Chapter 52

Dreams starring the Boleyn siblings plagued Diya’s night. He saw Alexander surviving his injuries but spending the rest of his life in bed with dull eyes. Edgar successfully took over as heir and filled the Boleyn’s house coffers but cost the family its reputation. They became reviled as the rest of the houses. Victoria came after him again but grew resentful following his rejections and married a DeLawney to bring more power to the Boleyn name.

It pained Diya to see Alexander suffer and Baba turn out on the street. The dream ended with him returning from a climb to find Baba dead on the streets. Someone had stabbed the famous Swordmaster in the back, and Diya couldn’t help but blame himself for it. When he awakened, it was still dark outside, but the sound of carts and workers had already filled the streets.

Even though he hadn’t planned it, Gwyneth and he had ended up cuddling during the night. He found his hand tucked in between her breasts—over her nightclothes, of course—with her fingers intertwined with hers. They hadn’t gone to sleep that way, but the cold temperature must have driven them together. When Diya realised his morning hardness was pressed against her warm, soft bottom. He quickly turned his hips away.

“It’s alright,” Gwyneth said, yawning. “You poked me in your sleep a few times. The warmth was comforting, so I didn’t wake you up.”

“I’m sorry.” Diya let out an embarrassed laugh and quickly retrieved his hand. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“I’m pretty sure it won’t be the first time we’ll have to share body heat as we continue climbing.” Gwyneth winked at him before rolling out from under the covers. “By Gaia, it’s cold,” she said in a shaky voice. Shivering didn’t get the cold out of her bones. So, Gwyneth draped her cape around her shoulders.

The long nightdress hugging Gwyneth’s curves and her nipples poking through the fabric made Diya forget his witty response. Despite his confusing feelings regarding Victoria, Diya couldn’t help but admire beauty when he saw it. He forced himself to look away, though. Gwyneth was his climbing partner, and he needed to treat her as such. Looking at her sexually wasn’t an option.

“Have you made up your mind regarding what you’d like to do about Victoria?” Gwyneth asked, looking back at him. “Are you blushing, Diya?”

“No.”

“Your ears say otherwise. It’s not a big deal, alright?” She sighed. “We’re pretending to be a couple anyway. Things won’t get awkward unless you make them so. I’ll ask you again: what do you plan to do about Victoria?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “Not to start things up or for closure. It’s just not worth it.” Diya stepped out of bed and stretched. “How did you sleep?”

“Not well at first. Kept seeing the cackling hyena on the roof. Then you threw an arm and leg over me. The weight kept me from getting out of bed at first. Eventually, the warmth got to me, and I ended up having the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

“Now you’re just trying to make me blush, aren’t you?”

Gwyneth laughed but didn’t answer. The first rays of dawn leaked in through the frosty window, reminding the pair that they needed to get moving. As they dressed, Diya couldn’t figure out what to think of Gwyneth. She and Victoria couldn’t be more different if they tried. He had never met anyone like her before and was glad to have her by his side. Diya just needed to make sure that his urges didn’t get the better of him.

While Gwyneth got ready, Diya summoned the journal. Previously, its card hadn’t featured any numbers. Now, it had a big one on the top right corner. Diya eagerly flipped to the rune page, hoping Eirkh’s card had given him more symbols for Cardsmith. A smile spread across his face.

Chill
Cold
Warm
Frost Aura
Pierce

The last two especially excited him. Frost Aura wasn’t just a single rune but a string of them. Diya guessed it was a keyword he could add to his cards. He had heard of aura’s before. They served to empower climbers and all allies within the effect’s range. However, he guessed Frost Aura would have negative effects instead of positive ones. Given the recent tempering, it would likely not affect Diya. He worried it would hamper Gwyneth.

Because of her extensive knowledge of cards and effects, he considered asking her about it. Her gentle humming and singing from the attached room stopped him from doing it just then. A maid had brought up hot water for them to bathe. Gwyneth had jumped at the luxury, and Diya felt bad about interrupting her. The morning’s events left him embarrassed, too.

Meanwhile, it didn’t take much effort to guess at the Pierce rune’s effects. His first instincts urged him to use the rune on Seeking Inkfire Blades. However, the card already featured a big two in the top-left corner. Diya worried a new rune would push the card to the next tier, rendering it useless for the time being. He would’ve wasted ink for nothing. Frozen Ink Lance didn’t suffer the same problem. He excitedly traced a new version of the card with the Pierce rune included. Much to his delight, a new keyword formed: Piercing Cold. Once he had the time, Diya hoped to smith a version with Frost Aura, too.

By the time Gwyneth finished getting ready, breakfast had arrived. Diya quickly ate his fill and bathed, too. He eagerly rinsed the grime from the fourth floor and their trek through the hills out of his hair. It took two rounds of scrubbing before his skin quit feeling greasy, too. The inn’s soap reminded smelled of the trees and grass on the fourth floor.

This is ingenious. It probably confuses predators that track using scent.

Initially, Diya had planned on not summoning his coat until they were far from the settlement. He changed his mind as soon as they left the inn. A mist had descended on the valley, and the temperature had further dropped with it. The De Lawneys had seen him enter the settlement wearing his coat. Now, he worried they’d question him if the cold suddenly didn’t bother him. Gwyneth called it paranoia.

