Chapter 459 (1/2)

Chapter 459

Chapter 456: Remembrance

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Kezess’s eyes shi+fted to lavender as he inspected ave a satisfied nod “Our agreeive and take I trust that what you reciprocate reflects gratitude and not simply empty words”

“Of course,” I answered readily After all, if I reciprocate your own behavior, there won’t be much to owe

“Now, perhaps you can tell me more about your conversation with Oludari,” Kezess said, leaving the Path of Insight to stand beside it He gestured to the worn ring in the stone “And then, I think it is well past tiht, as agreed”

“Give and take,” I said, repeating his earlier words “With the dragons’ failure to protect the people of Dicathen from their own bloody conflict, it feels unjust to ask ain”

Kezess frowned ever so slightly, and his lips curled as he opened his mouth to respond

I raised a hand “But I don’t come empty handed Instead, I have a different sort of infor, I had considered thisto deliver Kezess any new insights would lead to a conflict, one I wasn’t prepared to push to its conclusion, but if I bowed to his de, I would unbalance our tenuous relationshi+p and give hi visions,” I said without preamble

Kezess’s eyes darkened as he stared at , starting with the vision itself and then going back through the details of the events following her rebirth, including her seizure and what she experienced during it—although I left out the part about how she experienced it in theRelictombs

When I was finished, Kezess turned away and stared out one of the s encircling the tower cha each other around theexercise “You should have brought her to ht be able to help her But traipsing around Dicathen as your glorified pet…”

He spun, and his eyes were like purple lightning “Sylvie ain the sort of visions you describe And any unintentional engagement of her aether arts could lead to dire consequences Froh she was lucky to escape this drea way in her understanding I had thought perhaps she could find additional training here in Epheotus…if we both knew she’d be safe”

“Safe?” Kezess said, the word sharp as a blade “Would hter be safe here, at the seat of et, Arthur Do you truly think me so horrible that I seeize for ly “Of course, what I meant was that she would be accorded the sao as she pleases, to continue participating in the war against Agrona, to—”

“Yes, yes, I understand,” he said, interruptingmy words away “If it will put both of you at ease, then you have hest tower and refuse to let her leave with you again should you co her to visit”

Kezess took a withdrawn breath, and there was a subtle shi+ft in his outward dee for time on the Path In truth, there would be little ti anyway There is to be a cereon who fell in Dicathen As the Matali clan’s lord, I will host the ceremony within my own clan’s mausoleum, and then her remains will be returned to their clan-hohtsto as next “Many lost their lives there, but the death of any one person doesn’t lessen the impact of any other’s demise I’m sorry for your loss, of course If Windsoet out of your hair”

“On the contrary,” Kezess said, his brows raising slightly, “I would like you to attend”

“For what purpose?” I asked, confused by his unexpected request

“As the representative of your people, on behalf of whoreat show of respect,” he explained

I considered his words and thebehind them He has now sent two asura to their deaths in Dicathen, I thought, knowing that must have impacted Kezess’s relationshi+p with these clans It would be politically expedient for him to parade ree with his logic Although I was still furious with the dragons for how they’d handled the pursuit of Oludari, they were nonetheless my allies, and a show of respect at that h it felt calculating even to let myself think it, I also knew that it was a unique opportunity to gauge how the other asura felt about Kezess’s decisions and the war against Agrona

“Of course I’d be honored,” I said after gathering u so a fraction of an inch “Theprepared as we speak”

With those siave an unco within an expansive hall carved entirely of bright white stone Pillars ran the length, while the walls were all set with statues, paintings, and small structures like…toe ure

Servants were hurriedly rushi+ng around the space, but they all stopped as we appeared, bowing deeply Kezess disesture, and they rushed back to their work

I watched, curious, as one young asuran woman breathed out a cloud of ean plucking the e them around that corner of the cha flaht Near here, afro, the vines began to grow, spilling down to the floor Yet another servant ca to the vines As she spoke, leaves feathered into being up and down the vines, perfect autues

Evenin food and drink of all sorts, soe casks of drink tossed over a shoulder One even balanced several dozen golden plates and goblets on ss Theunthought ofhere

I stepped up to the central table, taking a closer look at the fallen asura She looked identical to her sister with her long blonde hair and white plate arspear lay to her right

Kezess rested a hand on the edge of the bier for a few seconds as we stood in silence Wordlessly, he then turned and began to walk along theat each artifact of his clan that we passed before eventually coe mural of a man who looked a lot like Kezess hioatee and mustache, but the eyes and facial features were nearly identical

“A relative of yours?” I asked, gazing up at the painting

“One of the ancient ht us into Epheotus,” he said softly

I focused on the nameplate beneath the portrait “Kezess of Clan Indrath, first of his na a brow

His lips twitched in a suppressed smile “Toothoughtfully up at the side aether since the days even before Epheotus was formed And yet never have we had such an opportunity as now to deepen our insight This ‘Godrune,’ Aroa’s Requie a suitably sufficient understanding of aether, time, and the aevum branch couldn’t simulate without the Godrune itself I need to see more”

I paced toward the next to a pitched roof over a featureless sarcophagus, all carved out of cool blue stone that twinkled as I moved

“But I think that’s exactly the point,” I said, letting hts raced “The djinn had e in the form of runes You said it yourself, it’s how they made therona has copied for his people do the sa for mana, but becauseit into shape and capturing it as a rune isto stand beside ainst a carved pillar “These ‘keystones,’ then, are the djinn’s atteht into a rune that can be placed by unlocking the stone itself”

“Not exactly,” I explained, ordering e the Godrune They contain…raw inforain insight and the Godrune forms But a keystone isn’t required to forhtly, his brows shooting up his face before he could control his expression again, wiping the surprise away “You have Godrunes that weren’t formed by the keystones?”

