Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
ELLIE
"The Authority knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
Writings of the Veinblood Masters
Something is wrong with my hand. I try to lift it and nothing happens.
I try again. The fingers twitch, but that’s all. My entire body feels heavy, unresponsive, not quite mine anymore.
What happened to me?
The last thing I remember clearly is standing in the throne room. Then … nothing. Just this strange, herb-scented room and the complete absence of the silver energy that should be humming beneath my skin.
That’s when the panic hits.
I force my eyes open, fighting against the weight pressing down on my eyelids. Wooden beams cross overhead, carved with patterns that blur and sharpen as I try to focus. I reach for my power again.
Nothing.
Not even a spark. My breath comes faster, and I try to sit up.
“Easy.” A familiar voice comes from somewhere to my right. “Don’t try to move too quickly.”
I turn my head, wincing as the motion sends a wave of dizziness through me. Vorith is sitting in a chair beside the bed.
“How …” I lick my lips, clear my throat, and try again. “How long was I unconscious?”
“Most of the afternoon and all night.” She rises to pour water from a pitcher into a cup. “You collapsed in the throne room, do you remember? You pushed yourself to the limits of endurance, and your body gave in to exhaustion.”
“I can’t feel my power.”
“Do you remember what I told you about how the Authority defeated us by forcing us to deplete our energies?” She waits for my nod. “That’s what happened here. Your power will return. You just need to rest.”
I take the cup she offers, sipping slowly and letting the cool water soothe my throat.
“You were brave out there.” Vorith’s voice is quiet. “Standing up to Sereven like that.”
The confrontation floods back. The way his words found their mark, and made me doubt everything about myself and my place here.
The moment when I’d actually considered his offer, and imagined what it would be like to build something new how I wanted it, instead of helping restore something that already existed.
You could be so much more than his useful pet.
For one heart beat, I’d wavered. The picture he painted had been so appealing. Until he mentioned killing Sacha, and fury burned it all away.
I chose love over power. I chose Sacha over everything. And the thought dislodges the memory of something I’d forgotten about.
In the dreams Vorith sent me, she told me she had chosen love and lost everything. Was that a warning about the future? Is that what will happen? What if by refusing Sereven’s offer and choosing my feelings for Sacha, I’ve doomed us all?
Something of my thoughts must show on my face, because Vorith leans forward.
“What is troubling you?”
I rest the cup on my lap, and meet her gaze. “In my dreams, you told me you chose love and lost everything. What did you mean?”
She’s quiet for a long moment. I’m about to repeat my question when she takes in a breath, and begins to talk.
“When the Authority first began to rise, I saw the signs early. The growing suspicion, the rhetoric against our kind, the way fear was being weaponized. I had opportunities to act, to draw the attention of the Windvein leaders.”
“And you didn’t?”
“I was young and foolish. I chose to believe in love instead, in human goodness, in the bonds of community we’d built with non-Veinbloods.
I chose faith over action.” Her voice grows quieter.
“I told myself that if we just continued to show people that we weren’t threats, that our powers would never be used against them, they’d see reason.
That love and understanding would overrule fear and rumor.
“By the time I realized how naive I’d been, it was too late.
The networks that could have warned people were being destroyed, and my friends were dead.
I chose faith in humanity over actions that might have saved lives.
” The pain and guilt in her voice is clear.
“That choice cost everything. My people, my home, my family. All gone because I believed the love of our community would be enough.”
What if I’m making the same mistake she did? What if love isn’t enough?
“Does that mean I’m going to lose everything too?”
“What do you mean?”
“He offered me power,” I say quietly. “He told me that I could build a new world, instead of restoring the old.”
Vorith’s lips part. “He asked you to betray the Vareth’el?”
“He wanted me to choose power over love. He made it sound so reasonable.” Shame burns through my veins. “There was a moment where I actually considered his offer.”
“But you refused him.”
“Because the price was abandoning everything that makes me who I am … and killing Sacha. But you chose love and the Authority won anyway. Is that what will happen now? Is that what you were warning me about?”
“No! The love I chose was passive. I hoped others would be better than they were without any action on my part. Your love? That is active. You’re fighting for the future you want.”
I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak.
“Ellie, you refused him. Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that you understand something I took years to learn. That real strength isn’t about the power you wield, it’s about knowing what you’re willing to sacrifice.
Real love doesn’t ask you to surrender who you are.
It asks you to become more than you thought you were capable of.
You chose love over ambition, loyalty over control. That’s wisdom, not weakness.”
When Sereven painted visions of what I could become, I chose what I wanted instead. I chose the man who sees me as more than what I can be used for. I chose the future we could build together over the power I could wield alone.
A faint pulse of warmth over my arms makes me blink. It happens again, a third time, and then Sacha’s presence returns, washing through me.
My breath catches.
The bond is back. But not only that—
“Sacha! He’s here!” I throw myself out of the bed, legs nearly buckling as my feet hit the floor. The room spins violently, but I don’t care. He’s alive. And he’s close by.
“Elowen, wait!” Vorith starts, but I’m already heading for the door.
“I need to find him. I need to—” I look down and realize I’m wearing nothing but a thin nightdress. Heat floods my cheeks. “Oh! I need to get dressed first.”
“You need to sit down.” Vorith’s voice is firm. “You can barely stand.”
“I don’t care.” I spin around, gritting my teeth against the nausea that rises, searching around the unfamiliar room. “Where are my clothes? What did you do with them?”
“On the chair by the table.” She moves to steady me as I sway. “But you’re going to collapse if you don’t—”
“I’m not going to collapse.” I bat her hands away. “I’m fine!”
