A week later and we were still walking through the countryside headed southeast.

Kuro had said that we could find shelter in some country bordering Algrustos, a place called Kierhai. Despite being Algrustos’ direct neighbor and closest trading partner, Kierhai had refused to take their side in their simmering conflict with the Ishmarians.

“If anything, we can head to Kierhai and get our bearings, then figure out what to do next.” He explained.

Sitting by the fire on my first watch, I took a second to go over everything that had happened in the wake of the explosion. I closed my eyes, wary not to fall asleep, and used my visualization techniques to paint a picture of recent events to help process them against what Kuro had told me when I’d come to.

I had awoken to a scene from a nightmare. On all sides of us were the signs of a massive explosion, the ground having been scorched black and very few, if any, buildings standing. What few structures did remain had been stripped to their bare bones.

I hate to admit it, but Kuro really surprised me. When he’d admitted he had no idea if his plan was going to work I was worried we were all about to die, but seeing the aftermath of what had happened and the small patch of safety he’d made to protect us, I had to give him credit. This is the second time he’s come through in a clutch for us. Maybe I should start putting a little more faith in him.

He was nodding off next to the campfire we’d built, his eyes fluttering as he tried to ride out the rest of his night shift. After nearly twelve straight hours of trekking through the wilderness, he had to be bone tired, and he had drawn the first shift with me. He had pulled his cloak around himself to be warm, but every so often I could see him shiver in the cold.

Alverd lay off to my right, barely a foot away from Sheena. We’d removed the shard of glass from her body and stabilized her shortly after waking when we’d found that we were no longer in any real danger. Her wound was thankfully not life-threatening, although Alverd fussed far more than he needed to about treating her in my opinion. I guess the first potentially fatal wound is the hardest. She’ll get over it.

Kuro had gone and confirmed that the Palace had collapsed. The entire structure had fallen in on itself, the hollow cave network beneath it subjected to so much physical force from the explosion that it had essentially swallowed the entire building when it caved in. Anything unfortunate enough to be in those caverns now was buried under tons of rock, and if the Magisters were somehow alive down there, it would be a long while before they could tunnel to safety.

“Thankfully, even if those sons of bitches could teleport, all they could manage is themselves. There’s no way any person, not even a magelord, could move something as big as a Calamity with teleportation magic. Not to mention that the dormicite skin of those things would interfere with such attempts. For now, I think we’re safe, but we should still think about leaving as soon as possible,” he’d said upon his return.

Alverd thought about it for a while. “We could try Kierhai. It’s the opposite direction from Ishmar. More importantly, it’s not Kiret. Bad enough that Kiret is one giant slave market, we also have bounties on our heads there.” I could hear the raw disdain in his voice at the mention of Kiret’s cavalier attitude regarding slavery. Makes sense. A man like Alverd would never tolerate slavers. I wonder what they were doing in Kiret to begin with? I should ask Kuro sometime.

Sheena had said precious little during our week long journey, lost in her own thoughts as she walked almost in a fugue state. It’s so jarring to see her like that. Most of the time she’s a bundle of energy, but now she seems so depressed. This must be how I looked after what happened in Ishmar. But if that’s the case, she’ll find her feet just like I did. Especially since she’s got good people to offer her hands to pull her up with.

The sound of snoring drew my attention out of my private thoughts and over to Kuro, who had fallen asleep. Rolling my eyes, I pulled the small journal that Albrecht had given me off my belt and tossed it into Kuro’s lap. He snapped upright with a snort. “Buh! I didn’t do it, you can’t prove anything!”

“Relax, spellslinger. Take a look at that, will you?” I pointed at the journal. “Albrecht gave it to me as he died. Said it was up to me to decide whether I told Sheena about what was in it.” He picked it up, examining the cover.

“So what’s in it?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know. I tried to read it a few nights ago, but it’s written in Ishratan. I can’t read it, but I remember you said you could.”

He shook his head, his eyes incredulous. “I do remember saying that. What you need to know is, I can’t actually read Ishratan either.”

“Huh? How is that possible? You read that mural back in Ishmar just fine.”

He shifted his position so that he was sitting cross legged, now fully awake. “I couldn’t read the Ishratan writing, but when I got close to the mural it felt like the language changed, as if it could tell I needed help to read it. Before my eyes the writing turned into Selarunian Common. That’s how I could read it, Alicia.”

So now mages can write in secret languages that only they can read? “Maybe it works the same way for the writing in Albrecht’s journal?”

