The team worked over the rubble on Dubarin hill while Kaidan Tadegan, leader of their expedition, picked over the far side of the hill, nearest the Rithian side. He worked with fervor but with care, not wanting to damage anything. The sun glared down on him, roasting him alive, and he wiped the back of his neck with a cloth. Who knows what we might find! Perhaps we’ll find some proof of the ancient lore about this place.

The hole he was digging had turned into an open-roofed tunnel that sloped gradually downward as he went. At around seven feet down into the side of the hill, his shovel struck something with a dull thud. He tested the soil with the tip of the shovel, trying to determine what it was. When he shifted some more dirt, he saw a flash of white under the sun. More bones? They’d found many bones on this site, an indication that the legends of the battle that occurred between the gods might have some merit. Still, so far, he hadn’t found any bones on this side of the hill, and he’d begun to think the battle hadn’t raged this far. Perhaps I just hadn’t found any yet.

Minutes later, he’d cleared the remaining layer of soil off to find the bleach-white bones of a corpse glaring up at him in the harsh rays of the sun. Kneeling down on his knees, he brushed the dirt away and grabbed a trowel, gently clearing packed clods of dirt and loose soil away from the corpse. When he had, he backed further up the slope and sat on his heels, staring down at it.

Inside the tunnel, the bones of the corpse rested. Time and worms had rotted through the clothing of the deceased individual. The slender facial structure of the skull and the tiny stature indicated it was a woman. He frowned. Who is this? All the corpses we’ve found so far have been of men and boys, not women.

A book lay locked against the corpse’s chest, her skeletal hands clutching it to her even in the rigor of death. He leaned down, seeking to pry it from the hands of the skeleton. The hands wouldn’t move, and he didn’t wish to snap the bones. Jumping down into the hole again, he tried to find a better angle so that he could slide it out of the corpse’s grasp.

This time, the hands relinquished their prize, and he stared down at the book’s unmarked leather cover, which was worn with age and crusted in dirt. He returned to the mouth of his tunnel and opened it with a frown. The book’s pages were stuck together with time and a dark brown substance, though they yielded with some gentle prying. Upon closer examination, he realized it looked much like dried blood. What have I stumbled across here?

“Kaidan? Kaidan, what are you doing over here?”

Kaidan looked up to find his wife Zerua strolling down the hill toward him. “Zer, look what I found!” He pointed to the grave site and waved the book.

She rushed to see, a smile lighting up her gray eyes. “What is it?”

“I think it’s some sort of burial site. It’s the first woman we’ve found buried here.”

“Any clues as to why she was buried here?”

He shook his head, hefting the book up onto the grass and clambering out of the hole where his ramp downward had begun. “Not yet. Let’s take a look at this book though. She was holding it.”

Zerua fingered the ancient leather. “This is in awfully fair condition for being buried thousands of years.”

“Outside maybe. I opened it briefly a moment ago, and it looks like there’s dried blood caked to it. It’ll be a wonder if we can get pages apart to read any of it.” He settled cross-legged on the ground beside his wife and pulled the book into his lap. “Let’s see what we have here...”

He eased the cover open, minding the brittle crackling of the paper as he did. The scent of iron still lingered on the pages, and he frowned, flipping past the first empty page to look at the next. “There’s writing on this one.”

His wife leaned over his shoulder, fingering the flaking black-brown substance. “How strange that this substance on the pages didn’t render it illegible.”

He stared at the first words on the page. Sedra cannot be trusted. She has lied to them all, but they do not know the extent to which she has deceived them. His gaze lifted to meet his wife’s wide-eyed gaze. “What have we found?”

***

By the light of the torches, Kaidan and Zerua examined the book and its words. “Who do you think it belongs to?” Zerua traced her fingers over the cover.

Kaidan batted her hand away with a snort. “I’d be able to tell me more if you let me brush all the dirt on this cover away.”

“Brush away then.” She held back and let him set to work cleaning the dirt off the book.

When he’d finished, the two of them stared down at the crest embossed on the leather of the book. He ran his fingers over the symbol. Two wings spread to either side with a strange sigil of lines and swirls in the center.

“What is that?” His wife pointed at it. “I haven’t seen that one before.”

Kaidan smiled. “Not often I know more about history than you, my love.”

She rolled her eyes. “You give me too much credit. Now, what is it?”

“This was the sigil of the royalty of the house of Rith. According to the stories, Rith and his two eldest sons died in the Battle of Dubarin Hill.”

