Page 120 of Veinblood
The storm has found its shadow. And together, we're going to change everything.
Chapter Thirty-Three
SACHA
“The Vein does not promise safety. It promises belonging.”
The Nature of Veinblood Rebirth
We stand together,fingers interlocked, while my mind catalogs all the things that will need to be done.
When Shadowveins last ruled the city, there was only one wall, not three, but we lived in a time of peace. Now, until the Authority has been completely overthrown, we can’t risk them trying to take Ashenvale back, so the walls need to be repaired.
Those soldiers who surrendered need to be questioned, and decisions made about whether they should remain in cells or be released.
Missives will need to be sent out, carried by Veinwardens to all settlements across Meridian. They’ll announce the Veinbloods’ return, my reinstatement as High Prince, and a call to rise up against Authority presence.
Above all else, I need to find Sereven. While he still lives, the Authority has a reason to continue. Others may try to takehis place, but they will never have the same hold as him. He might not be the rightful heir, but he carries the blood of the Shadowvein line. That alone will justify their allegiance.
“What’s that?” Ellie’s voice pulls me out of my introspection. I lift my head to look at her as she pulls her hand free from mine and walks across the room to stop before a wooden chest.
I join her, running my fingers over the carvings covering the lid. “I don’t understand why he left these rooms untouched. It makes no sense.”
“We have a saying on Earth—out of sight, out of mind. Maybe by locking the doors, he locked it away in his mind too?”
“But someone has been in here. The bedding is fresh, the air doesn’t have that staleness you would expect from somewhere that has been locked up for years.”
“When they realized you were coming back, could they have come in and cleaned?”
“And relocked it?” I shake my head. “No. But that’s a mystery for another day.”
My fingers find the hidden latch embedded into the chest’s carvings, and there’s a soft click before the lid pops up. I lift it higher, and look inside. I expect to find it empty, but the clothes I placed there are still inside, folded neatly. But it isn’t those that stills the breath in my lungs. On top of them is a small bundle wrapped in soft leather.
With a hand that shakes, I reach in and take it out, unwrapping it slowly to display its contents. A wooden dagger,crafted for a child’s grip, a folded note on parchment that has yellowed with age, and a silver pin in the shape of a raven.
“My mother had these made.” I hold the pin up to catch the light. “A set of four. One for each of us. This one was mine. When my mother died, my father gave hers to me. I kept it close to my heart through everything that followed.”
“Where is it now?” Ellie’s voice is gentle.
“I used it to send a message.”
“A message?”
“The kind that tells your brother you’re still alive after he tried to kill you. A reminder that his betrayal has not been forgotten.” My fingers close around the pin. “A warning that he would pay for her death.”
Ellie’s lips part on a quiet gasp. “That’swhat you gave to Lisandra to give to him. I remember his face when she handed him something at Blackstone. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.”
“A reminder of the innocent blood he shed to gain the power he has.” I rewrap the pin, place it gently back into the chest, and close the lid before turning to Ellie.
Afternoon light catches the silver flecks in her eyes. Something in her expression—the understanding, the quiet strength inside her—eases the tension I’ve been carrying since we entered these rooms.
I hold out a hand. “Come here.”
She moves toward me without any hesitation. When she’s close enough, I reach for her, my hands settling on her waist.
“Thank you. For staying. For choosing this.”
“There was never really a choice to make.” Her hands come up to rest against my chest. “Not after everything we’ve been through.”
