Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 235897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1179(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 786(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 235897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1179(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 786(@300wpm)
“Oh, you’re so fucked,” Sawyer whispers.
Jesinia leans over the table slightly in his direction. “Of course there’s no prophecy.” She signs with abrupt motions, her eyes narrowed on him, and this time Rhiannon translates for Sawyer. “Just research. I’ve barely finished translating Lyra’s journal and now have six hundred years of personal accounts to read through. Do you really think I found the answer in the first week of accessing the vault, or that I wouldn’t have gone straight to Violet with that information?”
I rock back on my heels.
“I was hoping,” Ridoc says and signs. “And you’re kind of scary when you’re angry.”
“I am not some oracle high off whatever they’re serving in the temple that day. I am an extremely educated scribe. Treat me as such, and I won’t get angry,” she replies, then turns toward me. “Now, I gathered these six for you to read, which mostly cover the southernmost isle of Deverelli, since that’s the last isle we had communication with. Figured that’s where you might start, but I’ll warn you that Grady has requested tomes about Emerald Sea exploration in the north.” She pushes the tomes across the table and lifts her hands again. “Honestly, I’m appalled with what isn’t in the vault. Thank gods Queen Maraya sent her list for you, because we’re missing…” She cocks her head to the side. “I don’t even know what we’re missing. I was reading General Cadao’s journal yesterday, and a whole section of pages is ripped out after he notes that there may have been an outside isle supporting the second Krovlan uprising.” She drops her arms in exasperation. “I can’t research what we don’t have.”
“The second Krovlan uprising was supported by an isle kingdom?” I say and sign slowly just to be sure I have it right. “But that was in the four hundreds, right? And it was assumed that Cordyn sent soldiers. We severed all communication with most isles after they sided with Poromiel around 206, and they in turn killed every emissary we sent in the centuries that followed, so how would General Cadao know that?”
“Exactly,” she signs. “I can only think of one scribe who might have that answer.” She lifts her brows at me.
Oh. I blink, quickly processing the information, then swearing as I reach the inevitable, damning conclusion.
“Is it you?” Rhi asks me, simultaneously signing. “Oh no. Is it Markham?”
I shake my head. “My father. And all his research, the work he had yet to publish, is now really hard to access.” My shoulders dip. I’d been so focused on getting out of Mom’s quarters with her journals after she died that I’d completely forgotten what my father had left hidden.
“Hard to access like we need Aaric and a midnight mission?” Sawyer asks, and Ridoc translates.
“Hard to access like we need Dain to betray his father.” Which is highly unlikely.
“After disowning him in front of the quadrant, that shouldn’t be hard,” Rhiannon says, lifting her brows as she signs.
“And it’s not like Dain hasn’t already betrayed him,” Sawyer adds.
I shake my head. “He left Navarre, not his father, and believe me when I tell you there’s a difference.” I glance at the books, then back up at Jesinia. “Thank you for these and all the work you’re doing. I’ll start here.”
• • •
Three days later, I’m in Battle Brief still pondering the Dain problem as Devera flicks her wrist and the largest map of the Continent I’ve ever seen unfurls over the quadrant’s rendering. And it’s a terrifying sight.
“I’m guessing they delivered that with our things from Aretia yesterday,” Cat notes from my left.
“There is way more red on that map than I’m comfortable with,” Rhi remarks, tapping her pen on her notebook.
The damning color spans from the Barrens, up the Stonewater River, and ends just short of Samara before spreading along the wardline, like the enemy is searching for weaknesses. But Samara still stands. Xaden’s safe, at least for now. He’s been gone more than ten days, and Tairn is at his wits’ end, which makes two of us. Every day he’s out there, he risks his soul and sanity. Either he has to produce that solution he promised, or we have to find a way to get him off the border.
Most of Braevick is saturated with red flags, especially along the Dunness River, but Cygnisen hasn’t been recently attacked…nor have they sent their cadets yet.
Braevick’s capital—Zolya—fell months ago, but the kingdom’s seat of power, Suniva, still stands in the province’s north. I can’t help but wonder where Queen Maraya’s summer house—and her library—are. And hope they’re at least well protected.
“Cordyn’s still safe,” I whisper to Cat.
“For how long at this rate?” Her mouth purses, but I don’t take it personally. My sister is stationed in Aretia. Hers is beyond the wards.