It was almost dawn, and I'd set a chair on fire in the garden, causing a rush of attendants to come over to put it out. Chevral clapped his hands, looking at me as though I'd just created a miracle.
"That's one chair, a statue of Edu, and a fruit bowl, Kaashif," Ursula said in a dry tone."
I looked at the havoc I'd wrought and nodded. "I need to go out."
It was almost time to go to the bridge.
"I want to come," Chevral whined. He'd been so much more whinier in the past week, wanting to be with me every minute. His gaze never left me when we were together, and it brought with it a feeling of unease within me. Chevral was planning something. I just knew it.
I glanced at him, feeling a familiar headache behind my eyes. "No. We aren't sure if the new formula we're trying with you is working. You need to stay here at the embassy."
Chevral sulked and left the garden, leaving me with Ursula. Ursula was staring at him with narrowed eyes. She still was in disagreement of keeping him around, and most of his information, while useful, was not truly what I needed to get something on Renata or Kohl.
Everyone was busy with decorating for Saint Padoxius Festival, including the ambassador, but I was sure that Chevral would be safe in the embassy without me for now. There were enough in the embassy that knew he was dangerous. Surely, they'd keep an eye out.
Ursula protested going anywhere. "No, we should stay here and say we're too busy to go the tower!"
I shook my head, and when she saw that stubborn slant to my chin, she sighed.
As Ursula grumbled about mulish fools that never listened, we set out on our walk with our guards around us, and I breathed in the festive atmosphere. The air was never the frosty bite that this area once possessed during this time, but the slightly cooler clime let me know that the festival of Saint Padoxius, saint of good tidings, was well underway. My excuse for going out so early was to buy gifts for the embassy, so the ambassador was fine with us setting out while it was still dark. He was too distracted by decorating to take much mind of us, and I worried that they would let Chevral take too many liberties.
I'd become excited when the decorations slowly appeared. The embassy had taken cues from ancient times, decorating the rooms with greenery, balls made of red berries, and silver and gold figures of Faluel, Padoxius, and the other saints. A large tree, covered in blue, white, and silver decorations gave honor to their host country, Sanfelton.
In an attempt to escape any ire from Prince Altair, I sent a letter to the tower stating I was searching for a gift for him and would meet him when I returned.
Shopkeepers and stall owners called out as we passed by. The stalls during this time were laden with trinkets, and toys meant to entice those wanting an inexpensive gift that the fancier shops would not have. Hungry, I stopped by a bread seller and purchased two twisted fried breads covered in cinnamon and sugar. We called them Padoxius' staffs in memory of his magical staff that could bless a faithful believer. I offered one to Ursula as we walked on, but she refused,
Ursula walked by my side, her arms crossed over her chest as she observed the crowd with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "I still can't believe you're meeting Altair," she muttered under her breath. "After everything that's happened, do you still trust him? I'm convinced the Imperials killed Darla to keep her silent."
I glanced at the pastry in my hand. "I don't trust him, Ursula, and I agree with you. But I want to know what he has to say."
She huffed, her gaze shifting to the various stalls. "He could send a letter. It's too ominous."
I was glad for Ursula's spell work. She'd created a buffer between us and the crowd. Any of our words came out to others like we were discussing things a sheltered Calashan woman would be interested in such as clothes, or shoes. It allowed us to have our conversation without interruption.
"Never mind Altair. Let's speak of other things. Just think, Ursula. With the relationship we've built with Mercury, we may have a powerful ally. Plus, you've managed to grow close to Renata. She is charmed by your liveliness."
Ursula batted the mask on her face. "Be glad that you can't see my expression. It's quite ugly. How Mercury thinks she's an angelic being escapes me. She's clearly a woman of much calculation."
I shrugged. "Mercury has a fault of only seeing the best in others, and Renata is an old friend to him. He won't easily believe things that are terrible about another unless there is solid proof. That we've been inside his home is a boon nonetheless. Do you have enough to search it?"
