Page 6 of The Bloodstone Oath

He nodded once, the vow clear in his eyes.

Mid-morning sun bled through Bloomrest’s trellis walks when Selara slipped into a shaded alcove with Elder Eidrian. The seer’s silver hair fluttered like silken moss. She motioned toward the amulet. “Look.”

Blood marred the chain; the gem’s veins shimmered deeper crimson reflecting red delicate patterns against her skin. “Each time Veyla tightens her grip, it answers,” Selara said. “When I objected, it almost…scolded me. Could the Bloodstone be guiding this?”

Elder Eidrian traced the air above the stone, lips pursed. “Artifacts forged in elder days hold moods. Yet they cannot act without a conduit.”

“You mean me.”

“Or those who wield influence over you.” His gaze flicked in the direction of the distant council hall. “Ask yourself who benefits if the Bloodstone encourages obedience.”

A pit opened under Selara’s ribs. “Help me study it,” she said hoarsely. “If it shapes thoughts, I must know.”

“I will turn to the old lore,” Elder Eidrian bowed as he left the secluded grove.

Selara bowed her head and sighed. Nothing was certain except the churning she felt in every part of her body.

When Selara arrived at the training green, Thorne was alone, rolling a practice spear between calloused palms. At Selara’s approach he sheathed the weapon and produced the night-bloom sprig she had glimpsed earlier. The petals had opened in the warmth, revealing a heart of pale gold. “I meant to give you this after dawn prayers,” his tone was soft. “When it opens at first light.”

The fragility of the gesture melted the knot in Selara’s chest. She accepted the flower and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s beautiful.” She wanted to add, like the thought behind it, but the words tangled with everything unsaid between them.

Thorne exhaled, easing closer until their shoulders nearly brushed. “If you must go to Tidehaven, I’m assigned as your guard. I requested it.”

“That might place a target on you,” she murmured.

“Worth it.” He met her gaze squarely, storm-gray irises softening to dusk. “Selara, I don’t know what future you’ll choose, but know there is someone here who,” his voice dipped, “who cares for more than your title.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. She managed, “I know.” And she did; the truth of it had threaded through their years of camaraderie, quiet yet constant. She placed her hand against his chest plate, just over his heartbeat. “Thank you, Thorne.”

A beat of silence held them, intimate, fragile, before Cassian’s shout carried across the green to summon them back. They stepped apart, but the warmth lingered like summer sun beneath her ribs.

By late afternoon, the council reconvened to inscribe treaty terms. Selara insisted on clauses protecting Rootborn magic, her personal autonomy, and a cease-fire that must precede the ceremony. Veyla’s smile remained thin, but she conceded, perhaps calculating that Kaelor would balk.

As scribes inked the pact, the Bloodstone throbbed again, yet this time the pulse felt… conflicted. Almost reluctant.Do you disagree? Or did I just break a rule you set?The stone gave no answer, but Selara’s certainty deepened: the amulet was not passive. Whether ally or parasite, she would uncover its intent.

Evening painted Bloomrest in violet shadow when she retreated to her balcony. Below, crystal-tipped lantern fungi began their slow glow, mirroring the restless shimmer inside the Bloodstone. She watched it warily. “You serve my people,” she whispered, “not my sister’s schemes. And not your own.” The glow dimmed to a faint ember.

Chapter 4 - Kaelor

Molten rivers glowed crimson beneath a lavender sky, winding around Emberhold’s basalt spires like living arteries. From the highest balcony of the Flamewright Palace, Kaelor stared across the volcanic city, the sulfur-scented breeze tugging at the ceremonial braids at his temples. Another day of councils and petitions had left him raw, and one thought hummed louder than the anvils below: three days, only three, until he would stand face-to-face with Selara Mossweaver, the Rootborn Bloodstone Priestess he had agreed to marry.

He pressed both palms to the railing, feeling heat radiate up his forearms. Somewhere beyond the seared plains she was packing for the same journey, with an amulet rumored to throb with every drop of blood spilled in her rituals. Reports called it the Bloodstone, an artifact able to sense fear, even tilt minds toward compliance. A wedding might end the war, yet if that gem truly fed on sacrifice, was he walking into an alliance with a power that would bleed him dry in subtler ways?

A door creaked open. Avelina Flamewright, his younger sister, slipped onto the balcony, cloak hood thrown back to reveal auburn hair that glowed in the dusk.

“The council noticed your absence,” Kaelor said. “You can’t continue this avoidance.”

“But it is dreary,” Avelina moaned. “All you ever speak of is how you will wage battle against the Rootborn.”

“Today was different,” Kaelor’s voice softened. “I will travel to be betrothed, and you will join the entourage.”

Her gaze flew to her face. “But-”

“No, you will come.” His voice had a finality that bridged no argument.

Avelina turned away, staring out at the vista as though memorizing the lava-lit panorama. She sighed as she turned back to her brother. They had always been close, and he could sense the worry in her gaze.

“You will be safe,” Kaelor said. “And don’t worry, I will have to go with limited guards to Bloomrest after the betrothal, but I won’t be gone long. Soon I will return, and you will have a new sister-in-law.” He smiled trying to lighten the mood. “Isn’t that what you always wished for? A loving sister rather than an annoying brother?”

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