Worldbreaker: The Mapweaver Chronicles, #5

By Kaitlin Bellamy

Winter had come early to the Highborn Mountains. Too early. It was as if the winds themselves were angry at the state of the world, and howled ever harder in rage and fear. Already the snows had begun to fall, making the roads treacherous and the chill night air bitingly painful. Trees bowed under the weight of thick icicles, their branches hanging low and occasionally snapping altogether. The sound of creaking wood and shifting stone felt ominous each time it echoed off the labyrinthine walls and filled the twisting mountain paths. As though the soldiers of the Inquisition and the Kingmaker's army had suddenly appeared behind them, ready for battle.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kaitlin Bellamy
• Release date: Jul 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223125099

Kaitlin Bellamy

Kaitlin Bellamy is a storyteller, actor, and performer living in Orlando, Florida. In between book releases, you can find her performing in local theme parks, narrating audiobooks from her home studio, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her closest friends. To keep up with all her adventures, feel free to join Kaitlin on any one of her social media platforms, or her website. You can find her on every platform as @ChaosPixieMagic

Book preview

Chapter One

Whispers on the Wind

Winter had come early to the Highborn Mountains. Too early. It was as if the winds themselves were angry at the state of the world, and howled ever harder in rage and fear. Already the snows had begun to fall, making the roads treacherous and the chill night air bitingly painful. Trees bowed under the weight of thick icicles, their branches hanging low and occasionally snapping altogether. The sound of creaking wood and shifting stone felt ominous each time it echoed off the labyrinthine walls and filled the twisting mountain paths. As though the soldiers of the Inquisition and the Kingmaker’s army had suddenly appeared behind them, ready for battle.

In any other year, Fox would have worried about the trade caravan leaving in time, the merchants trying to race the ice and the blizzards to escape the mountains through Tessoc Pass before it was too late. But this year, his concerns were far more complicated. This year, he wished and hoped and prayed with each step forward that the winds and snow would collapse every passageway behind him. That his boot prints, and those of his companions, would be the last to set foot in these mountains for a very long time. Perhaps then, the little valley he called home would be safe. Even if only for a while.

Not that prayers would be particularly helpful right now, he knew. Not since the gates to the Godlands had been closed. Shuttered tight for the gods’ own protection, and the safety of the entire world. And as for the goddess who marched alongside him, Fox knew she could no longer even muster a scrap of her own power to aid him. Lai’s vessel was, finally, empty of all magic. Try as she had to hold onto it over the past two months of their journey, the last remnants of any ocean and ice within her had faded.

Fox glanced sidelong at Lai now, as the pair stood on the precipice of the final descent down into Thicca Valley. They could just see the smoke from a dozen fireplaces curling into the air. Fox could hear the voices of miners journeying home for the night, and the distant echo of song from The Five Sides Inn and Tavern. Every part of him longed to be there, among the stories and music and comfortable familiarity. He was eager to see his parents and his baby sister. And the tavernmaster and his family, the Blackroots. But they had already traveled so far today, and Lai ...

Stop it, she growled at him through gritted teeth.

Stop what? he asked, feigning innocence. But his eyes snapped away from her again obediently.

I’m fine, she said. I can make it that far, at least. I promise.

And if you collapse halfway there? asked Fox, resisting the urge to look at her.

"Then you can carry me home on your back like an invalid, she snapped. But not a moment before that."

But despite the sharp tone of her voice, Lai’s thickly-gloved fingers reached out and twisted themselves gently through Fox’s. He squeezed her hand tight in response, a silent promise to honor her wishes. To let her pretend that everything was ... that she was ...

Come on then, said Fox. The quicker we move, the quicker we get you in front of a roaring fire with a hot bowl of stew.

"Mmmm, I do love a good stew," Lai moaned.

You keep dreaming about that, said Fox, squeezing her hand again before, regretfully, letting it go. And I’ll get the others.

He left her standing there, wrapped in her thick layers of fur that never seemed to keep her properly warm, and staring down at the valley road below.

How is she? asked Farran as Fox approached the rest of their company, several paces and a sharp turn back along the path, where they couldn’t see her. For as long as Fox had known Farran, he had never seen the former Pirate God so concerned. He no longer even bothered to hide it, the dread and anxiety as clear on his face as paint on a canvas.

She’s fighting it, Fox admitted. "But ... she does seem manageably alright. For now."

It wasn’t just Farran and Adella, Lai’s parents, whose brows were creased with worry. At every turn, as Fox surveyed his small group of travelers, he saw pain. Heartbreak.

Fear.

It was a fear that had dogged their steps since they left the desert nation of Maradwell two months ago and set off on a winding, haphazard path that had now, at last, led them back to the frozen, northern continent of Sovesta. It was not only fear for Lai, and the deteriorating state she had found herself in as her divine magic was slowly drained away, but fear for themselves. For the chaos and shadow that was already beginning to creep into every corner of the Known World, stripping humanity of any sense of routine or normalcy. A fear that they would fail.

"We haven’t failed until we’ve stopped fighting."

Fox could still remember Lai’s words of comfort, spoken to him on the darkened deck of an abandoned ship. They were just as true now, two months later, as they had been then. And so, forcing a false smile onto his face, Fox gestured for the others to finish setting their traps and to keep moving forward. It was all they could do. Just move forward, one step at a time, leaving deadly protection for the valley in their wake.

Poisons. Pitfalls. Trick pathways that led in circles. Fox’s small army of eight had filled the Tessoc Pass with all of them. Anything to slow down those who would potentially have followed them into the mountains, or those who might chase them there afterwards. How long they would last under the rapidly-worsening weather, or against the unknown power the Inquisition soldiers might wield by now, Fox couldn’t say for certain.

