Page 53 of Fated By Fire
“You could get them close to the Heartstone.”
“The Heartstone is the big shiny rock in the vault, right?”
I snort. “It’s not a big shiny rock. It’s our one true power. The force that binds us. Fuels us. Without it, we would lose everything.”
“Holy shit. An important rock, then. But why would I be able to get to it? I didn’t even know any of this existed until now.” Her brows pull together.
Good question.
I study her face, theories swirling around in my head. Why her? Why would this woman be able to connect to the Heartstone? Why has it started behaving erratically? Unless…
No. It can’t be… Can it?
It can’t be coincidence. There’ve been too many of those lately.
“Rossewyn,” I murmur.
Elena frowns at the name, her hand going to her locket yet again. “Rossewyn?”
Something clicks in my mind—a possibility I hadn’t considered. “Your mother’s name was also Ross, wasn’t it?”
“Well, duh, obviously.” She rolls her eyes. “She was my mom, right?”
“Yes, but I mean, she never took your father’s name?” I press.
She shakes her head. “Asshole didn’t deserve it. I never even knew him.”
“So Ross was your grandmother’s name.” I don’t say it as a question. My theory is beginning to solidify.
“I guess,” she says slowly. “Where are you going with this?”
I take another breath, preparing for another history lesson. “For centuries, the Craven Clan has been held to an ancient oath sworn by our last king. The Oath of Fire.”
“Sounds serious.” She pulls a face.
“We’re a serious species.” I fix her with a stare. “Anyway, the oath came about after a witch—”
“A freakingwitchnow?”
“Yes, a witch, Elena. A witch who had fallen in love with our last king, Kael Craven, gave her life to protect the Heartstone from our enemies.”
“Must have been really nuts about the guy.”
“True love is like that,” I deadpan. “Anyway, Kael was broken-hearted. In honor of her sacrifice, he swore that he and the Craven Clan would defend the descendants of her line for all eternity.”
“That’s a long time.”
“Not really, when you’re immortal. And we take our oaths seriously.”
“Not much of a responsibility if she was dead. What descendants could she have had?”
“Lyria may have been gone, but her brother Tavain went on to live a long, healthy life. And he fathered many children. They became our wards.” I don’t add that we’ve since lost track of them.
“Sheesh.” She huffs a breath. “Okay, this is all really interesting. But I’m still not getting it.”
“You’re a Rossewyn, Elena,” I say seriously because suddenly, this is feeling like one of the most important things I’ve ever uncovered.
“What? No. That makes no sense.” A deep groove has formed between her eyebrows.
