Chapter 60

“And you believe the bitch?” Mirri asked.

We were all in my demesne the next morning. I’d just finished telling them about my conversation with Lunythera the night before.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But the best lies have a grain of truth.” I rubbed at my temple. “The High Witan lied to me - and still told me some of the truth. They kidnapped me. They infused me with Faith. That part’s solid. The rest? I don’t know. They were evasive about their contingencies. That could be them being careful… but it felt more like either an accidental slip or deliberate misdirection. I don’t think they actually have much in the way of controlling me.”

I looked back at Mirri. “As for Lunythera… I don’t buy that her motivations are purely survival. But it’s not impossible that Brand sent you a fake vision. He’s eaten gods we don’t know about. That kind of trick could absolutely be in his wheelhouse.”

“Or,” Mirri muttered, “she’s setting you up so you get ripped apart by a tear in reality.”

“What is a wheelhouse?” Serah asked.

“It’s a…,” I started. “It means an area of expertise. I have no idea where the phrase comes from.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mirri snapped. “If you believe her, you might be walking straight into a trap.”

“And if we ignore her,” I shot back, “you might be walking into one.” I frowned. “It’s like the two brothers riddle - except both of them might be lying.”

“What riddle?” Serah asked.

I took a breath. “Two brothers guard two doors. One door leads to certain ****, the other to safety. One brother always tells the truth. The other always lies. Both brothers know what’s behind each door. How do you figure out which door to take?”

Serah went quiet, thinking.

“So what do we do, smarty pants?” Mirri asked.

“First,” I said, “we don’t go out alone. Every time we do, Brand strikes. With one exception - Ashie and Serah going to Wolfsend - he’s never attacked when we’re together.”

I paused mid-thought.

“…Did he know you two were going together?” I asked slowly. “He only tried to draw you away, Ashie.” I turned to her. “If he didn’t know Serah was coming with you… that might’ve blown his plan apart. Hek was killed the morning you left, right?”

Ashlara nodded.

“If he thought you were traveling on foot, he would’ve ambushed you not far from here.” I started pacing. “But Serah took you. That changes everything. So what if killing Hek wasn’t the plan? What if it was a Hail Mary?”

“A what?” Ashlara asked.

“A long shot,” I said. “You ruined his setup, so he had to improvise. He only had a few hours. If he expected you to walk to Wolfsend, he could’ve killed Hek at any time - before or after you started the trip. It didn’t have to be that morning.”

I kept going, the pieces clicking together as I spoke. “So instead, he rushes to Wolfsend, kills Hek, turns the guards on you, sends the warlord after you - probably to keep you busy so you don’t notice Chamberlin isn’t there. The message was a hoax. If you’d stayed, you would’ve figured it out. But Serah was with you. You handled the guards. He failed to kill you.”

I turned to Mirri. “Then you went to Reedwatch after they left. I don’t know how you got there so fast, but by then Grams had already killed the dragon-”

“Kaeloryth,” Serah said quietly.

“What?” I asked.

“The dragon’s name,” she said. “Kaeloryth. The Ashbloom.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “Did you know… him? Her? Sorry.”

She smiled gently. “Don’t be. I struggled with your kind’s genders at first. Kaeloryth was male. One of my father’s servants. Not trusted. Cruel. Arrogant.” Her lip curled in disgust. “He once sought to be my mate. I am glad my father found him lacking.”

I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “As am I.”

I looked back to the group. “So Grams kills Kaeloryth. Another plan ruined. That’s probably why he - or one of his agents - stabbed her. More pressure on Mirri. Then he sends wargs when she’s exhausted.” I shook my head. “I doubt he expected Yveth to show up.”

“He didn’t go after you, Serah. Maybe because you were with Ashie. If you ruined his plan by not even being there, that’s another failed kill.”

I took a breath. “Then he goes after the kids. Or more specifically - Lilae.”

Mirri grimaced at the memory.

“They were all in danger,” I continued, “but the focus was on her. I don’t think he expected the others to put up that much of a fight. And he definitely didn’t expect me to come back as fast as I did.” My jaw tightened. “I still don’t know how she called me - but I felt it. In my soul. And if we don’t understand how she did it, I guarantee he doesn’t either.”

