Echoes of the Raven (The Eldrystone #2)

15. CHAPTER 15

15

VALERIA

“Craft a similar key for my youngest daughter, except smaller. She should match her sister yet know her place.”

Rey Simón Plumanegra (Casa Plumanegra) - King of Castella - 2 AV

A fter sitting with Nana and Jago, I meander through the palace, thinking about our conversation. More than once, I have to pause and shake myself as flashes of the different dreamscapes Calierin put me through flood my vision. It takes much effort to push them away. I must conjure images of happier times, when my family was whole.

It works, and I hope with time those awful few days will be erased.

However, there is another thought that keeps intruding and proves harder to dismiss: Rífíor is here, in the dungeons.

I tell myself I’m unable to stop thinking about him because he’s the only one who has the answer to all my questions, but I fear, deep inside, that there’s more to it, and I hate myself a little more for it.

Determined to keep my mind clear of him, I go in search of Renata, Amira’s new adviser. In my opinion, she’s a major improvement over Emerito—Renata used to serve as Father’s scribe, and she was always nice to everyone. I would never tell Amira that, though. She had a soft spot for the little man, and I should not disrespect the dead .

I head to Amira’s study and find guards posted at the door, a new development since Nido’s core rooms were always considered safe due to its concentric design, which traditionally only required protection in its outer ring.

When I enter, I still expect to see Father sitting behind his desk. The sight of Amira is incongruous in his place, and I suspect it will take a long time to get used to it.

My sister looks up from a document she’s reading. When she notices me, she sets it down, signs it with a flourish, and offers me a smile. Standing behind her, Renata takes the document and sets it on top of a large pile of parchments.

“Val, I’m glad you’re here.” And not in bed , her expression seems to add.

“I came for my Plumanegra key,” I say.

“Oh, yes, Renata will get it for you. I have a meeting with the council, and I’m already late.” She glances at the large clock in the corner and stands. She comes around the large desk in a hurry and pats my shoulder on the way out.

Renata offers me a sincere smile. “I’m so glad you’re home safe, Princess Valeria.”

“Thank you, Renata.”

She has beautiful brown skin as flawless as polished wood. Her eyes are the color of honey and her hair a mass of curls that frames her face and defies gravity.

“Let me get your key,” she says, though she remains by the desk, making sure all the documents are perfectly aligned and the quill is returned to its proper place. Once done tidying up, she walks to a tall cabinet with many drawers, a relic that has sat in this room for who knows how long.

I approach Renata, distracted by a portrait of Mother and Father on the opposite wall. It depicts their wedding day, portraying the immense joy of a couple destined to be united by fate .

“That is one of the loveliest portraits in all of Nido,” Renata says, pulling me back into the moment. She’s holding my Plumanegra key in one hand, the drawer from where she got it still open.

“I agree.” I extend my hand, and she offers me the necklace with the feather-shaped key hanging from it.

The key opens my nook in the family vault, which holds nothing at all. It’s not the contents of the strong box that matter, though. It is the necklace itself. Father gave it to me.

“Thank you,” I say, inspecting it.

“Adviser Suarez,” someone calls from the door.

Renata turns to the door, back straighter than any royal guard. “Yes?”

“The queen asked me to deliver a message. She says she needs the summer ledgers right away.”

“Certainly!” She rushes to one of the bookshelves, retrieves a hefty volume, and hurries out. At the threshold, she stops and glances back over her shoulder. “My apologies, Princess Valeria.”

I wave a hand. “Not to worry. I’ll show myself out.”

Renata is out the door with the messenger quick at her heels. I don’t envy either of them. Amira can be as demanding as Father. I smile fondly and begin to turn toward the door, but the contents of the still-open drawer make me pause. Frowning, I pull the drawer out a few more inches to reveal a row of Plumanegra keys held in velvet-lined boxes.

With a painful pang in my chest, I notice Father’s key. I recognize it immediately. It’s bigger than mine, the shank and bow carved into the shape of a raven’s claw. Tears blur my vision as I examine the other keys and read the names scrolled in their respective boxes. Julián Plumanegra, Jago’s father. Vicente Plumanegra, my grandfather. Margarita Plumanegra, my great aunt. The names keep going. Some boxes bear multiple names, indicating that more than one person held the key at various times. It’s a customary practice. When someone passes away, and the key is no longer needed, a new Plumanegra infant can inherit it .

