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  "Please sit," Jarek said.

  Deril took a seat, trying to calm his rapid breathing.

  Jarek sat down on the other side of the desk. "You're too direct for politics."

  "I don't think I understand."

  "You are heading into dangerous territory with some of the things you're saying. High Priest Teravin is the kind of man who will protect his interests at any cost. While I sympathize with your desire to end this plague with the Lost Weaves, I can't support it. Not openly."

  Deril leaned forward in his seat, his entire body tense. "Are you saying you agree with my ideas?"

  "I'll agree with anything that has a chance at stopping this plague." He hesitated a few moments, as if debating something internally. "All right, if I'm being completely honest, I do not trust the Church at all, and I trust Teravin even less. But I can't do anything about him. The Church is subject to its own laws. In essence, they can do whatever they want."

  Deril had suspected as much, but hearing it from the High Councilor's lips terrified him. If the most powerful man on the Sunweaver Council couldn't control the Church, then Deril had no chance of attaining the three keys, and even less chance of changing opinions on Fireweavers.

  He took a few deep breaths, trying to rein in his panic. "Then do you have any idea how I should approach this problem? If the direct approach won't work, what will?"

  Jarek clasped his hands in front of him. A slow smile spread across his face. "You might actually provide me with just the opportunity I need."

  Deril didn't like where this was going.

  "The Church has grown too powerful. I need someone to take it down."

  Chapter 17: The High Councilor

  Deril sat frozen in the wooden chair, trying to decide how to respond to Jarek's declaration. Yes, taking down the Church might help Deril in his plans to unite Sunweavers and Fireweavers, but that would require destroying an institution that had brought stability to Tarileth. Could Deril be the agent of such a drastic, and perhaps disastrous, change?

  "What do you mean by 'taking down' the Church?" he asked.

  "I'm no fool," Jarek said. "I know the truth about our world. Aralea is dead. Fireweavers are no more evil than we are. The Church is perpetuating their myths because it fears losing control over the people. I also believe the Church is hiding deeper secrets."

  "Perhaps they are protecting these secrets for a reason," Deril said.

  "Of course they have a reason. It's their own survival, their stranglehold on power. There's some secret they're hiding, and if that secret is revealed, the entire organization will come crumbling down, and power will rest with the Sunweaver Council. Where it always should have been. If we're free from the Church's control, we can bring about the changes you desire."

  Deril fixed him with a penetrating gaze. "How do you know what I desire?"

  "I have spies, even within the Temple of Aralea. I know the truth about your mission, about the people who helped you in that mission. I even know the truth about your mother."

  Deril's heart began to pound. "And how long have you known this?"

  "About fifteen years. When neither you nor your brother showed any promise of becoming a Sunlord, I had some of my scholars look into what could cause such an unprecedented problem. They came to one conclusion: a Sunlord could not reproduce with a Fireweaver and expect to have Sunlord children."

  "And you've just been sitting on this knowledge?"

  Jarek smiled. "As I've said, I'm no friend of the Church. Besides, in my position, information is power. The more information I know, the more I can use it to further my own ends." He chuckled. "You should be glad we're on the same side right now."

  Deril wasn't sure they truly were on the same side. Jarek presented a genial façade, but Deril could see past the surface. Above all, Jarek was a dangerous man. Not necessarily a bad man, but someone you didn't want to cross.

  "What exactly do you want me to do?" Deril asked. "Destroying the Church. If you ask me, that direction is a bit vague. Do you want me to physically destroy the Church? Do you want me to expose their darkest secrets? Or do you simply want me to kill Teravin?"

  Jarek leaned back in his chair, his smile confident and relaxed. It was surely an act, but he was good at it. "Well, all of those sound like reasonable goals to me."

  "Look. If you're not going to be specific with me, I'm not going to carry out your wishes."

  "I'd be careful with statements like that."

  Jarek said nothing more, but the threat was evident in his tone.