“Yes... That’s why we’re here.”

“But the legends also claim that his wife fled with their daughter, the youngest of their children, and one or two other children also survived by fleeing the battlefield in the chaos.” He tapped the sigil. “This sigil is the symbol of the psyche, and the wings were supposed to represent the overshadowing of Rith’s protection of his kingdom. Queen Banach was said to have watched as Sedra hunted down and killed the last of her children. Supposedly, the woman went mad and spent the remainder of her life wasting away in a prison cell at Aghraban, what we now call Kier, the capital of Argos.”

“So... What is our corpse doing with a royal diary here in the hillside of Dubarin?” His wife frowned and began pacing the length of their tent.

Kaidan shook his head. “That, I do not know.”

“Who was this woman? Why would she have such a thing?” She spun to face him. “Is anything said in the legends about the diary?”

Kaidan shrugged. “Some tales say that Banach had a book in which she wrote prophecies. But it was lost with her when she disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“People say she died because one day, when she had reached her five-hundredth birthday, the guards found her cell empty. No one ever saw her again, though it’s said she haunts the ruins of her former capital, Ashkarith. Legend says that she is the reason everyone who goes into the city disappears or returns raving mad.” He shook his head. “As for why our mystery woman has this diary, I couldn’t say.”

Zerua sighed. “Well, only one way to find out. I suppose we’ll have to read everything in this to determine where it came from and whose it was.”

Kaidan sighed. “I suppose you’re right. There’s not much else we can do since the author didn’t leave their name in it.” He tucked the book under his arm. “But for tonight, it’s late. Shall we retire, my love?”

Zerua smiled up at him. “Indeed, we shall.”

He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. “Zer?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we should tell the others anything?” He bit his lip. “I can’t explain it, but I get the feeling we should keep this a secret.”

She hummed softly, a sign she was considering his question. “I have the same inexplicable feeling. For now, let’s keep this to ourselves.”

“Agreed. Do you think there’s more to the legends than people think?”

“We wouldn’t be out here if there wasn’t a chance of it.” She wrapped her arm around his waist.

“What we saw in the beginning of this diary...” He cleared his throat. “Zerua, those words are heresy. Always have been. To say that the goddess of magic lied or deceived the Originals is blasphemy.”

“I know.”

“Why would the writer claim this?”

Zerua clutched him closer to her and held the lantern higher. “I don’t know. But the sigil on the cover is from the House of Rith. The two siblings clashed all the time. The people of his house wouldn’t exactly be unbiased.”

“True. But what if they were on to something, Zerua? They had to have some reason for saying the things they did.” He gnawed on his lower lip. “It doesn’t make sense.”

They reached their tent, and she set the lantern down, pulling aside the tent flap for him. “I don’t know, darling. But we’ll find out, won’t we? We’ve found something, and that’s what we were here for. To prove what really happened in The Battle of Dubarin. To prove it happened in the first place. This book could be a good first step.”

He ducked his head and entered the tent. “I suppose that’s true. But it’s curious, isn’t it? A diary from this time period that claims the goddess everyone revers isn’t who she said she was. If that’s true, what else might be a lie about the myths and the beliefs from the old times?”

His wife ducked through the tent flap and set the lantern next to their bed roll. “Dangerous questions, husband.” She tugged the book from his hands and set it at the foot of their bed. “But right now, it’s time to get some sleep so we can face tomorrow with a brand new outlook.”

She’s right, of course. As always. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers with a sigh.

She released a guttural hum of approval, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him closer. He let her soft lips and pliable form melt away the distractions and worries of the day. With her next to him, things would work out anyway. They always seemed to.

“I love you, you know.” He smiled down at her, trapping her legs between his.

She stroked his face, laughing when her fingers brushed over days’ old stubble. “I love you too. Even if you do need a shave.”

“You know you love the rugged look on me, though.” He settled his lips on hers, laying on his side and pulling her hips flush against his.

She laughed, kissing him back. “You know me too well.”

He slid his hands up her sides, letting himself relax and take his time with her. It had been too long since they’d had a moment to themselves like this thanks to the travel to Dubarin and the hard work, which left them exhausted each evening. Tonight, he wouldn’t let that stop him.

“You know, whatever we find out there, I’m sure it won’t change that much.” Zerua slid her hands along his chest then tugged at his shirt. “You and me... We’ll still be the same at the end. And we’ll have each other, no matter what.”

