“This sounds more like a physical armor of some sort,” Isla continued. “Something that stops him fromjumpinginto your mind, from taking over your body.”
“That’s how he’s been watching me.” I nodded. “He’s had enough power to watch from the minds of others but not take over completely.”
I shuddered as those eyes flashed in my memory, the living silver dancing in the irises of the people he spied from. The guard at Mount Telum and Stynguard… The mystic at the Awakening ceremony… The Bone Warrior in Rhashtai…
Kellan’s dark gaze was hard on mine as I looked up. The marbled gray in his irises was the only clue he’d descended from the monster stalking me. His brows pinched, a pained guilt slicing through his features as he spotted the recognition in my gaze. My hand slipped along his rough calluses as I twined my fingers through his.He was not Sintarrak.
I squeezed, and Kellan’s gaze softened as he squeezed back, the rings on his fingers cooling my skin.
“Yes.” Isla’s voice turned grave. “But that says much about his power—that he was still able to watch from another world, even with the gate closed. Now, with the Vael Lacrima open, we can’t risk him completely taking over anyone’s body. The result would be catastrophic. It says the Starlings created small, discrete items that could be worn to use as mind armor.”
“Like a rubelline cuff.” Drystan nodded as he scanned the words.
“Yes, but smaller,” Isla agreed. “To create the múritinne, you must fuse the metal with the magical material.”
Kellan’s head began nodding. “There’s a forge here in Borva. We can start making them as soon as we have the ingredients.”
His fingers drummed against the hide, the silver of his ring sparkling against the early morning sunshine streaming through the window, casting dancing light against the wall.
“Rings,” I said quietly as I tracked the movement of his fingers. They paused, and my eyes drifted to Kellan’s.
His dark gaze slipped to my naked hands before landing on mine.
“What’s the key ingredient?” Aeriden asked.
“An organic material that bends light…” Isla paused, her brows pinching. “A prism plant?”
“Like a rainbow?” Drystan cocked his head.
Isla’s eyes widened. “Like the leaves of the Living Library,” she said with an air of finality.
Our eyes met, and I nodded. The long, iridescent leaves of the Living Library, the massive tree in Lotrennia containing thousands of years of knowledge, sparkled like a rainbow in the sun.
Nerves clogged my throat as I realized she was right, and I forced bravado into the words that left my lips. “We need to return to Lotrennia.”
I slumpedinto the velvety sitting chair in Kellan’s study, the revelations of the day exhausting me more than our trip to the Arx. I ran my hands over my face, scrubbing away the fatigue.
The mahogany door creaked open, and Kellan stepped inside the dimly lit room. His hands slipped to the buttons on his cream shirt, popping open the top few before rolling the sleeves over his muscled forearms.
“How is Ezrich?” I asked, a twinge of guilt tightening my stomach. I hadn’t spent much time with him since he’d awoken, too busy rereading the ancient hide with Isla and Drystan to ensure we hadn’t missed anything.
Kellan scanned me, and I patted the chair next to mine.
“He’s healing well,” he replied, striding across the room and sitting in the one across from me instead.
“Have you spoken about…” I paused, raising a brow and waiting, allowing him time to consider whether he wanted to talk about it.
“Have I told him I’m his uncle?” he clarified, raising a dark brow. “No. I wish I’d known when I met him. Wish I’d known when Éitilte was living on my ship.”
My lips kicked up as he spoke Evony’s nickname, but Kellan’s brows furrowed and a shadow of regret passed over his face. My heart squeezed, and I leaned forward, clasping his hands in mine. He studied our joined hands for a moment, and I ran my thumb over the tops of his fingers.
“Ezrich is here. He’s safe. Evony…” He trailed off, turning his face to the side as if to hide his expression. “My niece may be safe inside the rubelline zone, but she isalone. And that is its own kind of danger.”
I squeezed his hand before reaching mine to cup the side of his face and gently turn it to me.
“Evony is strong,” I reminded him. “Ronan told me he’d look after her. I trust him to do that. And we’ll get back to her. She won’t be alone for long.”
Kellan nodded, and my thumb brushed a line down his cheekbone. He dropped my hand and scooted his chair closer,snatching my legs up. I leaned back as he tugged off my riding boots, slipping my stockings off and tossing them over his shoulder.
