The stable hands had three fine Harusean mares ready and waiting for us when we arrived at the gate, and another set of Telanya’s house servants had already packed the saddlebags with water and supplies. I wasn’t used to this kind of service; I almost felt like genuine nobility for the first time in my life. Kaseya was the best and most experienced rider between the three of us, and she quickly took point as we left the city and started down the southern road.

The fertile grasslands here were every bit as lush and rolling as the ones to the north. The entire region was dotted with farms and villages, many of whom were still scrambling to harvest their crops before winter. Windmills and grain silos were a common sight, as were patrols of Silver Fist Knights and Duskwatch Rangers. Highwind was the breadbasket of the whole region, after all, and protecting the farmlands was as vital as manning the city’s battlements. Even Vorsalos relied heavily on imported grain; the Inquisitrix was fortunate that her eastern neighbors were still willing to sell her food. If open hostilities ever did erupt between the two cities, the death toll from starvation alone would be catastrophic.

Vorsalos was far from the only threat, of course. Gnolls infested the Duskwood, and dozens of bloodthirsty orc tribes roamed the Shattered Peaks. Civilization only endured at the tip of the spear, the old saying went, and I was thankful for the knights and rangers even if most of them probably would have hated me if they knew what I was.

“It’s strange seeing these people as allies after spending the last ten years learning how to kill them,” Valuri commented after we passed a Silver Fist patrol.

“I wouldn’t call them allies just yet,” I murmured. “From what I’ve heard, they’re not exactly fond of my kind…and they’re definitely not fond of yours.”

“The Inquisitrix has a dossier on every single officer of consequence. Her spies believe the paladins are weak and complacent…not to mention randy as hell.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Randy? You’re serious?”

“You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I’ve heard. Secret orgies, weird rituals with priestesses of some obscure fertility goddess…it’s almost unbelievable.”

I grunted. I had never understood why anyone with an ounce of sanity would join a knightly order. The likelihood of dying on some godsforsaken battlefield was bad enough, but the vow of chastity might as well have been a suicide pact. Then again, the Ravenguard Knights back in Vorsalos weren’t exactly paragons of virtue, either—they had been some of the biggest whoremongers in the whole bloody city.

“The rangers are a different story,” Valuri went on. “Telanya was right about what she said at dinner—everything changed when the council appointed a new Ranger-General. Serrane drove the rest of the orc clans deep into the Shattered Peaks and practically exterminated the gnolls in the Duskwood.”

“Sounds like a fun woman,” I murmured.

“Apparently, she’s another blond-haired, blue-eyed elf, so I’m sure if the two of you met, you’d be fucking within the hour.”

I sighed. “Look, last night was…I don’t even know what happened.”

“The same thing as always,” Valuri shrugged. “You followed your cock around like it’s a compass.”

“You’ve never been the jealous type before.”

She scoffed. “I’m not the one you need to worry about. Though I heard you tried to make it up to Red this morning. I’m sorry I missed it.”

I glanced over at Kaseya. She was far enough of ahead of us that she was probably out of earshot. “We’re…she’s…it’s complicated,” I managed.

“Uh-huh,” Valuri said. “Look, you can play with your toys however you want, but I’ll tell you right now I’m going to be famished tonight. You had better be ready.”

With that, she trotted ahead. I glanced between my two partners, wondering if I should be terrified or eager to camp tonight. My stomach settled on the former; my cock chose the latter.

We followed the main road for the rest of the day, mostly because I doubted the Senosi would risk an ambush on such a heavily patrolled route. I didn’t expect the knights and rangers to thin out until we got closer to Lake Dunarthe, and when they did, I planned to weave our way through the thick grass and empty fields. Some of the local farmers might get annoyed if we trampled their crops, but I didn’t want to make our enemies’ job any easier than I had to.

Ayrael and her Huntresses were out here somewhere. I could feel it.