He grinned. “I need nothing more. Now, how about we finish what we started instead of getting distracted with that book?”

“Someone’s impatient.” She tugged his shirt up over his head.

“We haven’t had any real alone time since we set out on this expedition. What do you expect?” He pulled at the laces on the front of her tunic, tugging them free of their grommets. She squealed in surprise as her shirt was peeled off her and joined his. The cool air in the tent played over both of them, and he trailed his fingers over her shoulder with a smile.

“I couldn’t ask for a better wife, my love.”

“Nor I a better husband.” She lifted her lips to his, and talking ceased. 

“Anything turn up with the book?” Zerua set a basket of unearthed artifacts down on the table beside him with a smile.

He glanced up at her and returned to his reading. “The translation is slow going. Some of the words are proving difficult. The writer uses the words svaemel and bodashel interchangeably in places, and I’m still trying to place the words.” He brandished the journal. “But, I’m almost positive about the identity of the writer now!”

“Really?” Zerua craned her neck to get a peek of the book.

“It’s Queen Banach’s diary. She refers to Rith as her husband, and she speaks of raising an army with him. Who else could it be?” Kaidan graced her with a bright smile. “This could be a major break through in our understanding of the Rithians’ side of the conflict. She’s already offered some great insight into what caused the war.”

Zerua raised a brow. “Has she?”

“Yes!” Kaidan had to resist the urge to leap from his spot and pace. “She says that Rith saved her from Sedra’s wrath back when she was one of the six and was a failing part of Sedra’s great experiment.”

“Experiment?”

“Oh, right... That’s another part we’ll have to check into. She claims that Sedra wasn’t a goddess at all but was instead a being from another world who played the part of a god and created them. But she didn’t do it for good purposes. She was experimenting on them for reasons Queen Banach never understood.”

His wife cocked her head to the side, both brows rising. “Are you certain? Maybe you just translated it wrong. That’s clear blasphemy. If you listen to the Church of Sedra, that is...”

He bit his lip. “I know that, and I know what will happen if this is true. So, yes, I’m certain. I triple checked. She spells it out clearly. In that first entry we started reading, she explains that Sedra bound souls to each of them to give them life and power.” He waved the book at her again. “If this is true...” His lips pressed together in a thin line, and he shook his head.

“If this is true,” she finished. “Then everything we’ve believed our entire lives is a lie.”

He nodded.

“We can’t let anyone know about this until we’re certain that what this diary says is true.” She knelt beside him, staring down at the blood-stained pages. “If we put this in the public eye without any proof that it’s true, we’ll be in a world of trouble.”

“Love, if we publish our findings on this at all, we’re going to be branded heretics and laughed out of every scholarly circle.”

She looked up at him and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Kaidan, we’ve devoted our entire lives to the pursuit of the truth. That’s why we’re here today even though people claimed the myth was a lie and wouldn’t produce any evidence.” She tapped a knuckle against the book. “Something is going on here, and we have to find the truth.”

He sighed, staring at the damning words on the page. “I know. I just wish I could know ahead of time what we’ll get ourselves into while searching out the truth on this one. This won’t be like our usual digs where everything we’re after is long dead, Zerua.”

“What makes you say that?”

He shot her a glance and opened the book to the last page. “Because of this.”

The last page had been written in a shaking hand as if the writer was now feeble or rushed. The ink had blotted the page in a few areas, blurring some of the words. Zerua frowned and pointed at it. “You know I don’t read the older forms of Wyrdhan.”

Kaidan raised a brow. “Zer, it’s not that different from modern Wyrdhan. It just switches the endings around a bit for the nouns. That’s pretty much it.”

“Either way, I’m too worn out to figure this out. What does it say?”

He cleared his throat and took the diary back, running his finger beneath the text as he read. “Tomorrow it will be done. They will never be able to touch the scrolls that prove the truth of this book’s contents. The scrolls are safely hidden in a place where even the strongest will be brought to the ground by my curse.”

“How does that prove we’re not digging for things that are long dead?” Zerua settled her hands on her hips.

“It ends with one last warning. ’To those who would find the scrolls, you must seek the truth with pure intent and justice in your hearts. If you do not, you too will fall to the bane of Ashkarith.

'Someday, someone will uncover the truth and will preserve it until the day when the Son of Shadows comes. I foresaw that someone would find the truth, but before this can happen, the spirits that she has wronged must be laid to rest.” He lifted his head. “Zer, I don’t think Queen Banach, Bane of Ashkarith, ever moved on. And this seems to indicate that those souls Sedra supposedly murdered in their war never did either.”

