Page 81 of Echoes of the Raven
Niamhara, I hope you know what you’re doing.
32
VALERIA
“My only hope for survival is leaving the realm.”
Loreleia Elhice - Mate Rite Candidate - 1999 DV
Hours later, we find ourselves on the road. To my relief, Rífíor was of the same mind as me and thought it would be better for Calierin and Kadewyn to follow us at a distance, unnoticed. They’re to be our scouts and keep an eye on the road ahead as well as behind us.
Despite the sorceress’s presence, knowing that we’re guarded eases my mind a bit. We will have proper warning if guards come searching for us again. This allows us to leave the stuffy wagon to walk alongside the horses when we slow or take a rest. Another advantage is not having to be cooped up with Rífíor in that cramped space. He prefers walking most of the time, even when the pace intensifies. He seems tireless, able to keep up thanks to his fae speed.
As Jago and I exit the wagon for one of our walking stints, he braces his hands around his waist and arches his back, stretching and causing his joints to pop.
“I swear I would be willing to walk all the way there,” he says. “I hate that wagon. It reeks of unwashed Rífíor.”
I chuckle. He isn’t wrong. It really stinks in there.
Wewalk for a few minutes in silence. Cuervo flies overhead. I watch him catch the currents, easily gliding through the air, not a flap of his wings needed. A pang of longing hits my chest as I imagine flying alongside him, a warm breeze caressing my face. So many times I’ve wished to know if I inherited Father’s abilities, if I would be able to shift were the veil still connecting us to Tirnanog, and espiritu still flowing between the realms.
Jago’s question pulls me back to reality. “What do you think he’s hiding?”
“Rífíor, you mean?” I ask.
He nods.
I shake my head. “I don’t know for sure, but I think he had something to do with the veil’s collapse. He says my mother did it, but—”
“Your mother? That’s crazy.”
I have avoided the conversation with Jago for fear of where it might lead. “That’s what I thought at first, but now, I believe him.”
He frowns. “You’re joking, right?”
“Like Nana said, my motherdidhave The Eldrystone in her possession, Jago. Whether she took it from Rífíor or the Fae King, she had something that didn’t belong to her—not by a long shot. I’m sure she had a good reason. Idobelieve that. The question is… what role does Rífíor play in all of that? He was aware that Niamhara’s conduit was in Castella, and that my mother had it. That means they knew each other. Something happened between them.”
Jago makes a face. “You mean like…”
“No! Not like that.”
Gods! I hope not.
This turn in the conversation is what I was afraid of.
“Um, hey, you looked impressive back there,” he says, quickly changing the subject. “Almost like your mother’s daughter. The amulet did good by you this time.”
“It did. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I had to confront her, Jago. I had to prove to myself and to her that I’m not afraid of her.”
“I’m glad it didn’t hang you out to dry then. I wouldn’t like a fried egg for a cousin.”
“Ha ha.”
He winks, lifting my spirits.
After another quiet moment, I say. “The sight of her still makes me sick to my stomach, though. All that she did to me, all she made me see, it’s so hard to keep it all locked inside.”
He comes close and wraps an arm around me. “I’m sorry, Val. You can talk to me about it.”