We kept a leisurely pace until nightfall, at which point we made camp inside a cozy little copse of trees about a mile west of the road. The autumn air was getting cooler by the day, and I helped Kaseya gather wood for a fire. I ignited the logs with a burst of flame from my palm, then leaned back on my bedroll and imagined all the possible ways this scheme of Telanya’s could go horribly wrong.

“What are the odds that the caravan has already been ambushed by the time we arrive?” I mused, folding my hands behind my head and staring up at the stars. “The Inquisitrix has spies all across the region. She must know about the vatari mines near Falcon Ridge. She could have already sent a squad to intercept the mercenaries.”

“Maybe, but if so, I didn’t hear anything about it,” Valuri said as she unholstered her crossbows and sat down next to me. “She has spies in Falcon Ridge, but not many…and she doesn’t usually risk sending the Senosi that far afield. Besides, ambushing the caravan early just means a longer jaunt back to Vorsalos, and a longer jaunt to Vorsalos means more chances for a third party to get involved. The Highvale Pass has been plagued by bandits for a long time, and so have the Gray Moors.”

“Still, if she waits too long, she’ll have to deal with the Silver Fist and the Duskwatch,” I pointed out.

“My sister will not care who stands in her way,” Kaseya commented. She was still looming over the fire and eyeing the reflection of the flames on her sword. “Ayrael will wait until the challenge is greatest before she strikes.”

“That does sound like her,” Valuri conceded. “She may be a force of nature, but she’s not too bright.”

Kaseya looked up. “Because she prefers to fight head-on?”

“That’s one reason.”

“I suppose you would prefer to shoot your enemies in their sleep.”

“It’s certainly a lot safer that way.”

Kaseya snorted in disgust. “I should have expected nothing less from an assassin.”

“Glory is all well and good, Red,” Valuri said, reclining her head back onto my chest and crossing her legs. “But winning is even better.”

“Victory is meaningless without—”

“I had a disturbing thought earlier,” I interjected, hoping to change the subject before they choked each other. “We still don’t know who the Black Mistress is, or even if she’s a single person. But what if it’s even worse—what if the Black Mistress is a Senosi operative?”

“I’ve been nursing that thought for a while,” Valuri said. “It’s definitely the Inquisitrix’s style—she did almost exactly the same thing during her rise to power in Vorsalos. You remember the endless guild wars and the final purge.”

“Too well,” I murmured. I had only been twelve or thirteen at the time, but the battle for control over the city’s smuggling rings and lotus cartels had been bloody and brutal. Outcasts like myself had depended upon a certain stability in the underworld in order to survive, and originally I remembered welcoming the idea of someone consolidating power to stand against the corrupt nobles. But once everyone realized the Inquisitrix was the one taking over…well, most of the other sorcerers I’d known hadn’t lasted long. It was nothing short of a miracle that I’d managed to survive long enough to meet Valuri.

“I tried to pry some details out of Ayrael while we were sailing to Highwind, but she still didn’t trust me,” Valuri said. “I doubt she’s a very good liar, though, and it seems unlikely that the Inquisitrix would conceal such an important part of her plan from her new champion.”

I dragged my thoughts from the past and placed my hand on Valuri’s shoulder. “So you don’t think the Inquisitrix is involved?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s involved in some way or another, but I don’t think she or any of the other Senosi are secretly the Black Mistress. I think it’s more likely that she’s just trying to manipulate the situation from the shadows.”

“That seems like a safe bet regardless,” I said, nibbling at my lip. “I had another thought today, too. It’s probably crazy, but what if we’ve already met the Black Mistress and don’t even know it? What if we’re working for her right now?”

Kaseya eyed me warily. “You mean Telanya?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Now that’s an interesting thought,” Valuri said. “What’s your reasoning?”

“She arrived in the city less than a year before the current conflict started, so the timing is convenient,” I said. “But beyond that, it also seems to fit her general interests. Most of the city believes she married the Archmage purely to gain power. Ruling the underworld would be another step in the same direction.”

“She’s also lying to the Highwind Council and hoarding these vatari crystals,” Valuri added. “She clearly has her husband wrapped around her finger, too—that must give her access to all kinds of resources. The trouble is, she’s not a sorceress.”