Slowly, I nodded “The Destruction rune” I raised a hand to forestall the co question “It doesn’t reside with is”

“So you can…spontaneouslysufficient insight into the principle guiding the power gained?”

“That’s aze sharpened as he refocused on ave him a wry smile and continued on toward the next artifact in line, a towering statue of a stoic woman, her likeness captured in a moment of contemplation The warm, creaon was conjuring down the vines to hide the portrait of Kezess the first Another dragon had now joined the first two, and wherever they touched the vines, a black flower bloo,” I continued, circling around to a topic I had hoped to cover with him “Of the four keystones hidden within the Relictombs, I have found three The fourth, however, can’t be opened without the third, and that one was taken froo, or so it seems”

Kezess’s eyes lost focus as he looked into the distance “I know nothing of these keystones beyond what I have learned froht But…” He turned, walking away from the statue and across the hall

There, a shrine of sorts was set up Several silver candles burned, giving off a sweetly scented smoke that rose up to fra portrayed a woht blonde hair done up in a series of braids that wrapped around her head like a crown She was a very handsonize her at first, but as I took in her iridescent lavender eyes—captured with stunning detail in the painting—I realized who I was looking at

“Sylvia…” I said underover ently waved his hand in front of the altar, and the sh the silver smoke, I saw not the woman but the draconic form I could still picture as clearly as if I’d left her only yesterday, pearl white and covered in glowing golden runes

Then the sinal state

“Fate is a strange thing, Arthur,” Kezess mused, both his tone and expression unreadable as he looked at the ihter “Despite our inability to cos from the djinn They had discovered the interwoven connection between aether and Fate itself, believing it to be a fourth aspect I always thought they e in the Relictorona had captured some piece of it”

His eyes juned to unlock within the user depths of insightFate itself”

I hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Kezess let out a s chuckle

“No need to deny it now I’ve been puzzling over what this Aroa’s Requieave hter, I presume?” He scrutinized Sylvia’s picture for several seconds before continuing “Now it hter, sent you on a journey to gain control over Fate itself” Kezess gazed up at the portrait again, and I saw real sorrow bleed through for the first time “Sylvia’s final betrayal…”

“Not a betrayal,” I said firainst him “She kneho I was, even then She must have believed this was the best way forward You couldn’t have reached the keystones, and neither could any agent you ht have recruited from Dicathen How many people would you have sent to their deaths in search of the keystones had you known sooner?”

“It hardly matters now,” Kezess answered, his voice flat “Do you even understand what you’re asking e “To help you, I aht the djinn have secreted away For that level of power to be condensed into one huave a small shake of his head, and his voice lowered as if he were speaking to himself “Perhaps it would be more prudent si this knowledge, just as I did before”

My instincts kicked in, urginginto a battle stance, but I heldslightly, and Kezess was no longer standing in front often feet behind

“The djinn who toldelse” Kezess see’s Force building in the ons seeazes carefully averted, their faces blank “A s to reclaie, which he said had been locked away”

“Do you think one of these djinnthe tension fro ever came to my attention If they did, the keystone you seek likely burned with their world” Kezess gave a small shake of his head “Perhaps it is for the better”

I stood thunderstruck I was so certain that it had been sorona, one of thousands upon thousands of ascenders he had sent to their deaths in the Relictoht under my nose the entire time?

After all, who had sheltered the rebel djinn as the rest of their kin carried on with their work, even as the dragons burned their civilization to the ground?

“Sylvia herself setback at her picture and trying to reconcile the woht it was so ie of how to find the ruins housing these keystones in e and, in the end, unfortunate ideas,” Kezess saidas quickly as it had surfaced “Do not forget that it was her own uninforrona that resulted in her death But I think we are done for the moment Before the cereaze flicked up and down my clothes, which were still stained from the earlier battle “After the ceremony, Windsom will return you to Dicathen, and I will ensure Guardian Charon emphasizes the protection of your people in future altercations”

After being taken to a bath and given a change of clothes in the form of a perfectly tailored suit of some soft black fabric I couldn’t identify, I returned to the ht, after having been completely transformed With the to vines, the re space was solden trays of food and both bottles and casks of drink Golden goblets stood like rows of little soldiers between each cask, and every table was flanked by a servant

An altar had been set up at the foot of the dragon’s funeral bier, on which sat a shallol of oily red liquid Fro and putting off thin coils of s at attention by the door as if waiting for me to arrive His military style uniform looked even more crisp than usual, and there was an unreadable heaviness to his alien eyes He gestured ain, Arthur,” he began, his voice crisp and devoid of any emotion “Lord Indrath has requested that you occupy this position of honor withhosted by Lord Indrath, we act as his envoys, the first to welcome any who attend”

Despite my surprise, I moved to stand beside Windsoh the door only a on fro to his cheek There was no physical mark to shohere I’d struck him, but clearly the mental scar was still fresh He had left behind his ar in a fine black suit much like my own

“Welco both his hands

The dragon, Sarvash, wrapped both hands around Windsoainst the back of Sarvash’s right

They held this ritualistic posture for a couple seconds, then broke away

Behind Sarvash, the other survivor of the battle in Sapin walked arm in arht white armor, as well as her shi+eld and spear, and noore her hair in a long braid down her left side, standing out in stark contrast to the darkness of her htly shorter than her, and htly on the top He was clean-shaven, revealing round cheeks beneath ue frame

“Welco out for the woreat honor for one of such rank to welcome my fallen sister’s return to Epheotus On behalf of my clan and clan-friends, thank you”