But they had to at least try.

Darby was finished first. He dropped down from the rocky outcropping where he’d been busy securing thin, razor-sharp choke wires, and landed heavily on both feet with a grunt.

That should take care of anyone riding in on horseback, the dwarf said, dusting off his hands and quickly shoving them back into his gloves. Just the right height to garrote a seated rider, and hopefully send their mount sprinting off in a panic.

Confusion is definitely going to be our friend out here, Fox agreed. How are the rest of them coming along?

The dwarf pointed to Inava and Brixel, who were hard at work doing something with a complicated series of wheels and gears the gnome inventor had secured to a large boulder. That odd contraption is tied to a series of netted boulders there, he pointed up toward the left side mountain wall of their pathway, and there. Another nod toward the right, where Fox could barely make out something lumpy high up overhead. If anyone triggers this mechanism’s tripwire, the nets will give way and a small controlled avalanche will bury this entire area. Those lucky enough to avoid being crushed will be forced into one of the side paths, and are almost guaranteed to find themselves lost in the unmarked caverns.

Fox clapped his old mentor on the shoulder, grinning proudly. It’s brilliant, he said. Really, remarkable work from all of you.

Darby shrugged nonchalantly, but Fox could feel the dwarf stand up a little straighter. "We’re not useless without our Blessings, he said. And then he added, in an agonizingly-casual tone that fooled no one, Shame none of us still have Blessings to aid us, though."

Fox rolled his eyes. "You know I can’t risk it. Not now ... not when we’re this close to home, where we might finally be safe!"

"So that is your plan, then? said Darby. You intend to run from Neil forever? To spend your whole life in hiding while he hunts you down like prey?"

Though none of them looked up from their work, Fox could feel the rest of them pricking up their ears, listening a little bit harder. He saw Inava’s shoulders tense somewhat as the thief cut the final rope for his intricate netting trap. He caught Bartrum, rounding the corner from where he’d been covering a deep bear pit, stopping briefly in his tracks before lowering his head to gaze pointedly at the ground.

It was the first time the sentiment had been properly asked out loud, despite all of them talking in circles around it for months. Now, the very mountainside held its breath while it waited for Fox to answer.

"I’m not hiding," said Fox slowly, forcing a deliberate and measured calm into his voice.

Funny, said Darby, "it certainly looks as though you are. You’ve brought us to the very roof of the Known World and intend to sequester yourself in your childhood home until ... until what? Until Neil finally deigns these mountains worthy of his time, and marches on them as well?"

Stop it, Fox growled. This isn’t the time, nor is it the place.

"And when we reach Thicca Valley, when we’ve sat our frozen asses down at the Five Sides and let ourselves get snowed in for the winter, will that be the time?"

Darby, said Fox warningly, but the dwarf wasn’t finished.

And when we’re all taken prisoner by the Inquisition, he pressed on, a cruel smile spreading across his cold-chapped lips, "and your precious home burned to the ground, perhaps then it will finally be time to do something more than run and hide. Or will you merely scurry off into the woods and find a cabin to hole up in?"

The wind around them was starting to pick up now, even as Fox gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in an attempt to reign it in. The others no longer bothered pretending not to listen: they were frozen in place, watching the exchange with both fear and curiosity.

I won’t let that happen, said Fox. "We’re all going to be fine. We’ll be safe. We’ll be hidden and protected, and if they come — "

"When they come, Darby corrected him. When Neil and his broken god rule everything with fear and darkness and a wicked sort of magic, at least we’ll have spent a few cozy months safe by the fire." He spat the words out like venom.

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t what Fox wanted. He just wanted to keep them all safe. To get Lai somewhere where she could recover. Then he would think of something. He could re-group, come up with a plan. He could sit and think and pull some semblance of an idea together. He just had to keep moving forward. He hadn’t failed yet ... not while they were still moving. Not while they still carried on, together. Not while they were surviving.

With one last slow, purposeful step toward his student, Darby said quietly, "I thought you were the mighty hunter. But it turns out, you’re nothing but a coward."

With a feral yell, Fox’s tenuous hold on the wind broke. Sending a flurry of ice and rock and snow flying all around them, he just barely caught it in time to save any of his companions, or their hard work, from being hit. Instead, he pulled the wind back inward, wrapping it around himself like a blanket of cold until he could absorb the furious energy that had caused the outburst once more. Then, panting from the effort and the rapidly-growing terror filling his chest, Fox froze where he stood, arms clenched tight around his own chest, half-doubled over on himself.

Did they know? Had they heard him? Felt him?

Fox listened with every part of his being, both magical and physical. He stretched his senses as far as he dared, silently begging the wind to bring him any scrap, any hint, of Neil. He waited for the vibrations of hooves, the tremor of an army changing course. He listened for the hunters, desperate to know if he’d given away their position in his moment of weakness and recklessness.

And when no one came, Fox collapsed to his knees in the snow, and buried his head in his hands.

"There it is, said Darby, his tone much kinder now. There’s your limit. Now you finally know it, maybe we can properly move forward without you being crippled by fear all the time."

Understanding began to creep across his skin, warming him slightly. You were baiting me, Fox said. His own voice sounded dull and far away, even to him. He hadn’t realized quite how tired he was ... how tired he had been for months now. Glancing up at his mentor, he could just see a playful light dancing in Darby’s eyes, and he groaned. You’ve been waiting for me to break, so you broke me yourself.

