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Ellasif should tell the village elders what she had seen and heard at Liv’s birth.
    Even as the thought formed, Ellasif’s arms tightened around her tiny sister. She’d sworn an oath. Her duty to Liv came before anything else, anyone else, even her own ambition.
    Silence, Ellasif decided as she padded along behind the old warrior. Silence would protect her sister today.

Fifteen Years Later ...

Chapter One
    The Ice Sculptures
    Declan Avari squinted into the oversized spyglass mounted on the north edge of the rooftop observatory, rolling one dial after another to adjust the focus. One final tweak, and the black turrets of Castle Korvosa came sharply into view.
    It was an imposing sight. Torchlight gleamed against black marble, casting long shadows down the ancient pyramid upon which the castle stood. From this distance the imps that wheeled around the towers resembled a swarm of gnats, black specks silhouetted against the rising moon.
    The soft thump of wings drew Declan’s attention to the grape-covered pergola on the southern end of the roof. A pale blue house drake, a recent addition to the clutch that inhabited the turret of the Frisky Unicorn, his family’s inn, often followed him to the observatory. The little creature settled down amid the grapevines, folded his wings, and turned tiny golden eyes toward the castle.
    My cousins are in spring flight.
    This thought projected directly into Declan’s mind, along with an image of small flocks of migrating dragons.
    “Ah.” He nodded. A flock of randy drakes near the imp nests would mean only one thing. “So the skies of Korvosa will be one big tavern brawl tonight?”
    Yes. The telepathic voice sounded wistful to Declan’s mind. Enmity between the imps and the tiny dragons ran hot and deep. With the possible exception of a plump mouse or a dollop of fresh butter, there was nothing a house drake enjoyed more than smiting imp-shaped evil.
    “Plan on joining the fun?”
    Maybe later.
    The drake burrowed into the vines. Leaves rustled, and a tiny squeak, abruptly ended, announced a successful hunt. Since the little dragon would be happily occupied with his meal, Declan turned his attention back to the castle.
    Now that he thought about it, he noted more activity in the night sky than usual. Imps and dragons in battle was a sight so familiar it seldom drew a second glance in Korvosa. Declan was not entirely certain what this said about the city.
    He went to the astrolabe, a flat metal disk covered with intricate markings and mounted on an iron plinth. A series of dials and levers allowed Declan to set its measure upon the Grand Mastaba. The sandstone pyramid provided a foundation for Castle Korvosa and, more importantly for Declan’s purposes, a known measure against which to test his skills.
    After several moments of fiddling with the dials, he jotted down his figures and frowned at the result. His calculation of the Grand Mastaba’s height was off by more than ten yards. If he were ever going to become a credible mapmaker, he’d need to do better.
    With a sigh, Declan turned to the shallow basin of water that dominated the roof, a round reflecting pool in which tiny star-shadows glimmered. The markings along the edges of the pool, similar to those on the astrolabe, provided a second, simpler means of calculating angle and distance.
    A thick book lay open on a pedestal nearby, revealing figures arranged in three columns. Declan’s apprenticeship to the famed astronomer Majeed Nores had been devoted primarily to taking measurements of the stars, repeating each computation with the reflecting pool, and comparing the difference. Majeed expected him to fill the book before the next new moon.
    “The nights aren’t long enough for all this work,” he muttered. “And I suspect there aren’t enough stars in the sky to fill a book that size.”
    “Hello, the roof!”
    Declan turned toward the stairs, glad of the interruption. His smile dimmed when he recognized