Page 69 of Thorns & Fire
Giving her a strange look, Zavier turned to Wren next.‘Dessa told me you got the samples you needed.Any other news from your fallen homeland?’
Wren busied herself with reaching for a pastry to buy herself a moment.She didn’t like lying, not to her friends.‘Nothing of note.’
The way Zavier’s gaze lingered on her made Wren question if Dessa had caved and told him about Delmira.He was waiting for her to elaborate, but what could she say?That they’d discovered the rebirth of her homeland?That the kingdom once thought cursed was now one of the most valuable places in the midrealms?
‘Did we miss any announcements this morning?’Torj interjected.‘It was my fault we were late.’They hadn’t been late, but Wren was grateful for the interruption.
Zavier looked to her again.‘Actually, a chronicler came looking for you.’
‘What?’Wren blinked.‘Why?’
‘Apparently there are some scholars here who are writing a historical account of the shadow war.They want to interview you.’
Wren’s blood ran cold, the last corner of her pastry frozen halfway to her mouth.The last thing she wanted was to recount her experiences of the war with a stranger.Just the thought had her hands growing clammy, and for a second, she thought she could smell the acrid scent of burnt hair.
Torj’s knee bumped against hers under the table.
Wren came back to herself.‘What did you tell them?’
‘That you were too busy and important to talk to the lowly likes of them,’ Zavier quipped.
‘You didn’t.’
‘I did not,’ Zavier admitted.‘I told them you were only justreturned from a research trip abroad and I had no idea when you’d have time for such things.’
Wren loosed a breath, her whole body sagging with relief.
Zavier shot her a sympathetic look.‘I expect they’ll find you soon enough, though,’ he said with a note of apology.‘According to the new novices, the High Chancellor made a big speech about contributing to other disciplines only a few days ago...Knowledge is the victor over fateand all that...’
‘It’s an honour to be invited to contribute, you know,’ Dessa said quietly.‘I’d be glad to do so if I was asked.’
Wren’s breakfast turned sour in her gut.She knew Dessa didn’t mean anything personal by it, that the comment was born of her own inner battles, but it still stung.She had relived her darkest memories over and over for the better part of half a decade already.She didn’t want to keep doing so.
Wren nodded her thanks to Zavier, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that her past was catching up to her and soon she’d have nowhere left to hide.
As they prepared to leave for their workshop, Wren caught Torj’s gaze.The concern in his eyes made her heart flutter.She suppressed the urge to reach for his hand, something that, for a moment, felt like second nature.Instead, she shoved her hands into her apron pocket and averted her eyes.Even now, the force of him was overwhelming.
And that terrified her more than any interview ever could.
CHAPTER 27
Wren
‘There are seven metals within the discipline of alchemy, their properties studied at great length: gold, silver, mercury, copper, lead, iron, and tin’
– Alchemy Unbound
WREN SAT BETWEENZavier and Dessa in the poisons dungeon, waiting for the Master of Warfare to arrive.The shelves on either side of the chamber were overflowing with ingredients, and several of the plants had grown considerably in Wren’s absence, their vines curling over the edges of the shelves and dangling down.Workbenches filled the centre of the room, but several seats were empty.When they’d been here as novices, the room had been full.As adepts...things were different.
Wren knew that several from her original cohort had not made it through the Gauntlet, but her memory of the graduation ceremony that preceded the battle was hazy.She had stood with her teammates on the podium, but her gaze had been on the Bear Slayer, whose pride was written all over his handsome face as he watched her from the crowd.It was no wonder she had no recollection of who had joined the adept ranks with her, Dessa and Zavier.
Now, she realized just how much her cohort had dwindled after the Gauntlet.She scanned the faces of those entering the room, trying to recall who was missing.
‘So few...’she murmured.
‘Many didn’t pass the loyalty test before the Gauntlet,’ Zavier told her quietly.‘While you were gone I had the pleasure of witnessing the memory weave in use again.’
Wren blanched.‘No...’
