Page 99 of Requiem of Silence

“‘A gift from the heart to my beloved,’” she whispered, remembering the inscription of the journal. “Signed only ‘O.’ That’s for Oola, the Goddess Awoken.”

Yllis’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I filled many notebooks while seeking new discoveries. She gave me most of them.” His longing was palpable.

Was this why the Goddess had been so bothered by the sudden appearance of the journal? It reminded Her of a love long lost.

“Why didn’t you show yourself to Her?”

Yllis straightened and sobered, shedding the melancholy like a cloak. “There will be time for that. For now, danger is at our doorstep. Eero has already attacked Elsira twice.”

“Twice?” Varten was appalled. “Already? What happened in the last attack?”

“Nothing you can change, boy,” Yllis said coldly. Zeli wanted to smack him.

Gilmer lay a hand on Varten’s arm. “Your family are all fine. But Eero is already planning his next strike.”

Varten was vibrating with tension, and Zeli saw the moment itseemed to slip away from him. She glared at Gilmer, who put up his hands. “I just calmed him down a little. I did not hurt him.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Yllis spat.

Zeli whirled on him. “You are here because I invited you inside. I’m the one who gained access to the Archives, not you. So if you can’t be civil, I will invite you to leave.”

The man’s brows climbed up his forehead. Zeli felt a little light-headed at the uncharacteristic display of force. Gilmer, however, grinned.

“I knew I liked her. Tell me, child, what do you know of blood magic?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’ve heard of it, but that’s about all. It was forbidden in Lagrimar.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure that Eero forbade things that could have harmed him. Blood magic is the most ancient of powers native to this world. The Founders of Elsira and Lagrimar, much like the matriarchs of my siblings and me—those who birthed us—were from elsewhere. But that world crumbled and died, destroyed from within and all were forced to flee.

“Your Founders and our matriarchs were of the original line. Their children, me, my siblings, your Goddess, we all have a similar lineage. We are not as powerful as our parents, but strong enough to be considered deities here.”

“You are Seconds,” Yllis said.

“Yes, if the original line from that destroyed world are the Firsts, then we are the Seconds,” Gilmer said. “Though we did not count ancestors the way that you all did in the north.”

He clasped his hands together and sighed. “My siblings and I arrived in this land to find the people at war. We tried to bring peace.” He shook his head. “At any rate. The blood magic practiced in the mountains separating Elsira and Lagrimar and foundelsewhere on this continent was potent stuff. Very powerful and easily abused. The clever discovered it could be combined with Earthsong to create new things.”

Gilmer turned to Zeli. “Did you bring it with you?”

“Bring what?” Varten asked, but Zeli knew. She felt the truth of what he was really asking, but was ashamed to say. She shouldn’t have brought it, hadn’t told Varten that she was doing so. It was dangerous, but when she’d left the palace, leaving it within the reach of the Goddess had felt just as wrong.

She twisted the sack in which she carried her meager belongings and reached inside to pull out an object as long as her forearm and covered in brown fabric. She unwrapped it carefully to reveal the king stone. “When Queen Jasminda and the Goddess defeated the True Father, they trapped all of the Songs he stole within this caldera.” Inside the red encasement was a dagger, blood still dark on its blade. The caldera was warm in her hand, as if it generated its own heat.

“You stole it?” Varten’s voice was awed with a hint of reproach.

“I didn’t want to leave it with Her. I don’t trust Her.” The fire of betrayal still burned hot within Zeli when she thought of the Goddess. Yllis remained silent, gazing icily at the caldera.

Gilmer was quiet for a moment, his mind far away before he focused back on her. “These calderas are powerful objects, used for centuries to change the course of Earthsong. Their creation requires a sacrifice, and another sacrifice is needed to use them. Sometimes small, sometimes large.”

“Blood, right?” Zeli asked.

Yllis spoke up. “Major calderas, such as the one you hold, require a death in order to become active. Long ago I created one. Its purpose was to hold my Song after my death and give it to Oola so that She might finally end the war with her brother.” Hisdark eyes never left the king stone, and Zeli wanted to hide it from him. As if he felt her discomfort, he looked away, toward the red obelisk in the center of the space. “In order to release the stolen Songs within that stone, Eero must die. His life must be sacrificed.”

Gilmer reached forward, a question in his gaze. Zeli nodded and allowed him to take the king stone from her gently. “My old friend is right in one regard, death is one form of sacrifice. But it is not the only way.”

Yllis frowned. “It is the only way the Cantors discovered, and we spent centuries researching blood magic and calderas.”

“And you don’t listen.” Gilmer’s voice was even. “You did not then and you are not now. The problem with scholars is that you so often seek knowledge for its own sake. You understand what you choose to, filtering your discoveries through your own perceptions. There are many forms of sacrifice in this world. Think of the meaning of the word.” He focused on Zeli. “What does it mean to you?”

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