A few days later, Mother visited Kayden in her living quarters to inform her the ships were to set sail at dawn in four days' time. Kayden nodded once, and when Mother walked away, that was the last she saw her. Kayden packed her few belongings, sheathing her weapons and tucking her journal into her left boot. When it was time to leave the castle, she didn't look back.
Icy wind lashed against her as she trudged down the slick path toward the lower sectors. It would take three days to reach Bay's Bridge if the weather didn't get too bad, and from there she'd set sail from Seaview Port.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her. Time passed slowly, and by late afternoon she reached the first trade market nestled in the valley. It'd been years since she had last been here. Whereas before there were travelers trading fine cloaks and hot meals to those who'd had a fair amount of coin, now there were only scraps of frozen meat and tattered blankets. A few people told stories in exchange for what little food they could get. One of them was Niko, her favorite storyteller. She and Alaric had used to listen to him for hours.
Kayden stepped closer to his familiar tone, the rhythm of it rising and falling like fresh snow drifting. His voice was weaker, as if he were ill, but it held just as much enthusiasm as she remembered. She stood near the back of the crowd, listening to a story she'd heard from him long ago: the tale of the current Leodian queen's rise to power.
Chhaya Sarvesh had been friends with Queen Meena, the first ruler of Leodia, but jealousy overcame her. Determined to take the throne by force, Chhaya had disguised herself as a servant and snuck into Queen Meena's quarters, and she stayed there long after she had killed the queen. When the guards finally arrived, they found Chhaya perched on the edge of the bed and Queen Meena dead with her own sword stabbed through her back.
The guards intended to kill Chhaya for what she had done, and they thought it'd be an easy task; she was unarmed, or so it had seemed. When the first guard tried to kill her, the air around her turned misty, and she grabbed his throat.
At her touch, he dropped dead.
Some of the guards gave their allegiance to Chhaya Sarvesh right then and there, fearful of her odd magic. Others tried to stop her, until she summoned her army of spirits. The dead had sided with her—an impossible feat—yet there she stood, surrounded by a chill deeper than death as invisible hands forced the soldiers to kneel.
From then on, Chhaya held control of the throne, but with her new title came others: Queen Killer, Soulless Queen, Commander of Death. With every title she'd claimed, more stories were told to try and explain her existence, but as the tales grew wilder, there was still one thing they all had in common:
People feared what they did not understand, and nobody understood Queen Chhaya or her magic.
The last time Kayden had heard Niko tell the story of the Queen Killer, he'd claimed her awful magic was the result of Chhaya selling her soul to the gods for power. This evening, though, he told of Chhaya defying the goddesses and gods and finding a realm where evil forces lurked. There, she summoned her army of the damned.
Kayden gave a rueful grin. She would miss this. The best thing about Niko was that his stories were never the exact same. The endings changed, feeding conspiracies and urging listeners to come back for more. As the crowd applauded, she turned to leave, but Niko's voice cut through the crowd.
"Nila! Is that you?"
She turned back, answering to her false name, and smiled. Snowflakes dusted Niko's hair and melted against his deep brown skin.
"It has been too long," he said, drawing her into a hug. He smelled of bonfire smoke. "How have you been? How is your father faring?"
Last he knew, her father's illness had been getting worse. It was time for her to finish the story—to end the act—so she dropped her smile and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing a few tears to slip past. She shook her head.
"My dear girl, I am so sorry." He hesitated. "When did this...?"
"A couple of weeks ago," she choked out.
"Do you need a place to stay? My husband and I—"
"Oh, no," Kayden said. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'm afraid I won't be staying in Freca much longer."
His brows furrowed. "Why not?"
She stared at the ground, toeing at the hard-packed snow. "I'm to board the next ship to Leodia."
His hand flew to his mouth. "My dear, don't tell me you are going to work for Queen Chhaya? She has hired too many Frecans already. Soon enough, she won't even need her army of the damned. But we belong here, not across the Roccian Sea where the heat will break our souls."
"The pay is good, and jobs here are scarce." She sighed. "It's the best I can do."
Niko nodded in defeat. When they bid their goodbyes, she donned her mask, unwilling to show her emotions as she left him behind just like all the others.
*
The next day, Kayden reached the lowest sectors, where farmland and wild grasses replaced the snow and spanned from the mountains to Port Vermillion. As the air grew warmer and sticky with humidity, she shed her furs and sold them in exchange for fresh snowberries and a thin strip of smoked elk.