Had to, Darby admitted, a slight note of apology in his voice.

Why now? asked Fox. "Here, out in the open where there’s so much at stake — " He trailed off and gestured back to the rest of their companions, still finishing their traps and trickery even while they listened.

As opposed to when? Darby replied. Two months ago when we were back in Maradwell, fighting to pull our people off the front lines of burgeoning war and escape the desert? Or perhaps you’d rather I waited a few weeks, until we were properly at sea and fighting torrential downpours, hideous gales, and the worst storms both sailor and pirate had ever seen?

Fox opened his mouth to defend himself, but Darby wasn’t finished. "Or perhaps, said the dwarf firmly, you’d have rather dealt with this when the rest of our company started losing their own magic, bit by bit. As we faded and you stayed strong, should I have brought it up? When the world began to tear apart at the seams, should I have driven you even closer to a dangerous brink that might have shattered you altogether?"

The guilt Fox had barely been containing for two months now flooded his stomach like rains running through the valley in spring. It threatened to drown him from the inside out, and he buried his face in his hands once more.

I didn’t — he began miserably.

I know, said Darby. "But you’re about to walk down into that pocket of ice and familiar faces, and they’re going to laud you as a hero. They’re going to turn to you for advice, for answers. For rescue. They’re going to expect you to save them, and whether or not you believe you can, they need you to stay strong as you look them in the eye."

You mean as I lie to them? Tell them I have answers?

Perhaps, said Darby, and Fox could feel him shrug beneath his heavy layers of fur, the air around him shifting ever so slightly. "But they cannot see you break. In this one place, where hope has yet to be extinguished, you dare not be the final light that goes out."

Thicca Valley was still a lengthy walk down the rapidly-freezing mountain road. And yet, Fox could hear it. Smell it. Sense it, with every part of himself.

Home.

It did not matter that war raged in the neighboring countries. It did not matter that magic had been stripped from the bloodlines of the Blessed and had begun to drain away from certain parts of the very Known World itself. Here, in the already-barren land of Sovesta, nothing much seemed to have changed. Even the early onset of winter was not enough to drown the scent of spiced cider on the air, or the mouth-watering tingle of hot venison stew boiling away at the Five Sides. Fox could hear the lively music on the air, and almost feel the warmth of the massive fire pit on his face.

Every tree, creaking beneath the ice on their branches. Every goat and sheep bleating sleepily in their cozy stables. Every crunch of snow beneath a farmer’s boot as he went about his rounds for the night, or else trudged to the heart of the valley to join his friends at the tavern. Fox could hear it all, flitting to him on a helpful and eager wind. A wind he had been doing his best to ignore for the better part of two months. Only reaching out when he had to, to keep them safe. Only using his own Blessing in the smallest, simplest, least-noticeable ways, in case Neil was watching.

In case Zevik was waiting for him in the shadows.

At even the thought of his name, unbidden whispers found their way to Fox’s ears, filling his head with terror and fear from all across the Known World.

Zevik and his armies are marching on Elvador.

The New God ... is it true he’s deciding who is worthy of their magic?

I can’t ... I can’t use my Blessing anymore. Phiira has forsaken us. Only Zevik remains.

"They’re here ... the Inquisition is here. Thomas, RUN!"

"Fox!"

Fox jumped at the touch on his shoulder, automatically scampering back in fear. But it was only Lai, who looked at him now with worry in her gaze.

I’m fine, Fox lied quickly.

What did you hear this time? she asked, not believing his false words of comfort for a moment.

Doesn’t matter, Fox insisted, trying and failing to block out the screams of the far distant people in his head. Innocent, helpless people, their towns and nations and cities being overrun by Neil, Zevik, and their power-mad army of ill intentions.

But not here. Not in Thicca Valley. Not yet, and not as long as Fox could stand between his home and his enemies. He didn’t have a plan. He barely had the nerve to keep putting one foot in front of the other ... but he still had his magic. And all the guilt in the world over maintaining his own Blessing while countless others lost theirs would do nothing to help them survive. No matter how badly Fox sometimes wished he had lost it, too. If only so that he could truly, once and for all, be able to ignore the screams of everyone he couldn’t save.

Darby clapped him on his other shoulder, and Fox felt his own spine straighten somewhat at the touch. Thank you, he told the dwarf. I needed that.

I know you did, said Darby. And now, you need to put on a show of confidence like you’ve never done before. They need to see you as the hero who can end this.

Fox chuckled somewhat. If only Radda were here, he said. That man is a genius at playacting the boastful champion. And then he winced, another twinge of guilt and fear trying to dig into him once more. Radda. The Shavid ... all of them were still out there. They had refused to abandon the front lines in Maradwell when Fox had begged, pleaded with them to come. To run. To hide while they thought up a better plan. Now, Fox did not know how many of his old traveling troupe lived or died. How many were imprisoned. How many had started to go mad as they lost their own connection to the breezes and zephyrs that gave them their powers.

For a moment, Fox thought he could hear that familiar booming laugh, triumphant and warm. But then the wind shifted, and it was gone.

It’s just a show, he whispered. More to himself than to his companions, now finally finished with their work and gathering behind him. I can put on a show ... for them. For the valley.

You can, and you will, said Darby. Sometimes, leaders have to lie.

Same as captains, said Farran.

And thieves, Inava added, making them all chuckle.

"Not quite the same, I think, said Fox. But I take your point. All of you."

With one last deep breath of bitter cold mountain air, Fox took a step forward. Lai slipped her hand in his, and he took another. With every stride closer to Thicca Valley they came, it got easier to pretend. To hold his head high, like a returning legend instead of a terrified seventeen-year-old boy.