“No, but she does have a much more sympathetic attitude toward them than the Archmage,” I pointed. “I, uh, learned that during our private conversation.”

Valuri grunted. “Maybe if you’d fucked her harder, she would have screamed her secret identity into your ear.”

“Her position in the Highwind Academy would give her direct access to young people with the gift,” I said, ignoring the jibe. “A lot of pieces fit, if you really start to think about it.”

“If you’re right, it would also explain some of Silhouette’s strange behavior,” Kaseya mused, her eyes flicking back in thought. “She didn’t want us to tell her the details of what happened during our meeting at the mansion, but if Telanya is her mistress, then she already knows.”

I nodded. “I considered that, too. Maybe this is all some kind of elaborate test. Telanya wants to see if we’ll try and bring this cargo to her or the Black Mistress, knowing she’ll get ahold of it either way.”

“Or we’re crazy and overthinking this,” Valuri said. “You and I have certainly made that mistake before.”

“True enough,” I murmured. “Either way, we’re not going to get all the answers tonight. We should try and get some sleep so we can leave first thing in the morning. I’d rather get to the pass early and scout out our options before the caravan arrives.”

Valuri rolled over and looked at me. “You’re not sleeping for a while yet,” she said, clamping her hand over my crotch. “I’m not going to bed on an empty stomach.”

“We have bigger problems to deal with right now,” Kaseya scolded.

Valuri grinned. “There’s no need to be sour, Red. You can help out if you want, but you’re not stealing my prize this time.”

“This has nothing to do with Jorem,” the amazon said. “In a few days we will be fighting side by side, but we have not trained together. I do not know your capabilities or weaknesses.”

“Good point. I guess I’ll have to give you a hint.” Valuri pointed at her crossbows. “I shoot people with these things. When that doesn’t work, I stab them with my claws. Any further questions?”

“Many,” Kaseya said. “It is still early. We should spar.”

“Hold on a minute—you should really let me sell tickets first,” I said with a grunt.

Kaseya’s brow furrowed. “Allowing potential enemies to analyze our fighting styles would be a mistake.”

“That’s not what I…never mind.”

Valuri chuckled and leaned back even harder on my chest. “What are you hoping to learn, anyway? It’s not that complicated. You’ll stab them, Jorem will blast them, and I’ll shoot them.”

“Kaseya can also shoot them,” I added. “Up north, she was picking bandits off the battlements in the dead of night.”

“That is not the point,” Kaseya said, sighing in frustration. “Jorem and I can fight together effectively thanks to our bond, but I cannot anticipate your movements until I have seen you fight.”

“Your sister said almost the exact same thing during her Senosi training,” Valuri said. “I was still locked up at the time, but some of the other Huntresses told me about it. They said that Ayrael spent the first week or so watching and learning.”

“We are taught to study and adapt to our opponent’s movements as well our allies’,” Kaseya said. “I’ve no doubt that Ayrael was able to defeat your comrades quite handily afterward.”

Valuri snorted. “Your sister is good, but the Senosi aren’t exactly pushovers. She had a lot to learn from us, too.”

“Do I detect a hint of wounded pride?” I asked with a smirk.

She elbowed me in the gut. “Pride has nothing to do with it. Red just needs to understand that amazons aren’t the only warrior-women in the world.”

“Sounds like pride to me.”

Valuri elbowed me again, which only made me chuckle harder. She was a master at getting under people’s skin, but like most bullies, she couldn’t stand it when the tables were turned.

“If my sister has learned your techniques, then it is all the more important for me to learn them, too,” Kaseya said. “Please, show me.”

I grinned when Valuri abruptly hopped up. She had weak spots just like anyone else, and it was amusing as hell to watch another woman exploit them so easily. 

“I’ve never been much of a teacher,” Valuri said, flicking out her arms and unsheathing the concealed tiger claws in her gauntlets. “You better hope you’re a quick learner.”