She nodded. "I know the whole layout of the mansion, but there are secret passages and rooms I've not visited. These might hold traps.
"And we don't know if Renata has her secrets hidden there," I replied glumly.
"No, we don't. We need to search her own home, or bring enough doubt upon her that will bring the Imperial family against her."
With so little to do, Ursula had become a bit snappish. "I'm sorry you've been so bored, Ursula. I promise we'll go out and stir pots again soon."
"Promises, promises. But stop avoiding the problem with Altair. We need to talk about him."
"Altair is powerful – and dangerous, yes, I know that," I added when I caught her glare. "But he holds keys to Jasni and the Phoenix. He holds keys to finding "Xīwàng's father. I can't very well go to Kohl for these things. Kohl is the one creating the chaos."
Ursula was silent on that, which I took for agreement. I thought again about Renata and the crafty skills she had. She'd gotten what she wanted, much like Kohl did. When I thought of the two, I realized they had much in common – they were both beautiful but deadly. I voiced my conclusion. "She was already pregnant."
"Who?"
"Renata, of course. That has to be. If only we had proof."
Ursula smiled wide as she caught my thinking. She'd trapped him with the idea of getting pregnant, but there was no guarantee. She'd done this act with premeditation, knowing there would be no doubt.
"Why... there might be a maid, or a midwife... a doctor..." Ursula looked back to her old scheming self.
I nodded. "Ursula, borrow my homunculus and see if you can't find a gossipy sort with a grudge against our Renata amongst their staff or her friends. We still have jewels left." Then I grimaced, "As for Altair... I need to think about what to do with him."
Our shopping trip continued on in relative silence save for the happy chaos of the crowd around us as we both were lost in thought. However, suddenly, the happiness turned into murmurs of shock, then screams of terror as the crowd ran in the opposite direction. Ursula and I ducked into an alcove to escape the crush.
My pastry had dropped just outside our shelter, and was soon trampled.
"What's going on?" Ursula's voice came out in a squeak as the pounding of running feet and the crashing of carts and boxes sounded around us.
I dipped my head out, risking getting bashed, in order to see.
It was a soot.
A soot was running towards whomever he could catch and tearing into their neck.
As I watched the chaos unfold, my heart raced in my chest. Panic and fear filled the air as more festival-goers were attacked, and I knew I had to do something.
Without thinking, I stepped out of the alcove and called upon my magic. A pillar of flame engulfed the soot, burning it to a crisp.
"Solace, what are you doing?" Ursula said, forgetting herself in her alarm.
Students weren't supposed to use magic outside the academy, but I'd done just that in front of thousands of people. More screams emitted from the distance. There was another soot there. And screams were heard in the opposite direction. More soots?
With every muscle in my body quivering, I wondered if this was Kohl's plan.
The chaos continued to unfold around me as more soots appeared feeding on the helpless masses. People were running in every direction, trying to escape the terrifying creatures. I could hear the screams and cries for help echoing through the air.
Ursula grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with fear. "Solace, we need to get out of here! This is dangerous!"
I winced that she said my name again, but I couldn't just leave this alone. I had the power to end the misery of the soot by turning it to ash but seeing that a stall had caught on fire from my blast, I also realized I was a danger too. Conflicted, I froze as I struggled to decide my next course of action.
Our guards gathered around us, blades drawn as they slashed at growling soots which reached out blackened fingertips to us and stared at us with their endless pits for eyes. Seeing the state of their hands, I realized these were old soots. As my realization set itn, razor teeth snapped dangerously close, and one of the guards was bit. Another guard stabbed him through and I cried out at the brutality.
"He had to, So-Kaashif! That guard was finished!"
I knew it, but I still hadn't wanted such a thing to happen before my eyes. Those soots were old, which meant someone purposefully made them to be weapons for this day.
Soon the Imperial army was swarming the square, battling the scourge. In the confusion I was grabbed and carted away by a stranger in a cloak.
