Page 9 of Echoes of the Raven
And now, despite all my efforts to persuade Valeria, I’m left with only one recourse to make her understand: telling her the entire truth. But what if revealing even this much fails to sway her? The prospect makes me feel wretched because it would mean that my mistake has irreversibly erased all the good in her.
You are an idiot,the harsh voice of my subconscious hisses in my ear.If she was ever good, that part of her doesn’t exist anymore. She tasted the power of The Eldrystone, and there’s no going back from that. She is forever changed by greed. She would rather die than part with the conduit.
I crack my neck and take a deep breath. Yes, I know this to be true. The Eldrystone corrupts, the way it corrupted Saethara, the way it corrupted me.
Is blaming the amulet how you hope to exonerate yourself from your own wrongdoing?Another part of me asks.
Shame and anger mix like poison in my chest. I loathe what I did. I taught Valeria to distrust, but just like her, I also had a teacher who imparted the same teachings. Fate had it that I should be her mentor in that timeless lesson.
Regardless, she will never renounce the power of the conduit. And if she can’t have it all to herself, she will make sure no one else does.
That is why I must explore every conceivable avenue to reclaim it. I cannot afford to overlook any possibility, and if partial truths failed to coax her into divulging The Eldrystone’s location, then I shall disclose my deepest secret and tell her exactly how I fit into this puzzle.
If that doesn’t work, I suppose Calierin will have her way.
5
VALERIA
“Why did I agree to this?”
Gaspar Patrach - Romani Diviner - 21 AV
Rífíor walked out of the alcove, his back stiff, his every move deliberate. Anyone else watching him would have thought he was calm, unaffected, but I knew better. I knew by the straight line of his shoulders and the slight twitch of his fingers that he was fuming.
Maybe I should be afraid. Calierin will probably be back soon to administer a different kind of torture. But despite the possibility, all I feel is satisfaction. I can see he’s not impervious to my jabs and insults, though he hides the bulk of his emotions all too well.
I don’t know the measure of his wounds and what caused them, but I know they’re there. With the full power of my blackened heart, I want to inflict deeper wounds, and then pour salt in them. I wager my refusal is a valiant effort—not that I believe it’s enough to even the score. He hurt me to the center of my soul, as deeply as he could.
Father, why did I doubt you?
If I had listened to him, I could have avoided so much pain. Even after Esmeralda’s betrayal, I remained a fool. Jago tracked her down and delivered her to me, and in my stupid heart all I could do was forgive herand let her go. I should have known then that no one can be trusted. No one.
But I needed one more lesson to finally learn, and Bastien was the perfect maestro for the task.
I clench my jaw and fists. I want to rage and punch the walls, but before he left, Rífíor tied me to the filthy cot to which I’m confined at all hours unless Calierin pays me a visit.
There’s an ache deep in my bones that makes me want to surrender. I’ve spent many hours fighting my bindings to no avail and eating the scraps they bring me on a bent metal plate. I’m weak and drowsy, and it doesn’t take long for a restless sleep to sink its claws into my mind, taking me away into a deeper darkness than the one surrounding me.
Moments later, I’m jolted awake by a sudden scrape near my bed along with the pressure of a heavy hand over my mouth.
“Shh.”
Shaking my head from side to side, I struggle, but the pressure only grows more intense as well as the shushing.
“Settled down, niña,” a familiar voice whispers.
I blink, willing my gaze to focus on a weathered face, dark beard, and pointed ears. Bright green eyes peer at me, and I finally recognize him.
“That’s it. You know who I am, don’t you?” he asks.
I nod, uncertain.
“I’m here to help you, so keep those lips tight.” Slowly, he removes his hand.
“Gaspar?”
El Gran Místico, the Romani fortune teller who helped me escape Alsur, Don Justo, and Bastien.
