Page 61 of Violet Legacy

“I don’t have a vault of gold,” Dante said, deadpan. “I’m also not a dragon, just in case you are imagining I have a hoard of priceless artifacts and treasure hidden in some cavern.”

Rieka laughed. The mood instantly lightened. “That’s not what the journalists are saying.”

No, he imagined not. Especially when he and Talik had all but insinuated the rumors about it over a century ago. “What do you want to do?”

Rieka waited a moment, lost in thought. “Find the tomb and work out exactly what the bracelet does.”

Dante’s fingers trailed along Rieka’s spine. “Do you have a plan?”

She stared at him blankly. Her shoulders sagged in semi-defeat. “No.”

“I do.”

Rieka’s head snapped up. Hope blazed through her eyes as they changed to a dark red. He was going to teach her how to mask her emotions. Not against him, but there would be others out there who would have no issue using it against her.

“I have been reading the journal,” Dante started. “Your mother was brilliant.”

“I know.”

“There is one aspect that is consistent throughout her sketches. The temple’s architecture is constantly changing, just like the landscape. Except for the constellations. They stay the same in every iteration.”

Rieka grabbed his arms as her nails bit into his skin. She suddenly let go and ran into the room. He followed as she reached the desk and watched quietly as she flipped through the pages, going back and forth. He knew exactly what she was looking at. The night sky in each of the images; they were identical.

“How did I miss it?”

“Familiarity with the images would have made you overlook it,” Dante answered. “I cross-referenced it with our records. The constellations date from eleven thousand years ago.”

Rieka’s shoulders slumped.

“It may take a few hours, but we should receive locations of where the constellation could originally be viewed from,” Dante said. “It will give us a starting point to find the tomb. Talik has collected some pieces of the statue if you want to review it. It may hold a clue to finding it.”

It had taken them hours to ensure they had found every single piece. But even after a thorough search, a small piece of the base was still missing. Dante didn’t believe in coincidences. Whoever destroyed the statue had killed the guard. And more than likely they knew who Rieka was.

“The mosaic—”

Rieka grabbed Dante’s arms and shook him. Her mouth opened, but no words came out, except for a squeak.

“Is the bracelet hurting you?”

“You are a genius!” she said and kissed him quickly on the lips.

Dante shook his head. “How—”

“The constellation.” Rieka all but jumped up. “It’s the exact same one painted on the ceiling of the mosaic. That’s why it looked so familiar! We need to go there now.”

“Wait.”

Rieka stopped, her eyes wide. He pulled her closer, savoring the feel of her against him as he entwined his fingers with hers. She belonged right next to him. “We have a meeting with Aadya that is nonnegotiable.”

Chapter 38

“Whatdoyouknowof the O’hurani or the Anki?” Dante asked as they walked toward Aadya’s quarters.

Rieka paused. Recognition flashed across her features. She fidgeted before she started moving again. “My mom used to tell me stories about them. Stories she used to scare me.”

Dante nodded. “And if I told you they were real?” He purposely kept it vague. The Arx had many spies, and while he assumed Kai was a mere annoyance and not the mastermind, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. He would not risk Rieka’s safety on another hunch.

Rieka swallowed. Without missing a beat, she slid her hand into his before squeezing it. “After the last two days, I would believe you.”

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