“Who is this?” Elyria demanded, standing in a flurry of motion, wings fluttering with irritation. “Who are you?”
“Elyria—”
“My lady?—”
Both Zephyr and Shep cut off their low warnings as the elder raised a wrinkled green hand. “It is all right. She has questions. Has every right to ask them. My name is Elder Larkess, but at least one here knows me by another name.” She looked at Cedric with a tender expression that immediately muddied his thoughts.
“Wha—Me?” Cedric shot to his feet, bending at the waist in a respectful bow. “Apologies, madam, but I do believe I would remember rather distinctly if I ever had the pleasure of meeting you.”
Elder Larkess smiled sadly. “Maybe this will help.”
She began to glow, her form shimmering, green skin being replacedwith beige, the faint tinge of color in her hair fading as it lengthened into longer strands of gray. The pointed tips of her ears shrunk into perfect curves.
She raised a hand toward Cedric, two fingers curling as though she meant to tuck back a lock of his hair. Just like she used to when?—
Cedric’s knees nearly buckled beneath him as he whispered a single word aloud.
“Alouette?”
47
DAWNBRINGER
CEDRIC
“Oh,itisgood to see you. I’ve missed you, my dear boy.”
Cedric was frozen in place.
“Ric?” Elyria’s voice was soft, careful. “What’s going on?”
He tried to steady his thundering heart. “I don’t—I don’t understand.” His mind raced, ancient memories suddenly surfacing—whispered stories told at bedtime, meat pies baking in the oven.
Concern pulsed down the bond.“Talk to me.”
“My—my nanny, as a child. My family’s housemaid. I saw her again, during the second trial. I thought she perished the same night my parents did.”
“And you never knew she was sylvan the entire time?” Elyria asked aloud, several faces suddenly looking at the two of them, perplexed.
“Are we, uh, missing something?” Ollie asked,having moved toward the group with a furrowed brow.
Jocelyn sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “Oh, I would venture to guess there are quite a few things we need to get caught up on, Oleander.”
Cedric shook his head. “I still don’t understand.” He groaned internally. Fuck if he wasn’t tired of hearing himself say that. He turned to Thraigg. “You—you know her?” Turned back to Alouette. Larkess. Whoever she was. “Youknowhim?”
“Who d’ye think sent me into the Crucible after yer accident-prone arse, boyo?” Thraigg said, slapping his leg with a chuckle, though there was something serious reflected in the dwarf’s blue eyes.
Cedric’s own eyes widened, his mind replaying the way Thraigg had fought at his side during the first trial. His refusal to leave him to face that dragon alone. His answer when Cedric had asked why he’d helped him.
“I’ve my own reasons and none of them involve seeing ye roasted alive.”
Cedric whirled back to Larkess. “You sent him in to protect me? Why, when your own agent was already being sent to carry out her crafty mission?” He pointed a finger at Zephyr. “You needed two spies in there trying to bond with me?”
Elder Larkess pressed her lips together, her skin faltering back to its natural shade, her glamour slipping away. “He was never a spy. I had a job available. My old friend volunteered to fill it.”
Cedric blinked, momentarily stunned. “A job,” he said flatly. “Every champion who ever entered the Sanctum died, and you considered that a job?”
Thraigg gave an infuriatingly casual shrug.
