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Lyra didn’t falter under the queen’s watch. “Or those who despise me might have more motivation to return me to the Jorvans for their torture.”
Elisabet crossed the space between us until she was nearly chest to chest with Lyra. “You have less risk on your head if they believe you are a king killer. The clan cannot know Fadey lives, or battles will begin before we are prepared.”
Some know, I gestured lazily and did not face my mother.
When Lyra repeated the words, Elisabet frowned. “Be wary who you tell. We know nothing of Fadey’s power, and I do not yet know how to fight such a man who can lie in wait for so many seasons. Not with Ingir, not with Myrdan armies and Stav Guard.”
“I agree,” said Lyra, her voice soft. “We don’t know what Fadey’s plans are entirely, but I have reason to believe he is growing stronger with Ingir at his side.”
With a touch of reluctance, I retold the experience of Fadey finding Lyra while we searched for bones. Lyra’s translation left out pieces of the strange bond he’d coiled around her, but I felt it was more because she was wholly discomfited by the notion that he had the power to do it and not from distrust in the queen.
“Dammit.” Elisabet closed her eyes. “For all we know he could be crafting hordes of Berserkirs and—”
I waved a hand, cutting through her words. He is likely still hidden from Thane, so he cannot craft Berserkirs. Thane believes Lyra is the lone melder.
The queen scoffed. “Are you so certain the heir of Jorvandal would not side with Ingir and her plans?”
Yes.
“Hmm.” Elisabet faced the flames again. “If his character is what you say, it will make what must come next simpler. This hunt for the Wanderer’s bones always impacted every kingdom. Even if they do not realize it.”
What are you talking about? I penned the question on the corner of a parchment crumpled over a table in the corner.
My mother wheeled on me. “Are you ready to hear it?”
Lyra looked between us. “Hear what?”
“Truths that are not mine to tell.” The queen narrowed her eyes and faced me. “You have more power over souls than you know. If you are willing to hear their calls.”
A groove formed between my brows. What secrets are you keeping? Do not waste time.
The queen went to a small chest against the wall. From inside she removed a linen-wrapped parcel and handed it to Lyra. “When you meld soul bones, tell me, does your craft reveal severed connections from a fallen soul?”
“Severed connections? Do you mean the threads?” Lyra’s silver scars brightened when she curled her palms around the parcel. “I see threads and…use them to fasten the bones together.”
“Yes, those are connections the soul had in life. I need you to meld this, slowly. Just enough to brighten connections that might seem severed. Then he will find them and draw them forward.” Elisabet tilted her head toward me.
Draw what forward?
My mother studied my hands, listening to Lyra repeat the question. She lifted her chin. “The souls of the fallen. With Lyra’s craft, it will help find the shadowed bonds in the darkness. The bonds that are always there, but you simply don’t always see them.”
“You want him to summon a soul?”
“Yes.” The queen held up one finger. “A certain soul, if you are to gain more insight on your hunt, at least. There is much I don’t know about the power of the Wanderer, but there are answers we can gain from the fallen.”
Slowly, Lyra unwrapped the parcel. A rounded shard of bone marked in simple runes of the heart. “A soul bone?”
“Not exactly. Remember, meld just enough to brighten the remnants of the soul in the bone.” My mother squared herself to me. “Take us, Roark. Do it again. You have more power than you know.”
When I did not move, Elisabet softened her features. “I may never be deserving of your forgiveness, but you must find it within yourself to trust that I am still trying to do all I can to keep you alive.” The queen looked at Lyra. “Both of you.”
“Why do you protect me now when you wanted me dead before?” Lyra took a stern step in front of me. “I don’t understand it. You tore your son apart because he innocently stumbled into a bond with a girl he had never met. Now you vow to keep me safe?”
Elisabet had the decency to hear her out. “When you have lost everything, tell me what you would do, Lyra. We refused to lose another son. His father and I made an impossible choice.”
Don’t bring the king into this, I interjected, taking a step forward. He was not able to make those choices.
After Lyra whispered my response, for the first time since we’d reunited, tears lined the lashes of the queen. I despised them. They dug into my chest, like a blade trying to hack at my ribs to reach my heart.
