Mistress Jardena

Mistress Jardena's rise to prominence was likely facilitated by her relationships with powerful men. Some historians suggest that she was a mistress of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, while others propose that she was a close advisor to the emperor's wife, Theodora. Regardless of her exact role, it is clear that Jardena wielded significant influence over imperial policy and decision-making.

Negotiations wound like fishing line until Locke produced a counteroffer: he would return nothing unless Jardena could find and bring him the "Heart of Tiderun"—an old family relic her grandmother had hidden in the rock where the cliff meets the sea. The relic was said to temper the tide-paths, to keep them from swallowing whole coves. The name of the task was a provocation—because to retrieve the Heart one must dive where currents loop in impossible ways. mistress jardena