Page 88 of Raven's Dawn
“I’m not sure why they didn’t bring me,” Rain said, softly stroking her fingertip down a raven’s head that sat in her lap. “Laila said something about how I was going to be a powerhouse in this. I figured they’d want me there to work out the plans.”
“Right now, they gotta make introductions,” Naomi said. “And she’s gotta break the news about the gods to an Elf, who either doesn’t believe that we exist, or hates us with a burning passion. Might get fiery in there. They probably left you out for your safety.”
“Same reason I’m still out here,” Luci said, exhaling deeply. “I’m thinking we can use some sort of barrier spell to prevent them from teleporting out. Remember what I was showing you before we came here?”
“The one you said that would protect us from an atom bomb?” Rain asked. “Oh yeah. I remember it. And I remember not being able to nail it.”
“It is difficult.” Grumbling beneath his breath, Luci lowered himself to the soil and stared up at the sky. “We’ll need at least a day to prepare. It should be easier, with all of our power combined. Especially with Caeda and Ailas. The primary sources will be all of you with a paired soul, but they’ve got a great deal of power inside them. Not as much as us, and not as much as the par animarum. But a great deal of power all the same. I think it will be easier to accomplish.”
“Easier and easy are not the same thing,” Rain said. “I think we’ll need more than a day.”
“And a place to practice it, somewhere they won’t feel it,” Luci spoke under his breath, rubbing a hand down his jaw. “Perhaps we can lapse back to Iliantha’s for a day. Work there, and then return. But leave the army sanctioned. That way, we don’t have to make the venture again.”
“Queen Rania might already have an idea,” Graham said. “I’ve heard good things. Better than I’ve heard about Caeda,”
“Primary group,” Laila called from somewhere in the woods. “Naomi, Luci, Rain, Warren, Ezra, Graham, you’re with me.”
Which would be fine, if I had any idea where she was.
“Soldiers, you’re with me,” Amara called. She was the first one I saw. That purple hair was hard to miss. Edging out of the trees, just off to my right, Laila and the others approached.
“Where are we going?” Naomi asked, holding out her hand for Ezra to help her to her feet. He did.
“To meet the queen,” Jeremy said. “And to work out a definitive plan.”
Standing, I outstretched a hand for Rain. She took it. Graham stood behind her, and we started that way.
“We do have a plan, though?” I asked.
“The start of one,” Laila said. “And you’re a big part of it.”
31
EZRA
While Caeda’s castle had been beautiful, this one was a thousand times more magnificent.
Caeda plastered gems on sandstone and speckled them all with golden casings. Yes, many of the features around her city were made of it, but her castle was still sandstone. This one was gold from the floor beneath my feet to the highest turret.
There were no murals covering entire walls in the corridor and foyer we were led through, nor the dining room we wound up in. Instead, there were collages of smaller, individual paintings of everything on every wall we walked past. Most of them were landscapes––seascapes, really, waves of icy blue swelling against an orange sun. One that caught my eye featured a massive glacier carved into a castle.
They were all gorgeous in their own way, but rather than flat images on canvas, they were made with an impasto technique. This gave the art texture, dimensions; the water swirled with a life of its own. It was beautiful. Earnest, in a way, despite the castle’s opulence. And the brushstrokes reminded me of Warren’s pottery, not that that influenced my perception whatsoever. I got the sense that this place was more of an artistic hub than Makora.
Same as with Caeda’s castle, we were brought into a massive dining room. A few plants framed the edges of the golden floors, and there was a magnificent wooden table in the center, but I didn’t notice either. Until the meeting began, I couldn’t take my eyes off all those paintings.
“We hope to keep this entirely hands-off,” Caeda said, beginning the meeting.
That caught my attention.
We’d all been instructed to sit, so that was what I was doing. Caeda, Atlas, Iliantha, Laila, Jeremy, Connor, Naomi, and Rania—the Queen whose castle we were in—were the only ones at the head of the table. As Iliantha continued, Laila passed pieces of parchment down the table.
“Which is where the necromancers come in,” Iliantha said.
“How many of you are there?” Rania asked, looking around the room.
She was beautiful, as all Fae were. With eyes of glowing opal, pointed ears, light brown skin, and emerald green hair, you couldn’t help but look at her. Her appearance was enrapturing.
Seeing all these people with vibrant colored hair, I had to wonder if it came naturally or if they somehow processed it the way we did on Earth. I wanted to ask, but now likely wasn’t the time.