Page 54 of Destroyer

Every hand in the Great Hall shot up.

“Ah,” said Cadwick. “I see we have a shocking consensus. Very well. By unanimous vote, it is decided that Ruellian Delara will take on the role of head researcher of the artifact, here at the Cornelian Tower, in keeping with the orders of the Regent Sigrun. Henceforth, all decisions regarding the artifact’s research will fall to Delara.”

Elation and relief washed over Ru. She’d done it. No... Gwyneth had done it, really. But with that relief came new questions. Did she really know what she was doing? Was this the correct course of action?

Professor Cadwick whacked his little hammer against the lectern. “The deliberation has concluded.”

CHAPTER18

More than anything, Ru needed lunch and a nap. And, though she would never say it aloud, she longed for the artifact. But there was no hope for any of these at the moment. As soon as the deliberation came to an end, Ru was swept out of the Great Hall by the professors, serving as a sort of human shield, protecting her from the congratulations and questions tossed at her by the thronging academics.

She was herded into a small parlor that was most often used for receiving visitors, adjacent to the Great Hall. Ru seated herself in an armchair by the fire, which was already lit and crackling away. Professor Acorn sat across from her, his golden-brown hair catching the firelight. He was the youngest of the professors at the Tower, and the most emotionally minded, his gaze laced with compassion. The rest of the professors stood in a semicircle, their expressions deeply serious. Only Thorne seemed to be lost in his own world, pacing about the room, muttering to himself.

“Now listen,” said Professor Cadwick without preamble. “I’m sure you know that you’ve put yourself and the Tower in a difficult spot with all this…” he waved his hands, “magic artifact business. Weknowwhy the regent initially sent for you. We know she agrees that this item could indeed bemagic.” The last word spat like a curse.

This gathering felt immediately to Ru like an off-the-cuff interrogation, and it set her teeth on edge. She understood where Cadwick was coming from; of course she did. But his seeming lack of empathy rankled. It wasn't as if Ru had asked to be called to the Shattered City. She would have been much happier if none of this had happened.

Even the artifact? A tiny thought pushed its way to the surface.Even Fen?

“I’m aware of all that,” said Ru, crossing her arms defensively. “I’ve considered the dangers. We’ll need to take precautions, but I feel confident that I can prove my hypothesis.”

“Don't forget the matter of the attack on your journey here,” said Professor Obralle. The others nodded, and Thorne paused in his pacing to frown deeply in assent. Obralle continued, “We’ve already spoken at length with Lyr and Fen Verrill. They know very little, as it stands. But whoever those guards were, whoever they worked for, there's no reason to believe they won't come back. Looking for the artifact, or you, or whatever it is they’re after.”

“Both, perhaps,” muttered Thorne, running his hands through a mess of hair.

Dread seeped into Ru’s veins like a sickness.

“I didn’t want to bring danger here,” she said, as if she were a young girl being admonished. “But the Tower is a fortress. It’s the safest place for the artifact, even safer than the palace. Particularly now that we know there are traitors in Mirith.” She avoided bringing up the fact that there could also be traitors here, in the Cornelian Tower.

“Very well,” said Professor Cadwick, sighing. “I suppose we must abide by the regent’s wishes in the end.”

The talk turned to more practical matters: where the research of the artifact would take place, who — if anyone — would be assisting Ru in her studies, and what sort of tools and mechanisms she might need for the work. It was agreed that the research center should be in the depths of the Tower, far underground in what had once been a dungeon. The dungeon would be fixed up to Ru’s specifications, fitted with lighting, workstations, along with basic comforts.

It was up to Ru's discretion who would join her team of researchers. She knew that she wouldn't demand that anyone join her. She would only accept volunteers, those who understood and agreed to the risks they would be taking.

More than anything, she found that she wanted Fen there with her. She couldn’t imagine studying the artifact without him. And the thought of being close to that smooth, dark stone with Fen’s body so near she could feel his warmth, hear him breathe… the artifact’s silky press against her mind, soothing anxious nerves, softening taut muscles…

“She needs rest.”

“She needsfood.”

“Delara, wake up.”

She started, coming back to the moment. She had been so lost in thought, spurred on by the artifact, overcome with exhaustion and delirium, that she had drifted into a doze.

She straightened, blinking and shaking her head to clear it. There was now only one thing on her mind.

“Where is Fen?”

* * *

According to Professor Obralle,Fen was still at the Tower along with Lyr. Once they had been thoroughly questioned, the two men had been encouraged to rest and allow their horses to recover from the grueling journey. They were staying in the guest wing.

Ru hadn’t seen Fen since yesterday. She had barely seen him in days, she realized. He had been evasive, there but not, disappearing from the regent’s dinner and reappearing as a King's Guard in disguise. And now this, avoiding the deliberation.

He owed her nothing. She hardly even knew him. Ru wasn’t sure they were even friends, or if they were simply two people thrown together by chance, ultimately fated to be wrenched apart by the same. Ru couldn't say what he felt, how he saw her. But somehow, in such a short time, Fen had become dear to her. And not just familiar, as he had felt on their first meeting when she first saw those gray eyes, the immediate sense that she was safe with him. It was something more than that.

Something she wasn't ready to face. Not yet.

---