House of the Raven (The Eldrystone #1)

26. CHAPTER 26

26

RIVER

“A son, yet Carolina has passed away.”

Julián Plumanegra - Castella General - 20 AV

I followed her back to Nido. She walked right up to the gates and gave herself up. It was hard to watch her go, hard to allow her to slip through my fingers, but what other choice did I have?

Valeria Plumanegra didn’t take The Eldrystone with her to Alsur. If she had, it would have been on her when I searched her. The amulet is in Nido. It has to be. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

So yes, I had to let her go back, though that doesn’t mean I’m done with her. If she found out about the amulet’s power during her little research session at the library, she won’t be able to resist retrieving it this time.

Everything makes so much sense now. I thought she was an artful deceiver, biding her time, but she was just ignorant of what she held in her possession. Now, curiosity and greed will be her downfall.

“So what have you decided?” Calierin asks, sitting across from me. We’re in our usual hideout in the catacombs, drinking stale wine. Candles burn inside nooks in the walls, filling the space with flickering light.

“It is time to act,” I say .

“Finally,” she throws her hands up in the air.

“Are you sure?” Kadewyn asks, wiping the back of his hand across wine-tainted lips. He has always been the most cautious of us.

“I am sure,” I say.

“Damn Orys Kelakian! He robbed us of the pleasure of slitting the king’s throat. I guess the simpering queen will have to do.” Calierin laughs drunkenly.

She isn’t the only one who feels that way. Simón Plumanegra bears the blame for my exile. For two decades, I dreamed of exacting my vengeance. It took me long enough to find him, but how could I have guessed that the man who interceded on Loreleia’s behalf as she escaped Tirnanog with The Eldrystone was the King of Castella? The man responsible for the fall of the veil.

It wasn’t until I stopped feeling sorry for myself, put an end to my aimless wandering through the countryside, and arrived in Castellina that I finally discovered his true identity. Here in the capital, one can hardly escape Simón’s portraits affixed to walls in all public places. His subjects loved him. There’s no doubt the Plumanegras have served this realm well. But it was the Castellinians’ obsession with their king that allowed me to happen upon one of these portraits at a cheap tavern.

I instantly recognized him: the foe that changed the course of my life.

Ever since that day, I made it my mission to end him. I joined the disorganized veilfallen, became their leader, and strengthened their cause. That was one year ago, too late, I now know.

That fucking sorcerer stole my chance. Evidently, he had nurtured a deep-seated grudge against Simón Plumanegra. Aiming to take the king’s place, he attempted to kill him twelve years ago but failed miserably. Everyone believed Orys dead, but as it turns out, he had been nursing his wounds, lying in wait for a second chance. He got it, without a doubt, and now, he’s up to something else, lurking in the shadows and manipulating events from afar. We’ve made several attempts to locate him, but the powerful sorcerer remains elusive.

It enrages me that I didn’t get the chance to confront Simón once more, but even though one of my goals has slipped through my grasp, the primary one still stands: The Eldrystone and its return to its rightful owner.

“I wouldn’t mind doing away with that bratty princess, too!” Calierin adds, not privy to my main objective.

My veilfallen brethren think this is all about fighting our oppressors. They have no idea this is much more than that. But I can’t trust anyone with the knowledge. The less people know about the amulet, the better. Too many already covet its power. I’ve learned through painful experience that, no matter how virtuous someone appears, the hunger for power can darken their heart and lead them to the worst type of betrayal.

I’ve been with Kadewyn and Calierin for a year, and they have given me no reason to think ill of them, but I know no one ever shows their true self.

Everyone lies.

Every.One.

“The bratty princess is not our priority,” I lie as if to prove the point to myself.

I need everyone to focus on Amira Plumanegra while I worry about her sister.

Throwing my head back, I down the rest of the wine.

Soon I will hold the amulet in my hands again.

Soon.