“You’re lucky you caught me.” Her voice was throaty and rich, an interesting contrast to her wide blue eyes and small, pert nose. “I was just about to head home.”
Yana inclined her head. “Thank you for joining us. We know how busy you are.” She was being genuine, I realized. Whoever this Adriel was, she was in Yana’s good graces.
“I’d like you to meet our new friends,” Roan said. “Talin, Osius, Grig, Sami, Zadie, and last but not least, Nor. She’s the one I told you about.”
I glanced at him. When had he had time for that, and what could he possibly have told her about me?
Adriel turned to me and smiled. Something about her clear blue gaze was disarming. I felt as if she was seeing directly into my head, gleaning thoughts I wasn’t even conscious of. I smiled back, but she didn’t look away, and my smile faltered. Why wasn’t she looking at anyone else? What had Roan told her about me?
“The guard refuses to give up the bloodstone,” Yana said, finally taking Adriel’s focus away from me.
“That’s hardly surprising,” Adriel remarked as she approached the Ilarean, who had been brought into the council chamber, with a slow, swaying stride. She was curvaceous in a way I suspected many women in Varenia would be, if it weren’t for the lack of food. “The bloodstone has him under its control. Well, under the control of the person who wields the stone.”
“Ceren?” I asked. Several heads swiveled toward me.
“Is he the Ilarean king?” Adriel asked.
“For now,” Talin grunted.
“I’ve never seen a bloodstone in person before.” Adriel stopped just in front of the guard. He dragged his eyes up slowly to hers, but his expression remained dazed and unfocused.
Adriel made no move toward the stone, just leaned down until she was at eye level with it. “I only know the information that was passed down to me by my teacher. But my understanding is that only the Ilarean royals can wield them, since the stones are infused with the power of royal blood. Whoever wears a bloodstone given to them by the royal is under their command. If the king is giving them to his guards, then he will have full control over them.”
Yana folded her muscular arms across her chest. “Full control?”
“There is literally nothing they wouldn’t do for him. They’d even die if he commanded it.”
I shuddered at the thought. How would anyone defeat an army like that? I knew better than most that Ceren had no problem killing people who stood in his way, and he would be all too happy to use others to do his dirty work for him.
“And what if we were to take the stone from him?” Talin asked. “What happens then?”
“I’m not sure,” Adriel said over her shoulder. “It may kill him. Or it may break the control of the stone. Or perhaps it will transfer Ceren’s control onto whomever takes the stone. Personally, I don’t want to be the one to test it.”
Yana rubbed her chin for a moment. “Do you think you can learn more safely?”
“I can try, although without a bloodstone to study, it will be difficult. And you know I don’t like to mess with blood magic, Yana. It’s messy, to say the least.”
I remembered how we’d compared bloodstones to blood coral. Was that what my healing capabilities were? Blood magic? And was that why I’d had the visions of Ceren and those strange dreams that felt all too real? Messy didn’t even begin to cover it.
“There were two more guards killed outside the border,” I said. “It’s possible they were wearing stones as well. Do we know what happened to their bodies?”
Roan and the rider from Fort Crag put their heads together for a moment.
“We recovered the bodies,” Roan said. “They were burned, but we did collect their belongings. We’ll have to search them to see if there’s a bloodstone. We don’t recall seeing one.”
I nodded. Naturally, they would have noticed if there had been a beautiful red jewel among the guard’s belongings.
“It was a good thought, Nor.” Yana inclined her head when I looked at her before turning to Adriel. “We’ll put the man in the dungeon. Let’s see if you can discover anything else about the bloodstones. I’d like to spare his life, if possible. More importantly, I’d like to question him. He has useful information in there, somewhere.”
“Can I help?” I asked, sensing we were about to be dismissed.
Yana’s gaze darted to mine. “Help?”
“With the questioning. I have some things I’d like to ask, too.” I glanced at the others and added quickly, “In case the guard knows something that can help us rescue our families.”
Yana narrowed her eyes at me but didn’t press. “Very well. If Adriel can figure out a way to make him talk.”
As the councilmembers disbanded, Talin fell in step next to me. “Have you decided where you’d like to stay? There’s no pressure. I just want to make sure you’ll be safe.”
Before I could respond, Roan appeared on my other side, oblivious to the fact that Talin and I were trying to have a private conversation. “I was thinking about you last night, you know.”
Not oblivious, I realized. Just a troublemaker. Talin muttered something under his breath.
“About where you could stay,” Roan added, smiling innocently. His eyes went to Adriel, who was walking ahead of us. “You should stay with Adriel. She lives between Leesbrook and Fort Crag, so you wouldn’t be too far from your friends or your sister,” Roan continued. “And Adriel could probably use some help figuring out those bloodstones. Couldn’t you, Adriel?”
She turned and blinked slowly, her lips curved in a secretive smile. “I could.”
