I heard that the Heartforger was in the Willows almost by accident. Chesh mentioned it only in passing when I visited her and Likh at the zivar shop. “The asha are abuzz with the news,” she told me, pinning a new selection of dovetail combs into my hair while Likh looked on. “They say he’s taking up lodgings for a couple of nights at the Snow Pyre, since he’s a close friend of its owner.”
I was no stranger to the Heartforger’s work by then. Some of Lady Mykaela’s books talk about him in detail, including stunning illustrations of the heartsglass he forged over the years. He had discovered a cure for smallpox and spotted fever and was notorious for charging the wealthy exorbitant prices for his wares while giving them away to the poor at practically no cost. The book also went on to say that the Heartforger, like most heartforgers before him, had close ties to Dark asha, though they were never specific on the hows and whys of the relationship.
“How long do you think he’ll be staying?” I asked, keeping my voice casual.
Chesh shrugged. “No one knows. Perhaps a week but probably no longer than that. I don’t think he stays for too long in the Willows.”
“I wonder what he plans to do here,” Likh mused, weaving gem-studded ribbons through my hair. “He hasn’t been to Kion in years. He dislikes both royalty and asha, and Ankyo has both in spades.”
I didn’t know either, but I wanted to find out.
• • •
I was in a rebellious mood all that week; Mistress Parmina had grown impatient with my lack of progress with my singing skills and had decided banning sweets and cold drinks was the answer, to protect my throat. Looking back, it was probably a ridiculous excuse to break my curfew, but deprived of my favorite paloodeh, I was looking for a way to get back at Mistress Parmina. And I was curious: if heartforgers maintained close ties with Dark asha, I reasoned, then sneaking out to meet him was merely preemptively establishing the friendship.
I wished I could say that Fox did his best to stop me, but he was just as curious about the Heartforger as I was. Mistress Parmina was already asleep, and everyone else had gone out. Only Kana had been taken into my confidence.
“People tell me that this current heartforger is something of a recluse,” my brother said as we crept toward the Snow Pyre, making sure we didn’t meet anyone who would recognize us on the way. The night was warm, but I carried a paper umbrella behind me, which was perfect for shielding my face when people walked by. Fox had found a top hat, much to my amusement, and wore it over his eyes for the same reason. “He used to be friends with King Vanor, I believe—I think he even encouraged his romance with Lady Mykaela—but after the king shunned her, the Forger turned his back on the king too.”
“Maybe he knows more about what went on between the king and Lady Mykaela.”
“Are you going to ask?”
I thought that over. “No. I think Lady Mykaela explained everything that she wanted me to know. I shouldn’t be nosy.”
We turned a corner and nearly walked into Lord Kalen, who was standing by the entrance to the Snow Pyre. He didn’t look happy to see us. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah—” I had been hoping to sneak in undetected. “We heard—we heard that the Heartforger was staying here.”
“You can’t see him.”
“And why not?”
“He’s busy. Kance is with him.”
I started. The prince is here too?
“You may speak for your cousin,” Fox pointed out calmly, “but I don’t think you speak for the Forger. We’re perfectly willing to wait until their meeting ends if need be.”
“And I’m perfectly willing to bet that you are once again sneaking out of your asha-ka without permission. Should I alert Mistress Parmina to your whereabouts?”
“Good luck.” I managed to say this cheerfully, hiding my worry that he would make good on his threat. “She’s fast asleep at the Valerian. Once her eyes close, a parade marching through her room can’t wake her.”
“Kalen? Is everything all right?” The door to one of the rooms slid open, and Prince Kance peered out. “Lady Tea?”
It was one thing to stand up to Kalen, but it was another thing to have to explain myself to the prince. I faltered again. “Your Majesty, I was—”
“Lady Tea?” I heard someone call out from inside the room. “Is it that Dark asha I keep hearing about? Send her in!”
Kalen scowled but obeyed. Without another word, he ushered us into the room where Prince Kance was. Two others were with him, garbed in black cloaks that hid their faces, and I felt Fox tense up.
Prince Kance smiled at me. “I’m glad we have the opportunity to meet again, Lady Tea. Good evening, Sir Fox.”