  "As I said before," he finally continued, "they have some secret. That's part of your mission at the very least. I don't know whether this secret will lead to the Church's destruction. I don't know whether your activities will necessitate Teravin's death. That's why I can't be more specific. It starts with discovering their secrets. I can't say this will be an easy task. In truth, I have no idea how you can accomplish it. No one within the Church will be quick to trust you."

  Deril took a couple of deep breaths, trying not to feel overwhelmed. He hadn't committed to anything yet, but he had the feeling he'd be left with no choice.

  How could you refuse a man like Jarek?

  "And if I decide I don't want to do this?" Deril asked.

  "Then I will expose the truth about your mother, and about your ties to the Brotherhood of Fire." He smiled, keeping his posture friendly. "But let's not make such actions necessary. I have no ill feelings toward you, Deril, and I'd hate to see you killed. Besides, I can see it in your eyes. You want to expose the Church. You want to get back at them for their hatred."

  Deril couldn't argue with those points, and he was a bit unnerved by Jarek's perceptive abilities. Or perhaps the man had a lot of informants. Either way, he was dangerous.

  "I'll do it," Deril said, hoping he wasn't making a grave mistake.

  Chapter 18: The Frigid Sea

  Rella was standing at the bow of the ship when the Sardek Empire came into view. A rush of exhilaration ran through her. She was beyond relieved to see land again. But then doubt wormed its way in, reminding her that a tough task lay ahead of them.

  First, they had to somehow make it into the empire without arousing suspicion. If they set foot on Sardeki soil as Fireweavers, they were subject to execution. Could they evade detection the entire time they were in the Empire?

  No. That wasn't quite right. All they had to do was get past the guards at the port. Once they were inside the empire, they would fade into the background. There were many Fireweavers among the citizens of the Sardek Empire. Rella wondered what it must be like for all these Fireweavers. They'd lived their lives free from persecution, from the threat of execution if they made the slightest false move.

  She'd heard the empire's reasons for refusing Fireweaver refugees. Their balance of power was uneasy, and though Fireweavers were not executed in the empire, they were still second-class citizens. Then, of course, the Sunweavers of the empire worried that the Fireweavers entering their empire might harbor grudges toward Sunweavers.

  In the end, it could result in civil war.

  Though Rella understood their reasons for being so strict, she still hated it. Why did she have to live in fear because of the way she was born? She did not worship Halarik. In fact, she hated him. Why did she have to be thrown in with those who supported the mad god?

  As she stared across the sea, she had no answers.

  Kae stepped to Rella's side. "You look nervous."

  "I'm not even sure what we're doing here. How can we ever hope to stop what Atarin's planning this time? He has too many resources, and we have so few."

  "We'll find a way," Kae said, but her gaze became distant. "We have to."

  Motion from the right caught Rella's gaze. She watched in horror as three large vessels crossed the choppy sea, heading directly toward them. These ships had red sails adorned with stars: the symbol of the Sardek Empire.

  "This is not good," Kae said. "Atarin must have told them to watch
for us."

  Talin approached from the right, his steps hard against the wooden deck. "We have a choice to make. If we stay aboard the ship, we will not be harmed. If we attempt to set foot on Sardeki soil, we will be subject to execution."

  Rella shrugged. "I've been subject to execution my entire life."

  "I don't see how it matters," Kae said. "We can't escape them."

  "Well, there is one way," Talin said, glancing down at the water.

  Rella gave him a sharp look. "You have to be joking. I wouldn't have thought you'd want to go into the water again any time soon."

  She thought back to those horrifying moments when she'd been sure the sea monster was going to eat her. If Talin hadn't come to her rescue, she wouldn't have had the time for the sailors to lower that rope for them. Despite what Talin had done to her back in Atarin's palace, she had to admit he was a decent person.

  If only she didn't have flashbacks every time she looked at him.

  "I think the water is our best choice," Talin said. "We can cast Red to battle the cold."