The blood drained from Zerua’s face, and her lips moved in a soundless prayer for Albrith’s protection. “So, if we go after this, we have no guarantee we’ll make it out alive, and we’re dealing with a possible haunting.”

Kaidan nodded, his fingers shaking against the wood of the low table he’d spread his translation work onto.

“Are we really prepared to take that chance?” Zerua chewed on her lower lip, looking at the book with a sharp intake of breath. “Take the chance with our lives and those of others?”

“We won’t be taking anyone else for this one, Zer. We can’t.” Kaidan cleared his throat when she shot him a wide-eyed glance. “If what that says is true, who knows if we’ll make it out, and we know anyone we hire won’t if they’re not there for the same reasons we are.”

“But we can’t just go without help or backup, Kaidan!” She threw her hands up. “That’s the same as asking to die!”

He scrambled to his feet and wrapped her up in his arms. “Listen... I know that. But we can’t let this go without investigating, and if the evidence is out there, we have to find it. If this is true, all of us have been lied to for centuries of history.” He held her back at arms’ length. “Zer, I can’t let that go. Not if there’s even a remote chance. So, I have to go.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she bit her nails. Kaidan took her hands in his, stopping her from chewing them to stubs. “Hey, it’ll be fine. We’re going to go, and we’re going to come back with the truth, Zerua.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. You’re right... The part about dying shook me up, but we do have to know what really happened.” She pulled out of his grip and snatched up the basket she’d come with. “I’ll keep working with the others on the dig while you work out where we’re supposed to go.”

“I have my guesses, but I’ll need to search into the lore more closely to determine what she’s talking about when she says ‘the place where even the strongest will be brought to the ground by my curse’.” Kaidan settled back into his place by the translation work, shifting on the grassy ground. “Then there’s the matter of the rest of the book, which seems to be a collection of prophecy of some sort based on the sentence case she uses.”

“The sentence case?”

Kaidan nodded. “Back in the time period this came from, there was a prophecy case that was supposedly only usable by an individual if they’d received divine revelation. But people mimicked it all the time. That’s how the cult of Ishtral started.”

Zerua laughed. “I’ll leave you to it then. If I don’t leave to go work with the others, I’ll be in here all day listening to you.”

He rolled his eyes, still focused on the papers strewn over his work surface. “I doubt that. You have more self-control when it comes to this stuff than I do.”

She snickered and padded to the tent’s entrance. “Well, someone has to keep your head out of the clouds when people need you here on Alcardia, darling.”

He snorted and waved her away. “If you say so.”

The tent flap rustled, and she left him to his work with one parting quip. “You know I’m right, dear.”

***

Night fell all too soon, and the dig was coming to a close for the day when Kaidan finally pieced together all the clues to determine the location where Banach had hidden the scrolls the journal spoke of. He jotted down the location, his heart thumping against his ribcage, and then sat back, staring at it in disbelief.

The voice of his wife and the workers’ headman drew closer, and he listened to her talking to the man. “Respect is important to everyone in this situation, I know. So, since we’ve proven what we came to prove, we’ll be finishing up with the dig tomorrow.”

“Much appreciated, ma’am. I’ll inform the workers.”

“See that they’re careful when they rebury the remains, please.” His wife pulled aside the flap and ducked inside the tent as she spoke.

“Understood, ma’am. They’ll be told to take care.” The headman glanced inside the tent. “Evening, Master Kaidan.”

Kaidan smiled at the man. “Good evening, Leotwo.”

The man’s gaze wandered around the inside of the tent. Then he returned Kaidan’s smile and ducked his head. “Well, I’ll take my leave for the evening, then.”

The two of them bid him farewell, but Kaidan’s attention was only partially on the headman and the current situation. His wife sat down on the mat beside him, tracing her fingers down his spine. “What have you found?”

“The location.” He crumpled the paper in his fist.

“And?”

“You’re right... It is a suicide mission.”

“But where do we have to go?” She began massaging the knots out of his shoulders.

He closed his eyes, groaning when she hit a sensitive spot between his shoulder blades. “Ashkarith. We have to go to Ashkarith.”

“Ashkarith?” His wife’s hands stilled against his back. “No one even knows for sure if the city still exists, though.”

Kaidan sucked in a deep breath. “I know...”