“I am s-so sorry,” I stammered. “The last time we met—I was—”
“No apologies are necessary. Lady Mykaela explained everything to me. I’m glad to see you have fully recovered. This is the Heartforger, Lady Tea. We’ve just been talking about you as a matter of fact.”
The shorter of the two robed men took off his hood. He was easily the oldest man I had ever seen, even older than Mistress Parmina. He had a face like a shriveled monkey that had been shorn of all hair, and he did not appear to have any eyebrows at all. He took off the rest of his cloak, and his heartsglass caught my eye. It swung free, a bright, shiny silver.
“Well,” he said, “His Highness here is an old friend, and with his help, I was able to get inside the Willows without the customary fanfare they like to play to announce my presence. Seems you don’t like playing by the rules either, little girl. I was going to send for you anyway, but no time like the present, eh? You’re scrawnier than I thought you would be.”
I gaped at him and then at his companion, who was also removing his cloak. He was a younger boy my age, with sleepy, gray eyes, nearly colorless hair as to appear white, and a silver-colored heartsglass similar to the Forger. He lifted a hand up to smooth his hair back and accidentally knocked off his spectacles. “Sorry,” he apologized to the table. I couldn’t shake off the suspicion that I’d seen him somewhere before.
“They said you despise royalty,” Fox said.
“Not all of them, no. But I hope they believe it. I started the rumors myself.”
“But why?”
The Heartforger coughed and spent several minutes clearing his throat. Kalen looked away, and even Prince Kance looked a little nervous, his heartsglass flicking from red to cornflower blue. Only the Forger’s assistant remained serene, sipping at his tea.
“Circumstances permit me to be more favorable toward the Odalian royal house,” the Heartforger finally said. “They are my patrons of a sort.”
“You were going to send for me?” I managed.
“I make it a point to meet every Dark asha they find. I don’t know how much Lady Mykaela has told you about us, but we share what you might call a mutually beneficial relationship.” He peered up at Fox. “Not every day I get to see a familiar either. Few Dark asha keep them—need strength to have ’em. You don’t feel lightheaded, Tea?”
“I feel fine,” I said.
The younger boy looked interested, hopping up to circle Fox, studying him carefully. Fox bore the scrutiny with quiet good humor.
“She told me that you despised asha too,” I continued.
“We can despise someone and still maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. Mutual beneficence, you see, usually trumps everything else. But I take an exception when it comes to bone witches. It is only fair to have some empathy for a class that is despised even more than your own. This boy here is my assistant and successor, for lack of better options.”
“Hello,” the boy said. “I hope you don’t mind, Mister Fox, but can I examine your chest for a moment?”
“What?”
“It’s where the wound is, isn’t it?”
After a moment’s pause, Fox shrugged and pulled up his shirt, where the savul’s claws had done their work. The boy rubbed his chin. “It’s not healed yet.”
“My body hasn’t been in a condition to heal for a long time,” Fox said.
“You haven’t been blooded yet?”
“What’s that?”
“Is there something wrong with Fox, er…” I remembered belatedly that heartforgers no longer took personal names of their own.
“Call him Junior. Someone has to.” The Forger looked me over. “Your mentor, Lady Mykaela, serves as one of the main suppliers of my craft, and as thanks, I try to get to know her charges better. You are her first and only longstanding apprentice, and so I am forced to make good on my promise.”
The Forger produced a few small bottles from a bag around his waist. They all appeared empty. “Choose one.”
Hesitant, I selected a green one.
“Remove the stopper. Carefully.”
—the sounds of children laughing and at play, the sensation of running through grass—
The Forger’s gnarled fingers closed over mine, shifting the stopper back into place.
“What was that?” I sputtered.
“Happiness.” The Forger tapped at the bottle and took a small sniff to ensure it was sealed again. “At least, how happiness is defined if you’re a young mother with three small children. I collect memories like these in the course of my work.”
“But why?”
