My gaze shifted to Reaver. He rested near the entryway in his draken form, which meant he took up nearly half the space. He must have been in his mortal form when he entered, as there was no way he could’ve made it inside without tearing down a wall in the process. I had no idea if he was in his draken form because of what had occurred at Ironspire, or if he just wanted to make the chamber as uncomfortable as possible.
Probably the latter.
Emil and Perry didn’t look all that pleased where they stood against the wall, only about a foot between them and Reaver’s spiked tail.
Right now, he had his vivid-blue stare fixed on a certain fair-haired general I’d once threatened.
My gaze moved to the two mortals. The male stood, and the female was seated. They were siblings. I didn’t know this because they looked similar, because they didn’t. The only trait they shared was their dark hair. I just knew they were brother and sister—which felt as weird as it sounded.
When Casteel stopped them from bowing as we entered, Kieran had explained through thenotamthat they were the unofficial leaders of the Descenters. They were young, perhaps only in the first years of their third decades of life.
Most involved in the resistance are young, Kieran reminded me when he sensed my surprise.
It made sense. The older generations were either too manipulated or beaten down to consider resisting the Blood Crown, let alone take part in the resistance.
My gaze shifted to General Aylard. He hadn’t been one of those who’d stared at us with awe. He did so with unease and an unnecessary amount of distrust. Both emotions had lessened in the Elemental general, Gayla La’Sere, and the changeling with the sea-glass eyes, Lord Murin. But the undercurrents of both were still there.
“My regiment is searching each street of Stonehill,” General Lizeth Damron advised. Her armor, a combination of leather and steel, creaked slightly as she leaned forward and rested an arm on the table. “It will likely take the remainder of the night for them to finish.”
Seated to my right, Casteel leaned back. He had taken the lead for this meeting, mainly because I hadn’t given him much choice. I was focused on two things: stopping myself from letting the banked rage simmering in my chest out and shadowstepping to Pensdurth to find Kolis.
At the beginning of the meeting, my gaze had landed on the dagger strapped to Emil’s chest. I’d immediately seen little hands clutching a much duller blade, and what I felt then was the same as what I felt now.
Pure, unfettered rage.
It blazed through me, leaving no room for the agony of the countless lives lost. Those people didn’t deserve their fate. Those children never should’ve had their futures stolen from them. Their bodies shouldn’t have been desecrated in the way they were after death. It didn’t matter that their souls had already passed on. What had been done to them…there was no balance in that.
One question had lingered since I realized Kolis was responsible. What was stopping him from doing it again?
Nothing.
But that wasn’t right. An item in the chest in the Solar could stop Kolis. Eather thrummed through my veins.
Additional thoughts swirled. Why in the fuck had he called meso’lis?
Before I finished my Ascension, I wouldn’t have understood what the word meant. I did now.
My soul.
I glanced at Casteel, knowing he had also understood what it meant. It was part of the reason the tension had remained in his jaw since last night.
Well, that and the fact that he had found me in the middle of the night staring out the glass wall—something I still had no recollection of.
Actually, having no recollection wasn’t entirely true. When I woke this morning, I vaguely remembered standing at the window, but nothing beyond that. It had to be because of what I’d seen in Stonehill. That would mess with anyone’s head.
Delano’s soft fur grazed my arm as he nudged my hand. I reached over and ran my fingers through the fur between his ears. He had wiggled himself between Casteel and me.
“I assume Croft’s Cross has the highest populace,” Casteel stated, his focus settling on the mortals.
The raven-haired woman with the cornflower-blue eyes—introduced as Helenea—cleared her throat. With her delicate features, flawless skin, and voluptuous body not even the drab cream tunic and brown skirt could diminish, she was the kind of person I would’ve been uncomfortable around while unveiled. Helenea wasthatbeautiful.
“We have never been able to get exact numbers for how many reside in Croft’s Cross,” she said, her voice soft and carrying an air of refinement that hinted at an education rare among Solis’s working class. “But more souls inhabit Croft’s Cross than anyother district.” Her steady gaze moved to mine before it returned to Casteel and Kieran. A faint pink hue stained her ivory cheeks. “If it will take the remainder of the night to check Stonehill, then Croft’s Cross will likely take at least twice that long.”
“What about Lowertown?” I asked, and Helenea jolted a bit. I realized then that it was the first words I’d spoken since entering. “I know there are more warehouses and taverns there, but I’m unsure how many residents there are.”
“Your Majesty—”
“Penellaphe,” I corrected softly.
