Page 71 of Vanquished Gods

When I looked up again, I saw soldiers scattering. Their heavy footsteps echoed through the hall as they set off, following Maelor’s orders.

Even with all the goings-on, my mind kept flipping back to the cage, to the eyeless skull carvings, until I was no longer sure which version of reality was the right one. Was I still in the cage, or was this actually reality? Was I really free now, or was this another fantasy?

My mind only sharpened when someone handed me a full carafe of blood. My thoughts went quiet, and I put it to my lips. The beautiful taste of it slid down my throat, and I drank it, relishing every drop as it filled me. Slowly, strength flowed back into my limbs, clearing my muddled thoughts.

I wiped my hand across the back of my mouth and looked up to see Maelor talking to Aelius, who I hadn’t even realized was in the hall. The seneschal’s long black hair draped over a cape—blood red, embroidered with gold. Just like the one Bran had been wearing that day in the woods.

Did any of them know yet that I’d killed him?

“Ashes,” said Aelius. “That’s all the was left. Ashes and singed armor.”

I rose from the chaise, walking closer to them. “Where is Sion?”

Maelor turned to me, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “We don’t know. He left a note for me saying that he’d be out practicing with you for days, and that we shouldn’t worry about his absence.”

“Well, that’s absolutely not what happened.” A thought pricked the recesses of my mind. “Was it sealed with his sigil?”

Aelius nodded. “Yes. It was his legitimate seal.”

I nodded. “Epona has his ring. She was flashing it over my cage, quite pleased with herself.”

“Iknewshe was a liability,” Aelius grumbled. “And how did she get you in the cage? She overpowered you?”

“A group of soldiers arrested me. Six of them. They believed Sion had ordered my arrest. I think Epona used the ring to convince them the orders came from the king, and then she ordered them to keep it secret. But I think they were growing suspicious of her.”

“I told you,” snapped Aelius. “She should have been kept secure. Six soldiers? Like the six dead I found this morning, burned in the sunlight?”

I took a deep breath. “The soldiers were starting to doubt her. I think they wouldn’t allow her to kill me until they heard from Sion directly.” My stomach tightened. “She was talking about hawthorn. She poisoned them, then laid their bodies out in the sun.”

Maelor’s expression darkened. “So, if he hasn’t been with you, where the fuck has Sion been for the past two days?”

Aelius’s jaw flexed. “Do we think she could have killed him? Did she kill Bran, too?”

“Let’s just focus on Sion for now,” I said hastily.

Aelius pivoted. “I’m going to order a search of every room in this castle, and Veilcross, too. We will tear this island apart until we find him.”

Maelor turned to me. “Did she tell you anything that might suggest what she’s done with him?”

I cast my mind back to her strange words. “She speaks in riddles. She said he deserves to rest his head where the sleepy-robins grow and the quickbeams arch over him. Does that mean anything to you?”

He frowned at me. “Quickbeams, it’s an old term for rowan trees. The sleepy-robins are flowers that only grow inland.” He closed his eyes, his body tensing. “I think she’s taken him up to the Crag. The witches say it’s a cursed place.”

“Let’s go find out.”

CHAPTER 33

Under the moon’s cold light, we moved swiftly up the rugged, rocky terrain. The wind rushed in from the sea, cold and harsh.

“Elowen,” Maelor said over the wind. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Well, there’s something I need to tell you, too.”

“Let me just get this out, Elowen. I need you to know…” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Sion didn’t kill your father.”

My thoughts swam. “What? What are you talking about?”

“I killed him.”