Chapter 462 (2/2)
“This is it,” she said after a moment, her tone uncertain
“What?” I asked before sparking with understanding “The rune-etched table? The one you took that iven o in search of it before ere sent off to Dicathen
I i and researching the piece ofto the forefront ofelse
“Wait,” she said, bringing , and she bit her lip nervously “Should we?”
“Of course!” I said, excited to see this work of I for myself “If it answers our questions—”
“But what if the answers aren’t…good?” she asked, and I suddenly understood
“Then all theback to the door, I eased it open and entered The room beyond was dimly lit from no definitive source and empty except for the artifact in question A finely carved and crafted table, six feet long by about three feet across, took up almost the entire space It was covered in runes etched deeply into the hard, glossy wood They framed the top of the table with densely packed lines, then seemed to have been focused at certain positions across the surface
I activated alia, and the table lit up with lines of connection and understanding as the ic atte “These formations, here, here, and here…if you were to lie over the top of them, they would be beneath your head, your core, and your lower spine” I ran
“This bit see Transferring or capturing,in the doorway, still looking nervous “Perhaps it helped you contain the mana after your core broke down, but that seeration And besides, the rest of the runes are too coht, these really are like nothing I’ve seen before Maybe asuran in origin? A use structure originated by the basilisks and not integrated into Alacryan society?”
I continued to mumble toto pluck out the roups in a sequence And as I read, a prickly sensation began to grow at the nape of my neck, and the hair there stood on end I wasn’t certain why, but the runes wereto peel away the layers of ht up with?
Taking a steadying breath, I pushed h the lens of asped
At the sa from the corners, it folded over and over like a piece of paper, too rapidly to react The space arping in toward us, caging us within a distortion of space itself I pushed out with mana, a formless emanation to hold back the effect, but my mana was si within the field of twisted space, I could see another rooh space into the cells beneath the fortress, I realized with a panicked jolt
But the folding of space was slowing, the defor The spell quivered, the forces ofin the fabric of reality around us
“Go, quickly,” Cecilia gasped Both her hands were held up in front of her, clutched and clawlike, and she fought against the trap, preventing us fro shi+fted away
I didn’t need to be told twice
Rushi+ng to the door, I had to wait a long and painful second before it fully reappeared, flat and able to be opened, then burst through, reaching back for Cecilia But she didn’t needon her brow, but with each instant, she seeh the door and into the hall When ere both safe from the spell’s effects, she released it, and the folded space snapped away, the table vanishi+ng and leaving the room barren
“He’ll know,” I said breathlessly,inaway and leading us out of the reliquary
At each turn, I expected to corona, but we reached the upper level without seeing anyone at all, and Cecilia led us to one of Agrona’s sitting rooms, where she poured two drinks, handed one to me, and walked away to stand by theand stare out at thequiet, knowing this was exactly the wrong place to discuss the runes and what they meant, and so I eased into a tall-backed chair, took a sip of my drink, which tasted of bark and honey, and leaned my head back
Even if she had wanted to discuss it, I wasn’t sure what to tell her If I had days or even weeks to explore the runes at my leisure, I still wasn’t sure I could fully decipher the intent behind theht about what I’d seen, the more uncomfortable I beca for e the i, I didn’t think it was meant to help Cecilia
A bottle clinked, and I realized with a jolt that Agrona was standing behind the sitting roolass of solass two-thirds full, replaced the bottle, then took a small drink He hed
Cecilia had spun an instant before I univebefore rona stepped unhurriedly around the bar and then leaned back against it, raising his glass “To the unexpected!”
Cecilia stared at hi her throat and continuing She explained that she had followed a phoenix within the Beast Glades, and her Wraiths had fought him Just as they see some kind of domain spell that turned the world to fire around thee in a prolonged battle with hi, “but I tracked the phoenixes back to their ho all these years”
Agrona nodded slightly, his brows raised “And is that all?”
“No,” she answered fir with her story
I felt a knot of tension groithin me as Cecilia explained all that she had overheard while listening in on the conversation between Arthur and the phoenix These artifacts of Epheotus—thewe should control, not our enemy, but they were barely a footnote in the tale
The tension built as Cecilia explained the keystones, Mordain’s story, and eventually Arthur’s gaining of a sudden burst of insight through the relic itself Despite listening carefully to every word of her story, I had no idea what to think about it at all
Fate couldat all If not for e of reincarnation, I would have said it was nothing but a red herring, a false trail that we should let Arthur stumble down to inevitable failure But…
“You’ve done well to bringa est her words, just as I had “This oals in the Beast Glades even more important, but also escalates the need to deal with Arthur Leywin”
He s a private joke with himself “From what you’ve said, it sounds as if this ‘keystone’ he retrieved fro to solve for some tio into hiding, of course, with no choice but to allow his allies to guard over him as the keystone leaves him vulnerable”
“It doesn’t h all of Dicathen if you ask aze flicked to her, but I did eave her a proud, predatory smile “I know you would, my dear, there is no question about it, but your role in this has not changed The rift remains your priority”
Cecilia’s expression fell, and she took a half step toward Agrona “High Sovereign, I promise you this tiht of Agrona’s stare
“You forget yourself, child You go where I wish, strike where I indicate You arestare softened “Besides When weIf our effort there fails, then you will be caught between Kezess’s forces and whatever guardians Arthur leaves in place While I aain whatever insight the djinn have left behind should he prove capable of defeating their riddle, there is no route forward in which we do not control the rift into Epheotus, do you understand? That is your job Without the dragons to defend hi him out”
Cecilia took a quick step back and bowed her head, her eyes on the floor as she said, “Of course, Agrona”
His attention turned to me expectantly I cleared n With this regalia, I am confident I can complete your vision”
One corner of his ht s to be so dismissive of this power you’ve acquired There is no need to explain why it is now eventhe door out to the balcony A rush of cold air blew through the roo feet and shouted orders Following him out onto the balcony, I looked down at one of the courtyards that were built into the sides of the fortress
The courtyard was full ofsoldiers Instead of orderly ranks, I saw in their motions confusion and uncertainty Even as I watched,soldiers in handfuls out into thecrowd
“Wraiths and Scythes will not be enough to accorona continued “We need soldiers If we’re forced to search for Arthur Leywin, then we need eyes, as rona turned around and leaned against the railing, wavingstep toward hiled hair I froze, looking up at hiestured for Cecilia, who approached with equal uncertainty He put an ar between us like a proud father preparing to have his portrait painted
“A changewind blows, as they say in the old country,” he said to neither of us in particular “Everything is aligning as it should be Our enemy will soon be divided, the Godspell in our power, and I have even invented a proper use for all those little rebel bloods who followed Seris in her futile efforts”
His deers threaded into h to pull and be painful “And you till be in your rightful place at the center of it all, earning the fairytale happy ending you both have worked so hard for You need only do as you are told Fulfill my vision It would be a shaoal so close"