Page 77 of Echoes of the Raven
Valeria shoots me a warning glare.
Calierin cackles. “Do you expect us to believe that?”
I did not expect anything but her pigheadedness. It is Kadewyn’s expression I concentrate on. There is a slight tightening of his white eyebrows, and I almost sense my words drilling a hole through his anger and letting a bit of reason in. He has a wife and a daughter in Tirnanog, two big reasons to hope.
“It is true, Kadewyn,” I add.
“And the little princess is helping you now? Just like that?” Calierin asks in a mocking tone. “Is that why you are so cozy with her all of a sudden, huh? You must think we are really stupid. You are lying about that amulet. There is something else going on here.”
I ignore her and continue focusing on Kadewyn.
“Valeria Plumanegra can wield the amulet, Kade,” I say. “And shewillusher us home.”
“Is this true?” Kadewyn addresses Valeria.
But she never has time to answer because Calierin lifts her pulsing hands. “I’m done listening to lies.”
“Wait!” Kadewyn shouts as a blast of magic explodes in my direction.
I raise my sword, but the attack never arrives. Instead, Valeria jumps in front of me to defend me, using her own fae-made sword. Surprise floods through me. Why would she…?
She provides the answer. “You and I have a score to settle, bitch.”
Of course, Valeria isn’t trying to defend me. Her motive is revenge. I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “What do you think you’re doing? She is going to wipe the forest floor with you.”
She grunts in disagreement and takes a step forward to put some distance between us.
“Valeria, let Rífíor take care of this,” Jago suggests, stepping from behind the tree, his own sword in hand, though he does not look as certain as Valeria. In fact, he looks like he wants to hide again. I would call him a coward if we were not dealing with Calierin. Instead, I believe he is smart, much smarter than his cousin.
“Shut your mouth, the both of you,” Valeria snarls. “This is between me and this bitch.”
“Listen to your cousin,” I insist.
“No!” Calierin barks. “I am going to kill your little precious princess, Rífíor, which is what I should have done from the beginning.”
Calierin cuts a hand through the air, and a shaft of light in the shape of a knife flies forward, boomeranging toward Valeria’s head. Both Jago and I move forward to intervene, but Valeria is much faster, and with an upward swing of her sword, she cuts the attack in half.
I frown and so does Calierin. Valeria’s movements were fast, her steps firm, her parry confident. I know she’s well-trained. I learned that muchwhen I was pretending to be Bastien, and we sparred on Nido’s rooftop. But it seems I underestimated how well her tutor taught her. Yet, I find no comfort in the fact. I need to take care of Calierin myself before my only chance to get back to Tirnanog dies before my eyes.
I move to attack but once more Valeria is there before me. I frown, confused. What is happening here? There is no way her human speed can match mine.
The answer comes to me an instant later. She has The Eldrystone now. Seeing her use it once more, renews my hope that shewillbe able to use Niamhara’s conduit to guide me home.
Calierin channels all her anger and energy into undoing Valeria. The palpable hatred emanating from her consumes her focus, blinding her to the fact that Valeria is, in this moment, a vastly different opponent than she should be. Kadewyn, however, the more perceptive of the two, notices it. He can tell that Valeria’s movements are not completely human.
“What the?” Jago mumbles, his expression etched in confusion as he exchanges a glance with me.
“It’s The Eldrystone,” I whisper.
Understanding dawns on him, and relief replaces some of the worry in his expression.
As the fight continues, Valeria’s footwork is an expert dance.
A Tuathacath warrior, Calierin is nothing but excellent, which means Valeria is just… superb. It strikes me that her prowess is not all due to the magic in the stone, though. Her skills are inherently impressive, with the amulet merely enhancing her speed. Nothing more, nothing less.
Calierin deals magic like a volcano spewing lava. Flashes of violet fly through the air, creating mesmerizing patterns that blind the eye. She hurls spells overhand, underhand, twisting her wrist to add a spin to them. But it doesn’t matter how creative she gets with her combinations; Valeria and her blade are always there to stop the magic.
There is grace and precision in the princess’ movements, and I cannot help but be in awe of what she can do.