On closer examination, I notice there are two more layers of boxes underneath the first one. In fact, there are more drawers, and I suspect they hold more keys. How didn’t I know about the contents of this cabinet? I guess I always took it for granted, another ancient piece of furniture among many.

I return my attention to the open drawer. The only empty box is the one with my name. Next to it, I notice Amira’s name and her key sitting there. It looks a lot like mine. The shank and bow are shaped like a feather, except hers is slightly bigger than mine. She doesn’t wear hers all the time like I do. She claims it’s clunky, and it doesn’t match all her dresses.

Amira said she would put The Eldrystone in the vault, the rogue thought resonates inside my head as loud as thunder.

Slowly, I lift a hand to touch the key and instead end up slamming the drawer shut and turning away.

“You have your key,” I murmur under my breath. “That’s why you came here. Now, leave.”

The document Amira was signing when I walked in sits on top of all the others. Without meaning to, my eyes rove over the parchment, moving quickly over words that seem to jump off the page.

Proposal, safety, internment, fae, walls, guards.

What?! I read again, more carefully this time and can’t believe my eyes, can’t believe that is Amira’s signature at the bottom of the page, except I saw her penning it there myself.

It can’t be. She can’t possibly intend to build a holding compound to detain all the fae, a place where they’ll be confined behind guarded walls in order to keep them apart from Castella’s citizens.

I shake my head. She can’t. This is… horrible… a crime against innocent people .

Without making a conscious decision, I turn back to the cabinet, open the drawer, take Amira’s key out, and replace it with mine. Quickly, I hang the new key over my neck, close the drawer, and march out of the room.

What are you doing, Val? What are you doing?!

I hasten down the hall, the weight of my sister’s key feeling utterly wrong around my neck. Yet, I understand why my instincts drove me to take it. If Amira truly intends to imprison the entire fae population living in Castella, I may need The Eldrystone, after all. I don’t know exactly what I would do with it. All I know is that it would give me leverage.

Before I lose my courage, I head down to the first floor and make my way to the vault. My heart hammers out of control as I walk past the two guards that flank the wide entrance. They click their heels and bow their heads, saluting me. I barely acknowledge them, too nervous to even wave.

Inside the circular vault, an eerie quiet envelops me. Two columns hold matching fire bowls, kept lit at all times. In the center of the floor, the Plumanegra coat-of-arms is fashioned out of pieces of broken ceramic that reflect the firelight. The place is fortified by layers and layers of stone, the heavy steel portcullis kept open during the day and lowered at night. Only members of the Plumanegra family are allowed inside—some more easily than others. It all depends on whether or not the guards on duty recognize them.

I remove the key from around my neck and turn in a circle, trying to remember which of the nooks belongs to Amira. It’s been a long time since we used to play here, and she pointed out her strong box to me.

Luckily, they all have a symbol of their respective key etched in their doors. Despite the fact that there are over six hundred nooks, it only takes me a moment to spot Amira’s. It’s in the fifth row, third column.

With a shaking hand, I insert the key into the lock. I stand frozen for several beats worried that I’ll open the small door, and The Eldrystone won’t be there.

Holding my breath, I turn the key and pull .

When I lay eyes on the amulet, a surge of air escapes my lips, carrying a wave of relief more acute than I care to admit. Though I try to convince myself that I want The Eldrystone solely to aid the fae if need be, shame flushes my cheeks as I reach for it.

The instant my fingers make contact with the cool gem, a sense of rightness washes over me, as if the world has been set straight and nothing can go awry from this point on. I hang the chain around my neck and draw in a deep breath. My eyelids flutter close, and something like peace washes over me. I should have never given it to Amira. Only the gods know what she intended to do with it.

A quick perusal of the contents of her box reveals a collection of trinkets. Locks of hair, rocks, a kerchief with Mother’s initials, and a pair of raven earrings. A pang of guilt hits me. I made those earrings, and it seems she considers them valuable enough to keep them under lock and key. Yet, my guilt is not enough to stop me from taking the amulet and risking the loss of my sister’s trust in the process.

“I’m sorry, Amira,” I whisper softly, closing the small door. With a twist of the key, I seal the vault and leave with the most powerful object in existence.

Yet, as I depart, I have the distinct impression that I’ve done both the right thing and the wrong thing.