“The jungle supposedly reclaimed it, Kaidan. How are we going to find that?”

Kaidan shrugged. “No one will trek in there, and the captains of those new-fangled flying ships refuse to fly over the spot. They say it’s cursed.”

“That doesn’t answer how we’ll find it. That just means we’re going alone.” She resumed kneading knots from his stiff muscles.

“I know. We’re going to go to the village of Faeridhia. It’s the closest to the former city’s location, and if anyone knows whether or not the city survived the jungle and where to find it, it’ll be the natives.” He slumped over the table to give his wife better access to his back and the sore muscles.

“But that’s still deep in the jungle. No one will fly us there.”

“True, but we might be able to find someone to lead us there.” Kaidan sighed as his wife’s nimble fingers removed the aches and tension in his back.

“Kaidan, you know what’s said about the people in Faeridhia.” Zerua wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.

Kaidan snickered. “Come bearing gifts unless you want to be eaten alive?”

She smacked his side lightly. “You know that’s not what they say.”

Kaidan sat up and drew her into his arms, stretching out on the mat with her beside him. “I know, I know. They’re unpredictable and vicious.”

“That doesn’t concern you?” She traced his cheekbones with her fingertips.

“We’ll find a way, Zer. There’s no other choice.”

“We’re going to get ourselves killed.” She bit her lip.

Kaidan leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. “What better way to die than in pursuit of truth?”

She rolled her eyes, but his words drew a smile from her. “Perhaps of old age in your sleep?”

Kaidan brushed his lips over hers with a smile. “Boring.”

Her lips flirted with his own, and her breathy laughter greeted his comment. “I thought the same.”

“So, it’s settled? We’re going to go after this thing?”

She nodded, her smile fading. “I don’t see another option. We can’t just let this go. Now that we’ve dug up this, we’ve got to find out if it’s true. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to believe that wrong is right and truth is untruth for the rest of my life.”

His gaze dropped to the small space between them. “Neither do I.”

“Then we’ll set out for Ashkarith as soon as we finish up here.” She tangled her fingers in his hair. “But for now, let’s take an opportunity to rest. I have a feeling we won’t be doing much of that in the near future.”

Kaidan gathered her closer to him. She’s right. Whatever we find in that jungle is going to turn our world upside down, and I don’t think either of us will have a chance to rest easy once we find out the truth. He closed his eyes with a sigh. The journal’s already disturbing enough. His mind drifted as the lack of sleep for the last few months caught up with him. Ashkarith. City of the dead. What will we find there? His breathing slowed, and after a few more minutes, he was out.

Kaidan and Zerua glanced at each other before turning their attention back to the large double doors leading into the king’s audience chambers. “You ready?” He slipped his fingers through hers.

She bit her lip. “Me? You’re the one who’s explaining what we found. Are you ready?”

He took a deep breath. “To lie to the king and leave out our most recent discovery? No. But I don’t have a choice. We can’t reveal this until we know for sure that it’s true.”

She sighed. “I hope the king doesn’t question anything.”

Kaidan squeezed her hand. “It’ll be fine. I’ve had the last half hour of waiting to come up with something suitable.”

The doors opened, and the guards who had gone to see if the king was available slipped back out. “His Majesty King Aladhan will see you now.” The bulkier of the two guards held the door open, his gaze piercing into them.

Zerua resisted the urge to turn around and run. I can hardly believe we’re lying to the king of Argos about our discoveries... First time for everything, right? She swallowed back a laugh, her shoulders tensing.

Kaidan tugged her forward, and she followed him into the audience chamber, clinging to him. He let go of her hand as they passed the threshold, and she fought the surge of anxiety begging her to turn around and flee the room. The two of them paused in the center of the room and knelt on the cold marble floor, bowing their heads.

King Aladhan’s robes rustled as he shifted and stood. “You may rise. What news do you bring of the dig, Tadegan?”

Kaidan stood, drawing Zerua up with him. “We’ve finished, Sire. The dig site has been cleaned up, and we’ve brought the artifacts we removed for your perusal.”

King Aladhan smiled. “Did you find the evidence you were looking for?”

Kaidan glanced at Zerua. “We did, Sire.”

“So, the battle really happened?”

“I couldn’t say if it was truly a battle between the gods, Sire, but we did find evidence of a battle, and we found multiple pieces with the crests of Rith and Sedra Valmurith.” Kaidan ducked his head. “Besides that, we didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

Zerua kept her head down, remaining quiet as Argosian tradition dictated she should in the presence of royalty. Sweat slicked her palms, and she clasped her hands in front of her to avoid fidgeting.