He flipped it open, turning to the first page with writing, his eyes widening. “It’s happening. The text is rearranging itself on the page. I’m not even doing anything either.” He gave me a worried expression. “Alicia, this is huge. The nation that preceded Ishmar worshiped a sorceress. Your people still worship her, albeit in her dragon form. Their language had the power to intuit people’s linguistic limitations and compensate for them.”

I don’t like where this is going.

“Alicia, I think you might be descended from mages yourself.”

I barked out a laugh. “What, me? You can’t be serious.”

He pointed at the runes tied around my maul. “You have to have magical aptitude to use those nullification runes. You may not have formal training, but since their application is more about reaction and instinct, you were able to tap into their power to negate Laspa’s shield. I saw it myself. I’m sure Sheena would agree.”

Wait, really? The idea that I could wield magic threw me for a loop. “Kuro, if what you say is true, then my father… “ I trailed off. There was an awkward silence between us, which I finally broke. “How long before children start showing signs?”

He bit his lip nervously. “It’s not the same for every child. It depends on a lot of factors and their own inherent potential, but generally as early as three and definitive proof by age five.” He folded his arms. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions yet, but if you showed signs of magical talent then it might explain why your father acted the way he did towards you, and entrusted the task of forging peace with Algrustos to you.”

This paints it all in a much different light. It was hard to admit. Kuro didn’t exactly have a whole lot of compelling evidence either. I shook my head. “Put that aside for now. What does Albrecht’s journal say?”

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He kept flipping through the pages. “There’s a lot here. I’m going to need time to read through it all. Some of it looks like a diary, but there are other sections dedicated to plans and plots of some kind.” I scooted over to him, taking a seat beside him.

“Skip all that. Is there anything about Sheena in there?”

He kept turning pages until he settled on one section. “Here’s mention of her. Looks like it was made after her parents were assassinated. Or rather, when he had them assassinated.” He cleared his throat. ‘This child deserves life. She reminds me too much of myself. No one should be condemned by the circumstances of their birth. I can convince the King of Dragontamers that I will manipulate Sheena as she grows, guide her down the path he desires. He will not be any the wiser.’”

We both reeled. “So he was an Ishmarian spy. Reporting directly to your father. Although it sounds like he didn’t relish that duty.” Kuro said, and then turned back to an earlier section. “Says here he was born in Ishmar and taken from his family during the mage hunts. Killed a Black Scale Legionnaire during an escape attempt. He was brought before the King and offered a chance to prove his worth for such a feat.”

“He was molded into a spy, trained in the disciplines of a Legionnaire, and… “ He scowled. “He was allowed to hone his magical powers to better blend in with the people he was infiltrating.” He smacked his palm against his head. “I can’t believe your father thought that Albrecht would stay loyal. What could possibly motivate him to obey the King after what he went through?”

The mage hunts. “See if there’s anything in there about me.” He took a full three minutes to sort through entries before he found something. “‘I received a message from Ishmar today. He cannot stop heaping praise upon his youngest, how bright and eager she is. He says she is the future of our homeland. He wants to move forward with the plan soon. A part of me still wondered if I could find a way to betray him, but when he sent me the letter, I discarded those thoughts immediately.’”

“‘He told me of her. This girl who challenges the way her entire country thinks. The one who has yet to spill blood. He believes that she and Sheena would get along. I think he’s mad. But the idea of peace, of an end to the mage hunts… that is an aim worth betting on. No child should be murdered because of a gift they were given at birth,’” I said, shaking my head. “‘Though I hold no love for the King and who he used to be, I admit… I have come to admire the man he is becoming.’”

He turned the page. “This is the second to last entry in the diary section. ‘‘I’ve received word of the coup. All of our plans, up in smoke. I must carry on with my own plan now. The time will come when Sheena, my dear girl, must stand on her own two feet. I cannot shackle her to this country. I will not have her waste her life trying to right a sinking ship. If that means I must make her hate me with all my heart, then it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.’”

“‘I love her as if she were my own daughter. She is cunning, shrewd, naive, foolish, strong, weak, determined, afraid. She should be a normal girl who deserves to live her life the way she wants, and become who she wants. But I know she has a sense of duty, that she would never abandon it. She is stubborn, just like the man who raised her.’”

His voice faltered as he read the last part. “‘The only way to make her leave Algrustos would be to take away her only reason for staying. I must accelerate my plans. When the noose tightens and she looks to me to save her, I must be the one to twist the knife. I hate that her final thoughts of me will be of anger, of betrayal. I love her so deeply, so much so that I want what is best for her even if it means the best does not include me.’”

