Page 99 of House of the Raven
I force myself to focus on Maestro Elizondo. “That… I mean… that the Theric family still rules Tirnanog. Because they do, don’t they? I remember Mother mentioning King Korben Theric.”
“Yes,” he nodded, a sagely expression on his face. “It seems quite impossible given our human standards. I’m certain it has only been accomplished by the power of the amulet itself. As you well know, this magic also extends to your family, the Plumanegras. King Aldryn, Korben’s great-grandfather, discovered the veil and opened it wide for fae and humans to use as they saw fit. It was his brother, Padraig, who married one of your ancestors, passing along his shifting magic to his offspring. That is how the House of the Raven was born. How, through espiritu, the Plumanegras have also endured through many centuries. It is all veryinteresting, don’t you think?” He wears a satisfied smile as he always does whenever he expounds on topics he enjoys.
“And so… what happened to The Eldrystone?”
At the moment, I’m not interested in my lineage, and he’s missing the point. The Eldrystone. I’m shocked the thing has a name. No one gives names to inanimate objects unless they’re trouble. Take Father’s sword: La Matadora. In the old Castellan, it means The Killer, and it certainly has lived up to its moniker. This doesn’t bode well.
Maestro Elizondo says, “The amulet was passed down from Theric monarch to Theric monarch, of course.”
“So it’s real. It’s not just a legend?”
“There’s no way for us to be sure,” he said. “But let’s explore that thought.” He stands and starts pacing the room, his eyes lost in some imaginary creation of his brain. He really likesexploringideas.
Normally, this would be my cue to stare at the imaginary creations of my own brain, but this time I’m riveted.
“The fae have the ability to wield magic,” he started. “That is something completely different from us humans. Innately, we have no such powers, and our saints have granted us little more than our own free will.” He scoffs at this. Even though he once meant to be a monk, he seems to hold a general contempt for Castella’s religion.
He goes on. “This magic has to come from somewhere. Somebody had to give it to them, and the fae say it was Niamhara. Much like humans are modeled after their saints, fae kind is supposed to be created in her image. Therefore, they inherited her ability to draw power from the earth and all its elements.
“Once we take this axiom, then what is explained in your parchment is only a logical succession of events. Naturally, some fae would have used their magic for good, while others used it for evil. A benevolent creator, like any parent, would seek to help their children get along and thrive. Itseems The Eldrystone did just that.” He stops pacing and looks up at me in surprise, as if he’d forgotten I’m here.
Frowning, he scrutinizes my face. “But why the sudden interest in the Eldrystone, Princess Valeria?”
I consider my answer carefully. Of course, I cannot say I suspect Mother’s necklace is The Eldrystone. That would lead me to reveal she was fae and not human, and that isn’t something that would benefit anyone.
Also, the fact that Father forbade our teachers to mention the amulet… There had to be a good reason.
Although, the harder I think about it, none of it makes sense. If Mother’s necklace is Niamhara’s conduit, why did she have it and not King Korben? Why did she keep it with her and not locked up somewhere? Why did Father never ask for it when it could have solved so many problems? And why, oh why, did he let me keep it as a toy? This is the question that haunts me the most. So no. I can’t be honest with Maestro Elizondo.
Moreover, I can’t tell him that my sister seems to be possessed and in search of the powerful amulet. There’s only one thing that seems safe to mention, so I take a deep breath and let it out.
“It appears that the veilfallen are searching for the Eldrystone here in Castellina.”
“What a ludicrous idea!” he exclaims. “What would make you think that?”
“Um, rumors.” I wave a hand vaguely in the air.
“Who would start such rumors? They make no sense.”
“How should I know? We can explore the idea on how rumors get started, I suppose.”
He waves a finger at me. “Don’t get smart with me, young lady.”
I roll my eyes but turn sideways so he can’t see it. He still scares me when he uses that tone. I’m supposed to outrank him, but the manwill always be an authoritative figure in my life, just like Nana. They practically raised me.
“The veilfallen want what any disadvantaged group of people has ever wanted,” he says. “Whoever is making up these fanciful ideas is only trying to distract us from the real issue. Wouldn’t you say?” He taps his temple, and I can almost hear him askinghaven’t I taught you to think? which is the typical question that accompanies the gesture.
I force a laugh. “You’re right. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
He inclines his head, raising an eyebrow, another gesture of his with a meaning I know well.Of course, I’m right.
I take the parchment from the table and roll it up tightly. “Thank you for helping me satisfy my curiosity. I must go now.”
He watches me as I walk to the door, and since he must always have the last word, he says, “I will be waiting for you tomorrow for your Tirgaelach lesson. We can work on improving your calligraphy so it doesn’t look like a toddler’s.”
I sigh heavily and shake my head. Continuing my studies is the last thing I want to do right now, but a niggling notion has taken root in my mind. I have wasted a lot of my time being a brat and thinking I know better. But if I truly did, I would know how to read this parchment. All those times I didn’t listen to Maestro Elizondo, I wasn’t only wasting his time, I was wasting mine, too.
After talking to him, I find one of the housekeepers and instruct her to find my furniture and restore my bedchamber to its original state. She seems flabbergasted, unaware of what happened, but I have no desire to explain, so I tell her I trust she will get it done.