  Rella looked down at the water, shivering in anticipation. "I hate it, but you're right. We have to do what we can to stop Atarin."

  "But won't they see us enter the water?" Kae asked.

  "Not if we jump from the back of the ship," Talin said. He motioned for them to follow, and they crossed the deck, passing sailors who were casting anxious glances at the approaching vessels.

  Captain Garen was on his way to the bow when they passed him. He turned to them with a frown. "Where are you three going?"

  "The only place we can go," Talin said. "Into the water. You've taken on great risk in transporting us this far. I would hate to get you executed for helping me."

  "Do you think you'll survive long enough for us to pull you back out?"

  "We'll have to do our best."

  "I wish you luck," Garen said.

  As they made their way toward the stern, Rella glanced back at the captain's retreating form. She didn't know him well, but she appreciated what he'd done for them. Perhaps he owed some debt to Talin, but many people did not honor their debts. That said a lot about the captain.

  They reached the stern, and Rella glanced down at the water. There was no ice here, but a bitter wind still swirled. Rella remembered the sharp pain of the frigid water.

  Could she do this?

  "How cold is it?" Kae asked, her face pale.

  Rella could barely speak. "You don't want to know."

  Kae leaned on the railing, trembling. "I-I don't think I can do this."

  "We have no choice," Talin said, and he shoved her over the railing. Rella barely had the time to be shocked at his actions before he did the same to her. Her stomach lurched as she plummeted, and she cast Red in preparation for plunging beneath the water.

  Even with the warmth around her, the cold water hit her with all its fury. Again, it felt as if she were being stabbed from every direction. The water filled in around her, its cold embrace tightening its grip on her. She plunged deeper beneath the water, her momentum carrying her swiftly downward, but then her motion stopped, and she kicked toward the surface.

  The water was so cold she could barely think, but she kept her thoughts on casting Red. She had no idea if it was helping. Bit by bit, she grew closer to the surface, and then she finally broke through, taking a greedy gulp of air.

  The ship was ahead of them, standing still as the vessels approached. Kae floated a few feet away, her dark hair soaked.

  Talin surfaced a few moments after Rella. As he swam toward them, Kae gave him the fiercest glare Rella had ever seen.

  "I'm sorry," Talin said, "but I had to do it. You were both hesitating."

  "Perhaps some of us don't like jumping into icy water," Rella said.

  Talin chuckled softly. "Do you think I'm enjoying myself here?"

  "It still wasn't very nice," Kae said, her tone softer than Rella had expected.

  "We should stick close to each other," Talin said. "Our Red castings should also be more powerful if we combine them."

  They swam toward each other, then clung together as the waves rocked against them. Rella combined her Red casting with theirs and felt much warmer immediately. She still shivered, but she thought she could survive more than a few minutes now.

  "What are we going to do now?" Rella asked, her teeth chattering.

  "We wait," Talin said. "Once they've inspected the ship and tested everybody, Captain Garen will bring us back aboard. Don't worry about that. He's a good man."

  Rella wanted to believe that, but she still had trouble trusting anyone. Only reluctantly had she grown to trust Kae and Talin. They were the closest friends she had now, and she would stick with them through anything. She prayed they felt the same way about her.

  As they floated, her thoughts drifted to the life she'd left behind. She hadn't seen Azira and Tarell, her closest friend and the man she'd once intended to marry, respectively. Now it felt as if they belonged to a different life. They were not part of the dangerous world she'd entered.

  But, in a way, they all were. If Halarik returned, everyone would suffer.

  Even Fireweavers. Halarik had made that clear enough when he'd destroyed Atarin's palace. She thought back to those terrifying moments, wondering how in the Core they had escaped. She'd survived so much, but was it due to skill or luck?

