4. THE MOST SECURE VAULT

Thurvishar’s story

Arena Park, the Capital City of Quur

The day of Vol Karoth’s escape, just after dawn

Senera, Thurvishar, and Talea stood on one of the paths surrounding the Arena. Dawn painted the sky in stripes of violet and pink, casting long shadows through the trees and on paved pathways deserted so early in the day.

“Can we please be quick about this?” Senera said. “If the wrong people see us, I shudder to think how this will go.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Thurvishar smiled at her. “I’m not wanted for treason.”

Senera glared.

“Oh, it would be awfully unlucky of them to spot us, wouldn’t it?” Talea said brightly.

Thurvishar managed not to laugh even as Senera sighed. But Thurvishar’s teasing was also a not-too-subtle reminder that Senera was labeled as a terrorist by the Quuros Empire—a status that Senera had earned.

Not that Thurvishar was in any position to compare. He could attribute his own free status entirely to the fact that his house had been considered too important to eliminate, one of history’s many examples of money and power pardoning any number of crimes.1

Talea reached out a hand to the iridescent wall of force surrounding the Arena. It shimmered at the contact, then spread out into a door shape familiar to anyone who’d ever entered the Arena or stopped by the Culling Fields to watch a duel. A safe point of entry. Senera walked through, followed by Thurvishar, with Talea closing the door behind herself.

“This shouldn’t take more than a moment.” Talea walked with a determined stride toward the vaults. The freestanding buildings looked much as Thurvishar remembered them—plain, unassuming stone squares with empty, dark doorways and much darker reputations.

His father, Sandus, had died for the contents of those buildings. At least Thurvishar had one consolation: that his murderer, Gadrith, hadn’t lived long enough to claim his spoils.

“I’ll just dash inside and pick up the other talismans,” Talea said.

Talea was the only one of them who could safely enter any of these buildings. They’d been enchanted so that only the Emperor of Quur or one of the Eight Immortals could safely enter.

Talea qualified as one of the latter, which was certainly not true of either wizard.

Talea walked inside. Ten minutes later, she hadn’t come out. Senera crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around.

“We’re surrounded by woods,” Thurvishar said. “Who can see us?”

She pursed her lips. “Fine.” The unease rolled off her in waves, like ripples in the air on a hot day.

“But,” Thurvishar said, prodding the woman to continue.

“But I hate being back in the Upper Circle,” Senera admitted. “Even here. I wouldn’t mind never returning. Or burning this city to the ground. The whole place vibrates with cruelty and anger. It’s even worse than I remember.”

“The demons are trying to help with that second one. I know this is difficult—” Thurvishar paused. Senera wasn’t wrong. There was something in the air. Something unpleasant and furious hanging heavy over the streets.

Thurvishar shuddered. He’d never wanted to leave the Capital so badly before.

The doorway to the vault’s interior space shimmered before disgorging Talea, whose expression was as unhappy as Thurvishar had ever seen. Worse, she wasn’t holding anything in her hands.

“What happened?” Senera asked the question first.

Talea shook her head. “It’s gone. All of it. Urthaenriel too. Whoever took them wasn’t interested in any of the treasure—they only stole Urthaenriel and the Greater Talismans.”

“No reason to panic,” Thurvishar said, although he was well aware that his caution wouldn’t be enough to prevent Senera from doing exactly that. “Maybe one of the other Immortals claimed them. Possibly Tyentso decided it was safest to take Urthaenriel with her or move its location.”

Senera threw him a dirty look. “What in the Veils possessed you to give Urthaenriel to Tyentso?”

Thurvishar raised an eyebrow at her disapproval. He suspected her bias against Quuros imperialism was showing. Senera liked Tyentso. “Because after all the effort Gadrith went through to rob the vaults in the belief that Urthaenriel was here, no one would expect the sword to actually be here. And Tyentso has a close relationship with Kihrin. It was an easy choice.” He paused then. “You don’t think Tyentso can be trusted with it?”

“Can we just ask the empress what happened to the sword?” Talea suggested.

“Thurvishar can,” Senera said. “It would be best if I didn’t, even if I’m a huge fan of her recent work.”

“You mean the way she slaughtered most of the high lords,” Thurvishar said.

“Yes,” Senera said with a fond smile at the very idea. “I do mean that.”²

“I can’t do anything else here.” Talea tugged on Thurvishar’s sleeve. “Mind taking me back down to the Manol? Maybe we can make it in time to help Xivan.”

“What I should do is teach you how to transport yourself,” Thurvishar said, but he knew they didn’t have time for that.

He was more concerned about the way the entire city psychically teetered on the verge of exploding. Everything felt wrong. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to investigate it.

“By all means,” Thurvishar said. “Let’s return you to Xivan’s side.”