By the time the bells in Thicca Valley Square began to ring out, signaling their arrival to the rest of the town, Fox couldn’t hear the whispers on the wind any longer. As though the mountain breeze itself had known they would be too painful for Fox in this moment. Too distracting. Not when he was about to step onto the stage, raise the curtain, and perform this fresh show of unwarranted confidence for everyone.

As the crowds began to rush out into the streets, eager to welcome Fox and his companions home, he turned to the eight of them one last time. Shall we tell them a story, then? he asked.

Aye, a grand tale, said Farran eagerly, a fresh spark in his eye at the promise of a warm tavern and strong drink.

A story worth hearing, said Darby.

"A story worth believing in, said Lai, squeezing Fox’s hand as tightly as she could in her weakened state. Like we believe in you."

And before doubt or worry could settle into Fox’s heart again, they were surrounded by townsfolk ushering them into the tavern. The moment the door of the Five Sides shut behind them, the winter storm finally broke over the valley in earnest. Almost as if it had been waiting for them.

Chapter Two

The Siren and The Monster

Lai was immediately torn from Fox’s side by her family and, surprisingly, Tala. She was shocked to find the pirate captain here, of all places, but couldn’t find a moment to question it as she was rushed upstairs and ushered into her old room.

Come on, love, said Rose. Let’s get you out of these wet things – you’ll freeze to death!

I’ll get the fire going, said Tala at once.

Move on, I’ll do it quicker, said Borric, squeezing into the room behind them and bending over the dusty fireplace tucked into Lai’s wall.

Can I help? asked Picck from the door, watching nervously as his wife tried to help Lai out of her snow-soaked boots.

Before any of them could answer, Lai grunted, "Yes you can help, you lazy piece of twig! Go back downstairs and see the kitchen isn’t overrun! We can’t have all the tavern staff stuck up here!"

For a moment, her cousin looked shocked at the force with which Lai ordered him out. And then he grinned broadly at Borric. So, clearly she’ll be fine then?

Borric chuckled. Seems that way doesn’t it? Go on, do as she says.

You should go too, said Tala firmly as Picck waved and disappeared back down the hall. She put a familiar, companionable hand on Borric’s massive shoulder, making Lai frown at the pair of them for a moment. Then her attention was torn away as one of her boots was finally pulled free, and she yelped as feeling suddenly began to return to her near-frozen toes and feet.

Sorry! said Rose.

It’s fine, Lai moaned. "I’d just forgotten how much cold can hurt for a normal person and not an ice goddess of piracy."

Rose halted in her unlacing of the second boot, and looked up, eyes wide. What happened? she gasped.

I – Lai swallowed, and looked pleadingly to Tala for help. She hadn’t realized – hadn’t stopped to think – that people here might not truly know what the state of the world meant for someone like Lai. Tala must know that magic had begun to fade, but how much had she told everybody else?

Borric, too, looked far more worried than he had when he’d come in. But as the massive bear-sized man tried to take a step toward his adopted daughter, Tala held him back.

She needs to change, and to rest, the siren said. "There’s much to talk about, and I’m certain Fox can answer many of your questions. But for now, your tavern needs you. The rest of them, just arrived, need you. Let us take care of Lai."

Borric’s shoulders sagged somewhat, but he nodded. "Can I at least hug my own daughter before I’m kicked out?"

Without waiting for an answer, Lai held out her arms to him, and Borric crossed to her side in two long steps. He sat beside her on the bed and wrapped her in a warm, tight embrace. He hugged her as though she were just a small child again, coming to him in tears because she’d broken a favorite toy or hurt herself falling from something. Borric hugged her so tightly, Lai could hardly breathe. But she didn’t care. She didn’t care that she was about to cry, or collapse from the cold. She let her father’s arms and chest envelop her until he finally pulled away, clearing his own throat and sniffing heartily.

It’s good to have you home, Laila, he said gruffly, a sparkle of moisture in his eyes as he smiled down at her.

"Good to be home, Da."

Finally, the tavernmaster saw himself out, closing the door behind him.

To her credit, Rose said nothing as she helped Lai finish undressing, although Lai could tell she wanted to. After all, she had questions of her own for Tala and her cousin-in-law. But first, Lai allowed herself to be stripped and dried, then bundled again in fresh clothes as the fire was quickly built and filled the room with a warmth Lai had not felt in weeks. It was only once Lai felt her shakes begin to subside and the feeling start returning to her face and hands that she looked up at the other two women expectantly.

Nobody seemed to know where to begin, nor what to ask first. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence as they all stared around at one another, Lai began to laugh, bursting the bubble of tension that seemed to have settled around them all.

Oh, come here! said Lai, reaching out to both of them. In an instant, both Rose and Tala had piled onto the bed alongside Lai, swaddling her in hugs of their own as they all giggled like little children playing a game. In that moment, for the first time in her life, Lai thought this must be what it was like to have sisters. Before now, the closest she had ever felt to such familial companionship was —

Gully. Lai’s own laughter faltered as she remembered the redhead she’d let die in her arms, and she held tighter automatically to the other two. It would be fine. This would all be fine. It had to be.

It had to be.

Go on, then! said Lai, trying to force a cheerful optimism into her voice. This was all a show, after all. If Fox had to play his part, then so did she. "Tell me everything! Everything at all that I’ve missed! Starting with you, she said, rounding on Tala. When in Spirit’s name did you get here? And why?"