“I am called the Heartforger for a reason, girl. To make a heart, you need memories. There are many people who trade them in for a little cash to spare. Try this one—”
Watching a tiny casket lower into the grave, weeping as the first shovelful of dirt is poured into the grave—
“Sadness is a popular commodity to sell,” the Forger said, stoppering the bottle again. “And it is a common ingredient in my work, so fortunately the supply rarely outstrips the demand. People are more willing to forget what makes them sad instead of what makes them happy. But happiness? Happiness pays very well. If it’s a strong enough memory, it comes back over time—several years on average. But few people are willing to part with it, despite the financial compensation. It is not something you can easily put a price on. And then there are certain kinds of memories I require from asha, from those with silver heartsglass. Dark asha are especially strong and potent. That’s where you come in. Will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Supply me with memories?” He grinned at the face I made. “I never grow tired of seeing that look on your faces when I ask. You don’t forget them, of course. We’ve got silver heartsglass for a reason. Our hearts can rarely be replaced, but the upside is keeping our memories intact, no matter how much of them I draw out. We don’t forget. Can’t tell if that’s a blessing or a curse most days. You’ll feel a bit out of sorts for a week, but you’ll be all right. In exchange, I give you information. My customers make up the bulk of the city, all cities.”
“I would be honored to do all I can to help you. But what kind of hearts do you make?”
“Difficult hearts, of course. The money I earn from forging one heart can keep me fed and clothed for a couple of years. The nobles can afford it. All the backstabbing and politics and scheming, I imagine, having their hearts taken away by some rivals and such. They’ll want a new heart quick for that before they go completely in someone else’s power. Once I get a new heart ready, the old heart stops working, you see, becomes worthless in enemy hands. I’ve got hearts in reserve, primed for the day some nobleman loses his heart to someone out for his blood and needs an immediate replacement. They lead very exhilarating lives is all I can say.”
“But can’t you do the same thing for Lady Mykaela?”
“Ah, yes. Missing her own heart too, isn’t she? Dark asha hearts are more complicated than your commonplace weaselly backward politician. Too many rare ingredients to find, too expensive. There’s still three or four key things missing from your mentor, and she’s been hunting for years. Memories from breaking free of a possession—that’s difficult enough to find. Memories of a False follower, a Faceless committing—well, committing False follower atrocities—that’s even more difficult, considering how secretive they are, how they’d rather die than be taken alive, and how you’d still require their permission. No, Tea, I think Mykaela will have to resign herself to a lack of heartsglass. She’s been doing well without one so far. As no one knows where King Vanor had it hidden, I suppose it’s a good compromise, even if it isn’t the compromise she wanted.” The Forger cuffed Junior lightly on the back of his head. “Say something, idiot.”
“I’m making a heart for an old man,” the boy said amiably. “Growing dementia.”
“I’ll try to make as many visits here as I can,” the Forger said. “But usually Junior here does the extracting for me. I won’t be around when you’re older, given my age—don’t give me that vile ‘but you’ll live to be a hundred’ speech,” he added when I opened my mouth. “I am a hundred. I won’t be here forever, and Junior’s slow on the uptake but good enough with his hands to work the forge. You’ll be the primary Dark asha when I pass on the title to him, so I expect you to keep him out of trouble. Damn fool’s got a bleeding heart of his own, would build hearts for anyone who asked if they cried hard enough.”
“But is that necessarily a bad thing?” Prince Kance asked.
“In this business, it is.”
“That doesn’t strike me as a fair trade,” Fox pointed out. “You get her memories, and all she gets is information?”
“True enough.” The Heartforger reached into the folds of his robe and produced a polished white stone no bigger than my thumb. “Lady Mykaela turned over to me a certain seeking stone used one summer night a few months ago. I destroyed the parts I didn’t need, wove my brand of magic on what remained, and feel it only appropriate for you to receive this.”
“Why?”
“I’ve bespelled it with a young soldier’s determination and an old woman’s stubbornness. Wear this on your person at all times, and anyone else seeking to control your mind will find it an uphill battle.” He waved a finger. “Whether they eventually succeed though, depends entirely on your own resolve. Take this as a show of goodwill on my part, I suppose.”
“Then let me return the favor,” I said, closing my hand over the small stone. “What memory would you like me to provide?”
The Heartforger was surprised but pleased, though he tried to hide it. “Any memory?”
“Whatever you need.” I didn’t think I had any experiences too traumatic for me to relive over again, and I assumed the memory he would try to take was when I first raised Fox from the dead.
“I usually wait until the second meeting to provide a list of my demands. But if you insist, there is one thing I’ve been hoping to finish tonight…”
He reached over and traced something in the center of my forehead.
I felt an odd sensation, a sudden influx of memories bubbling to the surface, like the Heartforger was rifling through the pages of my mind.
