Page 6 of Echoes of the Raven
I need to do this differently. I need to appeal to her kindness because sheiskind. I saw the way she treats others, particularly those who might be deemed beneath her as a princess. She offers them respect, holds them in high regard, a stark contrast to many so-called nobles I have met.
In truth, I am desperate. I must end this. My kin grow ever restless, and the lies I continue to fabricate in order to hide the nature ofthe amulet—as I simply refer to The Eldrystone—could be revealed to them at any moment.
It is a precarious balancing game I play.
After I changed the plans during our attack on Nido, Calierin and Kadewyn demanded an explanation. They wanted to know why acquiring a trinket had become more important than killing the new human queen, and why kidnapping the snotty princess was crucial after we failed to securethe amulet.
I had to come up with an explanation, and after much pondering, I decided that the best course of action was to tell them a partial truth. So I informed them that I had discovered something momentous, that the Castellan monarchy had in its possession a fae-made amulet that could reopen the veil to allow us passage back to our home. As was to be expected, my words had their intended effect. All any of us want is to go back to Tirnanog. It is our priority—more important than making humans understand we are not a plague to be kept under control.
Now, it is time to also let Valeria know the same thing.
With a deep breath, I consciously rein in my anger, determined not to allow her to provoke me once more.
“I know you understand the nature of The Eldrystone,” I begin. “I followed you to the Biblioteca de la Reina.”
This finally gets a reaction from her. Her eyebrows draw together in confusion.
“That’s right, Valeria. If you think you bested me that night, I’m more than glad to inform you that I allowed you to leave, and I took tremendous pleasure in knowing you were wading through shit to a false escape in the sewers. I thought you might retrieve the amulet that day. Instead, I discovered you didn’t even know what it was.”
Her mouth presses into a tight line, and her chin quivers, a clear sign of her frustration at learning of her failure and naivety.
“It was enlightening,” I say. “I was baffled because you were not using the most powerful tool you had at your disposal to escape your fate and avenge your father. Instead, I carted you off to Alsur to meet your repugnant betrothed.”
Her nostrils flare at the mention of Don Justo. “You have nerve. Repugnant? At least he is honest about what he wants. He doesn’t slither and lie like you do.”
“Fair enough,” I say. “But my methods are only on par with those of my enemies. Look at you, for instance, holding on to something that doesn’t belong to you, succumbing to the greed in order to become all powerful.”
Slowly, she shakes her head. “Don’t lie to yourself, Rífíor. It’s not I who suffers from the greed you speak of. It is you. The Eldrystone may not belong to me, but it doesn’t belong to you either. And yet, you have lied, cheated, and killed in order to get your hands on it, while I sit here, innocent of any crime except defending my home and my family.”
“I don’t pretend to be one of your saints, but the end justifies the means.”
“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better about your deceiving, murderous soul.”
I go back and crouch in front of her. I want her to look into my eyes as I reveal the truth, and she finally sees reason.
“You know well, after educating yourself, that The Eldrystone belongs to the Theric family. Not to you. Not to your mother. She stole it, Valeria. Loreleia Elhice was a nobody from a nowhere village. She had no business handling a power that wasn’t granted to her.”
“She wasn’t a nobody,” she hisses through clenched teeth. “She was the Queen of Castella. You’re a nobody, a filthy rebel, invader of my home.”
“It is not my fault that I’m here, little princess. I want nothing more than to return to Tirnanog, and so does every other fae trapped in this godsforsaken realm. The only reason we are here, the only person who can be blamed for all this, is your so-called Queen of Castella. It is her fault the veil collapsed.”
3
VALERIA
“I bear the literal scars of my encounter with Loreleia Elhice. Her daughter thinks her one of their saints, but she is wrong.”
Rífíor, Veilfallen - 21 AV
Ishake my head as he crouches in front of me, refusing the notion that my sweet mother had anything to do with the collapse of the veil between Castella and Tirnanog.
She wouldn’t have done such a thing. She was the kind of person who would have never brought pain to anyone, much less countless of her kin.
“You’re lying,” I say, hating him even more than I already do. It doesn’t matter what he says. He won’t taint the memories of my mother.
“I am not lying. All you have to do is think about it for a moment, and you will see that I speak the truth.”
I glance away, breaking eye contact. “I don’t have to listen to you.”
