32. Chapter 32
Uriah unclasped his arms that hung around Fyom and Peiro and instantly dropped to his knees. “My deepest apologies. I have utmost respect for the Endromeon line. The true line to rule Gria.” He kept his head bent forward, refusing to look up at Ora as she stood right in front of him.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that title. What do you think of it, sister? Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Should we add it to the list of others?”
“Stop playing with your food and let the man—clearly an imbecile—rise.” I laughed under my breath.
Uriah whipped his head up instantly and locked eyes with mine, granting me a side grin and another wink. “I do like it when a lady talks dirty to me.”
My eyes widened as I held in a laugh but lost the fight the moment I heard Peiro growl again. Paige proceeded to swat her nephew in the back of his head with her hand.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Paige scolded him, fighting back her own laugh.
“Fine. Fine. You may rise and all that nonsense.” Ora flicked her wrist and moved to Sury’s side.
“I sincerely apologize, Your…Majesties?” Uriah shuffled back to his feet. “Highnesses? I’ve never been one to understand political correctness.”
“Manners. You mean manners.” Paige swatted at Uriah’s side, who feigned an injury.
“Careful, Pip. You could hurt a man with that punch.”
“Boy, if you call me Pip one more time…”
“You’ll what? Shoot a flower my way?”
Paige shooed him toward a shaded patio, fretting over him smelling like a forest creature and needing a meal, while Sury and Fyom followed closely behind.
John-Carl had already scurried through a door with a tray full of refreshments.
The man looked to be in such distress I half wondered if he was afraid of Paige and made the mental note that he might be in need of a raise.
A looming presence hovered behind me. I turned to find silver eyes looking down into mine. Ora stepped to my side and all but narrowed her eyes at Peiro in return. Since Fernwick, their fuses with one another had seemed rather short, but I hadn’t had a moment to pry about it.
Peiro looked at us with serious eyes before saying, “The boy is smart, but he doesn’t know about me the way you all do.
Paige knows I’m distantly related, and has been around long enough to see that I haven’t aged, but she doesn’t ask questions.
Uriah thinks of me as a family friend, and we hope to keep it that way—for everyone’s safety.
There’s no telling what someone from Dokvalon would do to get the information out of them. ”
Ora crossed her arms and huffed. “He’s already onto you. How long has it been since you’ve seen him? And he’s already noticed you haven’t aged.”
“She has a point.”
Peiro released a slow exhale. “Unfortunately. Fyom is still bound by the chinsaya, but that might as well be good and gone at this point since you all know.”
“Well, what do you want us to do?” Ora shook her head.
“We’ll see how long I can keep up the ruse. It may be inevitable, but we have to try. For his sake.”
I knew what he was asking and lightly gripped his hand. “I understand. And we’ll make sure Sury understands too.” I leaned up on the tips of my toes and swiftly kissed Peiro on the cheek, a faint smile dancing on his lips.
We sat under the shade with the rest. Learning about Uriah was fascinating.
He had been a merchant, a sailor, and a guard that helped pilgrims from the northern realms travel to visit the Three Sisters.
His life sounded like one of the characters in the books I used to curl up with to waste the day as it rained.
Uriah balanced a plate of breakfast on his lap as he kicked up his dusty boots and rested them on top of a spare patio chair.
I would have expected Paige to twist his ear for the defiance but she looked grossly used to it.
Sury shot him question after question about the northern territories and if he had any word about his father.
Uriah eased Sury’s mind and said there was still peace in the north and at its borders, and that nothing seemed out of place.
“I recently came from the west, but so far it seems the northern lands above the Dolock River to the border of Loamil appear unscathed.”
“That would make sense,” Sury cut in. “We traveled from your father’s to Ventus Bluff before coming here. We didn’t see any rot until we crossed into these lands.”
“Great. So my land is targeted?” huffed Paige. “Wouldn’t be surprised if Ariadne had something to do with it.”
Paige could have been onto something. She was the court member most known to despise Vovias and Aridane, and was the only one remaining from prior to my sister’s coming reign.
It would make sense if she were targeted.
My mind pondered on what could have caused the land to become sickly, and why her powerful Eathern Wielding, of all things, couldn’t overcome it.
