Chapter 446 (2/2)
I carefully scanned Sylvie’s enrapt face
Agrona didn’t shy away froh a spell i before she was born, he had been able to inhabit her body even from Alacrya It had been a revelation that had nearly broken trust between Sylvie and me I could only hope, now, that her death and rebirth had severed this connection, but it worried me that we had no way to know for sure
“For months now, this continent has been divided by the strife of rebellion and civil war,” Agrona continued “Rest assured, I hold no ill-will toward those of you who have participated in this conflict Such a contest of wills, whether it be between cothen you as a people in the long run Conflict is necessary to grow in power”
He paused, his scarlet eyes see ti to you now The gates of Epheotus have been thrown open, and dragons have h Already, they’ve countered ood you and your blood have fought for, diedfor But their violence doesn’t extend only to that distant continent They’ve shed blood right here in Alacrya, at the heart of Etril”
Agrona’s expression hardened, his eyes blazing like fire “A dragon has assassinated Sovereign Exeges before fleeing like a coward in the night Thousands of witnesses saw the asura wheeling above his palace, breathing down mana and death A hundred or ainst such an onslaught—regular Alacryans, burned to dust only for the cri in support of a different clan
“The war between Alacrya and Dicathen is over And so too must be this conflict between every loyal Alacryan and the supporters of Seris the Unblooded The dragons are intent on taking over both Dicathen and Alacrya The sas that invented the lie of asuran Godhood—those who have long hidden away in Epheotus and offered only judg no aid of provisions or ic, whose attacks on this continent created the Vritra’s Maw Sea and ended a hundred thousand lives—have now decided to take everything you and your blood ancestors worked so hard to build”
In the silence that followed, the only sound was Chul’s disbelieving huff
“Due to the interference of the dragons’ ally, Lance Arthur Leywin—”
I blinked, caught off guard by his lance in my direction
“—I was unable to prepare Dicathen for this eventuality, but I will protect Alacrya and all who still call therona’s chin was raised, his voice growing louder and more proud as he spoke “With your aid, of course This continent , united under ns, the douide you through the dangers to come”
His expression softened, and he offered us an understanding smile “No punishment will be dealt to any who participated in this rebellion so long as they lay down their arms and return to their lives immediately But, as I can accept no internal discord that eaken us in the face of this enemy, all those who refuse will be dealt with ihbors, and your friends to set aside their petty grievances for now Tomorroe take a step forward as a nation Unified”
Agrona set his jaw and gave a subtle nod of his head,the ornaments in his horns sway and sparkle Then the projection faded, and the crystal went out
Silence followed Slowly, the children turned to look at Darrin, but he was looking at aze was on the floor, a scowl etched into his wrinkled skin Chul was also watchinghis queue from my reaction, but Sylvie had moved away, her back to the room and her mind closed off
“Go on, you lot,” Darrin said after aor chores today Go enjoy yourself”
Briar snorted “Go stew in our existential angst, more like” But she, like the others, did as she was told and shuffled out of the sitting room
When the housekeeper didn’t i forward at the projection crystal, a stupefied expression of her pale face—Darrin rested his hand on her shoulder “Sorrel?”
She ju to her mouth to hold back a weak screaot shakily to her feet and hurried frorona’s e Not so much the specifics of it, but the intent Hoould affect people The regular people like Sorrel
“Interesting that he called you out by naons will help hiainst you”
“But ould your people support this snake over the dragons?” Chul ru the darker shade coil and shi+mmer like smoke “My clan bears no love for the tyrant Indrath, but he is not worse than Agrona”
“The devil you know,” Alaric answered, his voice a low, tired growl “What better way to et how horribly the Vritra has treated them than the threat of life under the boot heel of another asura clan And you lot”—he pointed at ave theanda” He shook his head and tu his temples
“At least this explains the sudden reversal of our fortunes,” Darrin said, worry clear in his features as he watched Alaric “Agronathis move for soave es’s death on the dragons, an easy enough thing to do even if you hadn’t taken an actual dragon to the palace to assassinate Exeges…but who actually killed the Sovereign, then?”
His focus ive me if this is an imprudent question, but is it possible it wasyour…blood? Kin? The other dragons?”
Sylvie shrugged and shook her head at the sa her wheat-blonde hair bob around her horns “I don’t know for sure, but…it didn’t feel like a dragon had been there”
Darrin’s gaze shi+fted back to me “Then who, do you think?”
