Chapter 53
The excitement is almost overwhelming.
I am in Wrohelm. I can feel it in the air, see it in the colour of the bricks, smell it in the smoke so thick that it clogs my throat. And by the looks of things, I suspect I’m in the courtier’s arc, but the house I’m in front of is not one I recognise.
I float upwards, trying to get a better view of where I am. Just as I suspected, I’m on the outer edge of the High Hold, a fair distance from the easily identifiable orangery of our own home.
So why am I here? I didn’t expect to be brought directly into the house as I was before – I didn’t actually expect this to work – but there must be a reason I landed here.
This must be where William is.
Slowly, I glide back down and land on one of the upper window ledges, but the curtains are drawn.
Not deterred, I try the next one, and though the curtains are open, there is no sign of anyone inside.
One by one, I work my way through all the windows on this side of the house before moving to the other.
If anyone were watching, the bird’s behaviour would strike them as more than a little suspicious, but I don’t stop until I’ve checked every window ledge, including those on the ground floor.
From what I can tell, the house is empty, with no sign of anyone, including William.
Disappointment threatens to weigh my stomach down, but I don’t let it.
This is progress. I came here today with very little effort, and it’s not like I have to stay outside this house.
After another upward soar – high enough to orient myself – I head in the direction of the family home.
This time, I see movement inside the building, and when I land on the windowsill, I’m looking directly at Kay and Jonas.
Together. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if these two are ever apart.
‘I know you think I’m getting control of it, but I’m not sure,’ Kay moans from where she sits slumped on the sofa. ‘It seems to happen randomly.’
‘Just because you can’t see the patterns yet, it doesn’t mean it’s random,’ Jonas reassures her.
‘Rose would know what to do,’ she grumbles. ‘She’s always good at giving advice.’
Before I have time to bask in the compliment I know she wouldn’t give if I were actually there, Jonas carries on speaking.
‘Rose’s advice would be to keep practising,’ he replies.
‘To keep going and have faith in yourself. You were given this power because you can handle it, and she’d tell you that moping about wishing for answers isn’t going to get you them.
You’re strong and you can do this. You just have to have patience. And practice.’
A smile blooms deeper within me. I’m not sure that’s exactly how I would have phrased it myself, but the sentiment is there, and I appreciate his determination to make her see sense.
‘I heard something at court yesterday,’ Kay says, sitting forward. ‘About Rose. About how some people don’t believe she’s visiting temples. How they believe the Goddess gave her some quest to rebel against Korvane, and he’s going to send the guards after her. You don’t believe that’s true, do you?’
‘Do I believe court gossip? Do you really need me to answer that?’ Jonas asks witheringly.
When Kay’s brow remains pinched, he moves across the room and takes a seat beside her.
‘No, I don’t believe that Korvane is going to send guards after Rose.
’ His voice is soft now. Tender. ‘And even if he did, Kyor’s with her. ’
The pinch in Kay’s brow tightens. ‘Kyor? No.’ She shakes her head. ‘He left for the Hirathean Path over a moon ago. I remember it being talked about in court.’
A small smile lifts Jonas’s lips. ‘Trust me, he’s with her, and even if he wasn’t, Wrohelm guards aren’t going to touch the gifted.
Now, here’s an idea.’ Jonas stands up and moves over to the sideboard, where he fetches a large jug and a glass.
‘Why not try pouring a glass of water for me. Really slowly. And see if you can use your powers while you’re doing it.
That way I’ll be able to see it. Or at least see the effects. Could that work?’
Kay chews on her cheek in consternation, clearly unwilling to drop the issue of court gossip just yet, but finally she releases the tension in her jaw and nods.
‘It might,’ Kay admits. ‘Yes, it might.’
My heart thrums. What in the Gods’ names could Kay’s power be that Jonas can only see it if she’s pouring water?
I press my beak up against the glass.
‘As slowly as you can,’ Jonas reminds her softly. ‘You’ve got this.’
Should I be looking at the water too or at Kay? The question forms in my mind, though I answer it immediately. The water and the glass. That’s what Jonas said. So that’s what I do. With my focus locked and my breath held, I fix my gaze on the stream of water, only for a sudden yank to pull me back.
‘Fuck!’ My hands slam against the furs as my eyes snap open, the music of the caves louder than ever.
Little Raven, Fen’s voice calls to me. You did it? You consciously used your Raven Sight?
