Echoes of the Raven (The Eldrystone #2)

30. CHAPTER 30

30

RíFíOR

“Calierin is right. Rífíor is a liar and a traitor.”

Kadewyn Zinceran - Veilfallen - 21 DV

“ D amn you to Talrocht,” I curse. Has she lost her mind? Valeria is a good fighter. Very good, in fact, but she is no match for the likes of Calierin.

“Retreat,” I order her.

She gives me a sideways glance that tells me exactly what she thinks about me and my order.

“You are going to get yourself killed,” I retort. “But what do I care?

“Exactly,” she shoots back. “So shut your mouth.” I bristle at her tone. She’s infuriating.

Calierin and Kadewyn come to a stop a few feet away from us. They both wear hateful expressions I have often seen on their faces though never directed at me.

“Did you think we wouldn’t find you?” Calierin barks her question.

I only stare at her, my sword in a white-knuckle grip.

“I knew we never should have trusted you,” Calierin says. The magic in her hands pulses with every word she utters. “Do you know how many of our people died in those catacombs?” A pause. “Walverdin, Preesah, Janeer, Stohehk. Do you want me to keep going?”

Every name sends a stab of pain into my chest. I did not mean for any of them to die. We were safe in those catacombs for a long time. I never suspected they would find us. But I say none of these things. I only wait, ready for whatever she throws my way. If only Valeria would get out of the way, I would have one less thing to worry about.

“Why did you do it?” Kadewyn asks.

Leave it to reasonable Kadewyn to ask that question, to try to understand. Would he change his mind about me if I told him the truth? It matters not. I do not owe either of them an explanation. However, for the safety of my travel companions and our quest, I will tell them our goal and hope my reasons convince them to leave us alone.

“I only have one purpose,” I say, “and it is to help our people.”

“ Bréagah! ” Calierin curses.

“I care not if either of you believes me, but we are on our way to reopen the veil.”

Valeria shoots me a warning glare.

Calierin cackles. “Do you expect us to believe that?”

I did not expect anything but her pigheadedness. It is Kadewyn’s expression I concentrate on. There is a slight tightening of his white eyebrows, and I almost sense my words drilling a hole through his anger and letting a bit of reason in. He has a wife and a daughter in Tirnanog, two big reasons to hope.

“It is true, Kadewyn,” I add.

“And the little princess is helping you now? Just like that?” Calierin asks in a mocking tone. “Is that why you are so cozy with her all of a sudden, huh? You must think we are really stupid. You are lying about that amulet. There is something else going on here.”

I ignore her and continue focusing on Kadewyn .

“Valeria Plumanegra can wield the amulet, Kade,” I say. “And she will usher us home.”

“Is this true?” Kadewyn addresses Valeria.

But she never has time to answer because Calierin lifts her pulsing hands. “I’m done listening to lies.”

“Wait!” Kadewyn shouts as a blast of magic explodes in my direction.

I raise my sword, but the attack never arrives. Instead, Valeria jumps in front of me to defend me, using her own fae-made sword. Surprise floods through me. Why would she…?

She provides the answer. “You and I have a score to settle, bitch.”

Of course, Valeria isn’t trying to defend me. Her motive is revenge. I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “What do you think you’re doing? She is going to wipe the forest floor with you.”

She grunts in disagreement and takes a step forward to put some distance between us.

“Valeria, let Rífíor take care of this,” Jago suggests, stepping from behind the tree, his own sword in hand, though he does not look as certain as Valeria. In fact, he looks like he wants to hide again. I would call him a coward if we were not dealing with Calierin. Instead, I believe he is smart, much smarter than his cousin.

“Shut your mouth, the both of you,” Valeria snarls. “This is between me and this bitch.”

“Listen to your cousin,” I insist.

“No!” Calierin barks. “I am going to kill your little precious princess, Rífíor, which is what I should have done from the beginning.”

Calierin cuts a hand through the air, and a shaft of light in the shape of a knife flies forward, boomeranging toward Valeria’s head. Both Jago and I move forward to intervene, but Valeria is much faster, and with an upward swing of her sword, she cuts the attack in half.

I frown and so does Calierin. Valeria’s movements were fast, her steps firm, her parry confident. I know she’s well-trained. I learned that much when I was pretending to be Bastien, and we sparred on Nido’s rooftop. But it seems I underestimated how well her tutor taught her. Yet, I find no comfort in the fact. I need to take care of Calierin myself before my only chance to get back to Tirnanog dies before my eyes.

I move to attack but once more Valeria is there before me. I frown, confused. What is happening here? There is no way her human speed can match mine.

The answer comes to me an instant later. She has The Eldrystone now. Seeing her use it once more, renews my hope that she will be able to use Niamhara’s conduit to guide me home.

Calierin channels all her anger and energy into undoing Valeria. The palpable hatred emanating from her consumes her focus, blinding her to the fact that Valeria is, in this moment, a vastly different opponent than she should be. Kadewyn, however, the more perceptive of the two, notices it. He can tell that Valeria’s movements are not completely human.

“What the?” Jago mumbles, his expression etched in confusion as he exchanges a glance with me.

“It’s The Eldrystone,” I whisper.

Understanding dawns on him, and relief replaces some of the worry in his expression.

As the fight continues, Valeria’s footwork is an expert dance.

A Tuathacath warrior, Calierin is nothing but excellent, which means Valeria is just… superb. It strikes me that her prowess is not all due to the magic in the stone, though. Her skills are inherently impressive, with the amulet merely enhancing her speed. Nothing more, nothing less.

Calierin deals magic like a volcano spewing lava. Flashes of violet fly through the air, creating mesmerizing patterns that blind the eye. She hurls spells overhand, underhand, twisting her wrist to add a spin to them. But it doesn’t matter how creative she gets with her combinations; Valeria and her blade are always there to stop the magic .

There is grace and precision in the princess’ movements, and I cannot help but be in awe of what she can do.

It is only when Calierin nears exhaustion that she begins to comprehend something is amiss. Soon the colors of her magic become pale and her speed subpar. Breathing hard, she stops, fists trembling at her sides. Undeterred, she pulls out her sword with a zing and takes a step forward, beginning her charge.

Kadewyn, always the more sensible of the two, puts a hand out and stops her. “Something is wrong here,” he says. “She fights with fae speed. How is that possible?”

Calierin cocks her head to one side.

“It could be the amulet,” Kadewyn says. “That or… she has fae blood in her veins.”

Kadewyn is not wrong about that. Although the latter is not the reason Valeria’s performance has outdone Calierin’s, but this could be risky. They don’t need to know Valeria’s parentage.

I position myself to Valeria’s left, with Jago flanking her on the right, and calmly remark, “I believe you are outnumbered.”

For the first time, they appear wary. I can tell Kadewyn knows they miscalculated their odds. If I had to take a guess, I would say they were propelled here solely by Calierin’s fury. She can stoke a formidable fire in anyone’s gut with promises of death and revenge. Just like any good Tuathacath warrior, her tongue can weave an intricate tapestry of rage that will only be unraveled by death. It is a skill sometimes necessary in war, but it can also be a hindrance when a leveled head is needed.

I open my mouth to tell them they need to leave, but before I can say anything, Valeria throws her sword to the ground and takes out The Eldrystone from under her tunic, pulling the chain over her head, and dangling the amulet in front of them.

“This is what your precious leader has always wanted,” she says. “It’s about time he tells us all exactly why.”