Tala propped herself up on one elbow and stretched out across the length of the bed. Been here almost since the start. I felt the shift in the magical balance of the world long before everyone else started to notice. The siren pirate sighed and twisted a long strand of her deep teal hair between her fingers. "It’s one of the many double-edged swords that comes with being in my unique position. Sailing between worlds, using the very magic of the realms to travel and hunt and fight ... comes in handy, but I can feel when something’s wrong more than most."

She glanced at Lai, and her face softened. I’ll wager you’re feeling something a mite worse than all that now though, aren’t you?

Lai grimaced. It’s hard to put words to. My body is ... fighting me. It aches in places that can’t be soothed, I’m exhausted all the time, and my head ... She closed her eyes, trying to breathe through a fresh surge of dizziness.

"What happened to you? asked Rose, stroking Lai’s hair back from her face gently. You looked two steps from the grave when they brought you in."

In a way, I am, said Lai before she could stop herself. She bit her lip, thinking hard. Yes, there were parts of this story they needed to spin carefully. Hope that they needed to sow, and triumphs to promise. But there were some things, even the darker things, that still needed to be said. And so, opening her eyes and forcing herself to sit up a bit straighter, Lai said carefully, The doors to the Godlands have closed. Completely, and utterly. All gates have been lowered, all roads cut off, and things have begun ... She swallowed, cutting herself off before she said unraveling. Instead, she settled on, Changing.

And for people like you — Rose began, but then trailed off. As if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the truth.

"There are no other people like me, said Lai. No other Godkin who have inherited their own divine right left in this realm, if there ever were any to begin with. Every other god was shut away on the other side, safely in their own world. But I’m still here."

Nothing like this has ever happened before, said Tala. "Gods go through changes all the time, of course. Their very countenances can shift as their believers and followers do. It’s how Farran went from being a god of sailors to a god of pirates. But this?"

"Everything about this is unprecedented, said Lai, nodding. Not just in regards to me, but all across the Known World."

Downstairs, Lai could hear the raucous cheering of the pub, its patrons enjoying something like a bawdy joke or a grand heroic tale. Presumably, Fox had begun spinning his own stories for their enjoyment, and Lai knew she ought to do the same. But there was something about lying to her own family that gave her pause. She could be honest, fully and completely honest, with Rose and Tala, couldn’t she?

But in her heart, Lai knew she couldn’t. If Fox was expected to lie to his own parents, to play-act and pretend to be some grand savior of magic and order, then Lai could swallow her own discomfort. And so, as the warmth of her familiar bedroom fireplace began to melt her frozen insides, Lai began to catch them up as best she could. She told them what they needed to know about the state of the world, and the magic being drained from its very roots. But she glossed over the more painful details. The hopelessness. The depth of the fear permeating the souls of people in every corner of the mortal realm. She avoided telling them that the gods were afraid, instead choosing to spin that part of her story to make it seem as though the gods had shuttered themselves away to protect their followers. For the good of humanity.

Tala watched her as she spoke, a keen and thoughtful eye trained on her the entire time. And though Lai did her best to sound confident and honest, something in the siren captain’s gaze made Lai wonder if she didn’t question the entire thing. If she did, however, Tala said nothing. And Rose, wide-eyed and fascinated through every twist and turn of the story, did not seem to suspect a thing.

The shakes and shivers seemed to subside somewhat as Lai spoke. It was as if her body, despite its current state of unravelment, remembered the childhood hours spent telling stories beneath this very roof, in the dead of Deep Winter. Like a retired soldier picking up a sword for the first time in a decade and finding his muscles still remembered the weight of the blade perfectly. For nearly an hour, the very wood in the walls seemed to vibrate with her voice, traveling through the structure of the inn like running water, and ultimately echoed in the shouts and cheers from down below. Lai and Fox might have been telling their tales in tandem, the way the audience in the tavern reacted to moments Lai was portraying. As though an invisible thread linked the pair of them like marionettes, and helped them perform as a synchronized unit even while they were rooms apart.

It was only when Lai reached the part about Neil’s betrayal that she finally faltered. Her voice caught in her throat, and she began to shiver once more beneath her blankets, despite no longer feeling cold.

Oh, you poor dear! said Rose at once, clearly mistaking Lai’s distress for illness and exhaustion. We’ve been making you talk all night without a moment on your own!

Rose stood, her slender frame all business. You stay. I’ll go check on the boys and make sure Rivena’s put to bed properly. And I’ll be back with some hot soup for you, love.

Lai nodded her thanks, and smiled softly at her cousin-in-law. But as Rose shut the door behind her with a muted click, Tala rounded on her.

You’re hiding something, she said at once.

Of course I’m not, said Lai, trying to at least put up a halfhearted fight. But the siren captain folded her arms and cocked a single eyebrow, her face the very picture of insulted disbelief.

Do you think I’m stupid? Tala asked. "I’m not like your valley-locked family, who have never been past the Highborns in their lives. I’m not just another tavern patron who’s never seen or felt or possessed magic running through their very blood before! And what’s more is, I’m connected to you. In a way none of the rest of them are."

Lai blinked, frowning at Tala. Was that ... was the captain of the Hunt, the strongest woman Lai had ever known or had the honor of sailing with, crying?

Gently, Lai reached out from her cocoon of blankets and furs, and slipped her fingers between Tala’s. I have never thought you stupid, Lai assured her. "And I don’t mean to lie to you ... I’m just ... we were trying to protect everyone. To let them hold onto hope."

And that’s fine for the rest of them, said Tala, a slight wobble in her voice that she managed to swallow down again quickly. "But not with me. Never with me. You have not only been my student and my friend, my captain ... you are also my goddess. You are the queen of all pirates, and with that comes my sword and my loyalty. Whatever the cost."

