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Venard nodded. “Once it’s over, orbeforeit’s over, we might face each other on opposite sides, and I hope you remember this.”
“I won’t forget.” That meant nothing, thankfully.
They walked into that huge empty room. It had rusty iron walls and stood over a deposit of magnetite. If River hadn’t become immune to iron, he wasn’t sure he would be able to even walk in this place. Perhaps this was a prison for Ancients, or some other kind of prison.
They came to a humongous door, a gate actually. What were they expecting to pass through that? Beside it, there was a normal-sized door, big enough for a human. A large lock kept the door tied to a bar on the wall. The prince pressed something on that bar, and it disconnected from the wall easily. The hinges squeaked, their sound echoing in that strange chamber, and then River was facing the bottom of a chasm, so dark that it looked like it belonged in the hollow. No lights from the stars or moon reached down here, and since it was already night, only blackness awaited him.
“Run and hide,” the prince said. “There might be things hiding there. But you’re out of the castle.”
“You said there were no monsters.”
“Monsters aren’t the only things that can hurt you. And remember I’m not a fae.” Meaning that he could lie.
River stepped outside, then looked back to see the door closing, shutting away the flicker of light coming from the prince’s candle. He turned again, to face the darkness ahead of him. At least he was out of the dreadful Iron Citadel, and yet, within the deep pit surrounding it.
10
Glimpses of the Past
Fel listened, stunned, as his uncle told him that Ircantari had gone to Aluria and never returned.
Ekateni added, “We never really understood it. He was more powerful than both of them combined. They had traveled with him to Aluria, to punish the noxious fae. Then they claimed they had a training accident on the way back here, and wouldn’t answer all the questions, saying they were too traumatized. We had no option but to exile them.”
Fel’s uncle then paused and took a deep breath. “I mean, they could have been executed, but I insisted they should be kept alive. I had to understand what happened, and that’s why I had them watched closely, to see if I could find any sign of betrayal, any sign that they’d been planning something. To be honest, it didn’t look like they were guilty of anything, and I was almost convinced my brother’s death had been an unfortunate, inconceivable accident—until now. They knew how to find you.”
“It doesn’t mean they killed him.”
“They did, Isofel. They confessed as much. The question is just whether it was on purpose or not.”
“Didn’t you say my father was more powerful than them? How do you think it happened?”
“It must have been some kind of betrayal, perhaps they caught him when he was asleep or somehow vulnerable. Even then, it would have been hard. Perhaps someone helped them. Now, assumptions are a roadblock to the path of truth. You get stuck on them, trying to see everything from that angle, and then can’t identify the truth when it appears in front of you. I haven’t tried to come up with any explanation. All I’ve done was watch the exiles as much as possible. I even went to Aluria, where indeed Ircantari punished the noxious fae.”
“The white fae. Why do you call themnoxious?’
“Their magic is corrupted, dangerous, and if they join Cynon again, then we are doomed. But there’s no way they can do anything now, the way they are. I also sensed no dragons.” He stared at Fel. “Not evenbabydragons.”
“But I come from Aluria.”
“I don’t know how I couldn’t find you.” He was thoughtful.
“I was raised in Umbraar, by a deathbringer. Maybe his magic concealed me?”
“It’s a possibility. Indeed, human magic in Aluria has become more and more corrupted.”
“Which is why you need to do something. We’re having issues there. It’s why I came.”
“We will, we’ll certainly do something—once we get rid of Cynon’s shadow and the dreadful Boundless. Unfortunately, that’s where our efforts need to focus now.”
“People are dying, Ekateni.”
“If we don’t contain Cynon, a lot more people will die. Power over magic entails tough choices.”
Fel understood that, to a certain extent. “My father—” He shook his head. “—adoptive father, always said that kings have to make difficult decisions, even sacrifices. But he always told me that I should never sacrifice my humanity, my compassion, or I would end up damaging my moral compass and then could no longer be trusted to make decisions.”
Ekateni stared at him. “You were raised by a kind human, and I’m happy for that. Still, I assure you that my compassion—and moral compass—are intact. It’s just a matter of priorities. I will arrange for you to speak to the high council and request that a few dragons be sent to Aluria. We will do something, Isofel, I promise, but you’ll have to be patient.”
Fel thought that his uncle’s tone was condescending, the way some adults speak to children, but then perhaps it was just that Ekateni didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, caught up in his own problems with Cynon and the Boundless. Fel would need to find a way to convince the dragons and get the help Aluria needed so desperately. “I’ll be happy to speak to your council, thanks.” And there was something else he wanted desperately. “Can you help me turn back to my human form?”
