Page 20 of The Bloodstone Oath

“Nor do we want the Flameforged, particularly Prince Kaelor, to know she is endangered.”

The mention of the prince caused Selara to stir. Her groan echoed in the chamber. “The healers…” she murmured, motioning her hand towards the door.

“Depart,” Veyla’s command was terse but kind.

“Do not go far,” Talia insisted.

“We will be just outside the door when you need us,” the older of the healers murmured as they bowed and made their exit.

“I must tell you…” Salara moaned slightly as she pushed herself up on the pillows.”

“Stop moving!” Veyla insisted, placing a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder. When Selara winced, Veyla removed it.

“You must hear this,” Selara implored. “As much as it shames me…” She rested back on the pillows, closing her eyes. How could she face them after what she had done?

Elder Ligren leaned in. “Speak child. There is little in this world we have not heard.” He motioned his staff toward Elder Eidrian.

“Aye,” the other elder agreed.

Selara took a long and ragged breath, praying to Lyra for the strength to speak the words that would ruin her. “I broke my priestess vows. I gave myself to Kaelor.” Guilt and the knowledge she would make the exact same choice again tangled in her chest. “This is punishment from Solthorn.”

Silence pooled. Selara lifted her eyelids just enough to look at her trusted circle through shaded lashes.

Veyla’s lips parted, shock, yes, but layered with a regent’s dread. Elder Eidrian only stroked his beard.

“The virgin legend,” he said softly, “was woven centuries after the first priestess bonded the gem. It was established as a leash to ensure focus, nothing more.”

Elder Ligren’s stern face softened. “Orchards thrive on tender grafts. Soil is nourished by fallen fruit. Life begets life, not ruin.”

Veyla exhaled, some tension draining from her shoulders. She squeezed Selara’s hand. “Then the price is not sin, but imbalance. We will restore your balance.”

Talia shot Selara a grin. “Told you half of the scrolls are scare tales.”

“It’s not Solthorn,” Veyla insisted, her concern hardening into resolve. “Solthorn is the god that nourishes Bloomrest. It is the Bloodstone. Look.” She pulled back the delicately threaded sheet just enough for the elders to see how the crimson stone was fused to Selara’s skin. “It has attached to her body. It is poisoning her. It must be removed. Immediately. We- we just don’t know how to do it.” Her gaze fell hopefully on the elders.

They stared at the glowing red stone that pulsed with Selara’s heartbeat.

Elder Eidrian shook his head gravely. “Regent, the gem has fused to her lifethread. You can see how it is tethered like roots spliced into heartwood. Severing that bond would still Selara’s pulse forever.”

Elder Ligren tapped his staff, thoughtfully. “You must also consider that without the Bloodstone the sigils may fail. Without the wards, all Bloomrest would be at risk.” The elder’s pragmatism carried no cruelty, only sobering facts.

Veyla’s fists trembled, then opened. “Then we find a gentler way.” She rounded on Elder Eidrian. “You once spoke of the Forgotten Stacks beneath Frostwillow Sanctuary.”

The elder inclined his head. “A maze of mold-eaten codices. Some predate the God-Plant Era.”

Selara’s voice, hoarse but clear, cut through the chamber. “Elder Eidrian, you must retrieve them. We must know more of this power we wield.” She realized the feeling of doubt that had gnawed at her for years. They did rituals and sacrifices based on handed down tales and expectations. Yes, they bore results for the Rootborn, but no one had ever deeply questioned from where the power came.

The Elder stood up and bowed, “I agree. There must be something there.”

Elder Ligren inspected the rest of the wounds on Selara’s body and the delicate red lines that interlaced across her skin. “I recall, once, long ago, hearing of an Emberhold healer who could remove an object welded to a body. It is something their forgers face regularly.”

“Especially with the fusions of magic and metal they make,” Elder Eidrian, who had paused by the door, agreed.

Selara grasped at a dim memory, something Kaelor said. “There is a healer,” she murmured. “Kaelor rides for her.”[ma1]

Talia and Veyla exchanged a look as the elders left for Frostwillow Sanctuary.

“Selara…” Veyla spoke gently.

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