I felt my eyes begin to mist up, my vision growing blurry. “The last entry. We should read it.” Kuro said blankly. I nodded. “‘She looks at that knight almost the same way she looks at me. I know now that all will be well in the end. I apologize to you, sir knight, that I am burdening you with my irresponsible goddaughter, but I believe you to be the only one who can support her. To the princess of Ishmar, I ask for your patience. Young mage, I ask that you teach Sheena of the nuances of the outside world.’”

“‘I don’t know if she’ll ever read these words. That depends on you, and if I live long enough to pass this journal to one of you. If so, and you are reading this, Sheena: I love you, and I did what I did because of it. Hurting you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life, even if I knew it was to help you in the end. No act of love should ever have to hurt so much. For that, I am so very sorry, and I hope you can forgive me someday. I wish you all the best, because you deserve it, and so much more. Your uncle.’”

The two of us sat in the light of the fire, the only sound being the snapping of the firewood and my stifled sobbing. Kuro said nothing, his face a scowling mask of conflicting feelings. “What should we do?” He finally said. “I can’t say one way or the other if there’s any benefit to her reading this. At least, not yet. She’s had enough bitter pills as it is.”

“I agree,” I said as I wiped away some tears. “We’ll wait for her to get to a better place. For now though, getting out of Algrustos is the best idea.”

He took another log and threw it into the fire. “Alverd and I have a friend in Kierhai. Merc, like us. She’ll take us in for a little while. She owes us after the last job we did for her.” He turned to me with an expression of dead seriousness. “If she asks you for help with anything that involves chickens, you turn her down hard. I’m not even kidding. You let her talk us into another chicken job and I’ll strangle you.”

I snorted. “Not with those noodle arms, you won’t.” We both chuckled, glad to shed some of the heavy atmosphere. “What kind of place is Kierhai?” I asked.

He leaned back on his palms so he could look up at the starry sky. “A couple hundred years ago Kierhai was made up of a number of small city-states that eventually were unified into a single country. Now the entire region is an amalgamation of those various cultures smashed together, having ironed out most of their differences and capitalizing on their similarities.”

“It is a culturally rich place that places a lot of emphasis on aesthetics and tradition, keeping their history alive through dramatic reenactments and theater productions. They’re very superstitious, place a great deal of value on personal honor, and have a rigid social structure that reveres the rule of law.”

Then he shrugged. “Sorry, I sound like a travel brochure. You’ll see for yourself when you get there. You might get along with the mercs there. A lot of them will probably respect you a lot for your martial skill. If that doesn’t please you, the food will keep you happy.” He drooled slightly as he rubbed his stomach. “I’ve had some of the best meat dishes of my life in Kierhai. Beef, pork, and fish, you name it.”

My own stomach rumbled at the thought. “Now you’re talking. How much longer do you think it will be before we get there?”

He thought about it for a moment. “I’d say only about two more weeks if we stay on foot. Closer to the border we might be able to catch a trade caravan, barter for passage. That would cut our travel time significantly. If we do, I’d say no more than a tenday.”

We could put this whole thing behind us in as little as a tenday. Well, at least I can. For Sheena, it’ll be a lot longer. She lay on the ground, the blanket covering her rising and falling softly with every breath. Her hand had snaked out of the blanket to hold Alverd’s, who was oblivious to everything as he lay close to her.

A fresh spike of jealousy made me grind my teeth. One thing is for sure, there will be no more of that once she gets better. If she thinks playing the damsel in distress is gonna monopolize his attention she’s got another thing coming. Then I scowled. N-N-Not that it matters to me that much. Alverd is no fool. It’s not like I’m worried he’ll get suckered by her so easily.

Kuro raised his eyebrow. “You okay, Alicia? You look kind of angry…”

I crossed my arms and kicked another log into the fire. “Never mind that. I’m just tired and hungry. I’ll feel better in the morning after some breakfast, I’m sure.” He shrugged.

“Well, alright. It’ll be jerky and boiled river water again, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

He gave me back Albrecht’s journal. “No offense, but I’d rather not have to make this decision. Got plenty to worry about for myself as it is. Now if you’ll excuse me.” He made his way over to Alverd and nudged him awake. “Up and at ‘em, Alverd. I need sleep.” Alverd grumbled, then sat up, wiping his eyes.

Kuro lay down on his bedroll and was out in moments. Before I went to my own bedroll, I sat down next to him. I pressed the journal into his hand. He deserves to know too. It’s going to be a long road ahead, and better he’s on the same page as us. All of us are adrift, and Alverd is the rock that keeps us together.

“Is it okay if we talk for a bit? I have a few things on my mind..”

He yawned, then smiled at me. “What about?”