Chapter 49
Asta knocked on the door to Queen Arielle’s office a fair amount of time after her reunion with King Aerik. She wanted them to have a proper homecoming, but also knew how precious time really was given the current situation.
Kaid tagged along, peering over Asta’s shoulder as she opened the door and the king and queen waved her in. Asta tapped the door frame as she entered, then she and Kaid both sat in the moss covered seats across the desk from them.
Arielle signed, addressing them both. “I am forever indebted for what you two have done for us. We now stand a fair chance against the finfolk and may be able to end this once and for all.” Arielle’s eyes latched onto the trident that Kaid started carrying everywhere.
“I can feel it, humming. But it does not call to me as it should. It seems it recognizes a different ruler of Naltania as its owner. But there is something else in the room with us, isn’t there? ”
With shaky hands, Asta removed the items she had stowed away in her bag, safely wrapped in multiple layers of cloth to keep them safe. She laid the comb and mirror on the desk and the relics slid closer to each other without anyone touching them.
Queen Else had taken a great risk by hiding the comb in plain sight where it could have fallen into the wrong hands, but she trusted that her daughter would grow up to be someone who coveted things that belonged to her mother.
Arielle inspected the pieces, turning them over in her palms multiple times. Her brow furrowed, lips turning down. “I wish I could be the one to use these to their full potential, but a voice is required. It seems that these will be better in your hands,” she gestured to Kaid and Asta.
“Your Highness, can you—do you know anything about how my family is connected to all of this?” Asta was hopeful that the empress knew something, as she seemed to know everything.
Arielle nodded, a soft smile on her lips as she reached across the desk and grabbed Asta’s hand. Then, she let go and began.
The siren explained that Asta’s mother, Else Blomvin, came from a long line of Blomvins. The family had always been involved in magical affairs even though they held no magic any longer.
Blomvins, along with many other old family names in the western parts of Salendron, once belonged to a fae clan in the western mountains.
The clan was incredibly docile compared to its neighbors, which led to frequent attacks from other clans wanting to acquire their land.
The western mountains held the finest soil for crops, the most intricate cave tunnel systems for travel and homes, and the area in general was a hot spot for magic.
Asta’s ancestors, to her surprise, were the clan leaders, similar to the fae council in the Spellid Mountains. Asta supposed that was where all of their generational wealth came from.
Over time, the fae clan of the western mountains grew tired with never feeling safe and constantly needing to defend their homes. They dismantled, and each fae went their own way, some joining the neighboring clans and others removing themselves from the fae affairs completely.
The Blomvins chose peace—to settle and live a calm life. And after so many generations of marrying and reproducing with humankind, their fae heritage became so diluted that they were nearly full human. However, all members of the Blomvin line had an affinity for magic due to their bloodline.
Asta asked how it was possible that her family possessed the comb and mirror, and how her mother knew so much. Queen Arielle did not have an answer for Queen Else’s knowledge, suspecting that she had discovered old family journals or some form of record keeping from centuries ago.
As for the comb and mirror, the western mountain clan was one of the clans that helped create the sirens, so naturally, they would have helped conceal any of the relics that could potentially be used as weapons for sirens looking to cause trouble.
Many generations of Blomvins likely did not know what they were passing down, only assuming that they were family heirlooms. But Queen Else knew, and made sure to strategically separate the items.
It was funny, Asta thought, how Else’s own daughter would be someone involved in reuniting the relics and planning to harness them. Even though she did not know her mother, she knew she would approve of Asta’s determination to end the violence.
Asta had watched the villages surrounding the castle be tortured for years, not knowing that it was finfolk causing the distress. Now that she knew, she would avenge all those taken from her kingdom.
“I have something else for you to look at,” Asta signed before pulling the second signet ring from her pouch and placing it on the desk. “Can you tell if this is cursed in any way?”
Arielle inspected the piece of metal through squinted eyes for several moments before placing it back on the desk. “I sense nothing sinister within. However, I do believe that this is an iron key.”
A knock on the door startled Asta, and a scout swam in, handing a seaweed scroll to Queen Arielle.
Asta and Kaid stood up to remove themselves, but the queen gestured for them to remain seated.
She unrolled the seaweed and read silently, her face never changing.
King Aerik read next, scrubbing a hand over his chin.
The king cleared his throat as he rested the scroll on the desk. “Ryktarva is coming.”