Lai hung her head. "I’m not a goddess anymore, Tala. Not a captain. Just ... just Lai again."

With her free hand, Tala reached out to grip Lai’s chin and force her to look up once more. The tears were gone, replaced by a ferocity that made Lai envious. "But you are, said Tala firmly. Magic or not, you are the Pirate Goddess. You are the one they will sing songs to, the one who will continue to garner their praise and devotion. And you will always be a captain, even if you haven’t a crew."

Even if I haven’t a ship?

Even then, said Tala. "Now, tell me what happened. The truth, this time."

With a shaky breath, Lai said, Neil happened. We meant to tell his story like he’d been possessed. Enchanted. Taken over by this wicked force of darkness and fear. But the truth is he betrayed us. All of us. And ... and it broke Fox’s heart.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Lai launched into the second half of her tale. She amended some of her earlier bits, letting Tala in on just how dire the situation truly was. At one point, Rose dipped in again with a full tray of hot food and drink, and then disappeared once more. And even as Lai ate, shoveling deliriously-good venison and potatoes into her mouth, she kept going. Scared to stop her story now that she’d properly begun. She told Tala everything from the fear in the Moon Goddess Aledrina’s eyes to the harsh reality of what terror Zevik could infect the world with. She told her of the final boon of magic granted to her, and how she’d had to use it all up. And with that, finally, she told the story of their last encounter with Neil.

"After Fox and I made it to the Frostfire, we had to act fast, she said, taking a moment to down a hearty sip of spiced, warm cider. My borrowed magic was rapidly draining, and Fox was barely recovered from his own burst of power, re-shaping the deserts to bring us to the battlefront. I used what I could to bring my pirates back to me and prep the ship to sail at once. Lucky for him, Inava was connected enough to me and my crew, being my first mate and all, that he magically came when called as well. My song pulled him back from the library at Maradwell University before any harm could come to him by Neil and Zevik. According to him, my timing was ... the word he used was  ‘immaculate.’"

"You pulled him out during his capture, then?" said Tala with a small smile.

"He claims they had him in irons already, at knife-point," said Lai, grinning back in spite of herself.

Sounds like a proper pirate escape to me, said Tala.

Lai nodded. If only I’d been able to work my magic with the rest of them. Pushing back against her own guilt at what she hadn’t been capable of in those moments, Lai carried on with her story. "With Maradwell University days away, and the rest of our friends on the front lines of the growing battle, we had some hard choices to make. Where to go next. How best to help. To save them.

But we knew this war would not stop with them. There were, and are, bigger things at stake than our own loved ones. So, with the help of my crew, we spread word through Kiyaki, the portside town we were docked in, of what was happening at the capital.

And the townsfolk believed you?

At this, Lai smiled once more, a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire or furs filling her chest at the memory. "Aye, they did. These strangers believed in me and Fox as though we were incapable of lying. When they recognized us as The Fox and the Pirate Queen, their loyalty ... it bordered on reverence. Eager to help and quick to listen, they were ready to do anything we asked without question."

I take it your growing reputations reached them? asked Tala, shifting so her back was cushioned more comfortably by a handful of soft pillows. "I recall hearing such tales myself, while the Hunt still sailed."

"That may have helped, but truly it was my crew, said Lai fondly. Turns out the Luckless spent their shore leave telling stories about us. Both of us! They told everyone who would listen that they sailed with the new pirate goddess, on her magic ship of ice and adventure. They spoke of how Fox could move the very sea to suit his needs, and those stories quickly blended with the whispered tales that had already been spreading about the famous mapweaver trying to save the world."

"And all in that one port town, said Tala, a touch of awe in her voice. That’s a powerful sort of magic in and of itself, lass. I don’t know much about stories, not like Darby and the others do, but I do understand the magic of the bigger things that make up this world. Things like the very elements the Daughters of Ralith, or the Shavid, are bound to. And things like the gods that rule them."

Tala reached over to the tray perched on Lai’s lap, and snagged a sweet sticky bun for herself. Then, mouth full, she nodded for Lai to continue.

You’re right, it was, said Lai. "Even with my own connection to divinity fading fast, I could feel the swell of ... it was almost like worship. That faith they all had that we could get them through whatever came next. It gave us both the strength to carry on those next few days. To push through the exhaustion and the fear and the worry. And the town kept up as well, never flagging in their eagerness to fight back against the rising darkness.

"So, we used them. Those that were fast. Those that could ride or run or sail quickly to neighboring cities and towns, we sent as messengers. To spread the word about Zevik and Neil, and warn that the dead were rallying to fight at their sides. We did everything we could to get ahead of the oncoming flood of panic that was sure to fill the Known World. We figured arming people with truth, even if we didn’t have anything else to offer right away, would at least be a start."

Lai could hear another burst of laughter and applause from downstairs, and it suddenly felt jarring in comparison to her own tale. She wondered if Fox were telling the same moments right now, simply under a performer’s light. He might be spinning the Kiyaki town company into a message of rallying hope and triumph, while Lai simply told the facts straight to Tala.

Even the painful ones.

She swallowed hard, and continued with a slight tremor in her voice. "For days, we built up a crew. The start of an army, or ... or a something. People who wanted to be ready to fight to protect their homes began to rally into militias and mobs. Others that just wanted to flee banded together on ships that sailed out almost at once. Fox gave every one of them a map to someplace safe and far away, trying to give them the best chance to escape without being dragged into a war."

