Page 57 of Of Blood & Stone

He was grasping for smoke, but he had no other leads, and Sylzenya clearly wasn’t going to help him. Better start somewhere.

“Do you actually care?” she questioned.

“I believe you promised me a ‘rich exposure’ of your kingdom, history included.”

Her eyes brightened. Elnok couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his mouth.

“Legend says Aretta and Distrathrus were born of the same star, split in half—brother and sister. They formed two halves of one whole, Aretta spilling her blood onto an empty sphere, creating land and water, while Distrathrus ushered creatures to populate it. According to the legend, they found joy in working together for centuries, their creativity a balance of light and dark, order and chaos.”

She moved her hand across the wall, a warm grin peeling across her lips. Elnok leaned forward.

“But then Aretta made humans, and everything changed,” Sylzenya said, her hand sweeping across a new image, “She loved them dearly, giving some the gift of her own power. She cared for every human as much as Distrathrus cared for his creatures. Inspired by her decision to try something new, Distrathrus created novel creatures as well.”

He walked with Sylzenya as the images wrapped around the room, the carvings evolving into creatures with sharp teeth and jagged tails.

“But his creatures were treacherous. They attacked the humans. Killed thousands.”

Blood, spears, and monsters populated the next image.

“Aretta declared he rid their earth of his monsters. But, Distrathrus claimed it was the humans who attacked first, for humans had something his monsters lacked—free will. Aretta disagreed, showing him that humans only killed whenprotecting themselves from threats. Distrathrus saw humans as beings who’d poisoned his sister’s mind and taken her from him. And so, in his unchecked anger, he unleashed his monsters on humans, bending their will to kill so he might have his sister back.”

Elnok’s brow furrowed. “He made them kill out of bloodlust?”

She stared at the images. “The monsters in Lhaal Forest live off of plants and small creatures. They don’t eat humans.” She turned to him. “They kill us for the sake of killing.”

A shudder ran up his spine.

“And so Aretta and Distrathrus went to war, humans against monsters. The Last Stand, we call it. Thankfully, Aretta won by destroying him and over half of his monsters, but not before Distrathrus placed a curse on the continent. She was able to save Estea in her final breaths, trapping the remaining monsters inside Lhaal Forest. Distrathrus claimed everything else, cursing the ground with dead soil and drying rivers for the years to come on the land Aretta hadn’t reached. He was a true monster—the god of chaos.” She stopped, the wall’s images ending with a bright glowing tree. “And while he left a piece of himself with his monsters, Aretta left us with one last piece of herself as well—the healing tree.”

Sylzenya turned, her deep blue eyes shimmering in the golden light. She wasn’t wearing a mask anymore. No gimmicks, no performance. The lines at the corner of her eyes scrunched while the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Elnok found himself at a loss for words.

She lifted her necklace, the clear stone catching the light.

“Aretta’s Willow produces a special kind of sap, crystallizing into a substance that can’t be broken by anything other than Vutrorian steel.”

Elnok’s eyes widened.

“Orodyte,” he breathed.

“Yes.” Sylzenya smiled. “All it is is sap, but due to its hard exterior, we refer to it as a stone. Aretta’s Willow used to lie in the center of our sacred Willow Grove, where ceremonial rites now take place. The day it disappeared, it left an abundance of orodytes in its withering roots.” She pointed towards another image, lines mapped out underneath a lush field. “Orodyte is capable of storing impurities, giving Kreenas and acolytes the ability to create vegetation even in our dried soil. And so, our people created tunnels, mining the orodyte for years until we couldn’t find any more. This was her final gift to us, that we may survive as a people.”

A wave of anger flushed along Elnok’s skin. “And why hasn’t this been utilizedoutsideof your kingdom?”

Her smile faded. “It’s been tried before, but with nothing to show for it. It’s Estea’s soil that Aretta was able to save. Distrathrus cursed the rest. Not even orodyte could store the impurities of his power.”

Anger passing, he slumped his shoulders. “How convenient.”

“Unfortunately, no one’s ever seen the tree,” she said, quickly turning away. “Only in dreams or… visions.”

Elnok’s heart raced. Pitted against him, this woman could ruin his chances at finding the healing tree. But if he convinced her to help? Perhaps they could locate this evasive compass.

He’d have the High One’s pet as an ally.

It would require a risk, showing more cards than he’d planned on, but he knew she could be swayed. Judging by the excitement in her gaze as she looked at the wall’s images, she admired the tree—found it to be holy.

She’d wanted it before. He’d convince her to want it again.

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