“My,” said Tobble, eyes wide. “I’m not sure I would enjoy having that power.”
“In any case, Byx, what I have to say to you will be the truth,” Khara said.
I leaned forward, ready to listen. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
17.
Khara’s Plan
“We’re going to Cora di Schola.”
I exchanged a look with Tobble. No, he didn’t know what that meant, either.
“And that is . . . ?” I asked.
“It’s an island city. Its real name is the Isle of Ursina. But everyone calls it ‘Cora di Schola.’ It means ‘Heart of the Scholars.’”
“Why do they call it that?” Tobble asked.
“It’s shaped roughly like a human heart. And it’s home to scholars and students. The Imperial Academy of Alchemy, Astronomy, Theurgy, and Science is housed there.”
I had to digest each word separately.
“Alchemy,” I’d learned from Dalyntor, was the art of blending substances to create new substances, like medicines. “Astronomy,” I thought, had something to do with stars. “Theurgy” was the study of spells and incantations.
And “Science”? I was not quite certain what that was, but it sounded impressive.
“Imperial” sounded impressive, too, until I remembered—
“Imperial?” I cried. “As in the Murdano?”
“His Imperial Highness, the Murdano of Nedarra, Defender of Truth, Guardian of the Righteous, Peacemaker of the People, and so on and so on and so forth,” Khara said, waving her hand.
“But—but it was the Murdano’s soldiers who—”
“You’ll see very few soldiers on the isle,” Khara said. “Soldiers aren’t welcome there. It’s a place of learning.”
“But still, it’s called the Imperial—”
“He’s the Murdano. Everything is his, I suppose. He remade the calendar. He rewrote the dictionary. He has power over everything in Nedarra, including the great governing species.” Under her breath she added, “At least that’s what he thinks.”
“But why are you taking us there?” I pressed. I was mindful of my promise not to attempt escape again. I was even more mindful of what had happened when I’d tried. But I wasn’t about to march to my own death, if that was what Khara had planned.
“We have to go,” Khara said. “We have no other options.”
“I don’t like this,” I said. “I’ve never been to a human city. It sounds too risky.”
“I don’t like it either,” said Tobble.
Khara held up her palms. “You have no choice.”
“I won’t go,” I declared.
“You realize I could have let the poachers kill you like the Murdano’s men—” Khara fell silent, avoiding my eyes.
I felt daggers in my heart. My imagination conjured pictures—pictures that turned sadness to slow-burning anger.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” Khara said, and I sensed that she was sincere. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m tired, and not speaking as carefully as I should. Forgive me.”
I gave a little nod but said nothing. There was nothing to say.
Minutes passed. The only sound was Tobble’s enthusiastic chewing.
I didn’t want to speak. But far too many questions were boiling in my brain. I needed answers.
“So,” I finally said, keeping my voice even, “your plan is to hand me over to the Murdano?”
“Hah!” Khara gave a dark laugh. “I’m not exactly on friendly terms with the Murdano or his men. No, I’m taking you to a man I know, a famous scholar. A wise man. His name is Ferrucci the Gharri.”
“What’s a ‘Gharri’?” Tobble asked.
“A title of honor. It’s bestowed only on the greatest scholars. They’re men who know all there is to know about the stars, or the shape of the world, or animals, or history.
Ferrucci is a good and honest man.” Khara shrugged. “I’ve brought him unusual finds in the past.”
“‘Finds’?” I repeated.
“Rare animals or plants. Ferrucci studies ways to protect them. My plan is to take you to him and seek his advice. He’ll know what to do with a dairne.”
“And why are you bothering to do this?” Tobble asked. “What do you get out of it?”
“I’m trying to help Byx,” Khara said evenly. “But if Ferrucci sees fit to reward me for my efforts, I won’t argue.”
“So that’s your plan, Khara? You’re going to sell Byx?” Tobble leapt to his feet, whiskers quivering. “Byx is my friend, and I do hope you understand that I will not let any harm come to her.”
“I told you,” said Khara. “This is the best I can do.”
“It’s only fair to warn you,” said Tobble. “You do not want to see an angry wobbyk. We are fearsome to behold. I in particular am known for my fierce temper.”
“Thank you, Tobble,” I said. “But—”
“Back home they called me Tobble the Terrible.”
Khara stared at the ground. She might or might not have been smiling.
“So sell me it is?” I said. “To the highest bidder?”
“You think I have choices.” Khara’s voice was a whisper. “When I have none. I have no other way to help Byx. And
if helping Byx helps me, so be it. I need the money for my family.”
I looked at her sharply. It was the first Khara had ever mentioned her family.
“Why not sell your sword?” Tobble asked.
Khara pulled the sword a few inches out of its scabbard. “This rusty thing?”
“It wasn’t rusty when you were dicing up serpents,” Tobble pointed out.
Khara leaned toward us, her gaze intent. “This sword,” she said slowly, “has been in my family for generations, and I am the first woman ever entrusted with it.” She shoved the sword back into its worn leather scabbard. “It will stay safe while in my care, even if that means my death.”
Tobble held up his paws. “Fine. If you value a rusty blade over the life of my friend Byx, so be it.”
“It’s not that simple, Tobble,” Khara said. “It never is. Dairnes are rare in this part of the world for a reason. They’ve been hunted to near extinction for their fur—”
“It is amazingly soft,” Tobble interjected.
“But there’s something else at work here, something I don’t understand.” Khara chewed on a nail, lost in thought. “What the Murdano’s soldiers did at the mirabear hive”—she looked at me, then looked away—“didn’t make any sense. They were killing for killing’s sake. And I don’t know why.
What I do know is that Ferrucci, at least, will value Byx as a living creature. He’s a scientist, not a killer. This is Byx’s best chance to stay alive. You have to trust me.”