“What bothers me,” I said slowly, “is that he wasn’t trying to kill her. The undead could have. One had her in its arms and was running.” I exhaled. “Was he trying to kidnap her? Use her to lure me? Or was she the point all along?”

“You think there’s somethin’ about Lilae we don’t know?” Mirri asked.

I stopped pacing as it clicked.

“No,” I said, a small smile tugging at my mouth. “I think there’s something Brand thinks he knows.”

They all looked at me.

“Lunythera said he’s guided by ignorance,” I went on. “And we already know he doesn’t have the full picture. He didn’t know Serah would go with Ashie. He didn’t know Grams had a gun. He didn’t know Lilae could call me.”

I started pacing again. “He’s making assumptions based on incomplete information. Worse - some of that information might be wrong.”

“I’m the new kid on the block,” I said. “The one he’s supposed to kill. So he studies me. How I react. What I can do. Then he sees I’m not alone - and now he needs to figure you out too. When we’re together. When we’re not. What each of you can do. How you’ll respond. He can’t ask us, so he watches. Maybe he asks around.”

I turned to Ashlara. “How many people knew about Chamberlin?”

She shrugged. “People in Wolfsend.”

“How many knew about your relationship?” I pressed.

“The kids. Maybe Hethran and his father. Maybe others.”

“Right,” I said. “So he digs. Finds fragments. No details. So he fakes a message and hopes it pulls you away. He knows Chamberlin vanished. He knows his house burned. But he doesn’t know enough to sell the lie. That letter was another Hail Mary.”

I turned to Mirri. “Then he asks about you. Reedwatch talks. Everyone knows you. Loves you. He learns about Grams. About you being a healer. Your whole life’s an open book. He thinks he’s got you figured out.”

My gaze shifted to Serah. “Same with you. He learns who your father is. Asks about the princess. Maybe even asks your father what kind of person you are. He thinks he’s got you pegged.”

I spread my hands. “But Lilae?” I shook my head. “She’s a wild card. A child. New to us. Her family’s gone. She’s survived something that should’ve broken her. She spent time with trolls - maybe that’s it. Maybe not. I don’t know.”

I stopped again. “So he thinks he understands Mirri and Serah. He’s got a rough idea of Ashie. But Lilae? And me?” I smiled thinly. “He’s guessing.”

“He knows I can use magic,” I continued. “I didn’t hide that. But I don’t think he knows I can fight. I looked pathetic against Hek. And I doubt anyone crawled out of those sewers alive to report otherwise. He knows I have Adhaneth - but not what I can do with it. He knows I’m a god, but probably not what I’m the god of.”

I looked around at them. “Only you and Elise know. And Elise hasn’t had visitors.”

The thought finally settled into place.

“So,” I said slowly, “we lie.”

“Huh?” Mirri said.

“We lie,” I repeated. “We let him think he’s figured me out. But we feed him the wrong data. He prepares for the wrong threat. Information warfare.”

“So,” Mirri said, lips curling, “he brings a sword to a knife fight and you shoot him with a bow?”

“You’re goddamn right we do,” I said.

She crossed her arms. “So what’s the lie?”

I exhaled. “I don’t know yet.” A faint smile crept in. “But it has to be close enough to the truth that he swallows it whole.”

“It doesn’t matter which brother you ask,” Serah said. “You say to either of them, ‘If I asked your brother which door leads to safety, which door would he point to?’”

Her gaze met mine and a smile graced her lips. “No matter which one you speak to, the answer is the same. They’ll both indicate the door that leads to certain ****.”

* * *

I’d never done anything like this before.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t.

I fell back on what I knew - planning, analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance. I scavenged ideas from every book and movie I’d ever consumed, every half-remembered strategy and narrative trick. I redoubled my efforts with Elise, learning everything she could teach me. We spent a week inside my demesne preparing.

Then we left, settling back into the rhythms of life at Northwatch Keep.

Grams returned to Reedwatch.

Ashlara and I went hunting. The goblins were almost certainly running low on food again, and with the demesne’s help we brought back enough to see them through the winter. I made sure everyone had what they needed.