The king settled back into his throne, his robes brushing the marble platform in Zerua’s line of vision. “Well, have the artifacts brought to the Vault. My Imperial Knights are trained to work with researchers; they’ll help you with getting the artifacts placed in the proper places within the Vault. Bring me the records list of what you found when you finish.”

Kaidan cleared his throat. “Of course, Sire. I will deliver it myself.”

King Aladhan laughed. “I know you will. You came with high recommendations and commendations from previous benefactors. The two of you are dismissed. Thank you for the report, Kaidan. I wish you and your lovely wife the best with whatever you do next.”

“Thank you, Sire.” Kaidan turned and strode toward the door.

Zerua bowed to King Aladhan once more before turning to follow her husband. The two of them walked through the door without any comment from the king. Sweat trickled down Zerua’s back, and she bit her lip, hastening her steps. Kaidan shot her a glance as they strode past the guards.

Once they’d moved out of the guards’ earshot, Kaidan laid a hand on her arm. “Are you going to be alright? You’re looking a bit pale.”

Zerua took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll be fine.”

He stopped walking, taking her hands in his. “Zerua, there’s nothing to worry about. No one has any reason to think we found something else there. We buried the body when everyone was busy, and we kept the journal under lock and key.”

She rested her forehead against his chest. “I know. I just can’t help wondering when the anvil will drop.”

Kaidan ran his hands up and down her arms with a sigh. “Me too, but we’re going to face much worse than this in this endeavor. We can’t get cold feet now or we’ll never make it through this.”

Zerua leaned into him, her pulse slowing down to normal rates. Her breathing steadied, and she exhaled, warmth returning to her extremities. “True... Well, we’d better get on with the labeling and storing of the artifacts.”

He pulled away with a grimace. “Yes, I suppose so. Though I’d prefer we got on our way now instead of later.”

She shook her head with a laugh. “Patience, dear.” Looping her arm through his, she tugged him forward. “The sooner we complete this task, the sooner we can worry about the next.”

***

On their lunch break, Zerua and Kaidan left the musty tunnels of the Kier Records Library and emerged into the bustle of the castle courtyard as others also went to find lunch or bartered with the vendors in the courtyard. They stepped aside as two children barreled by, one in hot pursuit of the other. Zerua smiled at the weary mother who was following on their heels.

Dogs barked and quarreled over a bone by a meat vendor’s shop, and as they passed, they heard the vendor haggling with a customer over the price of a shank of agharval—a venison-like meat that the vendor insisted was of the highest quality. Zerua and Kaidan glanced at each other with a laugh.

“Vendors around here—” Kaidan shook his head. “If you aren’t careful, they’ll swindle you quicker than the best actor around.”

Zerua looped her arm through his with a grin. “One might say they are the best actors around here. Look there. That woman’s paying that man twice what that shawl is worth.”

She pointed to a woman handing a vendor two gold coins for a shawl in a powder blue shade.

“True enough.” Kaidan guided her around a steaming pile of horse dung and through crowded stalls.

The cries of vendors trying to sell their wares filled the air. The couple shook their heads at vendors who clung to them, begging them to buy and offering steep discounts if they would. Beggars and thieves wove through the market byways, snatching purses or pleading for a copper or two.

Moments later, they burst out onto the main street and passed under the castle gate, following the crowd jostling and hustling across the drawbridge. Then they flowed out onto the streets of Upper Kier, and the crowd thinned, leaving Zerua and Kaidan to amble down the streets in relative peace.

Zerua pressed a hand to her chest with a sigh. “Rith, but I hate crowds.”

Kaidan patted her back. “There, there. We’re free of it now.”

She turned a baleful frown upon him. “Are you mocking me?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, love.” A smirk played on the corner of his lips.

Zerua smacked his arm with her purse, narrowing her eyes. “You are!”

“Well, perhaps a little.”

She huffed and turned her focus to the streets around them. “So, what have we ventured out of the bowels of the library to do?”

Kaidan threw his head back and laughed. “Such impatience, woman!”

“You said you’d tell me when we got out of the library and the courtyard.”

He shrugged. “So I did. We’re going for lunch, and then we’re going to commission one of those new-fangled flying contraptions for the journey to Ashkarith.”

