There was more to the tale, darker days that followed and brought different veins of magic.

With the violence and madness behind the final tales of the Wanderer, fewer folk still worshipped the first king, but here, in small sea towns or forest villages, totems were plentiful.

As though the soul of the Wanderer King even cared about any of the small, simple lives in the realms of Stìgandr.

I righted one of the baskets, catching sight of a symbol written in water that was fading swiftly.

A simple word the thief left behind, but the sharp sting of fear dug into my bones.

Liar.

3

Lyra

My hands wouldn’t cease shaking as I gathered what was left of the plums and began the battle of tethering Pukki to the cart. Already, the damp symbol faded into the threads of the basket, but blood pounded in my skull.

“Súlka Bien.” A man, a little breathless from the trek up the slope, swiped a woolen hood off his pale, untamed curls.

I chuckled with relief. “Such formal greetings, Ser Darkwin.”

Kael grinned. “I’ve been sent to find you, and I’ll have you know, Sel is convinced you’ve been taken by Dravens or perhaps a wild hulda.”

I snorted and shook my head.

Kael was my brother in every way but blood, and had only returned mere days before from the mandatory training every son of Jorvandal completed with the Stav Guard.

As a bone crafter, there was no mistaking Kael would receive a missive soon enough, securing him an officer rank in the guard. He would be handed a bone blade with an onyx pommel and leave again.

If he chose to join, of course.

Why wouldn’t he? Kael deserved more than Skalfirth, and I held the wretched suspicion he remained here for my sake.

He paused a few paces away, brow furrowed. “Something’s worrying you.”

I cast a glance over my shoulder. “There was a scavenger here.”

“A scavenger?” Kael tilted my chin with one knuckle. “All right?”

“I chased him off.”

“Of course you did.”

I glanced at the basket, no longer marked. “He wrote that I was a liar.”

“Lyra, you always get like this when the Stav are nearby. Let me inspect you.” With a bit of dramatics he tipped my head this way and that. “As I thought, your lies are well hidden.”

Kael was the only soul beyond gentle Gammal who knew the truth. As a boy of twelve, when he’d first discovered my curse, he made a vow with a drop of his blood never to utter a word.

He never had.

I pinched the back of Kael’s arm. “I know what I saw, you ass.”

“What would you like to do, then? Flee into the wood? Go after this scavenger and take his eyes? I’ve been tempted to try a few more brutal things with my craft.”