“No. There are trials Dark asha must agree to take before we impart our knowledge. She knew nothing.” His eyes settled on mine. “You are the first to come to us armed with that knowledge. Have you come to volunteer?”

“What would she be volunteering for exactly?” Kalen asked suspiciously.

“There are two key components of shadowglass—the light and the dark. To attain the light, the essence of the Five Great Heroes must be distilled into a silver heart. We have perfected a technique over the centuries, which allows us to forge one without taking a life.” He looked at Khalad. “I believe, Heartforger, that you and your master, Narel, had discovered our method.”

Khalad nodded, awed. “It only looks easy in hindsight.”

“The other is the dark, and that is a far more dangerous route, one that only Dark asha can safely create.”

I nodded slowly. The words came easy from memory. “Present yourself with a heartsglass of black, where love’s blood had shed over, and seven daeva’s bezoars. Boil the stones separately, and drink a vial’s worth of their waters. Weave Compulsion in the air; its heart shall reveal itself to you. Take it into your heartsglass—”

“And be born anew,” Agnarr finished. “The process will not be gentle.” He smiled at the incredulity on our faces. “We are all connected. Sea and sky can influence each other, though they never meet. The words you speak come from the same legends we honor.”

Wordlessly, Khalad rose and went to our packs, rummaging until he found a heavy pouch. Returning, he upended its contents on the ground. Bezoars rolled out. The taurvi’s stopped beside my foot.

“Where did you get this, Khalad?” I gasped.

“From the Dawnseed apothecary. Mistress Salika’s mother suffered from the early stages of dementia, and she was kind enough to give me the remains of the taurvi’s bezoar in exchange for a healthy heartsglass. And here is the aeshma’s from the year before, and the bezoar of the savul you fought in Daanoris. And of course, the zarich’s from Istera, and the nanghait’s from Yadosha.”

“But how did you get all these?” I asked.

“First Minister Stefan didn’t care about the nanghait bezoar, quite frankly. King Rendorvik offered the zarich’s back to me. And as for Empress Alyx…” Khalad cleared his throat. “She doesn’t know. I swore Salika to secrecy.”

“Khalad!” Likh gasped.

“They imprisoned Tea, Likh. I knew the elders would seek it out sooner or later. I couldn’t talk to Alyx without one of them in attendance, so I took it before they could.”

“And the aeshma?” Kalen asked. “It was slain in Odalia, Khalad. By rights, Kance was supposed to have it.”

Khalad sighed. “He gave it to me two months ago, when I visited him last. He thought it would be more beneficial in Tea’s hands than in his.”

“Kance said that?” I whispered.