Echoes of the Raven (The Eldrystone #2)

31. CHAPTER 31

31

VALERIA

“I will have that amulet one way or another.”

Calierin Kelraek - Tuathacath Warrior and Veilfallen - 21 DV

M y heart knocks hard, making it difficult to breathe. I know I’m taking a huge risk by doing this, but I find it necessary. I inhale deeply several times in order to calm down.

Fighting Calierin was exhilarating. I felt the amulet enhancing my speed enough to match hers, enough to give me the agility I should have inherited from my mother. My blood still sings with the thrill of it all, and I must gather my will to preside over this moment, to let my mind take over the physicality of the battle.

Amidst the intense focus demanded to fight the sorceress, I saw an opportunity to leverage Rífíor’s former allies to gather information. I’ve embarked on this journey with little knowledge of him, and no idea of his true motives. For all I know, he wants to destroy Tirnanog. He has refused to give me answers, but maybe he’ll talk to his own kind. He was willing to tell them where we’re headed. That shows a level of trust.

“Valeria,” Rífíor snarls, “what are you doing?”

I ignore his question. If he didn’t want me to talk to them, he shouldn’t have so casually revealed our destination to this lot, possibly jeopardizing our plans. Perhaps, he was trying to avoid a confrontation or hoping they would join us, but whatever the case, he should have thought better of it. I don’t want Calierin anywhere near me. Impossibly as it seems, I hate her more than I hate him.

Calierin regards the amulet dangling from my hand with distaste. “So that is what you betrayed us for, Rífíor? You made us believe we could have it and then you abandoned us and let your people die like moles underground.”

Rífíor turns his attention to the sorceress, though I still feel his disapproval radiating in my direction. “I have always looked at the bigger picture.”

“The bigger picture, eh?” the sorceress sneers. “And by that you mean what, exactly? I always suspected you had ulterior motives. You keep secrets and you scheme on your own.”

“I owe you no explanations,” Rífíor bats a hand at the air, “so if you are done with your pathetic display of power, we must be on our way.”

“No.” I shake my head. “For once, I’m with your lackeys. I would like to know more.”

“That is not my problem. I am not here to satisfy anyone’s curiosity.”

“You see… that is what is wrong with you,” Calierin says. “You act as if everyone should follow you, trust you, and why? Because you are special? Nah, you are no better or different than any of us. You are just another stranded fool, trying to survive in this awful place.”

A muscle twitches in Rífíor’s jaw, suggesting he has taken offense. It appears he truly believes everyone should unquestioningly trust and obey him by virtue of… what? His good looks? I hate to agree with this bitch, but I’ve always had the same impression. Maybe the time he possessed The Eldrystone turned him into a narcissist. Except now, he’s no different from any other fae. In fact, he’s less. He doesn’t even have enough espiritu to conjure a glamour .

Rífíor sheathes his sword carelessly. “Gaspar, Esmeralda,” he calls, “let’s pack and get on the road.”

Jago crosses his arms. “Who put this one in charge?”

“No one,” I say. “I’m the only one who gives orders here.”

Rífíor shrugs. “Whatever you say, Princess. If you don’t mind the guards catching up with us.”

Once more, he refuses to come clean. I seethe in frustration, but I’m not the only one. Calierin’s face is so red, she appears ready to explode.

“What the fuck do you mean you are on your way to reopen the veil with her ?” Calierin demands, pointing at me.

“Just what I said,” Rífíor retorts, his perfect composure lending him a striking air. “Were my words not clear enough?”

“You fucking bastard,” she shouts. “You better not ever let your guard down because I am going to slaughter you. Not even your mother will recognize what is left of you.”

Rífíor returns to the tree and reclines, nonchalantly examining his fingernails, appearing as bored as Jago does during mass. “You already tried and failed—unless you want to try again. This time only your sword against mine.” He gives her an inquiring sidelong glance.

Calierin says nothing. She just fumes, literal smoke coming out of her pointed ears.

