Page 98 of Crown of Wrath

Her words remind me of how she’d spoken to me as a child. She was a font of information and teachings, but there is none of the emotions that she had shown Echo. “The Steel Gauntlet is slightly different. Sidon was the most skilled at infusing objects with power. Thus, he did something no one else could do. He made magical armor out of steel that wouldn’t hinder their own powers. The Steel Gauntlet changes the wearer’s skin to steel and flows with any changes to their body. It is the most complicated and seemingly impossible bit of enchanting that the dragons left us.”

I blink. “Steel skin? But wouldn’t that mean that the person wearing it wouldn’t be able to use their powers?”

My mother shakes her head. “No. The Steel Gauntlet will protect the person wearing it from other magic, but it has no effect on their own. Cole could wield flames at the same time that he was covered in steel. You could shadow walk with it on, Maeve.”

That’s impossible. It’s the weakness that every House other than Steel has to deal with. It’s what gives them the edge in so many battles. Steel is the great equalizer, and this gauntlet stops that. If their skin is steel, then they’re capable of changing sizes or shapes at will without having weak spots. It would make them nearly impervious to attacks.

“Where are they? Gethin has at least the Burning Brand. We’re assuming that at least one of the other two are still hidden, and he’s not sure where it is.”

Everyone around the table is quiet as we wait for my mother and Vesta to respond. Vesta responds first, “The ShadowedCloak was left withA History of Magic and Dragonsin the ruins of Fellwyn. The Burning Brand was left with humans as Casimir’s mother, Rhosyn Cyrus, doubted that anyone would ever believe that humans held one of the most powerful items in Nyth. The Emerald Choker should still be in the Keep of Earth as the House of Earth never believed anywhere was as safe as their Keep. The Steel Gauntlet is the only thing that is truly lost.”

“We should see if the Emerald Choker is still there,” Cole says. “That’s simple enough. Maeve can find anything if she’s close to it. Knowing the House of Earth, it’ll be in a secret passageway, and only someone from the House of Earth will find a way into it.”

I nod. “That makes sense.”

“And while you’re there, you can claim the Throne,” my mother says. “And Echo can claim the Throne of Shadows.”

I cock my head. “Why now? Does it matter?”

She nods emphatically. “It matters more than most other things. You and Echo are both Conduits. While you’re connected to the Throne of Earth just because you wear the Painted Crown, you’ll finally have full access to the power of the Throne when you claim it.”

She glances at Casimir. “There’s a reason that only a King or Queen has ever killed another King or Queen. We…theyare much more powerful than even the Princes and Princesses.”

Casimir nods. “Yes. If we’re going to make a real attack on Draenyth, you two need to have the full power of your Throne.” He turns to Cole with sadness in his eyes. “You can’t claim the Throne until I… Until I’m no longer King. If you would like to do that now…”

Cole shakes his head. “No. It’s better if both of us are strong, and I’m not afraid of Gethin or Rhion.”

Casimir’s lips draw into a thin line, but he doesn’t argue with his son. Instead, he just stays silent. Lee speaks up then. “Isthat really what we’re going to do? Attack Draenyth? What about everyone between the gates and the Keep of Steel? Do we just raze the city? I’m sure Maeve could, but is that the plan? Just let the people die?”

“No,” I say without an ounce of hesitation. “We are not attacking Draenyth. We are attacking Gethin. Everyone else is just an obstacle that we need to get around. Even Rhion. When Gethin is dead, Rhion will stop fighting. The soldiers follow Gethin because they have to, but if Rhion told them to stand down, they would.”

I glance at Cole, and he nods. “We are trying to fix a problem, not burn the greatest city in the world to the ground. The Immortals that are trying their best to live through the tyranny of Gethin are not our enemies, even if they’re going to attempt to kill us.”

Lee looks at me, a hint of a smile crossing her lips. “Good.”

Darian glances at his sister and then at me. “Then what are you planning to do? You can only bring so many people through the void. There are still thousands of Steel soldiers, and there’s no way you’ll get anywhere near Gethin while they’re there. The people sitting at this table may be strong, but in close quarters like the Keep of Steel, where steel is everywhere, and everyone is wearing armor, you’re going to struggle. You remember what it was like trying to get Casimir out of that prison. We fought less than ten soldiers, and you struggled.”

He looks around at the people sitting at the table. “We can’t fight five thousand soldiers in their Keep. We won’t win.”

I smile. “We aren’t going to. I expect to fight a few hundred at the most. The rest will be far too busy.”

Everyone seems just as confused as Darian, but by the time that I finish explaining the plan, the confusion is gone and all I see are nods. And it’s a plan that none of the Immortals would have come up with.

Chapter 48

You are not a hero. You are not a warrior or a duelist. Don’t pretend to be. You’re part of the King’s army, and if your job is to hold a shield for the man behind you, then hold that shield and forget about your side sword. Do your job, soldier. Doing anything else is how you get your entire squad killed. A human can’t kill an Immortal, but a squad can and will.

~Sir Alistair Hawking, Magical Combat for Humans

Maeve

Cole moves at full speed for the first time since I woke up as we spar. His sword flashes so quickly that I can only react. If I have to think, I’m dead. My mind is focused on the stones thatrise and fall under his feet and fall from the sky. Shadows whip around me like lethal blades, and his flames act as shields to them.

His body explodes in an immolation, and instead of running or hiding, I pull the stone out from under him, forcing him to leap, the wings extending from his back flapping twice as I press him harder.

The blue crystal spear in my hand lengthens to give me more reach, and I don’t slow down. He sprays me with flames, but only the faintest bit of the heat transfers through my crystal armor, slipping through the tiny cracks that let it move so easily.

I stab at him, and he pushes his blade down to block, pushing the tip away from him. The flames that radiate from his body keep him protected from shadows, but they’re worthless against Earth. My crystal armor has always covered about as much as tunic and trousers, but I extend it, the plates coming into existence all the way to the tips of my fingers. They cover everything but my face, and I rush toward Cole.

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