Yes, I did. I try to sound more upbeat, but it’s just so frustrating that I got pulled away right as Kay was going to demonstrate her power. Ugh.
You saw your sister? Your brother?
My sister, yes. My brother, no, I tell him. Jonas is training Kay in her magic, but I still don’t know what it is.
I am proud of you, Little Raven. That was not an easy task for you to do here, in such a place. But you succeeded. Perhaps now would be a good time to attempt the Veil again.
Attempting the Veil.
For some reason, Jonas’s words ring in my ears, the advice he thought I’d give to her. Keep going and have faith in yourself.
Okay, I say to Fen, squaring my shoulders. Because giving up is not an option. It never is. One more try.
That is all you will need, Little Raven. I can feel it.
Despite his assurance, he’s totally wrong.
This time, I don’t watch the queen. I watch my mother. And for the first time, I see it.
Fear.
Hidden beneath every reassuring smile. Every soothing word. Every promise that everything would be all right.
She knew it wasn’t.
She knew this night would change everything. That from this moment onward, our lives would be carved into a before and an after. That what began here might one day take everything from us.
The revelation tears through me, and a rush of icy air slaps against my skin.
The Veil has cast me out once more, the fear I glimpsed in my mother’s eyes unravelling the fragile calm I’d fought so hard to hold.
But it’s hard not to feel emotional as I watch my beloved mother give her all, only to end up persecuted for it.
Hard not to lose it as I watch her get so close to draining herself, when only a matter of days ago, I lost my best friend in exactly the same way.
Giving and giving and getting nothing in return.
You got closer this time, Little Raven. Fen speaks before my thoughts have even had time to settle. I felt something. Did you?
Maybe, I respond. Something did feel … different. But all I can think about is that fear in my mother’s gaze and the fact that it’s another attempt to complete the Veil gone and I’m another step closer to this poison claiming me. Three tries left, that’s all I have.
At this rate, I’m not even going to hear the fucking prophecy.
As silence engulfs us, I feel a nervousness ebbing from Fen, almost as if there’s something he’s afraid to share with me.
Go for it, I sigh. Why not?
Could it be possible that the Torailian prophecy has something within that could help you in the Veil?
What? That certainly wasn’t what I expected him to say. The prophecy is Torailian, I remind him. The Veil is Issen.
And once we believed that the gifting was for Morathkians alone, he counters. It is worth considering, is it not?
Godsdamn. He’s right, he absolutely is, but before I can say as much, his emotions shift. A wave of his apprehension washes over me.
What is it? I ask, heading for the steps and leaving the Veil behind me.
I am not sure, he says slowly. My mate is angry. I think yours is too.
Angry?
As I break out of the cave, I look straight up at the sky.
Peridot clouds glimmer above the mountains.
Other than the times Kyor has been fighting, I’ve never once seen that effect here in Isthyr, and I can’t imagine he would be doing such a thing now.
Not when he told me he was taking Orla for a wolf-back ride.
Fen’s right. This isn’t good.
Without waiting for permission, I pull myself up onto the wolf’s back.
Go. Fast!
Fen doesn’t slow his pace. Not across the soft snow of the sacred lands and definitely not over the bridge.
Even as we head into the city, he moves with such speed that his feet barely touch the ground.
My eyes remain constantly on the sky, dreading the moment when a bolt of lightning sears down and crashes into the city, severing any chance of peace our people have.
But while the green clouds churn and smoulder, the bolts remain trapped within the cumulonimbus.
When we reach the palace, I leap from Fen.
‘Ylva?’ I call out to the first person I see. ‘Have you seen Kyor? Do you know where he is?’
‘He is with the king, Princess,’ she replies. ‘In the throne room.’
Without breaking pace, I race through the corridors and swing the doors open without so much as a knock.
‘Rose.’ Kyor steps in front of me as if I’m in immediate danger. Though from what, I have no idea.
Magnus is standing beside his throne at the end of the room, and next to him is an anxious-looking Caz. Before the king stand two men and a woman.
The men lack the white lace patterns of the Issen on their faces, marking them out as Morathkian. They’re also dressed in the maroon uniform of Korvane’s knighted guards.
My stomach drops.
Morathkian soldiers have found their way through the pyrrhic.
‘Kyor. Magnus,’ I say slowly. ‘What is it? What’s going on?’