Only then did I go to Yveth and ask her to arrange a meeting with Miralis.

I watched the great shadow of the sharp white peaks stretch longer as the sun sank behind them. The clouds were heavy and dark, the wind biting. Snow was coming. From the watchtower I could see faint chimney smoke rising from Reedwatch, the plains rolling far to the south, and the mountains hemming the world in to the north and west.

Behind me, light flickered - then flared.

I felt her Faith before she emerged, a pressure like electricity crawling up my spine. I waited a moment before turning.

Her skin was wrought of bronze, burnished and metallic orange, lighter than copper. It caught the light of the golden flames that licked across her body, making her shine as though she’d been pulled fresh from a forge. Up close, faint seams ran the length of her arms and legs. The fire burned brighter there, venting like breath from a furnace within.

She wore armor the same color as her skin - breastplate, plated skirt, greaves, small pauldrons - each piece intricately carved with swans and hounds.

Her face was angular and severe - diamond-shaped, high cheekbones, sharp nose, thin lips. Her hair was a darker bronze still, fine wires pulled back into a high ponytail and bound away from her face. Sharp bangs cut across her forehead. She might have been beautiful if she smiled. She didn’t and her expression chased away any thought of warmth.

In her hands she held a tall spear of carved dark wood, tipped with an ornate bronze head shaped like a living flame.

“Miralis,” I said. “Thank you for meeting me.”

“I’m surprised you survived the Interstitium,” she replied dismissively.

“I’m full of surprises,” I said with a smile, settling onto the low wall ringing the tower.

“Have you come to your senses?” she asked sharply.

“I’m going to kill Brand, if that’s what you mean.” I sighed lightly. “That was never in question.”

“Then why am I here?” she demanded.

“It’s not just to deliver my agreement to the High Witan,” I said. “I told you we’d talk. We’re long overdue.”

She glared.

“Let’s start simple,” I said. “Why make me your champion?”

“The High Witan was unable to provide assistance at the time. I did what I could to help you.” Her tone conveyed anything but kindness.

“And what does it mean to be a champion?” I asked.

“It means I’ve given you power to carry out my wishes.” Her gaze flicked to Adhaneth. “You carry proof of that power in your hand.”

“This doesn’t work if you’re not honest with me,” I said.

She sneered. “Mind your tongue, lest I carve it out.”

“That’s not a denial,” I replied calmly. “That’s a threat. One of the perks of my Faith is that I can sense lies. Did you know that?”

Her eyes narrowed and just for a moment, surprise slipped through.

“So let’s try again.” I smiled patiently. “You marked me. Yveth could sense it. How did you do it and what does it do?”

“A sliver of me resides within you,” she said tightly. “It grants you strength.”

“And lets you track me,” I countered.

Again, that flicker of surprise - quick, sharp.

“You’ve done this before,” I continued. “With Aldric. Probably others. How does it work? A piece of your body? Bone? Fingernail?”

“My blood,” she said at last. “It flows in your veins.”

“So I can’t remove it,” I said.

She didn’t answer.

“Then why lie about Adhaneth?” I asked.

“What lie?” she said carefully.

“It’s not really your rib. Why tell people it is?”

Her glare sharpened. “What makes you think it isn’t?”

“Other than the fact that she doesn’t like you?” I paused. She? Why did I call it she? Why had that felt right? I didn’t have time to unpack that right now.

Miralis caught the slip. Her brow furrowed.

“Yveth called her an old bone,” I went on. “Not your bone. So whose is she?”

“Why don’t you ask the old crone,” Miralis snapped, venom dripping from every word, “if you think she knows so much?”

“I did,” I said. “She wouldn’t say.”

“And neither will I.” Her tone was final. Absolute.

I smirked. “Very well. One last question.” I knew she wouldn’t answer it, but I thought I might get confirmation. “You and Yveth once shared a lover,” I said. “Who was he?”

The flames crawling over her skin flared violently, heat rolling off her in waves. “We’re done here.” She turned away.

“It was Arthyr, wasn’t it?” I called after her.

She froze. Every muscle locked. The flames guttered, nearly extinguishing.

Then she vanished.