The Heartforger spread his hands. “Your guess is as good as mine. But if it’s a trap, it’s likely a trap for the Drychta. Why she wants us there, on the other hand, is a complete mystery to me.”

“Hold!”

Lord Fox turned warily as a soldier rushed forward. A hasty conversation commenced, and Lord Fox frowned. “It’s unusual to see so many of them here,” he mused. “I’ve only seen two before, and that was when they presented Mykkie and Tea with Chief and Kismet.”

“It’s best to see what they want, Fox,” Lady Zoya said. “We cannot linger for too long.”

“They” turned out to be a group of Gorvekai. They waited respectfully while Lord Fox rode forward to greet them. Despite the heat, they remained garbed in thick woolen furs, though they took off their traditional caps as a concession. Their leader cantered forward.

“You are the General Pahlavi,” he said. “Sister to the Dark asha and royal consort to the princess of Kion.”

“What do you want with us, milord? As you can see, we are in a hurry.”

“Perhaps it would be best then that we come with you to the southern edges of Odalia, to aid King Kance.”

“You are knowledgeable of both our movements and our objectives, sir?”

“My name is Agnarr, the first of my clan. The Gorvekai have come to pledge our assistance in your war against the Drychta. We are here to see our prophecies come to pass.”

“And what prophecy is that, Sir Agnarr?”

The man smiled. “The prophecy of the shadowglass, General Pahlavi. Your sister came to us once, seeking its spell as many have done before her. For so long we have kept to our community along the Ice Knife, waiting for one who might be worthy to wield it. We have pledged our service and our loyalty to Little Tears’s seed, and now she has bade us to aid you in your battle against both Druj and the Drychta that the Faceless compels.”

15

“Th-this wasn’t exactly what I h-had in mind when I asked for a ch-change of scenery!” Likh chattered against my ear as we clambered off the azi. We had traded the mild Yadoshan climate for the bone-chilling winters of Istera, but the capital city of Farsun was not our destination. Instead, we had flown farther north, onto the Gorvekan steppes. The wind was harsh and biting, and not even the warmest cloaks we’d brought for the journey nor the Fire runes Kalen manifested to warm us could counteract the cold.

Already a group of Gorvekai gathered, watching us silently. They wore their cloak pelts loosely, but generations spent in the harshest climate meant their bodies were toughened by weather. They had no heartsglass that I could see, but I fancied they were more curious of us than anything else.