She lunged forward and slashed wildly with her right hand, forcing Kaseya to hop back and catch the attack on the edge of her blade. I assumed the amazon would retreat and attempt to retrieve her shield, but instead she settled into an almost casual two-handed grip. The two women slowly circled each other, their eyes locked in silent struggle like a pair of stags fighting over the right to mate with a prized female.

I probably should have felt emasculated by the comparison, but I was too mesmerized by their dance to care. Besides, I was planning on fucking on the winner…and then probably the loser…and then probably the winner again. The night was young.

Valuri eventually lunged forward again, striking with both hands in rapid succession. Kaseya parried one with her sword and dodged the other before she attempted a dizzying twirl-riposte of her own. Valuri deftly crouched beneath the slash, then kicked the other woman’s vulnerable flank, knocking Kaseya backward and nearly tripping her in the process.

“Too slow,” Valuri taunted, a satisfied smirk on her lips.

“I agree,” Kaseya said. “With more sensible footwear, you would be considerably faster.”

The Senosi’s smile vanished. “My boots are perfectly—”

Kaseya struck before Valuri could finish the sentence. Sparks flew off their weapons, and the shrill ring of grinding steel echoed across the plains. I probably should have been more worried about the noise, but I couldn’t look away. Their movements were so graceful and deadly I should have been horrified…but because I was me, my cock just got harder and harder instead.

After about a minute, it became clear even to me that Kaseya wasn’t actually trying to win. I was reminded of her battle with Ayrael on the Highwind docks—her sister had been toying with her, just like she was doing with Valuri now. The difference was that Valuri quickly grew frustrated and made a mistake.

She landed next to me a few seconds later, her lip bleeding from an elbow to the face. Kaseya didn’t gloat—she actually retreated a step and settled back into a defensive stance to wait for her opponent’s next move.

“Feed me,” Valuri demanded, wiping her lip with her arm.

I frowned. “Your hands seem busy. I suppose you could use your mouth.”

“Not that way!” she growled. “Blast me with something!”

I glanced up to Kaseya. The amazon’s face was unreadable, but she didn’t object. Sighing, I opened my palm and reached out to the Aether. Sparks of electricity crackled at my fingertips, and I angled them toward Valuri and zapped her with a quick burst of energy. Her eyes fluttered shut, but when they reopened a moment later, they were glowing bright green.

Vaulting back to her feet, Valuri pounced at Kaseya like an enraged tigress. The tides quickly turned—Valuri was now faster and stronger than any human, and it didn’t take long for her to overwhelm her opponent’s defenses. Valuri caught Kaseya’s sword with her claws, ripped it free of the amazon’s grip, and then kicked the other woman flat onto her back.

“That’s more like it,” Valuri said, straddling the amazon and pressing her claws against the other woman’s throat. She held them in place for a long moment before she finally grinned and retracted them back into her gauntlets. “I hope you learned everything you needed.”

“Not quite yet,” Kaseya said. “There are still a few things I need to know.”

Without warning, the amazon shifted her weight and rolled over, expertly reversing Valuri’s pin and ending up on top of her. Valuri yelped in surprise, but before she could fight back, Kaseya nestled deeper between the Huntress’s legs, pushed her hands out of the way…

And kissed her.

I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. Surprise? Bewilderment? Instantaneous, unapologetic arousal? My cock selected the third option before I could even think about the other two. It swelled so quickly I had to lean up and reshuffle my legs before it became too uncomfortable.

Kaseya didn’t hold back, and Valuri didn’t resist in the slightest. Within seconds, the women were frantically pawing at each other’s bodies like old lovers who hadn’t seen each other in months. I couldn’t believe how forcefully Kaseya stripped off Valuri’s trousers and corset or how quickly she plunged her long fingers into the Senosi’s quim.