Zerua raised a brow. “Really?”

“Yes, really. You didn’t think I’d want to wait three months to travel all that way, did you? We’ve got the money, Zer. Better to find the truth sooner rather than later.” Kaidan looped his arm around her waist and tugged her into him, laughing when she squealed. “Isn’t that right?”

His wife’s lips curved up in a soft smile. “I suppose.”

He released her with a grin. “It’ll be an adventure!”

She smoothed the creases from her gown with a shake of her head. “Yes, an adventure where we’re very likely to lose our lives. Quite entertaining, I’m sure.”

“Oh, don’t be sour.” He elbowed her. “It’ll be the grandest adventure we’ve ever taken in the pursuit of truth. And if we don’t come back—” He bit his lip. “Well, we will. But if we didn’t for some reason, at least we died searching for the truth, right?”

She heaved a sigh. “Yes, I suppose you have a point there. Better that than dying of old age.”

Kaidan chuckled and threw an arm around her shoulders. “That’s my girl.”

Zerua leaned into his side, appreciating the rays of sunshine soaking the two of them and the comfort his presence radiated. For the moment, she decided, it would be best to set aside the worries. They had to go whether they had fears or not. Truth and justice demanded it, and that was what they’d stood for their entire lives.

They went where the leads took them and told the tales they found. Nothing was kept secret and nothing was too sacred to be told. The truth was meant to be shared, to be used to enlighten others, not to be hidden away for fear of the repercussions.

***

The flying ship, Rith’s Demise, tugged at its moorings in the breeze blowing across the air field. Kaidan tilted his head back to look up at the curling black letters that declared the ship’s name proudly to any onlookers. Beside him, Zerua clung to his side, a small hitch in her breath the only other indication of surprise.

“What do you think, love?” He turned to her, drawing her close with a smile.

Zerua cast the ship an apprehensive look. “Well—” She bit her lip.

Kaidan looked back at the ship too. The iron-covered boards were grooved from many flights, and the soft-bodied, gelatinous hael that followed the air ships clung to the hull, leaving their own trails of glowing slime over the clear film from previous feeders. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Look.” He pointed to the hull. “Plenty of hael occupying the hull. That means it’ll fly smoother.”

Zerua frowned. “Does it?”

“According to the research I did, it does.” Kaidan rubbed the back of his neck. “Supposedly, the slime they deposit hardens, and over time, the lightweight layers of the deposits are able to store more and more energy for the Endenes who guide the ship and keep it aloft.”

He tugged her to stand in front of him and pointed out the empty spaces on the hull. “The hull itself is made of iron because that conducts energy best. So, you see, the more hael that attach themselves to the ship to feed on the oxidization on the hull’s surface, the better the ship will fly.”

“So, it’s a sort of symbiotic relationship?”

Kaidan squeezed her hips with a smile. “Exactly.”

She leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Intriguing. So, you say this ship is a good choice?”

“For the price we’re willing to pay?” Kaidan wrapped his arms around her waist. “Yes.”

“Then we should find the captain and speak with him about passage to Ashkarith.”

“That shouldn’t be a hardship.” Kaidan released her with a grin. “He’s been watching us since we arrived. Looks like he’s starving for business too.”

“Does it?” She craned her neck, looking for the captain.

Kaidan pointed him out.

The man stood in the shadow of his ship, long grass brushing over his boots. He wore all black, his long coattails whipping in the wind whistling across the field. His sharp gaze met theirs as the couple sized him up the same way he’d been sizing them up since they’d arrived. Kaidan shot the man a broad smile.

Zerua cleared her throat, running her fingers through her loose black curls. “I don’t like him. Looks like a swindler.”

Kaidan’s grin widened. “That he does. Probably is. But you heard what they said in the tavern. He’s the best air-captain in port that’s affordable.”

She heaved a sigh, dropping her hands to her sides. “Well. Then we’d best start the process. Just keep an eye on your purse.” She pursed her lips. “I don’t like the way his men are eyeing us.”

The men, Kaidan noted, had ceased their work on deck and were thronging the rails to eye the newcomers their captain had been sizing up. The looks on their faces were ones of unabashed greed. It mingled with the looks of curiosity and the longing for a reason to be back in the air, creating a peculiar mix of expressions on the crew’s faces.

“They don’t seem so bad to me, love. Just a little starved for business.” With that, he took her hand in his and tugged her forward, striding across the field to meet with Captain Eras Dhiabhan.