had to learn your heritage from a box of papers. But no, not that kind of information.”
Veronyka swallowed, trying not to show just how relieved she was. “What, then?”
“The animage captives,” Val said. “I know where they are.”
“What do you mean?” Veronyka said on a breath. “They must be all over the empire by now.”
Val shook her head.
“They’re… all in one place?” Veronyka asked, chest tight. The animage captives had been haunting her for days, but she’d assumed their disappearances were a symptom of the war and the fighting—not a part of it. If they were all together, that meant they’d been taken not by enterprising soldiers looking to make extra money, but on orders. From their leader. “How do you know that?” They had spies of their own, after all, and had failed to receive this intelligence.
Val shrugged. “I have allies beyond the confines of this mine—and this province.”
“Not him,” Veronyka said softly. What better ally beyond Pyra than Lord Rolan himself, the person responsible for the kidnappings? Val’s black eyes glimmered in the torchlight. “Val—tell me you haven’t allied with the man who’s trying to kill us all.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Val sighed. “And he only thinks I’m his ally.”
“Wait,” Tristan said, speaking at last. “You’ve allied yourself with Lord Rolan? But he’s an empire governor—he’s the thing you fought against sixteen years ago.”
“Seventeen,” Val corrected idly. “And they didn’t call it the Blood War because it was a fight between politicians. It was a fight between sisters. Between blood.”
“What do you mean he only thinks you’re his ally?” Veronyka pressed.
“Come now, Veronyka. You know better than most that I don’t do anything for anyone unless I stand to profit from it. I wanted to learn his plans, and I have. Where he will strike and when,” she said with an airy wave of the hand. “And where he keeps his hostages.”
“Hostages?” Veronyka asked, confused. Then she realized the full truth. “He’s using them to draw us out.”
Val nodded gravely. “There are dozens of them. Mostly children. Rolan wants to hurt you, yes, but what he wants more is to lure you into a battle. He wants it to be so spectacular that the empire has no choice but to support him. He will gladly sacrifice a few hundred soldiers for that.”
“The commander… he’ll see through it,” Veronyka said, but of course Val knew that already. “He’ll see what Rolan’s doing. He won’t play into his hands.”
“What a pity—for the animages anyway. And here I thought you wanted to save people’s lives.…”
“You know where they are?” Veronyka asked, an idea forming in the back of her mind—an idea she knew Val was trying to plant there.
“Yes, why?” Val asked, all polite puzzlement.
You know why, Veronyka found herself saying into their bond, and Val grinned faintly at the small victory. “If I go with you,” Veronyka said aloud, “will you help me free them and get them to safety?”
“Veronyka, no,” Tristan interjected. He gripped her arm, trying to force her to look at him—but she kept her gaze fixed on Val. There was a triumphant light in Val’s eyes that said this was exactly what she’d wanted.
“I will,” Val said at once.
“And will you agree to stop attacking the empire?”
Val’s lips pressed together as she considered her response. “I cannot promise that I won’t make moves against the empire—but,” she said, cutting Veronyka’s objection off, “perhaps I could be persuaded to explore other, less violent options.”
Val said the words idly, thoughtfully, as if the idea were only just now occurring to her, but Veronyka saw the manipulation for what it was: Val wanted Veronyka to think she had no choice but to stay with Val, that she alone could persuade Val to give up her vendetta against the empire.
Was there any truth to it? Val was not someone to be stopped or dissuaded, but Veronyka also knew that Val was being sincere when she said she wanted them to be together. Why she wanted this was harder to discern, but Veronyka would be a fool not to recognize that she did have some power or influence over her once-sister, just as Val had power and influence over her. Was it simply the bond at work between them, or was it the bond of family? Of blood? Could Veronyka do what her mother had failed to do and stop Avalkyra Ashfire from tearing the world apart?
“Veronyka,” Tristan begged. “You can’t do this. My father—”