Page 10 of House of the Raven
Would Amira succeed where he has failed?
I shy away from the question as soon as it enters my mind. The only way I would find out the answer is if something happensto Father, and I would never wish for such a thing. I love him. He is a good father, and I think once we are past our differences, once he understands he has to let me carve my own path—even if it is not the path he has envisioned for me—we will get along just fine.
“I have to go,” Amira says.
Shit!I tiptoe away from the door and hide behind a wide column, peeking out carefully.
“Please remember to keep this between you and me,” Father calls out as the door opens and Amira glances back, a hand on the knob.
She huffs. “You made me promise, so you don’t have to remind me.”
She closes the door and heads down the hall at a clipped pace. Once her steps are but an echo, I come out of my hiding place and stand there, staring at the floor. Lost in my thoughts, I try to imagine what the secret could be.
“So they are right then,”Amira said. Based on the rest of the conversation “they” refers to the fae.
The fae are right.
Right about what? That we are taking advantage of them? That we don’t care about their well-being? That we hate them and want to expel them from Castella? That it is our fault the veil disappeared? The veilfallen accuse humans of all these things and more, so any guess is as good as another.
Still, none of these topics—no matter how delicate—feel like the kind Father should guard so jealously from me. It has to be something else, but what?
Snapping out of it, I walk past Father’s door and go after Amira. At the end of the hall, I pause, wondering where she’s gone. I check the time on a timepiece sitting on a narrow polished table. It reads half past thirteen hours. Also, today is a Wednesday so… I think for a moment.
Petitioners. She will be receiving petitioners at fifteen hours. I’m itching to talk to her, but I would just be wasting my time if I go searchingfor her now. Instead, I decide to go back to my room, take a quick bath, and change out of these dust-ridden clothes.
After that, I’ll get my answers, then let Father know my decision.
I am leaving Nido. It’s time I start living my life the way I see fit.
4
VALERIA
“A deafening boom rose at my back, and an instant later, a wave of white energy rippled through the forest and knocked me to the ground. I got up, dazed, and when I walked back the way I’d come, I couldn’t find the shimmering veil. It was gone!”
Calierin Kelraek - Fae Warrior - 1 AV
After my bath, I feel human again. Half-fae and half-human, to be precise.
A simple tunic and worn leggings have replaced my dirty clothes. It is of an earthy hue that blends well with the walls. A worn leather belt cinches my waist and provides a place for my dagger, which I carry with me at all times. It was a present from Father. The hilt is shaped like a raven’s body, and the cross-guard is its wide-spread wings.
I run a finger over the pile of books that sits on my desk. They are allold history books, like Amira likes to call them. They discuss Tirnanog, espiritu, the veil, and how life used to be in Castella before our connection with the fae realm was severed for unknown reasons.
The veil’s disappearance is the crux of my fascination with the fae. Why is it gone? Did the fae close it from the other side? They were the ones who opened it, after all, the ones with the knowledge.
Two thousand years ago, Aldryn Theric, a fae king from a long line, stumbled upon a split in the fabric of the ethereal plane. It is said he used his espiritu to widen the tear and cross to the other side. Right away, he knew he’d found something special and soon returned with his retinue to explore the new lands.
These fae pioneers remained in Castella for nearly two years, visiting the small tribes that dotted the land. It is well documented that King Theric befriended the members of one particular powerful family, my Plumanegra ancestors, who joined Theric and developed a human/fae alliance. In their minds, they foresaw two united races, working together to mutually benefit. They promoted trade and migration, a well-intentioned strategy that didn’t anticipate the animosity that would eventually arise between the two species as the novelty of their acquaintance faded. Not surprising, really. Humans, even among themselves, find meaningless reasons to hate each other. For two races to quarrel seems only natural.
It was from King Theric’s line that the Plumanegra’s ability to shift into ravens came. In fact, my ancestors, at the time, went by the surname Escalante before they changed it to Plumanegra, which in the old Castellan meansblack feather.
I sigh. If only I could find a way to reopen the veil, then all of those fae who are trapped in our realm would be able to go back home and all this unrest would be over. The humans on the other side of the closed veil would also be able to return and stop their suffering. Unlike the fae, who can live for centuries, they’re likely losing hope of ever reuniting with their loved ones. They are running out of time. Some probably already have.
Sadness sits heavily on my chest.
I open one of the books and trace the map that lies before me. Tirnanog used to border Castella to the west, but now they say that if one walks past the border, there is nothing but arid land. Beyond isthe Eireno Ocean, and together Castella and that empty landscape form the Emerald Iberis Peninsula. To the south, the Jabaltariq Sea stretches eastward, its tranquil blue waters kissing the Eireno Ocean at the Strait of Jabaltariq. To the east, a vast mountain range separates us from Frankecia.
Some say Tirnanog is gone and all that is left of it is that dead land. However, most people believe it exists in a different plane. This is whatIchoose to believe. After all, two thousand years ago another country used to border Castella to the east. According to the history my sister trivializes, its name was Portus, and it’s thought to have died out when their territory was cut off from the rest of the continent by the veil’s sudden appearance.
