I am ready.Eira gripped the dagger even tighter as Ferro’s voice began to waver.
You know what to do with this.
I will bring it to her.
Then you shall go and collect the Ash of Yargen and begin unraveling Lumeria’s deal with the heretics,Ulvarth commanded.Once we possess the four relics, we will reignite the flame that guides this world.
And when that happens, you will rule.
The real world had disappeared for Eira. There was only the dagger and this sole conversation. She poured all her focus and magic into it. Eira held her breath, not wanting anything to distract her from what came next. This was as far as she’d made it the first time.
And you will ascend, Ulvarth said.You will take the Ash of Yargen and the blood of the Voice. The blood of the Champion flows through your veins and you—
Have been born and baptized to be the sacred kindling of a new Flame of Yargen. Ferro’s voice trembled with excitement.
Once we ignite the flame, we will use it to guide the wayward flock of Meru back to Her love. We will be undeniable henceforth. Risen will be under the protection of the divine once more.
And under your control, Ferro added.
Yes, and you, my son, will dine at her table in the highest place of honor a mortal could ever attain.
I pray I am worthy.
You will be,Ulvarth said. Now go. Take the dagger. Hide it under their noses where it can rest until the time is right. I can’t risk keeping it here any longer.
I will not let you down.
The conversation slipped away as her magic slid off the dagger in chunks of ice. She had been right… every careful maneuver and plot, had been to lead them to this moment. The Pillars had worked to collect these relics—ashes, blood of the Voice and Champion, and a person to kindle. Tonight they would reignite the Flame of Yargen. There were enough people here to witness that the Pillars would gain the minds of the general public. They—
The doors to the balcony suddenly snapped open. Eira staggered back. Pillars lined her path in their drab robes. The gathered masses had been parted and they stood frozen in place, making a clear walkway for her to unite with Ferro on what was once the dance floor. He had ended up right where the shadows had wanted him after all…but nothing looked like it was going according to plan.
He beckoned to her, as he held up the plaster in his other hand.
Eira staggered forward, mind and heart racing. What was happening? What had she missed? Had her absence been the cause of this shift in power? The air was heavy with the sort of pregnant silence that promised—one way or another—the night would end with screams.
An invisible force drew her toward Ferro, dagger in hand. She was delivering what he wanted right to him. She should run. She should chuck the dagger over the balcony while she still could.
But she was drawn toward him with the allure of a finality too sweet to ignore. There were hundreds of people gathered, but none of them mattered. It was like that night in the forest, and the later night in the Pillars’ hideout. In the end, it came down again and again to just her and him. But this time, she wasn’t going to let him go. Too much was at stake. She’d end it here and now. Her heart raced in time with her thoughts; the former threatened to rip out of her chest, the latter threatened to rip open her skull.
As she neared, she noticed that the light now illuminating the room was not just from the chandeliers. A large glyph swirled in the vaulted ceiling, mirroring a smaller one rotating between Ferro’s shoulder blades. Was that what was keeping everyone so still? She was walking in a living sculpture garden.Loft dorhwere words of power that could freeze people in place, but she’d never heard of it being able to be used on an entire room. There must be another word—some kind of magnifier.
“I have here,” Ferro said, holding up the plaster, “a fragment from the halls of the Voice of Yargen. And this woman holds the power to uncover the truth. She can listen to the annals of the Goddess in order to seek out that which came before.” He pointed to Eira while looking at Vi, who was rigid on her throne. Mouth frozen in initial shock. “The Emperor and Empress of Solaris recognized her power. The Empress Solaris herself said that the words Eira Landan heard were true.”
Eira’s heart raced. She scanned the room, but the only people in motion were the Pillars. Two stood in the back, creating barriers over the doors, which were bolted shut. They were all trapped.
“I submit new evidence!” Ferro roared. “To the crown, to Meru, to every man and woman gathered, that the last,trueSword of Light, Ulvarth Vaspana, was unfairly accused and punished. He did not extinguish the Flame of Yargen. But he will bring it back to all of you if you give him the chance. If you return to light.”
Eira glanced between Ferro and the dais where the royals were gathered. Pillars had separated the queen’s knights and Swords of Light alike from their charges. Standing behind Ferro was a collection of six other Pillars, morphi and elfin, magic at the ready. But none of them moved. It wasn’t necessary; Ferro had the room under his control.
“Tell them what you hear,” Ferro commanded, holding out the piece of plaster toward her. “They can see and hear, but they cannot move.”
Eira glanced around, searching for Alyss, Noelle, or Cullen.Let them be safe, she prayed.
“Speak!”
Eira flinched at Ferro’s shouting and focused on the plaster. She made a show of staring at it. Slowly, gripping the dagger as tightly as possible, Eira drew her eyes back to him.
She wasn’t going to let them win. She wouldn’t absolve Ulvarth. And she wasn’t going to let them ignite anything. It no longer mattered what happened to her. As long as he lost. She would die here and now if that’s what it took.
