I blinked. Those creatures that had found Evony.Theyhad a bone of power.Gorkhad it. It’d been right under our noses the entire time.
“We must find them,” Olienna said, more to Ronan than the rest of us. “It isvitalwe find the Celestyn Bone. I must insist you send out a party searching for the creatures at once.”
Ronan murmured his agreement before she continued.
“Advetis, Faron’s power, was that of travel. He could transport himself and others across immense space in the blink of an eye,” Olienna explained.
I kept my gaze locked on Olienna as she spoke, in awe of the new power and resisting the urge to look at Drystan. We’d agreed to keep the discovery of the bone quiet, unsure of our trust in Olienna.
“Ramadiel, the last I knew, was taken by Daimos. The power to heal will be vital.” Olienna’s eyes scanned the thick scar on my neck.To heal… We would need this power for Lotrennia with the deaths that had spread.
“That leaves the Aeterna power,” Olienna said, glancing down at the simmering orange Bellator Bone resting at the edge of the map. It sat in the center of the intricate celestial setting atop King Saros’s staff for hundreds of years.
“The power of everlasting life. We all know who held onto that for the past two thousand years.” Olienna pursed her thin lips.
My mind’s eye flashed to those last few moments of extended life in King Saros’s eyes before death lunged, as if it’d been hovering, waiting for him for thousands of years.
“Why would we need the Aeterna power?” I asked, eyeing the strange Bellator Bone, my mind drifting to the visions Enya had shared. I shifted, uneasy with it sitting here in the center of the room.
“These wars last hundreds of years, if not thousands. We need people who will remain to see it through. So that the information gleaned is not lost among the generations that come and go.”
My stomach knotted as I remembered the fleeting conversation between Enya and Lelyth. They’d disagreed.
“So, we need armies,” Ronan muttered after a long silence. “Half of the Sultiran forces are marching south from Stynguard. The commanders from the Rellenor Fields have yet to surrender. Word will have spread by now that Saros is dead, but Lord Pavel’s fleet hasn’t been seen since they chased off Nivis in Stynguard. We need to find him. Our forces are scattered, and their allegiance is uncertain.”
“We need every army of the world,” Olienna continued. “Sultirans, Nivisians, Lotrennians, Votruvians, and the fleets of Marisarma.”
I chewed on her words for a moment, weighing whether I should mention anything about the Rhashtai in the Death Dunes. I caught several eyes of others in the room, waiting for me to mention the deadly bone tribes. Olienna’s violet gaze slid to mine for a moment before continuing her speech.
A wave of apprehension, followed by another,anticipation, rushed toward me, and Nerissa looked up. Aquila and Tiberius were nearby.
I am looking forward to meeting your caelumas. Though I suspect Aquila won’t remember me.
My heart leaped into my chest as Olienna’s sing-song voice trilled in my mind. Nerissa went deathly still, keeping her eyes on the queen as lightning flickered in their depths.
“High Steward,” Olienna said aloud, turning toward Ronan, who blinked once and pinched his light brows. Olienna grinned. “Well, I suppose that’s who you are now, correct? With Queen Galena and King Saros deceased, their little one is the sole heir of the Kingdom of Sultira. As leader of the Rising and your history as queensguard, I would assume you are now the leader of Sultira until the young prince comes of age.”
Ronan’s throat bobbed as his eyes shot to Nerissa.
“Indeed,” he said, his voice ringing clear and confident across the large chamber as he stood and pulled the maps from the center of the table.
My lips remained shut, as did Nerissa’s and Vulcan’s, as I was sure they recalled exactly what Ronan had shared with us. That Galena’s child was certainly not sired by King Saros.
Carina’s gasp interrupted the murmured conversation that followed. She leaped up and leaned forward, placing her palms on the table to get a better look at the large, glowing orb that hadbeen concealed beneath the map. Gold and white writhed within the orb as if something living stirred in a pool of liquid sunlight.
“What’s wrong?” Ronan asked, his eyes shooting to the orb in the center.
“You’ve seen this before,” Olienna murmured, her eyes studying the princess.
Carina nodded, disbelief showing on her face. “In the Gilded Fortress… My mother’s chambers.”
Nerissa stilled as we processed her words.
“Cunning Saros,” Olienna mused as she stepped beside Carina and floated her hand over the glowing stone. “This is the Aelius Orb. One of what’s rumored to be five.”
“What is it?” I asked, leaning forward.
“Much mystery surrounds these orbs,” Olienna explained. “And though we know they are powerful, the full extent of their might remains a mystery. We know they can communicate with the masters of the other orbs.”
My mind spun. King Saros held an Aelius Orb, and Queen Antares held another. Had they been communicating with one another? Carina’s face drained of color.
“Try it,” Ronan murmured as he stared at Carina. “We’ve been cut off from Lotrennia for six months now.”
I glanced at Nerissa, who’d gone pale.
Carina held her small hands over the orb for several moments as the room stilled. She murmured something beneath her breath, and a bright, white light flashed, as if responding to her words. As her fingers touched the orb, the swirling light paused, and the orb turned opaque and then as clear as crystals, reflecting what looked to be an ornate room, with flowering vines lining the walls.
“My gods,” Carina breathed.
The room froze as we peered into the Gilded Fortress.
