A Baron of Bonds (Conduit of Light #2)

69. Karus

Chapter 69

Karus

THE LAPIS TRIAL

I splashed into a stream, not unlike the one where I had left Revich. Its cool, clear water trickled over hundreds of green gems which cut into the palms of my hands.

I pulled myself up, seeing my skin indented and wiped my hands on my wet skirts.

I was in a glen, golden blossoms swaying in the breeze and the sound of the trickling water catching in my ear.

“Clever, Little Sprout, to distract her with her own litter.”

I gritted my teeth and turned, finding the dark form of the Blightress hounding me here, too. “Please go away.”

I turned back to the stream, bending down to inspect the gems.

As I sifted through the water, I realized they weren’t just gems. They were replicas of my conduit ring which itself was missing from my forefinger.

I sighed and followed the path of the stream, brilliant emeralds shining under the shallow surface of the water as far as my eyes could see.

Now, I understood why hardly any channeler passed this trial. I was going to have to find my real conduit ring out of thousands.

I sat on the bank to rest a moment, pulling my skirt up over my knee, a dark crimson stain expanding across the fabric, my skin a broken mess of fresh and crusted blood. I tore a strip of my skirt and wrapped it around the wound, pulling the makeshift bandage tight and tying it off.

I stood and sighed again, glad to be out of danger, but not looking forward to going mad searching for my ring.

I wondered how channelers got out of this trial. If they tapped any of these rings three times, would it move them on to the next? I’d be careful when handling them, I supposed.

I scooped up a handful of sliver bands, each holding a single teardrop emerald, each the same size and length, each exactly like the last.

I let them fall through my fingers, then took another scoop.

I wasn’t sure what exactly I was looking for. A feeling? A recognition of the ring I wore everyday?

I sifted through again, as the Blightress moved to sit across from me.

“Did you speak to Thalia?”

“Yes,” I mumbled, inspecting my next handful.

“Did you get the truth you needed?”

“Yes,” I spoke again, holding one ring up to the sun, looking for some sign I had found the real one quickly and with the greatest luck a channeler had ever known.

“Your answers are irritatingly short.”

“I learned from the best.” I grinned, standing and moving a few feet down.

She followed, watching as I scooped two handfuls of rings, letting them fall through my fingers, splashing back to the stream in light plops.

“How is my sister? Does she fair well?”

My gaze shot to her, taken aback. “You care?”

“Yes, Karus, I care about my sister. I have not seen her in some time.”

“She confirmed you gave her magic. You gave Felgren magic and the first Baron magic, too.”

“Just as I told you.”

I took another scoop, this time inspecting each one for flaws I knew wouldn’t be on my ring. “You can’t blame me for not believing something so absurd.”

“I can and I do. I hope you will believe me in the future when I tell you more of my story.”

I scoffed. “You’re not going to take this time to tell me now? That’s surprising.”

Each of these rings looked exactly the same. Each one a silver band that fit perfectly on my finger, each one holding a green stone with the same exact faucets as the others.

I tossed them into the stream and set my chin in my hand, elbow resting on my good knee.

“I wish you would believe I’d like to see you thrive. I do not wish to distract you so with my story when you are trying so hard to complete these trials.”

I glared at her across the stream, again not believing a word she uttered from her red mouth. “Then stop talking and let me think.”

I chewed my bottom lip and she fell silent for once.

What did I know about my conduit ring?

I knew Revich kept it safe for me while my mind had been lost. I knew he returned it to me the day he asked me to be his companion. I knew he cleaned it and slipped it on my finger during our ceremony.

But none of those things had to do with its origin.

I closed my eyes and went back to that day. The day I left Hyrithia, taken by Heimlen to Felgren Forest.

I relived it, step by step—Geyrand’s kiss, the lumens across the little bridge, my handkerchief flowing in the breeze straight to them. I saw Heimlen’s face before me as I declared the lumens broke at the slightest scent.

“My dear,” he had replied, “you are hardly the slightest of anything.”

I raged.

I didn’t know who I hated more, Heimlen or the Blightress sitting before me.

That was a lie. I knew exactly who I’d happily kill if he wasn’t already dead.

Breathing deep, I reset the scene, remembering how I took his gloved hand and my clothing had changed, forming into a gown that was the perfect replica of what I would have chosen out of hundreds.

My conduit ring had come last, the silver band forming over my finger, topped with that sparkling teardrop emerald.

I remembered Heimlen had commented on it, but I had never asked why.

“It really is a beautiful ring.” She held a replica between her long, black nails, studying it closely.

“All of them are,” I mumbled, swirling my fingers back in the water, feeling for any sign or pull in a certain direction.

“Yours is quite simple. Have you noticed, Little Sprout?”

I cocked my head and waited for her to continue.

She grinned, tossing the ring back into the water. “Of all the other channelers, yours holds a single, simple stone. Why is that, Karus of Felgren?”

“If you know, either tell me or stop talking.”

She laughed in that chiming, eerie way and continued, “I believe I do know. You see, emeralds are the symbol of eternal life. Emerald is the color of your eyes and the trees of Felgren. And a single emerald stone was the first ring ever given by a Baron.”

A chill swept through me. I knew who she was talking about, and I knew part of this story without needing to hear it.

She nodded, pulling at her sleeves, watching the glimmering rings in the water. “Yes, child, a single emerald was given to me by Adaynth on the day we bound our lives together.”

I swallowed, bracing myself. “My conduit ring is the same one given to you by the first Baron?”

“I still hold a fondness for it, Karus.” She picked up another replica, holding it up to the sun. “It never surprised me that the child I gave my power to would prove her bond to me in various ways.”

The day was turning miserable.

Each time I spoke to this woman, I learned more about my past and hers without really asking to. I inhaled deeply and scooped another batch of rings, determined to pass this trial and leave.

She was silent, letting me concentrate. I was thankful for that much at least.

I studied my forefinger on my right hand.

I dropped the rings and held it up to the sunlight, turning it around.

I closed my eyes again, keeping my hand in the air, thinking of the ring that I wished was only mine. I imagined its exact weight, the exact press of the band across my skin, closing over my finger as a constant reminder of how much I belonged in Felgren.

I opened my eyes and grinned, seeing my conduit ring shine in the sun.

It had never left my finger. I just had to recognize that it was there.

The green portal opened behind the Blightress, and I stood, proud of accomplishing what many other channelers before me could not.

She stood with me, clasping her hands together with a snide remark, “How ironic that you passed the trial about needing to believe the truth that’s right in front of you.”

I ignored her again and moved past to step into the portal.

Two down, two to go.