Page 18 of Echoes of the Raven
VALERIA
“W-what do you mean they’re all dead by now?” I ask.
Amira’s smile deepens. “I told you the guards have their orders. Castellina’s Guardia, under the command of the Guardia Real, stormed the catacombs shortly after you were rescued. We couldn’t let them get away after what they did. They died in those tunnels like the vermin they are.”
My lower lip trembles.
“They were overwhelmed by our numbers,” she continues. “And in the end, we flushed the last few with smoke and cut them down as they ran out for fresh air. They’re all dead.”
As she finishes the last sentence, there’s a gleam in her eyes, a flash of the Amira who was possessed by Orys. She sounds cold and…not entirely herself.
I don’t know how many veilfallen were inside those catacombs, but I can’t believe Amira ordered the slaughter of that many people.
Overwhelmed, I turn my back on her and try to examine the strong emotions whirling inside me. At first inspection, I’m not sure what thepressure in my chest is, but I slowly realize it’s horror. My sister would never do something like that.
Still, I shouldn’t feel this way. I should be glad they’re all dead. They’ve caused unrest for years, and many innocent people have died because of them. They deserved this fate, didn’t they? They asked for it.
“I know it’s a lot to handle.” From behind, Amira wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my shoulder. “But Castella will be far safer without them. We should have done this a long time ago. If we had, Father would still be alive.”
That isn’t necessarily true. Orys was the one who killed Father, and he had no connection to the veilfallen. He shared their philosophy, blamed humans for the veil’s collapse, but he was acting alone.
A second wave of emotions crashes into me. The veilfallen are dead.
Rífíor is dead.
I sway on my feet as satisfaction, confusion, delight, doubt, and more flood me and blend into a toxic concoction. I don’t understand what I’m feeling. I shake my head forcefully and disentangle myself from Amira.
He’s dead. The bastard is dead. He deceived me, tortured me. He got his due. Rífíor of the Veilfallen isn’t a problem anymore. His essence has passed into one of the many hells the fae believe in, where he’ll pay for his sins.
But if my thoughts on this are unequivocal, why are my emotions tainted by the memories of one night?
I hate myself. I hate myself.
Amira takes my hand and pulls me toward the bed. “I can see this news has upset you. Come. Lie down and sleep. You’ll feel much better in the morning. You have been through so much, and it will be a while before you can see everything clearly.”
I nod. She’s right. I need time. I need distance to set my life to rights. I have to process all the changes and build a new Valeria for a worldwhere Father doesn’t exist, and Amira is the type of queen who ruthlessly executes her enemies.
Taking a deep breath, I allow her to lead me to bed. I rest my head down, and she covers me. She rests next to me and wraps me in her arms. She starts humming and unleashes an avalanche of memories inside my mind with the melody. It’s a sweet fae tune Mother used to sing for us. It’s in Tirgaelach, the old and disused fae language. Neither one of us remembers the words. Many times, after Mother died, Amira and I tried to recall them, even asked Maestro Elizondo if he knew the song, but we never succeeded in recalling it.
Amira smooths my hair. “Sleep. You’re safe. No one will hurt you, my little sister.”
“I love you,” I say groggily.
“I love you, too.”
Her tenderness slowly easies the turmoil that rages inside me. My eyelids grow heavier as I start to believe her words of comfort, and the exhaustion of the horrible days I spent in those catacombs descends on me and traps me in its claws.
The niggling sensation I felt in the tub returns, scratching the back of my awareness, but everything slips away. Like leaves caught in a strong wind, my thoughts move further and further away. I want oblivion, crave it. This world feels foreign, and I want nothing to do with it.
Surrendering to sleep is easy after I decide to detach myself from this awful reality.
9
RÍFÍOR
“It’s not a fair fight, but these veilfallen took the princess and must pay and serve as an example to others.”
Eva Toromayor - Royal Guard Lieutenant - 21 BV