His words were like chuhts I had no n than I had e’d first found the corpse I felt certain ere only ether
Why does thisthird keystone?
‘Do you think they’re linked?’ Sylvie thought back I could tell frohts that she wasn’t convinced ‘Like…so the sa, I took the seat across fro to think around the scar’s itch “I don’t know,” I said, answering both Sylvie’s and Darrin’s questions at once It’s possible, I addedwary looks fro with ht, Arthur?” Darrin asked
“Yes, just…neverhts to Darrin
Your dream savior froe in aether affinity, the fact that you existed to save my soul before you were born That’s potentially created soht? What if there really is a third party? With aevuh so Sylvie’s thoughts pushi+ng back against my own
‘The simplest explanation is often thesome scholar we’d both learned about at Xyrus Acaden, and uh, if ent back in time somehow to claim the relic, then where is it? And if you were set to kill Exeges, why go ahead of yourself and kill him? Because you were fated to fail?’
Notto see a picture ht into the aevuo back in ties proved too difficult, Cecilia ainstis your own, h ti me closely ‘Have you ever heard of an aether art that allows you to go back in time?’
Aroa’s requiem can turn back tih Like, at all’ She gave me a pointed look
What about your ti my life? What was that if not time travel? I…
She pursed her lips, her skepticish You never even kneas there
I’ another sigh Spiraling, even “The simplest explanation is often the correct one,” I repeated out loud
Darrin looked up frohts Alaric scratched his beard but kept his eyes on his belly Chul cracked his neck and paced across the roon—a full-blooded asura—is no simple task There is, however, a short list of those who could have done so” I held up er, I said, “Another Sovereign”
“Or a dragon,” Sylvie said, and I lifted a second finger
“The Wraiths are trained to kill asuras,” I said, lifting a third finger
“You?” Chul said, stopping and cocking his head to the side “But then, I knoasn’t you H warriors, but this Exeges did not see to me, either Mordain or one of the others could have killed hier
“Agrona,” Alaric grunted “Or his pet Legacy Reports from one of my folks on the front lines at Sehz-Clar said the unnatural bitch can suck the ht out of you”
I let my hand fall as I considered what he’d said My eyes touched Sylvie’s as I pictured Exeges’s corpse Ashen, taut skin, sunken appearance, blind colorless eyes, like the blood had been drained from his body…
“But Cecilia seen dead as ere,” Sylvie said, thinking out loud “If she…drained hirona illing to sacrifice Exeges to give Cecilia a power boost for her fight with you?”
Quietly, I sensed Sylvie hoping this was the case, and that Cecilia hadn’t truly been strong enough to fight us to a stand still all on her own
I stood suddenly “We don’t know, and we’re getting no closer to answers here We need to return to Seris” I shot a guilty look at Darrin and Alaric “I’m sorry I wish I could offerme on the arm “My home has no direct connection to the rebellion I’ a few kids As for Alaric…” He shot the older man another wary look “He’s not really here And if he was, he’s certainly not connected to Seris’s plot And if he is, I had no way of knowing that We’re just old drinking pals, after all”
I started to leave the room but was compelled to stop and offer one last piece of advice “Do what he says Stop fighting Send your people hos froons and basilisks, you’ll be crushed”
Alaric scoffed “Your fault I got dragged back into this in the first place You and your connection to that Scythe Bah But I suppose you’re right Never too late to retire for the third tirateful “Goodbye”
Darrin gave a small wave, but Alaric only wrinkled his nose and resu down at his stomach
I left, my companions on my heels, and returned to the study where the Co
I paused before it, considering
“We can’t leave it here again With the teht need the Coh the Relictorona’s and Kezzess’s perceptive gazes, and et between Alacrya and Dicathenforward”
“Any ideas?” Sylvie asked, her hand brushi+ng the field of energy surrounding the relic
“And can we be certain that Lady Sylvie won’t have another fit?” Chul asked, unsubtly looking at her fro,” I breathed “Go through I’ll be right behind you”
Sylvie bit her lip Chul just shrugged and stepped directly into the portal When I nodded for her to follow, Sylvie hesitantly did so, vanishi+ng into the shi+ out, I felt the shape of the portal withache throughoutsensation from the scar
There was a fa to do withused it before Curious, I activated God Step, seeing the pathithout stepping into the to channel God Step, I focused entirely on the portal, listening to its specific resonance a the many other points all around rabbed the Compass and deactivated it
The effect was iainst htning-bolt pathways sang to h to secure the Coh the hole