  The dim white sun sank lower in the sky as they floated in the water. Despite their combined efforts, they were all shivering now. The cold had penetrated every bone in Rella's body, and she barely felt it anymore. Now she felt numb. Her teeth wouldn't stop chattering. She felt so weak she could barely keep herself afloat.

  It would be so easy to close her eyes.

  Let the world slip away.

  Give in to the cold.

  Rough hands shook her, and her eyes came open to see Talin staring at her. "Stay with us," he said. "It shouldn't be much longer."

  Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I-I'm so cold."

  "I know."

  "How's Kae?" Rella asked, barely able to form coherent thoughts. If Talin had let her fall asleep, she never would have woken. She'd heard tales of people freezing to death and knew she wasn't far from it. She glanced over at Kae, whose skin was paler than it had ever been.

  Kae's eyes fluttered as she struggled to stay awake.

  "Kae?" Rella said, her voice faint and trembling.

  "Still here," Kae said. Her lips barely moved.

  At some point, night had fallen. Rella could no longer see the ship, but it had to be out there. It was their only hope. Again and again, she felt her eyes going closed. The three of them kept talking, trying to keep themselves awake. Whenever someone did fall asleep, the other two would shake them roughly until they woke. It was growing harder and harder.

  Rella's thoughts slowed. Her legs stopped churning. The sea was calm, however, so she floated easily. She had no idea if she was still casting Red. It was one of the easier castings, but her thoughts were elsewhere, drifting. Just like their bodies upon the unforgiving sea.

  This time, when her eyes closed, no one could wake her.

  Chapter 19: The Man in the Shadows

  "Come here," Father Alvin said.

  Faina approached at once, reminded of her time as a slave. The priest was a much gentler man than Andric, but she still had flashbacks to what that vile man had done to her.

  "What's wrong?" Alvin asked. "You look terrified."

  "It's nothing. Bad memories, that's all."

  "I can see it in your eyes. You've lived a rough life."

  "You could say that."

  "Life as a Fireweaver is not easy," Alvin said. "Your kind is never treated well in Tarileth. It's a shame, really. If we worked together, we could accomplish so much more."

  "Don't you mean our kind?" Faina asked. Kadin had told her what he'd seen when he'd examined the glow around Father Alvin. She'd been reluctant to tell him that she knew, and she wasn't sure she should have said it no
w. It slipped out before she'd had a chance to consider it.

  Father Alvin nodded slowly. "How did you know?"

  "It's Kadin. He can detect Fireweaver heat fields even when that person isn't using magic. That's why he told me I could trust you."

  "Ah, I was wondering about that. His sudden confidence makes sense now." He beckoned her closer. "Well, at least this is one revelation we don't have to worry about. I don't know if I wanted you to know so soon, but we can't change the past."

  Faina stepped closer. "What did you want to show me?"

  Thus far, he had asked her to do mostly simple tasks. He hadn't shared much of what he was involved in. Was he finally going to let her see what he was planning? After all, he was planning something. She'd seen too much in her life not to recognize the signs.

  "I've heard you were once a skilled thief," he said.

  "I don't know how good I was. It was about survival."

  "My contacts within the underworld tell me otherwise."

  Faina frowned at him, confused. "How does a priest have connections with the criminal underworld?"

  "I'm sure you've figured out by now that I am no ordinary priest."

  "Yes, I suppose I have."

  Father Alvin gestured for her to take a seat on a nearby chair. "I know many of your secrets, so it's only fair that I tell you a few of my own. You already know that I'm a Fireweaver. But you're probably wondering why a Fireweaver like me would join the Church."

  She sat down in the chair, trying to feel more relaxed. Father Alvin had never done anything threatening, yet she had trouble being alone with any man. Her mind inevitably returned to the horrors she'd endured at the hands of Andric. Some would say she was being too sensitive. He had never hurt her. He had only taken her against her will.

  And that happened to women all the time.

  That doesn't make it right, she thought. There could never be any excuse for what Andric had done. It didn't matter if he was gentle. It was still wrong.