“Is that…?” Jago points at the smoke and squints. “Yes, it is. Smoke’s coming out of her ears.”

“What?” Calierin takes a step to one side and looks up. Her hands fly to the sides of her head. “What the fuck is this?”

Behind me, Esmeralda giggles. “She’s boiling mad.”

What in the…? I frown. Rífíor stares at me, then his eyes flick to The Eldrystone, which still hangs from my hand. Is he trying to tell me I caused that? I glance back toward Calierin, wish the smoke to stop, and, to my surprise, it does .

Saints and feathers! I only had the thought that she was fuming . I didn’t mean to do that. This makes no sense. Back in Nido, the amulet refused to do what I wanted, and now… I have to be more careful with this thing. I shake my head and put the chain back around my neck, the weight of the amulet offering more comfort than I would like.

Kadewyn doesn’t miss my interaction with Rífíor. Suspicious, he peers at the dissipating smoke with a sneer on his handsome, pale face. “You are lying. There is no reopening the veil with that thing.”

“Of course he is lying.” Calierin rolls her eyes.

Rífíor is looking at me, a request etched on his features. I have no trouble deciphering it. He wants me to tell them he isn’t lying. I suppose he’s done it often enough that his word means nothing to them. But why should they believe me ? I’m just a human they hate, a member of the family who, in their minds, has kept them subjugated for twenty years.

The question is… do I want them to believe Rífíor? Is there any benefit to having them on our side despite the way I feel about Calierin? I don’t want her anywhere near us, but maybe she and Kadewyn can serve as lookouts for us. They’ve been following the troop since we left Castellina, and they did so unnoticed. They’re good trackers and fighters, so it wouldn’t hurt to have their help, if it came to it. Yet, that’s logic talking. My instinct of self-preservation, however, is saying something completely different. If I’m to heed Father’s advice, I should listen to my gut and stay away from them. But unless I kill them, they’ll continue following us.

There is a part of me that would relish flattening Calierin like a bug. I can almost conjure the image of her body bending at my command, blood soaking the ground as broken bones protrude from her skin. It would be so easy. All I would have to do is wish for it, and it would happen. It’s tempting, so tempting.

Calierin lets out a groan of pain, a hand flying to her ribcage.

Oh, gods !

I’m doing it.

Stop, Valeria.

I take a step back, recoiling from the glimpse of evil my soul has revealed.

Rífíor raises an eyebrow, aware of my intention, but there’s no judgment in his expression.

Clear your mind, Valeria. You’re not a tyrant.

One death on my conscience, no matter how deserving the victim, is enough. I won’t be like these fae. I’m better than that. With a deep breath, I clear my mind.

Calierin sidles toward Kadewyn, a hint of fear in her features. She also seems to know why her ribs felt ready to snap.

“Yes, Rífíor, you’re right. We’re wasting our time,” I say tiredly. “Let’s go.”

I’m starting to turn toward the wagon when the amulet heats up under my tunic. It’s only a momentary flash, but it makes me stop. Hesitantly, I take a step toward the wagon. The same thing happens. As I stand there, puzzled, the chain tugs, pointing in Calierin’s and Kadewyn’s direction.

Is the amulet trying to tell me something?

To make sure I’m not imagining things, I press a hand to my chest and force the amulet down. Once it settles, I try to leave once more, but the same thing happens.

Yes, The Eldrystone does seem to have a mind of its own, which means Niamhara wants me to heed logic over my instinct of self-preservation. As I ponder, it seems to me that I need more than Father’s voice and lessons inside my head to guide me. And why couldn’t that be The Eldrystone? It wouldn’t lead me astray, would it? Besides, I’m trusting it to save my sister from making the worst mistake of her life.

All right, Goddess. I shall listen .

Taking a deep breath, I face Calierin and Kadewyn, my expressions stern. “Rífíor isn’t lying,” I declare. “I can reopen the veil.”

Calierin laughs. “You two are really made for each other, huh? What sort of bréagah is this? Did you bring her to the catacombs as a decoy to lead her guards to us? Were you party to that plan? Was it all a scheme you two came up with to get rid of the veilfallen?”

