Page 104 of House of the Raven
The Eldrystone is real.
Up to this moment, I hadn’t truly believed that my mother’s necklace was the same one Maestro Elizondo had read about in the parchment. And if it was, then it meant that the story about Niamhara creating the amulet was nothing but lore, concocted to instill the belief that the Theric family was divinely favored among the fae.
Yet, the question remains: how was Mother—a self-described humble fae—in possession of the most powerful object in existence?
A knock at the door brings me back to reality. I scrub at my face to erase any evidence of tears and call, “Who is it?”
“Maestro Elizondo and Nana.” Nana’s old voice comes from behind the closed door.
Still shaky with emotion, I stand, frowning. What aretheydoing here? Nana hasn’t been in my bedchamber in a long time. The stairs are too hard for her joints to maneuver. And Maestro Elizondo? I don’t think he’s ever been up here.
Still confused, I open the door and let them in.
Nana’s arm is looped through Maestro Elizondo. They hobble in together, and it’s like the blind leading the blind, though I suppose he’s in slightly better shape than Nana. Even if he’s a year older, he doesn’t suffer from her malady.
“What a surprise! Please, come in. Sit.” Curiosity overtakes me. Whatever brought them here has to be related to my conversation with Maestro Elizondo. I see no other explanation.
He helps Nana sit in one of the armchairs, then takes the opposite one. I remain standing, the restlessness that fills me increasing its tempo.
“What brings you here?” I ask.
They exchange a loaded glance.
“It’s about what we talked about yesterday,” Maestro Elizondo whispers behind his hand.
There’s no real need for secrecy here, but I also feel the need to talk in low tones. “And Nana knows something about it?” Why else would she be here?
He nods. “We were having breakfast together this morning as we sometimes do,” he glances fondly towards her, “and we got to talking about… well, you know. The thing is, Serena seems to think that you may be right about that,” he clears his throat, “important itemactually being here is Castella.”
I take a knee in front of Nana. “What makes you think that, Nana?”
“You probably think your mother’s origin is the best-kept secret in Castella, and perhaps it is, given how few know it. Yet, more people than you suspect are aware of it. Marco and I have known the truth for many years.”
“You have?”
She nods. “Since we were always close to you, children, King Simón thought it wise to confide in us.”
It makes sense, but for some reason, it saddens me. All my life, I’ve never been able to talk freely about my mother with Nana or Maestro Elizondo. It hurts to realize that two of the closest people I have in all of Nido could have been my confidants all along.
I glanced over at Maestro. “So yesterday, you knew that there was a possibility The Eldrystone was actually here.”
“No, child,” he shakes his head. “There are many fae in our realm, and I would have never guessed that any of them could be in the possession of such a powerful object. Not even your mother.”
So it must’ve been something Nana told him that changed his mind. I turn my gaze to her.
“I spent many nights with you, Amira, and your mother when you were growing up.” She smooths her already smooth skirts, her eyes distant as if lost in a memory. “She had a necklace, very beautiful. She always tried to keep it hidden, but I saw it on several occasions, hard not towhen you were babies and she was nursing you. I noticed how protective she was of it, especially in the beginning. A few times, I observed her looking at it, and there was this… heaviness in her manner. She was a gentle female, always happy and ready to offer a smile, and it was strange to observe such somberness in her expression. I always suspected there was a story associated with that necklace, something to do with her fae home. I had quite forgotten about it until Marco mentioned it.”
“You see,” Maestro Elizondo says, “I have actually read the book from which you copied that passage you brought me. I have seen the illustration that goes along with it, so when I described it to Serena, she immediately thought of Queen Loreleia’s necklace.”
After the realization I had moments ago, I hardly need more proof that Mother’s necklace is actually The Eldrystone, but hearing them talk so solemnly doesn’t fail to cement the knowledge further.
“Child,” Maestro Elizondo pushes to the edge of his chair, “do you have it with you?”
I tense, and the most ludicrous idea occurs to me: what if Amira sent them?
Doing my best not to give anything away, I stretch to my full height, shake my head, and lower my eyes to the floor. Nana knows how to read me better than anyone, and I’m afraid she might see the lie in my features.
“No, I don’t have it,” I say. “I used to play with it, and I lost it.”
