“Has anyone spoken to the Morag?”
“What’s the point? She will only deny involvement. No, the only course now is to secure the source of the kaldurite before the witches use it against us.”
Gavriel exhaled, his mind racing. “I must speak to Cathrynne Rowan and Mercy Blackthorn.”
Valoriel regarded him with a slight narrowing of his emerald eyes. “I imagine they have returned to Kirith, as you shall.”
“Return to Kirith?” Gavriel stared at his father in disbelief. “But this stone is at the crux of it all. I cannot go home until I have proof of who murdered the consul?—”
“Forget Casolaba,” Valoriel said sharply. “Of far greater concern is the kaldurite and discovering where it came from.” He looked suddenly intent. “Do you know?”
Gavriel shook his head. “I went to Pota Pras but never found the mine.”
Disappointment clouded Valoriel’s face. “I will set the seraphim hunting for this human girl, Kal Machena. In the meantime, you will go home and deal with all the pressing matters awaiting your attention there.”
Gavriel opened his mouth to argue, but the beat of wings announced another arrival. Haniel alighted on the balcony in a flurry of white robes.
“Brother!” She came to his side and linked their arms. “I am so relieved to see you awake. We were all terribly worried. You must come to my solar and share a meal.”
He did not want Haniel’s company at the moment. There was too much to think about. “I will dine in my rooms?—”
“Nonsense! The meal is already prepared. And you look as if you will keel over if you do not eat something.”
In fact, he was ravenous. “Very well,” Gavriel said. “Join us, father?”
A glance passed between them. Valoriel shook his head. “Food holds no appeal for me anymore. But you must heed your sister and take nourishment. We do not wish to see you take a turn for the worse.”
Cherubim servants silently set out dishes of ashishim and karsu. The scent of pistachios, dates, and saffron rice mingled with a heady muscatel. Haniel was playing the gracious host, but her eyes—sharp, calculating—told a different story.
“More wine?” She lifted the crystal decanter.
One sip had set Gavriel’s head spinning. “I prefer water,” he said.
“As you like.” Haniel took a sip. “It is from southern Iskatar. The humans there have a particular talent with grapes, if little else.”
“You do them a disservice,” Gavriel said. “The Iskaris are known for their poetry as well.”
“Poetry that glorifies conquest and bloodshed,” she retorted.
“That reflects their culture, not their nature.” His gaze turned to the window of her solar. Night had fallen and a river of stars flowed through the sky above Mount Meru. A million suns, each with their own worlds. Had Travian and Minerva fled to one of them?
When he turned back, Haniel wore a cold smile. “You cannot deny the truth, Gavriel. Consul Casolaba’s corruption is merely a symptom of the larger disease. The humans and witches cannot be trusted—certainly not with this new gemstone. They do not deserve the gift of free will.”
A draft guttered the candles, casting shadows across her face. He had known Haniel for centuries. She was passive to a fault, never interfering in political matters. Now he wondered if that was a mask to conceal her own ambitions.
“The founding principle of Sion is free will,” he reminded her.
She leaned forward, resting her alabaster arms on the table. “Travian and Minerva are gone, and it’s clear they will not return. We must shape this world as we see fit, brother. Kaldurite—handled carefully—is the key.”
“You knew about it all along, didn’t you?” he exclaimed. “Yet you withheld that information when I first came to Satu Jos.”
Haniel waved this away. “There were rumors such a stone existed, but no one had found one in centuries.”
“Casolaba did,” Gavriel said, “and it got him killed, along with the boy from Pota Pras.”
“My point exactly! It is clear the witches were behind both deaths. They are desperate to find the source before we do.” Her pink lips twisted. “The witches hoard power, while the humans squabble over scraps. And what do we do? We watch. We wait. We arbitrate petty disputes while the very foundation of our world crumbles.”
Gavriel disliked agreeing with her, but some of what she said was true. “What exactly is your solution?”