Did he send them here? asked Tala. "I’d imagine since you all came this way, it’s gotta be at least safe enough ... but no one else has come through."

Lai shook her head. "We briefly talked about it, but Sovesta has its own unique challenges. The nation is already on the brink of collapse any given winter, and while most of the people would happily open their hearts and homes to refugees? There are other places more well-equipped with food and shelter. No, he sent them ... well, quite a lot he sent to our islands."

"He what?! shouted Tala, jumping to her feet. Lai could have sworn she heard the pub downstairs fall still for a moment as the siren’s furious yell vibrated the very lumber of the inn. Tala lowered her voice slightly before she spoke again, but it was with the same growl of borderline scandal and insult. You sent civilians to our pirate islands, full of treasure and trinkets that we rightfully hunted and won – "

And plenty of food, said Lai calmly. "And supplies, usually for patching up ships without heading to port, but helpful in other emergencies. Not to mention most of them have caves that are perfect for makeshift homes, she added, ticking things off on her fingers one by one, caches of weaponry, fishing nets, and the best ones are so scattered that they won’t be worth Zevik’s time. Even if he does find out where they went."

Tala glared down at her, teeth gritted in a painful-looking snarl. "Those islands are a place of refuge. A haven for pirates on the run, and some of them might be on the run even now. What happens when they descend on somewhere that’s meant to be a safe place to wait out the coming storm, only to find it taken over by people who would sooner turn them over to the king to be hanged than so much as shake their hand."

"Most of these people are from a port town, Lai countered. Surely they’re more than used to dealing with pirates as well as sailors. They got on well enough with my crew."

"During shore leave, Tala spat, starting to pace the room now in frustration. Landfolk are always more willing to stay quiet when we’re filling their coffers with our coin. But take that transaction away, step one boot out of line, and they’ll throw any pirate in jail to let him rot without a second’s hesitation."

Lai shook her head in firm protest. "Not these people. They believed in us, remember? They trusted us, trusted me. And the pirates by extension. These people weren’t like that."

"All people are like that eventually, said Tala bitterly. She stopped by the fireplace and reached out to grip the mantlepiece, staring into the flames. Lai could just see the flickering glow bouncing off the scales that framed and accented her face. The play of shadow and light made Tala look somewhat haunted ... or perhaps it was her stance, and the way she gazed at the embers as though they were vessels for long-forgotten memories. This thing, she said finally, speaking directly into the fireplace rather than looking back at Lai. It doesn’t just spread fear, it preys on it. Every monster has a method, a favorite attack that’s in their nature, even the humanlike ones. And this one has shown us what he’s capable of from the very start, back when he was only a feeling trapped in shadow and smoke."

Lai had always thought Tala fierce and formidable. She had seen the pirate captain fight like a creature out of stories and song, and watched her command the crews that sailed beneath her flag with a confidence and authority Lai was envious of to this day. She had seen Tala in various states of anger and frustration, of pure joy and drunken revelry. She had seen the siren charm her way into places and lie her way out of them, all with a cool head and an unshakable swagger to her step. And yet ... the look in Tala’s eyes as she glanced halfway back again to meet Lai’s own was a new sensation entirely. Something at once calculating and feral. Like a wild animal on the brink of breaking free from its captors, ready to leave nothing but destruction in its wake as soon as it found the right way out.

Dormant monsters are one thing, Tala continued, half her face now glowing with firelight, the other half shadowed as she stared unblinkingly at Lai. "A dragon in its den may be a nuisance, nothing more than a hunt waiting to begin. But a rampaging monster fights with a fury that can re-shape the very world. And it will reign chaos down on everything it touches until it is stopped. Until it is slain."

The siren pirate’s eyes were impossibly deep. Deep, and shifting. How had Lai never noticed before? Had they always changed color like that, whenever Tala blinked? One moment they were a piercing, icy blue, and the next they were grey. Then black as night, with barely a spark of compassion within them.

"I know monsters, Tala said, even her voice now making the hairs on the back of Lai’s neck prickle and stand on end. And I have seen all too often what men do when faced with one even half as powerful and dangerous as this false god. Zevik will prey on the fear of every weak-minded mortal, and they will turn on each other. One by one, even the purest of men will abandon their decency in a cowardly attempt at self-preservation, and the nations will fall beneath Zevik’s fear."

So you would abandon all hope, then? said Lai, surprised at how strong and confident her own voice sounded, even as she found herself wanting to shy away from Tala’s presence. "You would let everyone die, on the possibility that some of them will crumble under Zevik’s influence? Or, she said, a twisted and humorless smile creeping onto her face, are you saying none of the pirates out there are strong enough to handle an island of civilians, even should they rise up against them? Not even your crew?"

Whatever cage had been containing Tala’s animalistic rage shattered, and in an instant the siren had drawn her sword and charged at Lai. With a shout, Lai scrambled backward against her pillows and tried to escape the cocoon of blankets and furs, but it was too late. Tala, nearly unrecognizable in her fury, grabbed her by the throat with her free hand, pointing the tip of her cutlass blade directly at Lai’s heart with the other.

"How dare you speak of my children like that? Tala hissed. Her voice was raw, her rhythm and cadence nothing like Lai had ever heard her speak. They are my chosen tribe, my daughters. And you dare insult them with your half-breed tongue? The sea may have accepted you, but I will not be swayed so easily."

Lai couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think straight ... nothing Tala said was making any sense! It didn’t even sound like her. Panic began to flood Lai’s brain as she scratched and clawed at Tala’s arm, trying to get loose. What if Tala had been possessed by Zevik, too, and Lai had been telling her everything like a fool! What if her words had not been a prediction, but a promise. His promise, to spread destruction through fear until everyone became the worst versions of themselves.

