30. Thirty
Thirty
A letter arrived after supper, delivered by a mottled messenger owl. The seal stamped with the insignia of crossed swords identified Thorn as its sender. Nova occupied one of the seats at the round onyx table in her uncle’s Council room.
“The Aemorian Council has reached a decision,” Nox announced, tossing the creased parchment into the center of the table. “Only Maedwen abstained from casting a vote. The rest of the territories voted in favor of aiding us in our plight.”
Callan took up the letter, quickly scanning the contents before pushing it into Lucan’s impatiently outstretched hand.
“We may have the support of the Council, but what exactly is our strategy here?” Callan asked, ever eager to assess the merits of a plan. “Shall we use a small group to infiltrate Raven’s Isle to end this fight before it becomes an all-out battle as we did with General Idrian?”
“I’ve never set foot in the Shadow Court.” Lucan peered at Callan over the top of Thorn’s letter. “Have you?”
“Clearly not,” Callan replied, already annoyed with the commander.
The two worked well together, but Nova had observed that one of the pillars of their friendship appeared to consist of Lucan getting on Callan’s nerves, intentionally or otherwise.
Lucan lowered the letter and slid it across the smooth stone to Nova.
She read Thorn’s message absently as the others continued to deliberate.
“Even with a former resident of the Shadow Court on our side,” Lucan continued, indicating Bryn, “there are too many unknowns. Circumstances have changed since she left—let’s not forget the godsdamned mercenaries who’ve joined Omen’s cause.”
“Agreed,” Bryn said. “Perhaps we can draw Omen into Lunar territory. He felt Nova’s presence intensely when Idrian held her at Schadwen Mountain. Her closeness may be enough to lure him out.”
“What if you contact him and propose a trade?” Lucan suggested to Nox. “Imply you’ll turn Nova over, but only if he appears in the flesh.”
Nova looked to her uncle.
Beside her, Callan shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of using Nova as bait, but it may be the only way to get Omen to leave Raven’s Isle. Do you think he’d believe you?”
Nox relaxed into his seat and brought one hand to his chin, his mouth twisting as he thought. “My brother always thought me weak. He might just believe I’d be willing to sacrifice a single soul to save my own skin.”
Callan leaned in close to her. “You risk more than anyone else in this,” he murmured, speaking as if they were the only two in the room. “What do you want to do?”
Nova answered without hesitation. “Whatever it takes.”
“I like it better than storming the Shadow Court,” Lucan said, shrugging. “But we’ll need reinforcements.”
Callan stood, laying a hand on Nova’s shoulder. “I’ll write Thorn with instructions to convey to the other Nobles. Each territory can send as many blades as they choose. We’ll gather our forces along the northern shore.”
“Won’t an army lying in wait be a bit suspicious?” Bryn asked. “We don’t want to risk spooking Omen if he decides to show.”
“I’ll do my best to weave a strong shield around them all,” Nox said. “I’m fairly certain Siris and Sienna will help me weave it.”
“Samira, too,” Callan added. “If we’re all agreed, I’ll send word to my uncle in Nivali.”
When no one voiced any objections, Callan crossed to the writing desk in the corner and rustled through stacks of parchment for a fresh sheet.
Nova watched as Lucan approached her uncle, leaning down to whisper something in his ear and brushing a smudge of charcoal off Nox’s chin with his thumb.
She turned away to find Bryn beside her, leaning against the table’s edge, something cupped in her palm.
“Since we’ll soon be courting danger once again, I thought you should have this.” Bryn opened her hand, revealing a smooth stone.
Nova took it in her fingers. As she rubbed her thumb over the surface, flat and transparent like amber glass, a vague sense of recognition washed over her.
She’d seen a stone like it in the market in Pyralis shortly after her arrival in Aemoria.
A seeing stone, the vendor had told her.
For seeing loved ones over great distances.
“Where did you get this?” Nova asked, a hint of alarm lacing her words as she lifted her eyes to Bryn’s.
Callan and the others neared, drawn by the apprehension in her tone.