As much as I disliked the idea of staying with a stranger, it was clear Adriel knew more about the bloodstones than anyone else. She might even understand the link between Ceren and me. I was afraid we were wasting time here in Galeth, time my parents might not have, but until I knew more about Ceren’s plans, rushing off to New Castle alone was likely to do more harm than good.
“That does sound like a reasonable compromise,” I said, glancing up at Talin.
He smiled and nodded, but I could tell he was holding something back.
I reached for his hand. “It’s just for a few days.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.” Roan clapped his hands together in satisfaction. “We should get on the road. There’s a storm coming.”
“But what about my belongings?” I asked, unmoored by the sudden turn of events.
“I’ll have them sent.” Roan turned to Talin, Osius, and Grig. “Are you ready?”
I hadn’t been prepared to say goodbye to everyone right away. I stepped closer to Talin and lowered my voice so Roan wouldn’t overhear. “Are you sure this is all right? I don’t want to be away from you or Zadie, but Adriel might know something that can help us.”
“Of course it’s all right,” he said, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. “Just be careful.”
“I will.” I turned to find my sister, feeling a sudden pang of regret. We had only just gotten each other back. Maybe separating was a bad idea.
“It’s okay, Nor,” she whispered in my ear, because of course she could sense my hesitation. “It’s only for a day or two, and then we’ll go find our parents, and we’ll all be together again.”
I embraced her, wishing I shared her sense of certainty. Then Adriel was leading me back outside to where Titania waited in the courtyard.
“Don’t worry,” Adriel said as she mounted her own horse, a blood bay mare with a black tail so long and luxurious it dragged on the ground. “I don’t bite.”
I climbed onto Titania, glad I would at least have one friend with me on this new phase of my journey.
“Adriel,” I asked as I followed her down the road away from Leesbrook. “I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about what it is you do.”
“Didn’t Roan tell
you?” she called over her shoulder. “I’m a witch.”
14
I stared after Adriel. The only witch I’d ever heard of was the one in Samiel’s stories, an evil temptress who caused rogue waves that sank ships and drowned sailors, and she had been a myth. At least, I had always believed she was.
“What do you mean?” I called, trotting to catch up.
She glanced at me, a grin lifting one side of her mouth. “What, you don’t have witches in Varenia?”
Ceren had once mentioned that the Ilareans thought I was a witch after I saved him from drowning. “Do you mean people who can do things that defy the laws of nature? At least, nature as people understand it?”
Her grin widened. “That’s an interesting way of defining magic. I’ll have to remember that.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” I said, but she turned back to the road and didn’t speak again for the rest of the journey.
We arrived at Adriel’s home just as the storm broke. Tucked into the green hills beyond the pastures we’d passed on our way to Leesbrook, it was a lovely little stone cottage with a wavy thatched roof that gave it the appearance of a toadstool.
“You live out here all alone?” I asked as we led our horses to a barn behind the house. It had two stalls separated by a small tack room, which was just as well; our mares didn’t seem overly fond of each other.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Adriel asked. She showed me where to hang my cloak and led me across the small yard, which had been cultivated into a tidy little garden. “It’s perfectly safe.”
“Don’t you get lonely?” I ducked under the low door frame after her. Inside, the cottage was as cozy as it appeared from the outside, consisting of one room with a stove and a hearth on one end and a bed at the other. In the middle was a little wooden table covered in various herbs and several books.
“I don’t have time to get lonely,” Adriel said.
We certainly wouldn’t be lonely now; in fact, I didn’t see how there was room for me. The dwelling was smaller than my house in Varenia.
“It’s all right,” she said, sensing my concern. “You can sleep in my workshop. I’ll move my things in here. Roan said he’d have a bed brought from Leesburg later today, so you’ll be comfortable there.”
It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through, considering I only planned to stay for a few days at the most. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
She glanced up from the hearth, where she was arranging kindling for a fire. “Roan said you needed somewhere to stay. Was he lying? I wouldn’t put it past him. Especially not when a pretty face is involved.”
I ignored the teasing smile on her face. “I could have gone to Fort Crag with Talin or stayed with my sister in Leesbrook.”
“But you chose to come with me. Interesting.” She finished building the fire and rose. “Come on, I’ll show you the workshop. I have a feeling you’ll like it.” She led me through a door at the side of the house, across a small covered walkway, and into an even more diminutive structure.
There was a long wooden table covered in bottles and jars filled with various liquids, reminding me vaguely of Ceren’s workshop. But the similarities ended there. There were plenty of windows, which, when the storm cleared, would let in lots of sunlight. Lacy white curtains hung next to them, creating pretty shadows on the clean whitewashed walls, which were decorated with bouquets of dried flowers. Crystals and colorful stones had been collected in little handmade clay bowls, and a striped orange animal I’d never seen before—a cat, according to Adriel—lay curled in an armchair in the corner.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“It’s lovely, Adriel. But I can’t ask you to clean it out for me. I can sleep in the corner, on my bedroll. Or in the barn, if that’s easier. I won’t be staying long.”
“Nonsense. You’re welcome as long as you like.”
