Chapter 448 (2/2)
Most appeared varying degrees of afraid The less well-off folk, universally employees or business owners who had been trapped here when Seris blocked the zone off froely clustered around the disruption array They were kept back by the hbloods ere also queuing around the portals
Rumors had started to fly alather their belongings, packing up whatever they could take with no plans to return Corona’s broadcast,down
Seris herself had visited the highlords and hbloods to explain her plan andoffered
“A new life, one outside the Vritra clan’s strict hierarchy of blood purity, a culture we can build for ourselves that doesn’t run on the blood of our strongest and weakest,” she had explained to Corbett Denoir only the day before “Let me be clear what I hbloods, na We will all have to work together to build toward a society worth living in The luck of your birth and the standing of your blood in Alacrya will carry no weight, no pohere we’re going”
Lenora’s face had gone pale, but she had stepped forward first, holding her hand out to her husband He took it as he joined her, chewing his lip before saying, “We’ve colance to Caera and then toon h Sovereign’s leniency Highblood Denoir is with you”
Caera had shaken her head, her jaw slack as she looked at her adoptive parents as if she didn’t know them Now, she stood by the the rest of their blood ere in the Relictombs
I hadn’t listened in on all of Seris’s conversations, but I knew not all of thehlord Frost was furious at the retreat to Dicathen, seeing it as ad what they’d set out to do Matron Tremblay, on the other hand, showed little eiveness and return to her newly for behind her ho aze away froathered close to the portals “For hbloods, this ‘rebellion’ was a way to elevate the the Vritra For others, they hoped to clai Alacrya for the an essential part of their identity behind”
“But not you?” I asked, watching the crowd carefully Part of s didn’t boil over between the two opposing groups—those following Seris and those staying behind
He shrugged, a perfectly executed and performed motion that expressed both his lack of passion for his homeland and disdain for a political structure that he had actively retreated away from when he became a professor at Central Academy “In the context of our world, Alacryan is little more than a term for a human with the taint of Vritra blood Not sure what they think there is to be so proud about, to be frank”
Regardless of whether they were staying or leaving, both sides were desperate, their decisionAlacrya with Seris were afraid to return to their previous lives and hopeful for better ones in the future, while those ere prepared to take Agrona at his word and give up on the rebellion feared Agrona’s wrath and hoped that his offer was true
Ideally, ould have had weeks to prepare Messages should have been sent to Lyra Dreide and Vajrakor, or even Kezess, and shelter and provisions prepared for the new influx of refugees to the Elenoir Wastes But we hadn’t had weeks No, Seris had allowed her people only a day and a half to prepare
Carts and crates,that could be used to haul goods and provisions had been dragged or driven to the courtyard’s outskirts as servants, soldiers, and ascenders worked around the clock But they weren’t the only ones Already I was seeing Seris’s vision put into practice as highlords and ladies alike rubbed elboith the lowest members of their houses in order to be ready in time
Seris floated up into the air near where she had arranged to set up the tempus warps
A man in fine clothes near the exit portals—a na unkind, and a scuffle broke out as an older s under his eyes took exception Several bystanders were quick to step in and prevent the fight fro, but as my attention slid off the scuffle, it landed on another scene, practically hidden by the thronging ether beneath the balcony of one of the large buildings bordering the courtyard Mayla had her arlasses up and to the side She treive Seth a peck on the corner of his lips
I looked away, not wanting to intrude on their private h I hadn’t spoken to theuess as happening Mayla had a family back in Etril, a sister—a reason not to leave the continent, in other words Seth’s faone, victims of the war and the destruction of Elenoir
“Listen, Alacryans and friends,” Seris said, her voice projected ically so that all could hear her words, even the farthest away easilyout her crisp enunciation “I will not burden you with a long-winded speech I will not insult you with pleas or threats Your will is your own, each and every one of you If ever there was a purpose to our act of rebellion, it is that”
The Relicto on Seris’s words like a lifeline, even those eren’t following her
“For those of you returning hon, I wish you only health and hope See to your families Defend yourselves in whatever way you think best” Her dark eyes swept the crowd, power oozing froe you for it Many of you did not join this long siege of your own free will, and to those of you, I offer boththese last two race
“I offerout froine what a world beyond the conflicts of the asura ht look like for us” She let a small smile soften her severe expression “It will not be a safe road, or an easy one, but the path will be of our own choosing”
No cheer went up when Seris stopped talking, no eager shouts or chanting The attitude of the croas split between a erness and wary readiness
At sonal fro twin portals that opened beside each other into Dicathen Seris drifted down in front of the portals, and she was the first one to step through Several clerks and officials in her e the crowd in a kind of controlled chaos Cylrit ered in the courtyard to keep the peace
Moving blood by blood, Alacryans h