Or, something in Lai’s head whispered cruelly even as she gasped for air that wouldn’t come, maybe she had never known Tala as well as she thought she did. Maybe this was the real Captain Talathiel, and she was finally fulfilling some personal quest. Whatever the case, one thing was certain: Tala was going to kill her.

Chapter Three

Gathered and Gone

Fox’s voice was raw by the time he finished regaling the tavern with his adventures. With some difficulty, he managed to extricate himself from the crowd and make his way to a table in the corner, where he sank gratefully onto a bench and let the swelling of noise in the room drown out his own thoughts for a moment.

For the most part, all he’d told them was true. He’d thrilled them with the tale of Lai’s ascension into godhood – some of which they had already heard from Cullen – and the siege on Cinderstone Fortress. He painted a perfectly horrifying picture of the darkness thing they now knew as Zevik, and watched the audience’s faces glow with pride each time Fox talked of thwarting the creature. It was a strange sensation, being the hero of an epic fireside tale he himself was telling ... strange, but oddly comforting at the same time. The warmth of the room and the familiar valley community tucked within it stoked Fox’s own flame enough for him to nearly enjoy himself. In fact, he even let his own magic out to play a bit as he spoke, using the smoke and sparks from the fire pit to craft maps in mid-air, and shifting the wind around him to fit the mood. It was slow and still when his story was calm, and then whipped up into a frenzy that set his clothes and hair rippling when he spoke of great battles, daring escapes, and near misses.

But the moments he had left out or carefully adapted were the most telling. And each time he did, he could feel his closest companions tense somewhat, scattered as they were throughout the room by now. As Fox spun Neil’s betrayal to make it sound as though their friend was merely enchanted or bewitched, he caught Inava’s jaw clench, and watched the thief cross his arms in bitter frustration. He noticed an uncomfortable shift in Farran’s shoulders when he talked about the Godlands being sealed off, underplaying all the while what that truly meant for the world around them. And even Darby wouldn’t meet his eye as Fox promised the tavern, with a false confidence that tasted sour in his mouth, that he and his companions could fix this. That he had a plan. That he, Forric Foxglove, the Fox, the legendary Cartomancer, could save them all.

Now, the shared energy and enthusiasm from his captive audience finally focused elsewhere, Fox felt his own exhaustion beginning to sink in. He closed his eyes and let himself rest against the solid, comforting wood of the Five Sides wall. He wanted to disappear. To go upstairs and check on Lai, even though he had been assured she was being well taken care of. He wanted to go home to his family’s cabin, crawl up into his old bedroom nook, and sink into a long and dreamless sleep. But he knew Father was off on one of his last hunting trips before the caravan, and probably holed up from the storm in one of his many trapping lodges. Mother would be busy with Fox’s baby sister Kit, and after all ... that old nook was probably hers now, anyway.

The caravan. Fox sat upright again in an instant, eyes flying open as the thought hit him like a boulder. They couldn’t go. Not safely, anyway. Sovesta was the one place war hadn’t begun to spread yet, and even that felt like only a matter of time ... but for all their strengths, both physical and otherwise, none of the waresmen had ever been in a proper battle. Thicca Valley may have been developing and training a militia for the past few years, but it wasn’t enough to protect an entire trading caravan of goods for the whole of the Merchant’s Highway. And even if it was ... who would be buying?

Who would be left to buy anything at all?

Fox had never been in a war. Not like this. He had trained as a spymaster and sailed alongside pirate captains. He had learned to hunt and trap and kill, and had slain enemies both bestial and human. With or without his Blessing, Fox had faced many dangers in the Known World and beyond throughout his teenaged years ... but while he may have studied military strategy and read books on the subject of real and proper war, even he could not begin to imagine what it might truly mean. All he knew was that they were not ready for it. None of them were.

He shut his eyes again, trying to lose himself in the chaos of the tavern, but it was too late. The wind, ever eager to bring him the sounds and sensations it constantly gathered, was already fetching him scraps of faraway lands at the mere thought of war. He could almost see the scenes imprinted in the darkness behind his eyelids. For a moment, Fox tried to fight it. But then, his exhaustion took him over and Fox sank back, letting his senses drift away into the windswept night.

Fear. Everywhere he turned, every smell and sound and taste was tinged with the inexplicable but unmistakable tingling of fear. It was in the sweat of commoners running from their homes, only to be hunted down and caught by armies of undead soldiers. It was in the shouts of military units, their knights determined to be brave even against this force they’d never imagined fighting. For some, it was in the horrified cry of being asked to cut down the skeleton of a long-dead loved one, now risen and turning on them. It was on the smoke in the air from raging fires that burned temple after temple, reducing every memory of the old gods to rubble and ash one by one.

There were more fleeting moments than Fox could keep up with, and they came from everywhere. Mountains, desert, sea ... soon he stopped trying to catalogue them and simply let them be. He had learned some time ago that stories on the wind needed to be heard, and he was often nothing more than a finely-tuned vessel. And ... and at the moment, he seemed to be one of the only vessels. Whether any of the Shavid still clung to the last remnants of their magic, Fox did not know. But the feelings of emptiness and sorrow that met him on the wind did not do much to inspire confidence in that possibility.

When the deluge of emotions had finally stilled, Fox took a deep, calming breath, and opened his eyes once more.

Any news we should know? asked Darby, now sitting across the table from him.

All is very much the same as it has been, said Fox. "Skirmishes and isolated battles here and there all across the Known World,