“One of your ancestors was a Sella,” he said. “I think it’s why your family’s blood is the only thing that can hatch the crows. It might even be related to why Res can use the other abilities. I don’t know. All I know is that my mother was supposed to deliver you to the one she’s working with after you hatched the crows, and now that you’ve escaped, she’s desperate,” Ericen continued. “Desperate enough to attack Trendell.”
This was the information he’d promised in exchange for talking to me.
“If they give you up, she’ll stay her army,” he continued. “But if they don’t, it’s reason enough for her to finally strike Trendell.”
If that was true, it meant my meeting with the king and queen would hold even more weight than before. If I failed to convince them to ally with Rhodaire, would they turn me over to Illucia to protect themselves?
“Could she sustain that?” I asked. “She had to draw troops from Jindae and the Ambriels just to attack Rhodaire. She couldn’t fight a second war spread so thin.”
“She might not have a choice,” Ericen replied. “The Sella she’s working with is dangerous, Thia. She still wants you to hatch the crows, so when all this is over, she’ll have an army to deal with the Sellas if she needs it. But they want you now. Her deal with him is precarious. You know the stories. They don’t like to have their bargains broken.”
The stories fromSaints and Sellascame floating back. Tales of cruelty and power, of spilled blood and broken bones at the hands of a people too old, too inhuman to feel remorse for what they did.
And Razel intended to set one loose against Rhodaire.
I folded my arms. “But if my Sella blood is why I can hatch the crows, and Razel has a Sella working for her, why can’t they just hatch the crows for her?”
“That’s what I asked,” he replied. “Apparently it’s a power that was gifted to your family and them alone. I don’t know more than that.” Concern tightened his brow. “All I know, Thia, is that you’re in far more danger than you think.”
Sixteen
By the time we left the building, the sun had set entirely, but with so many lights still on in the streets below, the darkness blanketing the city felt faded. It reminded me of being on the upper levels of the castle in Rhodaire, looking out over pockets of life during a quiet night. Before we transferred everything downstairs and blocked the levels off after Ronoch.
We made it all of a step before Kiva blocked my path, her expression expectant. I relayed my conversation with Ericen, mostly. I left out how it began, how his words had cut straight through me, and focused instead on what he said about the Sellas, Razel, and the possibility of war.
“He said Razel is desperate enough to attack Trendell,” I finished.
“The king and queen won’t betray you to Razel,” Auma said.
Estrel folded her arms. “You have no idea what they might do if they’re desperate to protect their kingdom.”
“I’ve been the king and queen’s ambassador for half a decade,” Auma replied, calm as ever. “I do.”
I rounded on Estrel. “Tell me about the Sellas. Is Ericen right? Do I have Sella blood?”
Estrel averted her gaze. “Just let it go, Thia. Please. It doesn’t matter.”
“You mean you don’t want to tell me,” I shot back.
Her mouth opened, then closed, an uncertainty in her dark eyes that I didn’t know how to respond to. I’d run through a hundred horrible scenarios of what my reunion with Estrel would be like. I’d imagined finding her blissful and happy, not having spared a thought for Rhodaire or me these last few months. I’d imagined finding her broken beyond repair. What I hadn’t expected was this…uncertainty.
Seeing her doubt herself was almost as painful as knowing she’d abandoned me.
“Please, Estrel,” I said. “I need to know.”
She sighed softly. “A long time ago, a queen of Rhodaire married a Sella defector. It was he who gifted our people the crows and gave your family line the power to hatch them. Infuriated by his betrayal, the Sellas declared war. All six kingdoms united to defeat them and, with the help of the shadow crows’ powers, sealed them away.”
Just like Darya’s story, except the Sellas were locked away, not killed.
“The Order was formed, a group dedicated to keeping the existence of their prison hidden so no one might find it. To that end, past members removed as much knowledge and information about the Sellas from the world as possible. We kept a lot of it, but most of it was destroyed, the remnants passed verbally within families along with membership in the Order. Samra is also a member, as was your mother.”
“And you never told me?” I asked. Was this why my mother had closed the Sella temples in Aris? To further hide their existence?
“It’s such an old story, Thia. It should never have mattered.” She shook her head. “Besides, it wasn’t your burden to bear.”
Something in her gaze told me she still felt that way. I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but the words felt petulant on my tongue. If she couldn’t see that I was not the same girl she’d left behind, then she wasn’t going to listen to me when I said it.
“Is this why Res can use all the abilities?” I asked. “Because of my Sella blood?”