The landlady was still fast asleep. Since they had paid in advance, she’d have no reason to complain. Diya hoped that they wouldn’t have to darken his door again, but if they did, hopefully, she wouldn’t hold the sudden disappearance against them. Diya planned to placate her with an excuse relating to a one-off job. Following the previous night’s attack, there would be plenty of those going around.

Unlike the landlady, the settlement’s residents weren’t asleep. Several worked on patching the damage to their buildings and the outer wall. As they briskly walked down the street, Diya.

Victoria stood waiting for them by the gate. The DeLawney guards appeared to know her already and didn’t ask the party any questions as they exited the gate. They weren’t the only ones leaving the settlement. Loggers had already started working on the nearby thicket of trees. Hunters headed away from Hyene territories looking for prey too. In the distance, Diya spotted builders working on two new towers. If they intended to set up a city, the DeLawneys would need to expand and perhaps look into food production. They needed to increase the speed of their expansion.

The mist didn’t deter Victoria. She already had her vine armour summoned and took the lead, heading downhill. Her DeLawney-made map of the fifth floor was more detailed than the one in the guidebook, and annotations detailed where they’d find their mark. The valley carried sound far and wide, so they tried their best to stay silent. The trio feared fellow Climbers more than beasts. The De Lawneys only let approved parties approach the Hyene lands. Victoria had permission, but that didn’t extend to Diya or Gwyneth.

Two hours passed before the sky cleared. They spotted deer as tall as elephants atop a distant hill. Fortunately, the beasts kept their distance. Victoria claimed the creatures stuck to their herds. The guidebook called them hill springer deer and called them vicious. Despite their size, the animals didn’t appear particularly threatening. None of the trio was willing to test the guidebook and pursued known prey. Once the settlements’ climbers stirred and joined the fight, the hyenes suffered heavy losses and retreated. The temporary party hoped they’d find their target injured or exhausted.

“I think we’re far enough from civilisation to talk,” Victoria said. She kept her scarf wrapped around her mouth and nose so her words came out muffled. “I managed to get leads on a couple more tribes, a large cat that preys on the deer and the hyene warrior’s exact location. We’re going to find a door for you to keep climbing today, one way or another.”

“Thank you, Victoria,” Diya said, flashing her his best smile.

“You have no idea how much your help means to me, Miss Boleyn,” Gwyneth added. “I was ready to write off the nobility for good, but Diya convinced me otherwise. Thank you.”

“Our escorts—the pair you saw yesterday—told us about a Gwyneth Frie over drinks last night. I assume that’s you.” The wind picked up, dropping the ambient temperature and making it harder to hear one another. To keep their volumes low, they walked shoulder to shoulder. “You know they’re calling you a thief, right? The story is: you stole research they paid for and are lying to the council so they can’t get it back.”

“That’s not a complete lie.” Gwyneth sighed. “My father used to be in their employ, and I inherited his research data. The De Lawneys tried to keep me as an indentured climber after pushing his debts on to me.”

“That’s despicable,” Victoria said after a moment of silence. “I didn’t know things like that still happen in New Calcutta.”

“And now they’re your closest allies,” Diya said, chuckling. “The wonders of nobility.”

Victoria fell silent, leaving Diya regretting his words. He knew it wasn’t Victoria’s fault, but there was a rage in him that he wanted to get out.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.” Diya regretted having put her on its receiving end.

“It wasn’t.” Victoria’s volume made it almost possible to hear her. She sighed, glancing at him. “I understand you’re worried and unhappy, Diya. I am too. Don’t you think I’d rather be climbing the tower with you?” She looked at Gwyneth. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the nature of your relationship with Diya. If it’s romantic in nature, this might be awkward for you to hear.” Victoria stopped, turned, and took Diya’s hands in her. “I’m genuinely sorry. I’ve been attracted to you for the longest time, but instead of saying something, I tried to play games. It was stupid of me, but I thought it would encourage you to get off your arse and make a move if I pretended to like Lawrence. If we were together, perhaps none of this would’ve happened. I love you, Diya, and I hope you’ll allow me to show you how sorry I am.”

Diya looked between the two women. He didn’t know what to say to Victoria and wanted to hide his embarrassment from Gwyneth. Diya regretted not taking the previous evening to design a hood and scarf to accompany his coat.

“I need time, Victoria,” Diya said. His partnership’s nature was none of Victoria’s business, and he didn’t feel the need to iron it out for her. “I know your conditions aren’t ideal, having to work with Edgar and the De Lawneys, but there is nothing I can do about that now. If it's the comfort you want, I’m not in a place to provide that either. Let’s be friends for now, and perhaps things will be different someday.”

“I understand,” Victoria said, looking away. Her voice quivered as the words left her lips. A pit formed in Diya’s stomach, but he stayed strong.

They still had a long way to go, so the party returned to walking in silence. Diya didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred it. Drama only added to the distractions. He hoped Victoria understood where he was coming from. It was evident from the look in her eyes that his words stung, but Diya thought it essential. He seriously doubted time would change his decision not to get involved with her or the Boleyns ever again, but he didn’t have it in him to say the words outright.