time. He is waiting for the wreths to complete the task he gave them.”
For most of his life, Kollanan had dismissed the legends of Ossus sleeping beneath the Dragonspine Mountains. Up until a few months ago, he’d considered the wreths themselves little more than legend.…
“The world will be made perfect—if we can believe wreth history,” Thon said. “I do not know if the world is imperfect. I have seen nothing of it … in a very long time.”
“That’s what you just said about Kur.” Elliel turned, and her voice became tentative. “Could there be some connection?”
Thon was intrigued. “A connection between me and Kur?”
“Think about it. Kur created wreths in his own image, so therefore their god would look pretty much like a wreth. A perfect wreth. That’s what you look like.” Elliel’s voice rose with excitement. “You must admit, you have incredible and unexplained powers.”
Kollanan blinked when he realized what the Brava woman was suggesting.
Thon’s brows were raised in a quizzical look not understanding, until Elliel said, “What if you are Kur?”
Thon gave a surprised laugh. Then a sober look came over him and he considered for a long moment. “My memories end at about the same time. It is not an … impossible idea.”
“But if you were a god, why would wreths subdue you and seal you inside the mountains?” Koll asked. “Could they truly have been so afraid that they considered you a threat?”
“Whether you’re Kur or not, how could they do it?” Elliel pressed.
Thon pursed his lips as he followed another thought. He ran his fingertips along the tattoo. “What if I allowed them to do it for some reason?” His brow furrowed. “Or what if I did it myself?”
10
“I WANT to depart as soon as possible, Utho,” said Mandan, leaning forward on a cushioned chair in his royal suite. “It’s time the people see me as their new konag.”
The Brava watched him, sure that the young man’s eagerness would wane during the hardships of travel. A private dinner had been set out for them, but Utho had no interest in the food. The large fire in the hearth made the room too hot for his taste.
Mandan’s eyes took on an avid expression. “And when our procession reaches Lord Cade’s holding, I wish to see the Isharan slaves and witness the defeat in their eyes.”
As he ate sliced venison with blackberry sauce, the young man turned his attention to the maps that covered one entire wall of his chamber. He would spend hours pondering the boundaries of Osterra, Suderra, and Norterra. During his studies as prince, he had become interested in geography. He knew where every holding ended, could name all twenty-one counties that served Osterra, the fifteen counties in Suderra, and the eight large counties in Norterra. Mandan could even identify most of the vassal lords by name, though he had little personal relationship with any of them.
Most of his knowledge had come from books and tutors, since Mandan had not seen much of the Commonwealth. Utho was pleasantly surprised by the young man’s idea. “I, too, should inspect Cade’s prison camp, my konag. It will be a long ride, many days on the road. We will try to find inns or holding houses along the way, though we will be prepared to camp.”