“Ah, this one should do nicely.” There was no pain, but I felt my thoughts being gently prodded toward—
“Fire and calm, these two; water and flash. Much like my sons. This is Prince Kance.”
The boy smiled at me, and I felt my cheeks prickle with heat. “It is my honor to meet you, asha.” He bowed.
“That will do.” His hand left my forehead, but with it trailed a little sliver of mist that wrapped around his finger. He guided it into his heartsglass, and we watched it disappear into its bright depths. I was still red. I knew Kance and Kalen saw nothing, but that made no difference to my embarrassment.
The Heartforger rose with a grunt, joints creaking. His apprentice abandoned his study of Fox and rushed over to assist his master.
“I’ve got a long night’s work ahead of me still,” the old man said. “Never a moment’s rest. You have my gratitude in indulging an old man’s curiosity, Lady Tea, you and your familiar. Good night, Your Highness, Lord Kalen.”
“That was the first time I’ve ever watched him at work,” Prince Kance said once the two had left. “Though I must confess I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Did you, Kalen?”
Kalen only shrugged.
It was difficult to be in the same room with the boy who your first memory of had just been handed over to be measured and processed like medicine.
Fox’s face was devoid of expression when he looked at Prince Kance, but I could practically feel his grin. So it came as a surprise when he merely said, “I don’t believe I was able to thank either of you for taking care of Tea that night at the cha-khana.”
Prince Kance smiled at him. “That won’t be necessary. If anything, Kalen and I should be in your debt. To be a Dark asha is no easy life, and I know the sacrifices you all make to keep our kingdoms safe. I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much tonight? The Heartforger can be persistent.”
“Oh, no—I had nothing to do today. I mean, I had my classes and practice but not at night, which I’m sure Your Highness knows—not that I had no plans tonight, just that there are no classes for asha at night—”
Kalen cleared his throat. “I am going to step out for some air for a bit.”
“I’ll join you,” Fox said, to my relief.
“That’s Kalen’s way of saying he’s off to patrol the area,” Prince Kance said after they had left. “He takes his duties as my bodyguard very seriously.”
“I know the feeling.” With my brother gone, my anxiety diminished, if only a little. “Fox has always been protective of me.”
“How has he been adjusting?”
“Surprisingly well. Nothing really bothers him for long. Even this.”
“Isn’t it difficult to be sharing each other’s thoughts all the time?”
“I can’t read his thoughts unless he’s under some extreme emotion, and the same holds true for me. It’s not as invasive as you might think. In many ways, he’s a comfort.”
I soon found myself telling the prince about my childhood in Knightscross, and he, in turn, told me a little about his own life. His mother had died when he was only five years old, and his father, while kind, was too engrossed with the kingdom’s affairs to have much time for him.
“That sounds lonely,” I sympathized.
“I can’t complain. I have good teachers and mentors. I know I can always count on friends and family like Kalen. I can’t blame my father either. He wasn’t expecting to be king.”
I remembered. “Your father had an older brother, didn’t he?”
“Yes, King Vanor. My father never liked the way my uncle treated Lady Mykaela, and he always felt guilty about that. He spent a month searching the palace from top to bottom, hunting for her heartsglass. It was his idea for me to check up on you during my stay in Ankyo, though I’m glad he did.” He made a face. “We don’t have long. We only have this room for an hour, and Empress Alyx gets worried if Kalen and I are gone for too long. Has Mistress Parmina given you leave to attend parties at the cha-khana?”
I shook my head, not trusting my words.
He smiled. “I hope we can continue to meet like this once you’ve obtained her permission—not just because my father requested it.”
I felt like my smile could stand independent from my face. “I would like that very much. How long do you intend to stay in Kion?”
“For the next year, possibly longer. Kion is our closest ally among the kingdoms, and Father thinks it would be educational for me here.” He reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Thank you, Lady Tea. After days spent overseeing my father’s affairs in Kion, it feels nice to relax and talk about other matters.”
“How did the first date go?” Fox asked after we had left the Snow Pyre. “Has he asked for your hand in marriage yet, or should we have stayed longer?”
I was grateful no one else was around to see a young asha apprentice chasing her brother down the lane leading back to the Valerian, their laughter riding on the wind.