Page 28 of Echoes of the Raven
Amira’s eyes widen. “No, drop it. It burns!”
However, it feels cool to the touch, and as my fingers wrap around it, relief floods my chest. For a moment, I worried about what Amira might do with it, but it appears the amulet rejects her.
“Guardias!” she shouts.
In an instant, the door bursts open, and what looks like the entire Guardia Real pours in.
“Throw him in the dungeons,” she orders. “I want him guarded every second of the day. Bread and water rations only.”
My heart speeds up and sizzling energy ignites my veins, expecting a brawl. Except Rífíor offers no resistance and lets two guards hoist him to his feet. He is limp, absent, as if his spirit has abandoned his body. His feet drag as they push him along, removing him from the bedchamber.
After a moment, only Capitán Quiñones remains. His gaze roves around the space inspecting every corner. At last, he inspects us, too.
“My Queen, Princess Valeria… are you all right?” he asks.
“We’re fine,” Amira responds in a tone void of any emotion.
The captain’s brow furrows, and it’s clear he doesn’t believe her. “Should I call… your physician? Or… someone else?”
Amira should have her hand examined and bandaged, but I suspect that isn’t the reason the captain thinks the royal physician should be summoned. I’m sure he’s more worried about our female sensibilities. I can almost hear him suggesting we drink a nerve-calming tonic.
“No, Capitán Quiñones,” Amira says. “I will ring for the chambermaid if we require anything at all.”
He inclines his head and clicks his heels. “As you wish, Your Highness. New guards will be posted at your door as well as outside the secret passage through which the intruder infiltrated the palace.”
“Thank you. We’ll talk later about permanently sealing that passage as well as the guardias’ performance.”
Capitan Quiñones gives a wince at the latter, but he composes his expression before straightening and retiring from the bedchamber with a few backward steps.
To be fair, the guards weren’t dealing with just any intruder. Rífíor is acquainted with Nido. He had weeks to memorize its layout and familiarize himself with every aspect, including guard shifts and placements. Any complaint Amira has about the palace’s security may be somewhat misplaced.
Suddenly, my legs go rubbery. I stumble to a nearby armchair and collapse in it. Amira lets out a barely audible whimper of pain and scrunches her face.
“Perhaps youshouldcall the physician,” I say, gesturing toward her hand.
“I will, just not right this moment.” She shakes her head and sits across from me. “I need to sort out what just happened.” She’s quiet for a moment then asks, “How did that male learn about the passage?”
There’s a slight edge of accusation in her voice, as if she suspects I divulged the secret. But it wasn’t me. She pointedly holds my gaze, demanding an answer.
“Youtold him,” I say at last.
One of her eyebrows goes up. “I did not.”
“Well, yes, I mean… Orys told him. Before you sent me to Alsur, I tried escaping Nido that way, but you sentBastienafter me.”
“I see.”
I look down at The Eldrystone, relieved by its… uselessness, but also confused. It didn’t respond to me or to Rífíor, apparently. And then it outright rejected Amira. It’s as if—
“That thing has a mind of its own,” Amira says, reading my thoughts. “Put it away. I don’t like it. It’s dangerous.”
I turn my hand over, concealing the amulet, feeling oddly protective of it.
“Letting you have it was irresponsible of Father,” she goes on. “Now it falls to me to take care of it.”
“Take care of it?” I repeat.
“Yes, destroy it.”
