Page 135 of Of Nine So Bold

She trailed off, and when Ignatius shook his head, a sickened look crossed her face.

“Aneira had the luxury of time,” he said. “And sadly, a lack of concern for life. We had neither of those. But the spell requires lives to be sacrificed, and it’s likely the queen accumulated that power by killing those no one would miss.”

Gwyneira looked away. “That… that does seem likely, yes.”

I ached at the tight pain I could hear suppressed in her voice. From what we’d shared, I had memories of her stepmother. Of Melisandre’s cruelty and the way she twisted truths to hide herlies—not that Gwyneira had understood that when she was a child.

But that was the benefit of hindsight. Or sometimes, the curse of it.

“We never knew how many were killed to create the Aneiran wall,” Ignatius said. “Only that the queen has trafficked in the death of others for years, starting from the decimation of the Jeweled Coven down to the start of the war and the creation of the so-called Warden Wall. And her masters want more death still. The destruction of the world itself. King Archerias was determined for our people to survive. In the end, the only way to ensure that was sending away as many Erenlians as possible, and then creating the wall to make certain the queen could not reach the nexuses and ley lines within our borders. Thus the king and every giant left in Erenelle, along with all the Aneiran soldiers within our borders, lost their lives.”

“They died to save the world,” Niko whispered.

Ignatius nodded. “But when the war ended, the queen did not do what we’d expected. Rather than grant the Voidborn entrance into our world immediately, she seemingly resisted them and maintained the pretense of being the ‘human’ queen of Aneira instead. No attack on the ley lines came, nor any nightmarish apocalypse unleashed by the Voidborn. For all those years I endured in the mines, I never could figure out why.”

No one spoke, and gods,noone looked at Gwyneira. But we all were aware of the answer.

The queen had been waiting to turn her stepdaughter into a vampire and sacrifice Gwyneira to the Voidborn in her place.

“But,” Ignatius finished, “now you all are here, so I take it that has changed.”

Dex studied the scholar briefly, evaluations running behind his eyes. “Did you see the fissures on the Aneiran mountainsides when we left the gateway?”

The giant nodded.

“Those fissures are surrounded by apple trees, corrupted ones that bear fruits that steal the will and that force whoever eats them to attack any who do not.”

“They turn people into puppets for the queen,” Roan added. “They even speak in her voice.”

“Berinlian preserve us,” Ignatius murmured, taken aback.

“How can the magic of Syloria help?” Casimir asked.

Ignatius drew a breath, regrouping. “Legend says the strength of the Nine is united around a central member, one whose gifts will focus and refine that magic into a weapon against their enemy. I assume that will be the Zeniryan king.” He nodded in brief acknowledgement to Casimir.

None of us reacted. But gods, was I the only one who knew to hisbonesthat the scholar was wrong? There was only one center for us. There always had been. And even now, she walked at the heart of us all, protected and surrounded by those who’d give their lives for her.

Our treluria.

“Regardless of who the gods and fates choose to be your center,” Ignatius said, “as you have not yet joined your powers, the magic of Erenelle can help you with that process. Syloria is one of our most holy sites. The waters there are steeped in the magic of our ley lines and our land.”

Dex managed a nod, and Casimir did the same.

The rest of us seemed too poleaxed to speak. Gods knew I was.

“But—” A hint of pleading entered Ignatius’s eyes. “—I am well awareothermatters may interfere with what you need to do.” His gaze didn’t quite go to the duke, but the implication was clear, and I thanked the gods the man was still distracted.

Admittedly, he seemed distracted by the fact he was plotting with his henchmen, and we should probably do something about that soon, lest he get us all killed.

But at least he wasn’t listening to this insane conversation.

“I swear,” Ignatius said, “I will do all in my power to help complete the rituals for joining your powers. But I beg you, if the question of royal inheritance should go a certain way, do not abandon us. No matter how strong the wall remains, sooner or later it will not be enough. Not if the entire world falls. Erenelle cannot stand on its own forever… no matter what some may believe.”

Worried looks passed between my friends and the vampire king, but Gwyneira showed no such hesitation. “We won’t. Erenelle will be free and safe. You have my word.”

Underlaid by iron, her voice brooked no compromise.

Ignatius regarded her for a moment. “You remind me of the diamond witches of old. Rufinia the Wise. Eira the Brave.”

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