Page 45 of Of Blood and Banes
Sethan’s rough beard splits into a hesitant smile before it’s whisked away. “I spoke with the elders, and they’ve all agreed to the journey to Vitalis.”
That single word wipes away my question of why his trip was so short. “Journey?”
Glancing up at the large map stretching out across the wall, I trace a trail up to the drawing of the large, stone castle tucked into the mountain range. Even from this distance the intricate details etched into each building are immaculate, with depictions of waterfalls framing the lush castle grounds. But Midkeep is far. So far south, I imagine it’ll take triple the time from Padmoor to the far eastern shores of Arterias.
I drag my gaze back to Sethan. “They want us to go all the way up there? Why?”
“Because that’s where Queen Elara died. What do you know of the history of Arterias and Vitalis?”
“Honestly? Not much.”
He nods. “Before King Aaric came into rule, Arterias and Vitalis were just the northern and southern capital of Osseus.”
“Oss-ee-us?”
“Yes. Osseus was the name of our entire continent. After Queen Elara died, many detested Aaric’s claim to the throne, even though he was next in line?—”
“Didn’t King Aaric kill his sister, though?” I ask, recalling my father’s journal entries.
“That’s what many of the older generations say. It could be a rumor, or it could be true. There’s no way to know for certain. Many of the dragon riders rose up and rebelled against Aaric’s claim to the throne. They argued he wasn’t fit to rule after the death of his wife and daughter and felt he was too mentally and emotionally unstable. King Aaric executed them, claiming the dragon riders were causing anarchy. But when he executed them—it divided the kingdom. There had always been people who were wary and jealous of dragon riders, and those people flocked to Aaric, believing in a new order of power—one without dragons. But the rest of the kingdom rose up behind those who lost their loved ones from such a gruesome, cruel execution. King Aaric and his followers, nearly outnumbered at the time, fled south to Arterias. Over the years, he’s taken down our towns one by one. And as the older generations have passed on, the memories and histories have faded into oblivion.”
“Then how do you know all of this?” I ask, still suspicious of his motives. I need to get that journal from Cole, see what it says about breaking pacts, and why Sethan would have information on it.
He motions toward his bookshelf with the many dusty and worn tomes. “Aaric crafted a detailed plan of erasing the history, but we were able to save some things from Vitalis before he destroyed it. The rest has been shared by our elders and council members. Aaric wants us and the rest of the realm to forget. That’s why every one of our requests for peace has been ignored—because hewantsto exterminate us. He wants complete and utter control.”
I swallow. “So…what do the elders think we’ll find in Vitalis that can help us?”
He shakes his head with a frown. “I’m not sure, and I don’t think even they know. But they say you may be the key to answers we’ve tried to find for over a century. No one else has been able to enter Vitalis except Cyrus, since it’s guarded by magic. Cyrus had been looking for that ring you have, claiming it could change everything. But he died before we could take down the King. Since you’re his granddaughter, and the prophecy is about you and Daeja, we think you might be able to pass through the magical gates at Vitalis.”
Ofcourseit’s me. I blow out a breath. “When are we expected to leave? And how long will it take us to get to Vitalis?”
“Well, by dragon back, it’s maybe a few days. But seeing as we need to keep your squad together so no stragglers try to escape back to Arterias, it’s maybe a few weeks or a month on foot.”
A bit slower than I anticipated, considering the distance on the map from Midkeep to Vitalis.
Sethan grabs a long, skinny wooden rod off his desk, paces over to the map, and drags a trail up it. “From here to Driftmond is a full day’s travel after we cut over the river. Then another day’s worth of travel from Driftmond to Kilamber?—”
“Why would we do that when we need to go north to reach Vitalis? Why would we go west?”
He points to a cluster of mountains with a massive volcano northeast of here. “Because Eldire is where fire dragons live. And we can’t risk running into any wild ones.”
I nod, taking mental notes.
He continues, flicking the wooden stick from spot to spot on the map to direct my attention, “Anyway, after Kilamber, we get to Vathstone and restock our supplies. We should zig-zag over the river toward Bayrock, and then it’s several days to Silkwood?—”
“Wouldn’t that slow our pace? And we’d run the risk of losing supplies to the currents if we’re having to pass through the water multiple times?” My pulse skitters at the thought of having to cross a river several times over, the memory of my brother getting swept away replaying in my mind.
“Or running into water dragons.” Sethan shrugs, as if I shouldn’t be worried about it either. “Though, with it being winter, I imagine most of them are dormant in the depths of the ocean by now.”
“Do we have another option?”
“Well, we could cut north from Vathstone near Ashfall, trim the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest near Silkwood, restock in Pinepoint, and stay in Mossmead before the final stretch to Vitalis.” He takes a step back from the map, staring up at it in deep contemplation.
He glances at me from over his shoulder. “So, what’s it going to be?”
I flinch. “What?”
“What do you think we should do? Up to Bayrock or by Ashfall?”