Vorith’s jaw tightens. “You are not fine. You’ve been unconscious for hours, your power is completely drained, and you can barely stand upright. Sit down.”
“No.” The single word comes out flat. I’ve made up my mind, and nothing she says will change it. I spot my tunic and lurch toward it, ignoring her warnings.
As I pull the tunic over my head, my hand brushes against the dark lines of the mist stalker, where it’s resting against my ribs. Relief at seeing it turns me lightheaded. Even with my power drained, it’s still there.
“Slow down.”
“He needs to see that I’m all right.” I need to see that he’s all right.
“He’ll see that better if you don’t collapse before you reach him.”
I ignore her. “What is the situation with Ashenvale? Is it secure? How many of our people were wounded in the fighting?"
“Elowen—”
“I need information! Sacha will want to know what he’s walking into.”
Vorith sighs, finally realizing I’m not going to stop. “The city is celebrating. People are in the streets, tearing down Authority symbols and raising the old banners. As for our wounded—”
“How many?” I pull on my pants, followed by my boots.
“Surprisingly few. Seventeen injured, three seriously. They are in the main garrison near the plaza.”
I nod, filing away each piece of information, while Sacha’s presence grows stronger, more distinct. He’s definitely getting closer.
“What about the soldiers who surrendered?"
“They’re being held under guard until it’s decided what to do with them.” Vorith moves closer, clearly preparing to catch me if I fall. “Elowen, please, just slow down for one moment.”
“I can’t slow down.” The bond pulses again, stronger, and a rush of anticipation floods through me.
I’m going to see him. After everything we’ve been through, I’m going to see Sacha again. “Don’t you understand? He’s been separated from this place for over thirty years! I want to be there when he realizes what we’ve done.”
I evade her hands, and lurch toward the door.
“Wait—”
But I’m already pulling the door open, and stumbling into the hallway beyond. Corwin jumps to his feet from where he was sitting against the wall, hand dropping to his sword before he recognizes me.
“You’re awake.” Relief covers his face. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I look around, frowning. “Where are we?” Everything looks the same—carved walls and archways that I’ve never seen before.
“Still inside the Spire. Fifth level.” He moves to steady me when I sway. “Master Vorith thought you’d rest better away from the noise below.”
“I want to go to the throne room.” I set off down the hallway in what I hope is the right direction. “I need to make sure everything is ready for when he gets here.”
“He? He who?”
“She wants to go to the throne room to prepare for the Vareth’el’s arrival.” Vorith’s exasperation is clear. “Despite the fact she can hardly walk.”
“Then we go to the throne room.”
I flash him a triumphant grin, and move forward again. I make it maybe three steps before my legs give out. Corwin catches my arm.
“Steady. Maybe we should take this slowly.”
“I can walk.” It’s a lie, made even more obvious by the fact I’m leaning heavily against him.
“She’s been like this since she realized the Vareth’el is nearby,” Vorith says. “Completely unreasonable. She can’t even stand upright, but insists on rushing around making preparations. I’ve tried reasoning with her, but she won’t listen to sense.”
Corwin adjusts his grip to better support my weight. “In the past few days, I’ve learned there is no point in arguing with her when she’s made up her mind about something.” Amusement threads through his voice.
Vorith sighs, and follows as we make our way slowly through the Spire’s hallways. I try to focus on putting one foot in front of the other rather than the dizziness that keeps threatening to overwhelm me with each step.
A servant appears around the corner ahead of us, carrying a tray of what looks like clean linens. The moment she sees us, she freezes, head dropping, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
“Good morning,” I say softly as we pass her.
She flinches at the sound of my voice, mumbling something that might be a greeting before hurrying away.
“They’re still adjusting,” Corwin explains. “Under Authority rule, being noticed by anyone with power usually meant punishment. It’s going to take time for them to understand things have changed.”
These people have lived in fear for so long that they don’t know how to respond to simple kindness. How many years will it take to undo that damage?
The thought saddens me.
We pass two more servants on our way to the throne room, and both react the same way as the first. Each time makes my chest tighten.
“How long will it take? For them to stop being afraid?”
“Fear like that doesn’t just disappear overnight. But it will fade, once they see that things will be different.”
We’re almost at the throne room when the connection linking me to Sacha turns so intense it nearly stops me in my tracks. He isn’t just close anymore, he’s almost here. My heart picks up speed, excitement and anticipation warring for dominance.
“Wait. Stop!” I squeeze Corwin’s forearm. “He’s much closer than I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t have time to check the throne room. We need to leave the city.” I’m already trying to pull him away from the doors leading into the throne room. “I want to meet him outside the city gates.”
“This is ridiculous,” Vorith protests. “You’ve almost fallen three times just walking to the throne room, and now you want to leave the city entirely?”
“Yes. This is his city. His home. I want to see his face when we tell him we took Ashenvale. I want to be able to give it back to him properly. ”
“Absolutely not. You’re not leaving the Spire, let alone the city. Look at yourself. You’re too weak.”
“I’m going.”
“This is madness Corwin, surely you can see—”
“The main gates are at least fifteen minutes walk away.” Corwin’s voice is careful, but I notice he doesn’t actually say no. “There are horses in the stables—”
“Corwin!” Vorith’s voice sharpens. “Don’t encourage this foolishness.”
He turns to look at me. “Other than exhaustion, are you hurt?”
I shake my head.
“Then I will get you out of the city, if that is what you want.”
“Yes.”
Vorith throws up her hands. “You’re both insane.”
“She wants to greet the Vareth’el. So that’s what we’re going to do.”