“Paranoia will be your downfall, Calierin,” Rífíor says. “Believe what you will. It doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t change what Valeria and I are going to do. With time, you will know the truth. And you will thank us when you are able to cross back into Tirnanog. This is what I have been working hard to accomplish since I joined the veilfallen. I have never lost sight of the real goal. You, on the other hand, care more about castigating humans than anything else.”

I wince at his choice of words, but they aren’t wrong. Calierin takes pleasure in inflicting pain on my kind. She was gleeful every time she had the chance to torment me, and always harbored the grim expectation that she’d be allowed to do worse the next time.

It suddenly occurs to me that if Calierin goes back to Tirnanog she might come back with an army of people just like her. I shiver at the prospect, which Jago has seen more clearly from the beginning. What if reopening the veil is a mistake?

If you can open it, you can close it again, a small voice says inside my head. Yes. I need to keep this possibility in mind. I can’t lose sight of what’s right due to fear.

Rífíor goes on. “It’s up to you. You can either go back to the capital, or you can help us get there and witness the miracle we have been praying for all this time.”

Kadewyn’s brow furrows. “Castellan guards are after you,” his words are thoughtful. “We saw them on the road. They seemed… desperate. That’s why you need our help. ”

Rífíor nods in assent. “Yes, and I feel it is only a matter of time before they get clever enough and find us.” A pause. “What do you say then?”

Kadewyn thinks for a moment, his pale eyes roving over the ground as he seems to ponder every aspect of the situation.

“Are you seriously considering going with him again?” Calierin demands. “After the way he betrayed us? Have you lost your mind?”

Kadewyn shrugs. “Why else would he be traveling west with her?”

“The hells if I know, but we did not come here to fall into one of his traps again.”

“Given that your original goal failed,” Rífíor puts in, “perhaps you should reconsider.” He puts on a crooked grin.

“Fuck you!” Calierin spits.

“Hate me all you want, Calierin, but you can’t afford to dismiss me—not when you are already trying to remember if Tirnanog really smells as sweet as in your memories.”

“Think about it, Kadewyn,” Calierin says, “if she can really reopen the veil, it means her family was the one responsible for its collapse in the first place and every single one of them must pay for all we have suffered.”

“My family had absolutely nothing to do with the veil’s collapse,” I say. “I think you have been barking up the wrong tree all along,” I direct a pointed glance at Rífíor, “and the person responsible for all of it has been cleverly hiding amongst you all along.”

Rífíor blows air through his nose, unamused. “Such an overactive imagination.”

“Why would she say that, Rífíor?” Kadewyn asks.

Rífíor sneers. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Kadewyn doesn’t say anything else, but his expression tells me he sees merit in my words. Unlike Calierin, he seems like someone who uses his brain. After a long moment, he makes up his mind. “All right, I’ll go with you. I’ll help.” He starts walking in our direction.

“You cannot be that stupid,” Calierin insists .

Kadewyn glances over his shoulder. “Like Rífíor said, if there is the slightest chance that this is true, I cannot afford to doubt him. I care not about revenge, Calierin. All I care about is seeing my wife and daughter again, and I would not forgive myself if the veil reopens, and I go one more day without them.”

“Those heartstrings of yours have always been your weakness, and one day, they will be the death of you.” Calierin is all resentment and taut muscles, while Kadewyn only looks resigned.

“Perhaps,” he says, “but following my heart has never led me to regret anything in my long life, and I am not about to turn a deaf ear when such a chance presents itself.” Turning his pale countenance to Rífíor, he says, “I’ll get my horse.”

“Kadewyn,” Calierin chides in one last effort to make him change his mind.

He glances over his shoulder. “What do you have to lose? You saw what that amulet did for her. Your magic was no match for it. Do you not want to find out what has the power to so easily best you?”

The sorceress’s expression changes, and I can see curiosity taking over. She will come. I have no doubt about it.

Niamhara, I hope you know what you’re doing.