“Don’t mind me,” I murmured. “I’ll just be sitting over here by the fire…”

I doubted that they even heard me. When their lips parted, Valuri’s ecstatic moans echoed through the still night air, and her head slumped backward when the amazon slipped a third finger inside her. I couldn’t help but wonder how many other times Kaseya had pleasured her fellow Red Sisters like this back on Nol Krovos, just like I couldn’t help but wonder how many times Valuri had been pleasured this way by her fellow Senosi back in Vorsalos. I suddenly regretted not spending more time learning about scrying magic when I was younger. The sights I could have seen…before I got captured and castrated, anyway.

Amidst my reverie, Kaseya leaned down and began to feast upon Valuri’s quim. The amazon’s tongue and fingers moved like fire on the other woman’s slit, and I wasn’t sure I had ever heard Valuri cry out so loudly even after being fed. A part of me wondered if this was just another maneuver in their ongoing competition—whose training had really been the best, Senosi or amazon? If I knew Valuri at all, she would respond in kind soon enough. This little dance of theirs could go on for hours.

A true gentleman would have been content to watch and wait for an invitation before he joined them. Thankfully, I had never learned proper manners.

Grinning, I pulled my throbbing cock from my trousers and scooted forward behind Kaseya. Over the last few weeks, I had become quite an expert at pushing aside the strips of her leather skirt, though I was really starting to get annoyed at how often her thong got in the way. I was genuinely tempted to order her to stop wearing the damn thing altogether.

Once I had pulled it down to her knees, I nudged the tip of my cock against her smoldering quim. She was wet and ready, just like I expected, though I wondered how much of her arousal was merely an echo of mine. Probably not much—when I turned on my ring, I could feel the intensity of her hunger. She genuinely wanted to fuck Valuri. It was a feeling I knew all too well. One moment I would want to strangle her, and in the next…

Well, in the next I would still want to strangle her, but I would also want my cock buried in her ass while I squeezed.

I slipped into Kaseya with a relieved groan, and the red-hot walls of her quim opened for their rightful conqueror. I settled into a comfortable rhythm, impressed that she could concentrate on fingering and tonguing Valuri despite the euphoric currents shuddering through her. She really did have the discipline of a warrior.

A few moments later, Valuri moaned from another climax and clutched at the back of Kaseya’s head, pulling the amazon more tightly against her. I caught a quick glimpse of Valuri’s face, and she smiled up at me and winked in silent acknowledgement that she was winning her own battle here—she was finally getting the chance to share my toy with me.

The thought sent a jolt of energy through my member, and I rammed into Kaseya over and over as my own climax approached. Just before I spilled inside her, the amazon spun around and pulled away from me. My cock dangled in mid-air, desperate for attention, but she quickly grabbed it with both hands and pumped it toward Valuri. I exploded mere seconds later, showering the Huntress’s tits and chin with a half-dozen thick ropes of seed.

Valuri descended into a trance as she fed upon my magic. Her eyes began to glow even as they rolled back into her head, and the tattoos on her arm were bright enough to light up the copse even without a campfire.

“She said she was hungry,” Kaseya said, smiling up at me before she began cleaning off my cock.

I smiled back and gently ran my fingers through her red hair. “Very considerate of you,” I whispered. “I suppose it’s important that we all learn to share.”

 

***

 

I awoke to the sound of soft moans and smacking lips, and I was confused when my eyes fluttered open and didn’t see Kaseya’s tongue eagerly massaging my cock. She wasn’t sitting next to me at all, in fact, and I had to muster the energy to turn over before I spotted her lying on top of Valuri. The two women were kissing passionately, and Kaseya had two fingers buried inside the Huntress’s quim.

“An even better view than a sunrise…” I murmured as I reached down and started slowly stroking myself to life. I was glad to see that the girls were finally getting along. Apparently, all they’d needed to do was try and kill each other.

Valuri’s body eventually seized up, and a frantic, high-pitched moan escaped her lips. It was a delightful sound I’d heard many times over the past year, and her toes curled an instant later as a climax shuddered through her.

“Dammit, Red,” she breathed, clutching at the amazon’s hair. “I really wish I had a cock so I could fuck you right now…”

Kaseya smiled and gently kissed the other woman on the nose, then promptly crawled over to me and began licking the head of my swollen member. I had no idea if this behavior was going to become a permanent fixture of our mornings from now on or not…but I wouldn’t have been upset if it did.