“I found it,” Bryn said, her brow creasing at she glanced at everyone suddenly gathered around her. “Among my things after we left the Autumn Court. I thought it was good luck. It saw us through the trials, after all.”
Callan snatched the stone from Nova’s upturned palm and drew his dagger. In one fluid motion, he set the stone on the table and brought the pommel of the blade down with a crushing blow, shattering the amber into countless jagged shards and sending them skittering across the onyx tabletop.
“That’s no lucky charm,” he said, looking to Nox and Lucan, who wore matching solemn expressions. “That’s a spy’s stone.”
“I thought it was for seeing loved ones.” Nova rose from her seat.
“That’s what salesfolk say, and most use them for that purpose,” Lucan explained. “But they’re also used for surveillance. The stones come in a pair. If you lift one to your eye like a spyglass, you can see where the other stone is, like peering through a windowpane.”
Someone has their eye on you.
Nova’s heart stuttered. She and Callan believed the medallion from Liv had been used to track their location as they traveled the Realm.
“So, if we’d looked through the stone, we might have seen who has been spying on us?” she asked.
Lucan snorted, flicking a bit of crushed amber in Callan’s direction. “Bit late for that now, isn’t it, Cal?”
Pressing her eyes shut, Nova recalled the day they departed the Autumn Court. “I can’t be certain, but I believe Evander may have planted the stone among our things. I saw him lurking near the horses. I thought he meant to make amends, but he left without speaking to any of us.”
“That prick,” Callan muttered under his breath. “He was the one feeding information to Omen all along.”
Nova laid a hand on his forearm.
Callan shot a glance at Bryn, his dark eyes flashing. “Did you have the stone out while we were speaking just now?”
“No,” Bryn insisted. She patted the small leather pouch hanging from her belt. “It was stashed away the entire time. I only took it out to give it to Nova once we were through.”
“But you sometimes held it while we were traveling?” Nova asked, already sure of the answer. It was the trinket she’d caught Bryn staring at as they neared Lotus Lake in Tundara.
Bryn’s face fell. “From time to time. It’s quite pretty, and holding it calmed me.”
Callan found Nova’s eye. “The ravens in Tundara. The repera in the Wylds. It was Evander all along.” He pitched his voice low so only she could hear him. “And to think, my medallion is drowning in a soggy patch of moss in the Spring Court.”
“Has it . . . heard all our plans?” Nova asked.
“No. It doesn’t work when covered,” Lucan explained with a shake of his head.
Nova blew out a breath. The worry in her chest eased a bit, but she frowned.
“Pyralis agreed to come to our aid,” she said, thinking aloud. “Why do that if they’ve been conspiring with Omen?”
Callan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her against him. The warmth of his broad chest thawed the chill creeping across her skin. He sighed gruffly, a single word carried on the end of his exhale.
“Fawn.”
“I knew that fire heir was a tricky bastard.” Lucan jabbed a finger in the air. “He’ll do anything to get his sister back. Even align himself with the enemy.”
Nova looked at the floor, bits of broken amber scattered like stars on the polished stone. “It’s my fault she was taken. Can you truly blame him?”
“I can.” Callan curled a finger under her chin and tilted her face to his. “Fawn is like blood to me. We grew up together. That’s how I’m certain she would never blame you. Nor would she wish for anyone’s life to be sacrificed to save hers—least of all yours.”
“I stand by what I said.” Lucan leaned back against the edge of the table. “Having a kind sister doesn’t make him any less of a prick.”
“Perhaps not.” Callan dropped his hand from Nova’s chin and turned toward the others, assuming command of the situation.
“But we don’t know for certain it was Evander who planted the stone, and we need all the help we can get.
That tricky bastard has several hundred soldiers to spare.
I have plenty I’d like to say to my cousin, but I’ll deal with him once we’ve rescued Fawn and stopped Omen. ”
“Say the word, and I’ll be happy to teach him a lesson,” Lucan offered.
“I’ll hold him down,” Bryn added.
“Noted, both of you.” Callan squeezed Nova’s shoulder once then returned to the writing desk, rummaging through the papers stacked there. “Nox, is there a single sheet you haven’t yet sketched on?”