On the opposite side of the courtyard, all those ouldn’t be traveling to Dicathen lingered We couldn’t deactivate the shi+eld disruption array until everyone else had gone, and then those people would be on their own I could only hope that Agrona would be true to his word, and they would be allowed to return to their lives There would be nothing stopping Dragoth and his forces frohblood Denoir lingering, not ah the te her way against the current of the flowing crowd Matron Treed a feords Although I couldn’t hear, I knew that Caera wasone more plea for Maylis to come with the forward, the iainst Caera’s, sered around er to be involved and still e herself helpful wherever she could, whether that was cal a mana beast toward the portal to help one of the less populous bloods
My own ely quiet as the exodus proceeded It took hours, during whichin awas needed ofmyself separate This was their journey, after all I was an outsider
Once roup of ascenders hauled stored provisions through, and those staying began filtering back Ellie went through with a contingent ofme a look that very clearly said, “I’m sorry” and “I’m okay” as she vanished
Once the very last of Seris’s people had passed through to Dicathen, Cylrit deactivatedhis hand back as he touched it It was glowing brightly, and there was a distinct heat haze above it
He searched me out and nodded from across the courtyard; the next step was up to ht to hilass jar as I started toward the tempus warp Be quick, we can’t be sure how fast they’ll respond
The tiny horned ball of light drifted out of the glass jar and then solidified into the for it flare with violet light, and the nearest Alacryans yelped and stu into the people behind the a sort of miniature sta the disruption field was i it flowing, si and the crystals, and without enough aether the field began to flicker in and out
Regis hurried across the courtyard A couple of Alacryans hts, because they broke from the ranks of their peers and followed after hih the portal
“Go,” I said, to Cylrit as well as Chul and Sylvie “I’one, I picked up the tempus warp and held it under one arm The disruption field failed, and people rushed to the bank of exit portals as Alacryan soldiers began pouring froothrose up frorasping at the front of his battle robes as she begged for his help The butt of his spear ca intensified as the rehbloods demanded order and attempted to take control of the situation while those with lower blood status fought to get out the exit portals and the soldiers struggled to parse the situation A few noticedtempus warp portal, but they had their hands full with the crowd
Then Dragoth hi hiainst the swarm of Alacryans His eyes found ressive steps forward, then drew up short Even from across the zone, I could sense his fear
Good, I thought, hoping that fear was enough to ensure these people would be okay
Feeling the portal breaking up now that its connection with the teh it
Everything changed The transition was sht of the blue Relictoht Instead of the stifling atful of fresh air, and a cool breeze kissed s We had appeared in the broad grassy patch of land between the Beast Glades and one of the Alacryan settlements on the outskirts of the Elenoir Wastes I searched the hundreds ofpeople for my sister, Caera, or Seris, but didn’t iht beside h, were Chul and Sylvie
I met my bond’s eye “Have you seen El—”
Sylvie’s face was pale, sweat shi+ning on her forehead Her eyes were glazed over, staring sightlessly into the void
Frowning, I reached for her, taking hold of her arth left ive out I didn’t even have ti pulled away froht had stricken Sylvie
Light and color flashed past on all sides, indistinct iain too quickly to h I couldn’t see her, I could feel Sylvie just ahead of me The world hadlike an arrow through this tunnel of lights
I tried to speak, but I had no voice I tried to connect with her ? I wanted to shout Where are we going?
As soon as I asked the question, I knew We sped into a pool of roiling color, skating along a thin streaht and into a blur of color and nizable foret s, but the scene was familiar
A conference room The one where I had last seen and spoken with the Glayders But it looked quite different now
The long table had been reon in the for silver hair and deep pluon, but the name Charon came to me from a distant memory: the leader of Kezess’s forces in Dicathen
Two other dragon’s, both also in a hu down at a dozen huround like children Kathyln and Curtis were there as well, and ed, but the vision sounded as if it were under water and a very long ay, so I couldn’tshi+fted, like a dark cloud had floated over the scene Five figures melted out of the shadows, blades and spells in their hands There was no conversation, no hesitation Even as they set on Charon, fivetheerously, the details difficult to follow
When it steadied, the back wall of the chaon, and the cacophonous rumble of battle bubbled out of the dust and rubble that blocked my view beyond the room
Charon himself was still surrounded by the other five Wraiths, orking together in a fluid syed in near-silence, and his body swelled into the foron, his
I could do nothing as I watched Kathyln vanish beneath a clawed hand Beside her, Curtis was hurled aside Golden light suffused his body, but it twinkled and faded when a black blade passed effortlessly through hi him hip to shoulder
Horrified, I watched frozen outside of space and ti it, unable to react, no body or ic of my own
Charon’s transforany potential survivors, the dragon leapt up, desperately ripping his way free of the palace and taking to the air Wheeling, he breathed death back down on everyone below, killing more Dicathians than the Wraiths had in his attempt to defend his own life
The scene shattered like a painted vase, the pieces spiraling away in every direction before ain
My eyes snapped open, and I stared up into the face of Chul, as leaning over is was beside hiis
Move on the ground, Sylvie next to me, my hand still clasped around her ar to her knees and leaning into me to wrap her arms around h her hair, I was still watching Sylvie, who slowly turned to ish
Her eyes fluttered shut ‘Of…the future,’ she sent back ominously