I was stiff and throbbing in the back of the amazon’s throat by the time Valuri finally recovered and propped herself up on her elbows. She grinned impishly and scooted forward until she was close enough to smack Kaseya’s upturned ass.

“This really doesn’t seem fair,” Valuri said. “Amazons need love, too, right?”

She leaned down and began licking Kaseya’s slit from behind. When I closed my eyes and activated my ring, I could feel the echoes of my bliss shuddering through Kaseya and merging with her own. They swirled together in a harmonious symphony, ultimately intensifying both. My seed flooded her mouth just seconds later.

I had only just come down when Kaseya succumbed as well, and I grinned contently when she closed her eyes and cried out. It was a truly wonderful sight…right up until I saw the faint glow of Valuri’s green tattoos beneath her skin.

“What?” I murmured, leaning forward.

Valuri didn’t respond. She was trapped in the ecstasy of her feeding trance. But that didn’t make any sense unless…

“Val, what’s going on?” I asked. “Val!”

Her eyes continued fluttering beneath her eyelids for several seconds before they finally refocused. “Holy shit, Red,” she breathed. “Why didn’t you tell me you tasted that good?”

I leaned forward and grabbed her arm. “Val, how are you feeding?”

She grinned. “How do you think? This girl has magic in her blood…and elsewhere.”

“What?” Kaseya gasped, spinning around.

“You have the gift, Red. You’re a channeler.”

“That is not possible,” Kaseya insisted. “Amazons cannot be sorcerers.”

Valuri snorted. “Of course they can. Even orcs can be born with the gift if they’re lucky enough.”

Kaseya shook her head. “You do not understand. The pact my people made with our gods…only men can be born with magic in their blood. And only properly trained amazon warriors can serve them.”

I bit down on my lip and resisted the urge to swear under my breath. I remembered Ayrael’s ranting screed from the Highwind docks and her ship—she had insisted over and over again that their moshalim sorcerers were liars who had manipulated the amazons into serving them. Even at the time, I had known that some of Ayrael’s words were true…but perhaps I had underestimated just how many.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Red, but you definitely have the gift,” Valuri said, finally sitting up. “Though I’m happy to take another sip if you want to be sure…”

“It’s not possible,” Kaseya repeated, rolling away and reaching for her equipment. “We have already wasted too much time. We should get moving.”

She moved away to prepare the horses before we could argue. I watched her for a moment, wishing I could do or say something to help. I still couldn’t quite believe what had just happened, but Valuri’s Senosi powers didn’t lie—Kaseya was a sorceress, whether she wanted to accept it or not.

I sighed and reached for my trousers. Later, I promised myself, we would sit down and try to work this out. But right now…well, right now she obviously needed time to process all of this.

And so did I.

 

***

 

The three of us barely spoke for the first hour of our trip, and before I could break the silence, a storm swept in and began battering the road with sheets of rain. Without anywhere obvious to take cover, we pressed on as best we could. The horses were less than thrilled, to put it mildly, and I almost wished we had chosen to travel on foot. But by mid-afternoon we finally reached one of the villages surrounding Lake Dunarthe, and I steered us toward the stable and shelter as quickly as I could.

Thanks to the nearby road, the inn was the largest building in the whole village, though it was still a pale shadow of the smallest, dingiest flophouse in Highwind. Still, the locals were happy to see our coin and even happier to see the two beautiful women on my arm. They gave us the largest room at a reasonable price, and the wenches fetched us fresh food and water at record speed. I tossed them a few extra silvers in the hopes it would buy us some added privacy.

“If nothing else, the rain should wash away our tracks,” Valuri said after we’d settled in and started peeling off our clothes to let them dry “Not that it’s going to matter once we all catch a fever and die.”

“We’ll be fine,” I assured her, stretching out my trousers in front of the fire. “I’m more worried about the horses. We might want to consider leaving them here. I was planning on avoiding the road the rest of the way, and they aren’t going to be much use if this weather keeps up.”