I almost insisted again that I would be leaving soon, but I knew it would be more to reassure myself than her. “Thank you. That’s very kind.” I went to look through one of the bowls of polished stones. “I understand that you’re a witch, but what exactly do you do?”
“I’m a hedge witch,” she said. “I work with plants. Healing, medicine, that sort of thing. Women come to me when they have cramps from their monthlies, or if their children have the croup. I create salves for chafed skin and teas for sore throats.”
“We have a healer in Varenia.” I wondered where Elder Nemea was and if Ceren had even spared the elders. I picked up a chunk of blue crystal that reminded me of Talin’s eyes and twisted it in my fingers. The storm was picking up; raindrops plinked against the windows, and the door rattled on its hinges.
“I’ve heard about your pearls. I’ve never had the opportunity to study them.”
Her words made me think of Ceren. “Maybe some things are better left a mystery. Like the bloodstones.” I looked up at her then, our eyes meeting across the room.
“What did I say about blood magic that upset you so much back in the council meeting?” Adriel missed nothing, I realized.
I shrugged. “I suppose it was the way you said that it’s messy.”
“And that troubles you?”
Of course it did. But I didn’t know this woman, and I wasn’t comfortable telling her about my abilities, not when she was clearly so curious about the blood coral and Varenian pearls.
When I looked up, Adriel had turned to remove a leather-bound book from a shelf. She blew on the cover, sending a cloud of dust into the air. “Perhaps you’ll find something in this book that I missed. If it were up to me, we’d forget about the bloodstone.”
“And the guard?”
She waved dismissively. “He can stay in the dungeon until he decides to talk.”
“You saw him,” I said, taking the book from her. “I don’t think it’s his decision to make.”
“Perhaps not. Either way, I don’t want to get involved.” She pulled a bouquet of dried flowers off the wall, took them to the long table and began to crush them with her fist. Not a decoration, then.
“Some of us don’t have a choice,” I mumbled, turning the book over in my hands. There were no words on the red leather cover, only an engraving of a tree with long, skeletal branches.
A knock sounded on the door, causing me to nearly drop the book.
“That will be Roan,” Adriel said, setting aside her herbs. “Come in,” she called.
“How are you getting on?” Roan asked as he entered the cottage. Behind him, Talin, Osius, and Grig stood in the rain, their cloaks soaked through. “We came to deliver your belongings on our way to Fort Crag, Nor. Your bed will come after the storm passes.”
“Go on inside and warm up,” Adriel said to Roan. “But take your cloaks and boots off first.”
I hadn’t realized I’d get another chance to see Talin, and I eagerly followed them into the cottage. There wasn’t enough room for all of us there either, but fortunately Osius and Grig decided to wait in the barn.
Roan looked back over his shoulder at the sky. “We should keep going. I’m hoping we can outride the worst of the weather.”
“I’d like a few minutes alone with Talin,” I said, taking him by the hand and leading him back to the little workshop before Roan could argue.
“How are you?” I pushed his dripping hair out of his eyes. “This all feels so strange and sudden.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“And third and fourth and—”
He leaned down and kissed me, his lips much colder than they’d been last night. I wanted to remove his rain-soaked clothing and warm him myself, but I knew we didn’t have much time.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he said.
“I know, but I won’t be any use at Fort Crag. I think I might be able to learn how Ceren is using the bloodstone
s here.” I glanced at the book, which I’d set on the long wooden table. It was thicker than any book I’d ever read. But if it could explain the bond I seemed to have with Ceren, and if there was any way I could use it to understand his plans, I had to try.
Talin tucked my hair behind my ears. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Back in New Castle, I had been scared and worried a hundred times, but I had been sure of my decisions. Saving Ceren at the lake had been the right thing to do, just like escaping by any means necessary had been.
But since my return to Varenia, I wasn’t sure about anything. Had leaving my parents in Varenia been the right thing to do? Had I been foolish to let Talin come to Galeth with us, when it seemed highly unlikely he’d get the troops he needed? Should I try to save my parents right away, rather than potentially waste more time?
I couldn’t answer any of those questions. Instead, I pulled Talin’s mouth back to mine, kissing him.
“Time to go, lovebirds.”
We broke apart at the sound of Roan’s voice. He was watching us from the doorway without a hint of shame. “Terribly sorry to interrupt, but we really do need to get going.”
I glared at him. “Has anyone ever told you you’re the worst?”
Roan shrugged and turned to leave, but not before I caught an amused glint in his eye.
When he was gone, Talin dropped one last kiss onto my lips, whispered goodbye, and followed Roan into the rain. I watched him go, a pit forming in my stomach at the realization that as uncertain as the future was, it was guaranteed to be full of more painful farewells.
And for the first time since leaving Varenia, I sat down on the floor and cried.
* * *
My tears subsided along with the rain, and I could no longer ignore the pangs of hunger in my empty stomach. I knocked sheepishly on Adriel’s door, opening it a crack when there was no answer.
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