As I was being carted away, my heart raced with fear and confusion. Who was this person and why were they taking me away from the chaos? I struggled against their grip, but they held me firmly, their strength surprising for someone who appeared so unassuming.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I demanded, my voice filled with both fear and defiance.
The stranger didn't respond, their grip tightening slightly as they hurriedly pulled me through the bustling festival crowd. Panic and chaos continued to unfold around us, but the stranger seemed to navigate through it effortlessly, as if they knew exactly where they were going.
I glanced back, catching glimpses of the Imperial army battling the soots. My outrage at leaving Ursula in that mess made me struggle more, but it was useless.
Finally, we reached a secluded alleyway, away from the chaos of the festival. The stranger released their hold on me, and I stumbled back, catching my breath and trying to make sense of the situation.
"Who are you?" I repeated, my voice steadier this time.
The stranger pulled back their hood, revealing a familiar face. It was Altair.
Upset, I pushed him. "Altair? What is going on? Why did you take me away like that?" I asked, my voice filled with irritation.
"I followed you when I learned you weren't on your way to the magic tower."
I blinked at him. Sanfelton city was in danger of being overrun by a plague, and he wanted to talk about the secret. My mouth turned down. "I can't stay here. Ursula is out there and you made me leave her."
His eyes flared with anger. "She has the guards and the imperial army. You need to come with me." With that, he continued to pull at me, and I, not being in the homunculus, was not able to resist his more superior strength.
I raised the heat of my arm which made him shriek with pain and release me, then I dashed away from him, pumping my legs for all they were worth as I avoided the citizens. No matter which way I turned, however, I couldn't find Ursula.
I was right before the bridge, and I saw a figure there, fighting with awesome skill with a staff. She was disguised with brown hair and her ears were not pointy, but the way she moved, and the aggression she showed to the soots made it undeniable who she was.
Matenli was here, which meant, Xīwàng was near. And there, I saw him, disguised a blonde Calashan male. I knew it was him because he was screaming the lines of the poem as he turned each soot to ash. The poem I reread each night to carve it into my soul.
Xīwàng saw me, but then, he looked behind me and shouted, running forward. I turned just in time to see Chevral reaching for me, a crazed look in his eyes. Prince Kohl stood in the distance, bodies all around, looking just like that sumera bloom with a smile so lovely the world seemed to freeze to gaze upon it.
Then I realized that Chevral was always on the side of Prince Kohl.
Kohl's words from the dungeon came back to me:
"I will remold your mind. You'll have pain tattooed on every synapse, and your only respite is when I visit you. You'll only have any peace when I am comforting you. Eventually, you will want to do anything I say. They always do, those I make my special family."
There had been no way to save Chevral's mind, and I had been a fool once more to think I could. Before he could grab me, a figure jumped behind him, stabbing two thin daggers into his shoulders then she bashed him with the hilt of her sword. Her assassination skills left no room for him to react, and he crumpled.
Chevral should have been at the embassy, always guarded unless by my side. I searched frantically for Kohl, but he'd slithered away. I turned to run to the bridge, but Prince Altair had caught up to me. As his hand enclosed my upper arm in a tight, painful grip, I flinched and turned away from the bridge. A dagger went sailing towards the prince who released me to dodge, and Ursula caught me by the hand, rushing away with me.
However, Altair blasted us with a gust of wind, toppling the both of us. Soldiers surrounded us. I looked up to see that Xīwàng and Matenli had disappeared. With a heavy heart I stayed on the ground.
"Take them to the tower," Altair growled. Chevral was dragged away as well. He moaned, and I realized that the cockroach still lived.
As we were taken to the tower, I thought again of my path of revenge. Was it worth it? The souls of the lives taken today overwhelmed me, and I was crushed under their weight, unsure if I could rise up from them. Flames licked at carts, at shops, at stalls like starving beasts. Beasts that I released.
However, Xīwàng was there, as promised. I could only hold on to Faluel and that promise as I faced my fate.
End of Book One