Sparrow, still wearing the simple linen uniform of the servants. Fie couldn’t help but notice it was missing the cloth-of-gold sash.
“There you are,” Jasimir said, loud enough to muster attention from the rest of the pavilion. “Let’s get started. There’s a lot to do.”
He pointed to the bench beside him. Tavin and Fie traded looks, then took their places next to the last prince of Sabor. Fie reckoned that made them at least as important as the cat on his other side.
Out of the corner of her eye, Fie saw Yula begin passing around a basket of sweet rolls. How she’d managed to procure those in the wreckage of a palace was beyond Fie.
Jasimir cleared his throat. “First we need to talk about the plague. Fie, what happens now?”
She blinked at him, having just stuffed the better part of a roll in her mouth. Viimo brayed a laugh.
“Take your time,” Jasimir said, trying to keep a straight face.
Fie swallowed and shoved the basket of rolls his way. “So. Here’s how it is. We Crows have had a Birthright all along, but we haven’t been able to use it proper. It’s mercy, aye? That’s our Birthright. The Sinner’s Plague can’t touch us any more than fire can touch you. And it’s not mercy for us alone. Well, not exactly.” She frowned. “We can’t cure it, not like sniffles. But if we think a sinner’s worth saving … we can make them one of us. To do it, we need a bone from each caste, a Crow to hold each one, and a chief to call the song.”
“Then the sinner becomes a Crow and joins their band,” Tavin added. “Like me.”
Pain and relief flickered in Draga’s remaining eye.
“Aye.” Fie nodded. “So twelve Crows need to believe that you’re worth saving, worth bringing into our own. And then you walk our roads.” She twined her fingers with Tavin’s. “I’m teaching the way of it to the chiefs here, and they’ll pass it along to every chief across Sabor.”
Draga sat up. “The order for soldiers to aid Crows is still in effect. Obviously, we’re going to see a shift in attitude toward the Crows, since even the worst wretches in Sabor might find their life depends on it. But the Oleander Gentry didn’t die with Rhusana, and I’m positive that even now, there are still arbiters refusing to light beacons, so I’ll be leaving that order in effect until the roads are safe for Crows.” She gave a crooked smile. “We’ll see how long that takes.”
“What about the supply of Phoenix teeth?” the Crane magistrate asked. “Not to be indelicate, but it seems likely to … diminish.”
“The Well of Grace was a god-grave,” Fie answered. “Technically, mine. It’s the resting place of the Eater of Bones, the goddess of rebirth, and every time I went near it, all the teeth I thought I burned out came back good as new. I’m the only chief it happens for. So twice a year, on the solstices, I’ll gather chiefs in Dumosa to see to their teeth.”
“And I’m not going to let the Phoenixes die out.” Jasimir shook his head. “The Phoenix priests were barred from having children in the past so the line of succession wouldn’t get murky. We also only allowed marriage and adoption into the caste if someone was joining the immediate royal family. I’m rescinding both of those rules.”
“But the line of succession…” Lady Dengor started.
“Yes, about that.” Jasimir clasped his hands before him. He looked nervous. He looked immovable. “The fact is, we made Rhusana. My father made her, his father made her, and Ambra made her. We made a nation where the only way to be safe and happy was to wrap yourself in money and power and fire, and the only way to reach that was by stepping on everyone you thought beneath you. We made a society where the monarchs could ignore the suffering of their people because it was nothing but an inconvenience, and we punished those who used their position to speak out.”
Lady Dengor ran a finger over her carved ebony knuckles.
Jasimir continued, “Now the Covenant has spoken out. The plague in the palace started with my father, and that’s where it ends.” He drew a piece of parchment from a pocket and unfolded it. It was already signed and sealed. “Today, I am ordering each of you to return to your castes and choose three among you who know your troubles and your strengths. How you