Echoes of the Raven (The Eldrystone #2)

2. CHAPTER 2

2

RíFíOR

“I stare at the discarded ancient bones on the ground and wonder if my own bones are condemned to join them and forever remain in this godsforsaken catacombs.”

Aodhán Utorhán - Veilfallen - 21 AV

S he huddles on the floor, one arm tied, the other one free. Her face is soiled, with streaks running down the middle of her cheeks and from the corners of her eyes to the tangle of hair at her temples, the evidence of all the tears she has shed while Calierin tortures her, and while she lies on her cot alone at night and thinks no one is listening.

Calierin would like to use her magic to do more than create harrowing images inside Valeria’s head. She thinks that physical pain or the threat of losing an eye would break Valeria more swiftly, but I’m not convinced that is true.

“I’m never going to tell you where it is. NEVER!” Valeria’s words are not idle threats. I hear the conviction in her voice, and I know her well enough to understand she means this to the very marrow of her bones.

If there’s one thing I know about the youngest Plumanegra sister, it’s that she would do anything for her family. The proof is how, just a few days ago, she was willing to sacrifice her life to save Amira’s, placing herself as a shield beneath her sister’s plummeting body and the floor, damn the consequences.

So, despite my reluctance to allow Calierin to physically harm Valeria, as it seems like the utmost betrayal of my principles, I fear it will be this psychological torment that will haunt me as my lowest deed in the end.

Ironic, how I thought it would be the most humane way to get the answer I desire.

This is the reason I’ve decided to tell Valeria the truth—or as much of it as I dare.

“So, tell me then, why do you want The Eldrystone?” she asks me. “Lie to me, Rífíor of the Veilfallen.”

“What I will tell you next is no lie, Valeria Plumanegra, and I hope that my honesty will appeal to the charity of the woman I first met in Nido.”

Unbidden, an image of her smiling face enters my mind. I shut it out, denying the weakness that led me to bed her in the first place, a mistake I’ll never forgive myself for.

Her glare is dark and unforgiving, but I go on.

“You know well what The Eldrystone is. You found out the truth of it at the library. Did you not?”

She says nothing, just stares at me with that same hatred that seems to burn deep in her soul. She went to the Biblioteca de la Reina with her cousin, and she learned of the amulet’s origin.

“You know it is Niamhara’s conduit, correct?” I press.

Still, she says nothing.

“Answer me,” I demand.

Nothing.

Driven by anger, I lash out, my hand wrapping around her throat as I bear down on her, my nose nearly touching hers. I feel her pulse and warmth in my fingertips. Her gaze is unwavering as it meets mine. She remains steady under my threat, which is more than many valiant warriors I’ve encountered have managed to do .

She blinks slowly, then licks her lips, the tip of her tongue traveling from one corner of her mouth to the other. I can’t help but look down at her shapely mouth and spurn the jolt of desire that runs through me.

With a growl, I shove her to one side, nearly making her topple, and jerk to a standing position. Fury running through my blood, I pace the alcove, doing my best to control myself. This is not why I’m here. I’ve done enough yelling and threatening and torturing, and none of it has changed her mind.

I need to do this differently. I need to appeal to her kindness because she is kind. I saw the way she treats others, particularly those who might be deemed beneath her as a princess. She offers them respect, holds them in high regard, a stark contrast to many so-called nobles I have met.

In truth, I am desperate. I must end this. My kin grow ever restless, and the lies I continue to fabricate in order to hide the nature of the amulet —as I simply refer to The Eldrystone—could be revealed to them at any moment.

It is a precarious balancing game I play.

After I changed the plans during our attack on Nido, Calierin and Kadewyn demanded an explanation. They wanted to know why acquiring a trinket had become more important than killing the new human queen, and why kidnapping the snotty princess was crucial after we failed to secure the amulet .

I had to come up with an explanation, and after much pondering, I decided that the best course of action was to tell them a partial truth. So I informed them that I had discovered something momentous, that the Castellan monarchy had in its possession a fae-made amulet that could reopen the veil to allow us passage back to our home. As was to be expected, my words had their intended effect. All any of us want is to go back to Tirnanog. It is our priority—more important than making humans understand we are not a plague to be kept under control.

Now, it is time to also let Valeria know the same thing .

With a deep breath, I consciously rein in my anger, determined not to allow her to provoke me once more.

“I know you understand the nature of The Eldrystone,” I begin. “I followed you to the Biblioteca de la Reina.”

This finally gets a reaction from her. Her eyebrows draw together in confusion.

“That’s right, Valeria. If you think you bested me that night, I’m more than glad to inform you that I allowed you to leave, and I took tremendous pleasure in knowing you were wading through shit to a false escape in the sewers. I thought you might retrieve the amulet that day. Instead, I discovered you didn’t even know what it was.”

Her mouth presses into a tight line, and her chin quivers, a clear sign of her frustration at learning of her failure and naivety.

“It was enlightening,” I say. “I was baffled because you were not using the most powerful tool you had at your disposal to escape your fate and avenge your father. Instead, I carted you off to Alsur to meet your repugnant betrothed.”

Her nostrils flare at the mention of Don Justo. “You have nerve. Repugnant? At least he is honest about what he wants. He doesn’t slither and lie like you do.”

“Fair enough,” I say. “But my methods are only on par with those of my enemies. Look at you, for instance, holding on to something that doesn’t belong to you, succumbing to the greed in order to become all powerful.”

Slowly, she shakes her head. “Don’t lie to yourself, Rífíor. It’s not I who suffers from the greed you speak of. It is you. The Eldrystone may not belong to me, but it doesn’t belong to you either. And yet, you have lied, cheated, and killed in order to get your hands on it, while I sit here, innocent of any crime except defending my home and my family.”

“I don’t pretend to be one of your saints, but the end justifies the means. ”

“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better about your deceiving, murderous soul.”

I go back and crouch in front of her. I want her to look into my eyes as I reveal the truth, and she finally sees reason.

“You know well, after educating yourself, that The Eldrystone belongs to the Theric family. Not to you. Not to your mother. She stole it, Valeria. Loreleia Elhice was a nobody from a nowhere village. She had no business handling a power that wasn’t granted to her.”

“She wasn’t a nobody,” she hisses through clenched teeth. “She was the Queen of Castella. You’re a nobody, a filthy rebel, invader of my home.”

“It is not my fault that I’m here, little princess. I want nothing more than to return to Tirnanog, and so does every other fae trapped in this godsforsaken realm. The only reason we are here, the only person who can be blamed for all this, is your so-called Queen of Castella. It is her fault the veil collapsed.”