While she ate, laughter drew her attention to a little boy sparring with his father. The boy couldn't have been older than ten. They used wooden swords instead of steel, something she'd never had the luxury of. When the boy misstepped and left his side unguarded, his father simply chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. It wasn't the reaction she'd expected. Where was the resentment, the vicious threats, and all the death? A real battle would have much harsher consequences. The boy wouldn't be prepared when the inevitable war between Freca and Leodia showed up at their doorstep. She shook her head and moved on.
Another day dragged by before she crossed Bay's Bridge into Seaview Port. The Roccian Sea stretched to the very ends of the horizon, and Nessa's song clung to the shoreline, the straw-like grasses growing in patches. When the breeze passed through, the grasses gave off a hauntingly beautiful sound, the song burrowing deep within her bones. Off the shore, massive ships were anchored. Without the sails down, their masts looked like swords protruding from the decks.
Families gathered at the docks, bidding goodbye as their loved ones stepped into the long row boats. The guilt didn't hit till after she joined them on the boats, heading for the ships.
She hadn't said goodbye to the one person who mattered most.
When they boarded the ship, she stood at the railing. Beyond the sprawling fields and villages, snow-capped mountains pierced the clouds, guarding the castle buried in their heart. It was the only place she had called home, and she wondered if she'd ever call another place by that name.
A hand slammed down on the railing beside her, pinning a piece of parchment against the wood. Kayden startled.
"My goddesses, Nila! You disappear for days, and this is how you tell me you're leaving for Leodia?" Eka shoved the letter in her face. "Couldn't even come to say goodbye to me properly?"
Kayden snatched the letter away, grinning despite Eka's annoyance. "What are you doing here?"
She elbowed Kayden in the ribs. "Wipe that silly smile off your face. I'm not happy with you, you know. Leaving me like that. By the time I saw your letter, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to make it here in time. I high-tailed it like a hare chased by a lynx." Eka shook her head. "I'm here for the same reason as you. I'm going to work for Queen Chhaya."
"Don't you work for Murray?"
Eka grimaced. "I broke my contract. I can't go back now. He'll be livid when he realizes I've stopped showing up for work."
Kayden's smile fell. As much as she enjoyed Eka's company, she didn't want the girl to endanger herself for her. That was the last thing Kayden wanted and the very thing she'd worked so hard to avoid. If she ever let the truth slip about Jesse, Eka would never forgive her. Kayden had nearly come clean multiple times in the past, guilt gnawing at her insides whenever she and Eka had spent too much time together.
"You shouldn't have broken your contract." Kayden had heard of Murray and hoped to never meet him. He controlled most of the black market trade in Freca and was rumored to have started expanding his control across the Roccian Sea. "Murray will be after you."
Eka waved a dismissive hand. "He doesn't have people in Leodia."
"Not yet, he doesn't. But he might soon enough."
"Look at you so worried about me. It's kind of cute."
Kayden blushed and stared into the sea below. "You shouldn't have left everything behind because of me. I'm not worth the risk."
"Who said I left because of you?" Eka smirked. "Anyway, we've known each other for years. You are worth it, Nila. After Jesse's death, you're all I have left."
The snowberries she'd eaten earlier threatened to make a reappearance. Jesse's name tended to have that effect on her, but warring with the guilt in her chest was a flutter of hope. Eka was with her. Eka would be safe from Malakai and Mother at last. She didn't have to keep their friendship a secret anymore.
"Oh! I almost forgot." Eka retrieved a small charm from her pocket. "I made this for you. Not that you deserve it, after sending me that monstrosity" —she indicated toward the letter Kayden still held— "but I might be able to find it in me to forgive you."
Kayden took the small charm, turning it over in her palm. Thin scraps of metal had been melted together and bent into the shape of a wishing iris, a black flower native to Freca that changed colors to reflect one's desires.
"I know it's not as good as your other charms," Eka continued. "I'm no artist. Not like you, anyway, but I tried my best. I hope you don't hate it too horribly?"
She grinned. "It's beautiful."
"Whew." Eka pretended to wipe her brow. "That's a relief. Here, let me help fasten it."
The girl's fingertips grazed Kayden's collarbone as she retrieved the thin, silver chain necklace. Kayden froze at her touch, but Eka didn't seem to notice as she removed the current charm—a three-pointed snowflake—and clipped on the iris. The necklace had been a gift from Eka a while back after she had shown the girl her odd collection of charms that she'd created out of random scraps of metal and string. Kayden pocketed the snowflake charm with the many others she'd brought with.
The iris felt pleasant against her chest, the metal warm from Eka's fingers. The contagious feeling seeped through her skin and nestled inside her heart.
As the ships set sail for Leodia, and she and Eka watched their home fade on the horizon, Kayden said, "Eka?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here."