“From the west, you say?” Fyom asked Uriah quizzically as he continued to observe the gardens from where we sat.
Uriah shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth and set his plate down on the table. “I did. And, yes, I saw her.”
Fyom said nothing as he continued to study whatever was in his line of sight. Paige’s eyes bounced back and forth between the father and son. Once she seemed satisfied that no one was going to speak further, she led the charge. “And how is she doing?”
Ora looked at me for any indication of who they might be speaking about, but I only shrugged.
“Mad. Madder than a run-over rabbit. The lot of them.” Uriah wiped his hands on a napkin. “I don’t know why I even bother anymore. She hasn’t made sense ever since she turned herself. None of them have.”
Uriah rubbed his brows with his thumb and pointer finger.
Faint little scars covered his hand and traveled up his wrist before disappearing into the sleeve of his dusty tunic.
“The other day, right before I left, it got worse. She succumbed to some sort of convulsion and her eyes turned blank, claiming she spoke for Thuvina. She kept repeating over and over about some sort of dark priestess of Thuvina’s having awoken, embracing her power, or some nonsense.
” Uriah shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth.
“Repeated gibberish of ‘Power will be restored once the Sun Killer is reborn.’ She makes me want a stiff drink within five minutes of being around her with how crazy she’s gotten. ”
Chills ran down my spine at his words. Sun Killer.
Was she speaking of me?
That couldn’t be possible. No one else has heard the name that’s been echoed in the far depths of my mind, not even Peiro.
I didn’t even know what it referred to. At the thought, my illicitus thrashed, wanting a release.
My body tensed as my Wielding raced to the top, demanding control.
I forced a breath, trying to keep my magic at bay as my arms tremored at my side.
A strong hand clasped tightly around mine, pulling my attention to silver eyes that spoke memories of finding calm and focusing on the here, the now.
I worked to steady my breath. Heat rose to my cheeks at my public outburst, but when I looked around the table, only my sister was paying me any mind.
Ora eyed me warily before turning her attention back to the others. “Who are these people you speak of?” she asked Uriah.
“Graevick’s Followers…or just Graevicks, as the nonconformed say.
” He shook his head. “I usually don’t interact with them, but it’s an easy cover for me and a few of my mercenary friends to meet and share information…
not that I would ever do anything illegal here in Gria, your Majesties.
” Uriah plastered on a wide, fake smile as he fluttered his eyelashes at Ora, who gave an equally mischievous grin.
Fyom sighed and mumbled under his breath about needing to be around better company.
Those who followed Graevick’s laws were known as a cult who used blood magic, but they had been dismissed for years.
Their magic was tainted and dark—every bit intentional, and every follower had a high price to pay.
It was said that many of those who were rejected by the High Seven Temple joined Graevicks out of spite.
Their numbers steadily grew over time, but had never been large enough to pose a threat. Until now, it seemed.
“Power restored? What is that supposed to mean?” Paige asked with the same exasperated tone I was accustomed to hearing during her times in court.
“No idea. I tried asking, but she just rambled.”
“Did she say anything else about other things?” Fyom whispered, keeping his attention on a distant object. “Or Malko?”
Uriah shook his head. “No, and I didn’t see Malko this time.” Fyom sadly nodded. “She kept blabbing about keys and telling fucked-up stories about that monster they call the Ancient One… It’s crazy what those people will believe.”
My eyes widened. It couldn’t be a coincidence that she spoke of keys. Were they the same ones we sought? How would they know?
Sury nervously chuckled. “That does sound a bit crazy—believing that stories have any truth to them…” His eyes quickly bounced to me and Peiro before he continued, “What in the world do they want with a fictional tale?”
Uriah sighed. “That’s the thing about these people. They don’t believe it’s just a story. Graevicks have a whole religion based on this creature, and they believe something has stirred in the air and released its power or some bullshit.”
Questions swirled within my mind about how this was all connected. “This Ancient One—what in the giant’s realm would they want with it?” I could feel the rising tension rolling off Peiro’s body in waves.
“Play a round of cards, I’m sure,” Ora mused, popping a piece of fruit nonchalantly in her mouth. “I bet it sucks at cards.”
Peiro chuckled under his breath, likely thinking of the one good hand Ora had against him just a few nights ago.