“So instead of them slipping and breaking a leg, we’ll get to slip and break a leg. Fantastic.”

“I’m sure they have a cobbler who will sell you some sensible boots.”

“Oh, shut up,” Valuri grumbled. She glanced back over her shoulder, assuming Kaseya would join in on the heel bashing, but the amazon had barely spoken a word since we’d arrived. She was sitting naked next to the fire and brushing her long red hair.

“Hey, anyone home?”

Kaseya turned toward me a moment later as if I had called her name across a great distance. “I apologize, Maskari. I was…distracted.”

I smiled and knelt down next to her. “I’m the one who should be having trouble concentrating,” I said, gently cupping her bare breast.

“Do you wish me to relieve you?”

“No, not right now,” I said. “But I think we should talk.”

Kaseya sighed and glanced back into the flames. “I do not understand what happened. It is not possible for a female to become moshalim.”

“Red, there are sorceresses all over the Northern Reaches,” Valuri said. “That Silhouette girl, for one.”

“She is not an amazon.”

“It doesn’t make any difference.”

“It makes all the difference.”

I sighed and slung my arm over her shoulders. “Kaseya, you’re acting like this is a death sentence, but it’s not. It just means we have another thing in common!”

She closed her eyes and remained silent. I sighed and rubbed at her shoulders.

“Look, I’m as surprised as you are. Most people born with the gift figure it out the hard way—they have scary visions or hear their friends’ thoughts or set their houses on fire. The fact that nothing has happened to you in twenty some years…” I shrugged. “I don’t know what it means, but it’s not a bad thing.”

“You do not understand.”

“I’m the sorcerer—I understand better than anyone.”

“No,” Kaseya insisted. “You do not understand because this proves my sister right.”

I grimaced. “Because she said the moshalim were lying to you?”

“Yes. And if they lied about this…what else could they be lying about?”

“Anything and everything,” Valuri said. “It’s not fun when you find out you’ve spent your whole life in the service of liars and monsters, is it?

I whipped my head around and glared at her. “You’re not helping.”

“It’s the truth. The sooner she comes to accept it, the better.”

“The moshalim are not monsters,” Kaseya said. “They are just…”

I squeezed her shoulders again when she trailed off. “Maybe you should come lie down for a bit. I’ll fetch us some more tea and food.”

“I would prefer to remain by the fire.”

I sighed and nodded. Personally, I was excited by this revelation—I couldn’t wait to try and discover what natural abilities she might have—but I was trying to hide my enthusiasm for her sake. She didn’t need the collar flooding her with my giddiness right now. Back in Vorsalos, I had known a priest who had lost his faith one day, and the result had been…well, tragic didn’t begin to cover it. He had never been the same person afterward.

Valuri had gone through a similar transition when she had turned against the Senosi, though her natural cynicism had shielded her from the worst of it. Kaseya wouldn’t be so lucky.

I stood and gestured for Val to follow me into the adjoining room where the wenches had drawn us some water. She gently shut the door behind us and crossed her arms over her chest.

“She’ll be fine, Jorem. She’s a tough girl, and this isn’t actually bad news.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m just a little worried about what might happen if we run into her sister out here.”

“You weren’t worried already?” Valuri asked. “You did see Ayrael fight before, right?”

“Yeah, and we won’t stand a chance unless all of us are ready and focused.” I pursed my lips. “I suppose there’s nothing we can do about it anyway, but I’m worried. People do strange things when their whole world starts collapsing around them.”

“You’re especially cute when you’re all warm and compassionate,” Valuri said with a smirk. “But seriously: she’ll be fine.”

I smiled back. “You’re just happy you have another place to feed.”

“Ecstatic is more like it. Everyone loves a little variety now and then.”

I snorted. “You really are a glutton.”

“And yet I keep my perfect figure,” she said, bumping her hip against me. “The world isn’t fair.”

I glanced back into the main room where Kaseya was still sitting. “No,” I murmured. “It most definitely is not.”