Page 29 of A War of Embers

I suppose the books play a difference in how the realms view one another. Without knowledge, we only know what we’re told in Tellus as truth. Here? They rely on history, on training and mounting an army in case the past repeats itself. My thoughts pause on that particular thought. “Why are you training if you do not cross the Blood Sea?”

Neither of them speak for a moment, only heightening my wariness. Finally, it’s Deena who broaches carefully, “We still have dangerous people in our lands. The uncontrollable monsters, the ones who need to be contained or kept safe require guardians and warriors. The Wraithlands are homes to these creatures, we protect those here from the savage monsters still living within the domain.”

“Is that why Lord Rowan lives there?” I ask. “To protect the people dwelling there?”

“Lord Rowan is a savage creature in his own way, when unleashed,” Meredith hesitantly advises. “He dwells there for when his monster requires to be let out. For the most part, he remains in his mortal form to blend.”

This is the first I’m hearing of Lord Rowan possessing a creature. As the Lord of Shadows, I thought his only ability would be to blend into his surroundings. “I thought only his brother held a creature? What kind of monster is Lord Rowan?”

Both of them shake their heads refusing to answer.

“Seriously? It’s a secret?” I scoff in disbelief. “Does everyone know but me?”

“No. Only a select few actually know. The rest are just rumors,” Deena divulges. “It’s said that when the twins were born, they both possessed creatures. They were different though. We don’t have knowledge on what either of them could be since it’s kept private, and it’s better not to speculate. Only those in Lord Rowan’s inner circle know of what he is. They probably know what his brother was as well.”

“It’s also impolite to gossip about him,” Meredith murmurs. “Well, in terms of what he may be, it’s considered rude and those who do talk about it are cautioned. He has spies everywhere.”

Yet somehow the people here treat Lord Rowan better than Lady Gwenyth when they both seem to instill the same amount of fear and respect in their followers. Amazing. “Okay, if you can’t tell me what he is, can you tell me what kinds of monsters and creatures there are? I’ve only met Zeke and Char.”

Both Deena and Meredith visibly pale at my words.

“You,” Meredith gasps softly, bringing a shaking hand to her mouth, “have met Char?”

“And lived?” Deena tacks on, sounding absolutely astonished. “Obviously you’re here so you lived, but how? He eats everything.”

“He’s essentially Lord Rowan’s attack dog,” Meredith adds. “Incredible. I thought you perhaps fought him and the Blood Witch off and scaled the wall to get here.”

Fighting the Blood Witch holds a morsel of appeal after having to deal with her unpleasantness, though I doubt I’ll ever get the pleasure. “He led me here.” In a roundabout sort of way. “He alerted Zeke to my coming, who in turn alerted Lord Rowan.”

Meredith blows out a slow breath. “Very few creatures exist like Char. He only dwells in the Blood Sea because it’s where he finds his meals. He eats the corpses of the bodies Tellus sends afloat as the souls make their way here. Dragons are rare in the Wraithlands but not unheard of. They’re the worst thing you’ll probably run into. Rough, caulless, with an air of superiority, they’re easy to spot in their mortal form because of it.”

“Then there’s the lesser creatures,” Deena chimes in. “Shapeshifters, witches, bloodletters, and the immortals who choose to kill for sport.” Immediately her face flames. “Sorry. Immortals are very, very rare to see in the Blood or Bone City because of their preference for violence. And since they can’t be killed, they’re often left to the Wraithlands to live.”

“Why not just remove the souls to kill them?” I frown. Seems like an easier solution than having to patrol the cities to ensure none of them come inside.

Deena shifts uneasily. “There’s rumors the immortals who live there are from the Province Wars. They no longer have family or an emotional connection after being used as a weapon to destroy those who they came across. I can’t answer why they remain immortals, only that they are permitted to live as long as they stay within the boundary of the Wraithlands. If they cross over, one of the Lord or Ladies residing in the cities will kill them.”

“Which is probably why you’re to remain in the estate or with those who will recognize you as not a threat,” Meredith reasons. “Alyvia is a good person, she’ll keep an eye on you.”

Apparently they aren’t well informed on estate etiquette seeing how Alyvia did not accompany me everywhere. She's busy with her own tasks, which often did include looking for me ever so often, but not enough that I haven’t been able to devise a plan to escape her watch the night Lady Cirilla and Lord Rowan will leave for the Haze.

“You should become a trainer with us,” Deena declares. “You would be an asset to have on the team. No one would have to worry about withholding their strikes since you’re immortal, but you’ll also be able to give us valuable tools on how to fight if needed.”

“I’ve never fought creatures.” And very rarely did anyone put up a fight when I came to dispense Lady Gwenyth’s version of justice. And if they did fight, it was never to the extent to do any damage beyond mild flesh wounds or blood loss. “Teaching may not be something your warriors would benefit from.”

“We benefit when we’re given options to expand our knowledge,” Deen says. “You offer more knowledge than we currently have. Even just fighting techniques in general would be a good idea for us to learn. We could adjust what is taught based on the type of creature we encounter.”

“Have you ever encountered any creatures in the Wraithlands?” I’d bet these women don’t see combat often enough to have a real idea on what to do with their training when actually encountering something volatile and violent like Zeke’s dragon.

Meredith proves my suspicions right when she shakes her head. “No, we’ve not personally. Very few of us have.”

“Then how do you know what will work?”

Deena gives me an exasperated look. “You aim for the head or the heart.”

Well, she’s certainly not wrong. “If you can get to them. There’s no way to know if my tactics would work against the creatures here because I’ve never fought against them. Do you know the anatomy of the creatures living in the Wraithlands?” Following Lady Cirilla to the Haze might require fighting if I encounter a creature.

When neither responds, I resist the urge to let out a frustrated sigh. Either they know more than they’re sharing or they are too ill-equipped to be in the Wraithlands in the first place. How do you fight something you know nothing about? Ludicrous wishing, that’s how.

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