“I believe so.”
Laphira dropped to her knees beside the low table and gently touched each of the objects lying there, ending with the small knife. “An image of that very blade is etched into a ceremonial chamber wall at Irridain. If I remember correctly, my tutor told me it was once used to seal court pacts. Blood-forged, not in war, but in unity, she said. When I asked, she was unable to elaborate.”
“Or unwilling to answer,” I muttered softly. A chill trickled down my spine despite the warmth in the room. I looked toward the quill. “Please note that the blade responds to the talismans. Known to Irridain. Bound by blood. Used to seal court pacts.”
Three courts. Three symbols. Three fragments of a bond lost for ages.
Not lost forever, not if we could reach Starfall Break in time.
Laphira glanced over her shoulder at the mirror above the hearth. “The winged crown… I’ve seen it in the oldest royal seals of Irridain. It was part of something called the Pact of Ash and Wing.”
Dorion frowned. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It was said to be a rite of peace,” she said, her brow tightening. “A vow sworn between the three courts when dragons still guarded them all. The last ceremony supposedly happened ‘where the sea cannot touch.’ Their binding was meant to preserve harmony within the courts.”
“Then Aricor tried to bend a wizard’s will and heart.” I tapped the hilt of the tiny knife, thinking. “Lore, you said you saw images of men from the three courts using the blade in a ceremony.”
“They cut themselves, mixed their blood.”
“The pact?” Laphira asked, her eyes bright with excitement. She climbed to her feet and sunk onto the opposite sofa beside Dorion, leaning into his side. “The three courts were once friends before…” Her gaze flicked to Lore. “All this time we could’ve been aiding each other instead of warring.”
Aricor ruined more than the lives of his family. He destroyed whatever bond the three friends had. Prager did, that is. Aricor’s actions were heinous, but to force this curse on everyone living in this land forever? That was even worse.
“‘Where the sea cannot touch,’” I said. “That sounds like a mountain. A place the sea can’t reach.”
Lore grunted. “Or a place that rises above the sea but is still within it.”
Dorion’s eyes sparked. “An island. Or a cavern. Something hidden by the tides.”
“Where is Starfall Break?” I asked.
Lore stood, tugging me up from the sofa. “Captain Christoff might know, but we could also go to the library and ask Valera.”
We flitted there, arriving in the hall outside and stepping into the vast space. Valera rose from her chair behind her desk and hurried over to us, bowing to both me and Lore while sending curious looks Dorion and Valera’s way.
We explained what we were looking for.
Valera lifted her finger. “Please wait here while I retrieve a few volumes.”
As she turned, a spark of static cracked in the air.
I looked around, finding no reason for the feeling. But every hair on my arm stood upright.
I’m adding more wards.That told me Lore had felt it too.
She’s everywhere.
Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike
We sat at the table where I’d researched Evergorne long ago, me tapping the tip of my blade on the smooth wooden surface.
Dorion pulled his own, punier blade, and started tossing it into the air and catching it.
Laphira gaped from me and Dorion. “Should I find a blade as well?”
Lore snatched my blade from my hand and slid it into the sheath at my waist. He leaned close and whispered, “You, mate, are devastatingly attractive when you’re toying with lethal weapons.”
I gave him a wink.I’ll keep that in mind the next time we’re alone in our bedroom.
