I squeezed it back. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
She smiled. “You always were the fighter. I think that’s why you were Mother’s favorite.”
A bark of laughter escaped my lips. “If by favorite you mean least disliked, maybe, but I still think you were imagining things.”
Her smile faded. “I miss her.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “So do I.” Even if our mother hadn’t been as warmhearted and open as I would have liked, I’d still loved her. Still wanted to make her happy, to earn her respect and praise despite the distance that stretched between us.
“In the meantime,” I said, “I’ll play nice with Ericen.”
She eyed me. “I know it’s difficult, but we have to placate him. Particularly if we’re going to break our agreement. He can’t suspect us.”
I nodded. “I’ll try.”
“I’ll send a bird to Kuren about Trendell. If we had their support, a storm crow could be enough to inspire them to stand against Illucia. But without the crow, I don’t think Trendell will listen.”
I nodded and reached for the circlet on her head, centering it.
She gave my hand another squeeze. “We’ll get through this. I promise.”
I believed her, even as I withheld the truth: I had no idea how to hatch the egg. But I would find a way. I just needed time.
Six
With Caliza’s and my plan in place, I felt more confident facing Ericen. The engagement seemed less like a storm on the horizon than a single rain cloud. We would hatch the egg, gain Trendell’s support, and stand against Illucia.
In the meantime, I’d try not to insult Ericen with every breath.
A small army accompanied us into the city for our tour. Apparently, Ericen’s arrival had stirred several protests. A few abandoned shops had been broken into, one even burned. What would people think once the news of why he was here spread?
With every step, my mare shifted nervously next to Ericen’s. I didn’t blame her. His horse looked like it might eat us both. The prince rode like he’d been born to it, thethwompof his stallion’s steps drowning the soft clatter of my mount’s hooves.
People stared as we passed, faces infused with hate. I understood. Looking at Ericen, all I could think of were burning rookery towers and the screams of crows and people, indistinguishable from one another in the night. But bitterness lurked beneath the hatred of some, and it wasn’t for him.
I gestured to our right. “We’ll go into the Thereal Wing first.”
“The wings are named after each of your Saints, aren’t they? And they correspond with a type of crow?” Ericen asked. “So this would be the wind crows?”
Fire hurtled through my veins, but when I shot Ericen a sharp glare, the anger vanished abruptly. He wasn’t looking at me, and his normally cool expression had warmed into a look of curiosity, until he caught my gaze. The look of interest disappeared, replaced by a slight sneer.
I scowled. “Yes.”
We followed a broad street that circled the castle and cut through each wing, forming a circle around the inner city. In the fading chill of morning, street performers gathered in the shade of side streets. Shops set in bright, colorful buildings propped open doors, and the soft hum of a violin resonated through the air as a musician tested the strings.
The Thereal Wing was known for entertainment. That hadn’t changed, but a subdued atmosphere hung over the usually lively wing. The street no longer teemed with visitors, and the echoes of distant music sounded like a melody of pain and sadness.
Ericen scanned everything with an imperious look, his back straight, head held high, exuding a confidence and strength I longed for. As he slowed to behold a gymnast warming up, I caught sight of a familiar blue building at the street corner.
I urged my horse toward it subconsciously, staring but not seeing. Memories flashed: sneaking out with Kiva to go dancing, music as quick as a heartbeat after a flight, a crow painted in sunset colors across the building’s side…columns of fire, smoke choking the air, the screech of crows and screams of people.
I slowed my horse outside Rua’s. The door to the pub was chained shut, the windows boarded. Thick vines obscured the crow painting, its vibrant colors muted.
Already, the hope I’d felt setting out dwindled away. Each boarded-up window and crumbling building I saw leeched more of my strength. I braced my hands on the back of my saddle, shoulders curving, head bowed.
Aris had been a city of wonders. A place people came to from all over the world to trade, to learn, to live. Now it was slowly fading, drifting into nothing like an abandoned ship into the night.
In the distance, what remained of the Thereal rookery loomed like a pillar of shadows.
