Page 63 of Oracle of Ruin

The gray man narrows his eyes on the motion before his attention snaps back to me, as if daring me to notice that our minds wander the same paths. He sits close yet ahead of the rebels, obviously their leader, and even more obviously the man who has ordered multiple assassination attempts upon my life.

My gaze trails to the knife at his hip, its dark black steel iridescent in the dim inn lighting. He smirks as if noticing where my mind is going.

A cursed blade—one of the only things that can kill me as a blessed. An object that allows the cursed to murder a blessed without any repercussions like the ones that come with dark magic.

“How did they forge your blade?”

The gray man laughs, a low, gritty sound of steel on gravel. “I’m not in the business of dealing out illegal secrets for free, girl.”

I ignore the slight, even as Rowan’s fists tighten and one of his hands reaches for his sword. Kya’s face goes white with barely restrained rage while mine remains impassive.

“I’m not asking for names or places, just the process.”

“Answer her, Roiden.” Rowan’s voice is a low growl, barely audible save for the three of us.

The gray man, Roiden, sighs for show before brandishing the blade. Torin and Blaine shift closer to where I sit and I force my body to still.

Roiden grins knowingly, then raises a brow with feigned innocence. “A dark mage blesses the blade as the iron cools. There’s a specific incantation and the iron is mined from a particular mine within these mountains. I don’t see how this information is helpful. We have cursed blades and they do nothing, just like everything but your magic.”

“Exactly.”

Amír’s eyes widen as she tracks where my mind is heading. “You don’t think…”

“The moon needs the sun to shine, just as the Laei designed it.” I spell it out slowly and plainly, hoping wickedly that his struggling brain won’t catch up. “If there are cursed weapons, there must be blessed weapons, as well, or a way to make them. We have a pureblood mage, that must be more than enough.”

“So if we can find what incantation we need and obtain that iron, we can maybe stand a chance in this war.” Rowan finishes my thought before turning to me with a proud smile. “Good job, sunshine.”

Murmurs rise through the room, some questioning, while the others cheer early. The day stretches her rays of light through the window, warming our skin slightly even in the dead of winter. For the first time in nearly six months, hope flickers and jumps amongst us.

“As much as I admire your tenacity and childish naivety, there is no such thing. And if there were, what makes you think we’d have access to anything like this?”

Hope flickers out and I finally stand, towering over Roiden from my end of the table. Snakes like him were all too common in counsel meetings at the palace, but those snakes die off when you crush their heads. Roiden seems to grow a second one.

“You, of course, wouldn’t. I don’t doubt that you’ve never been given access to anything fine or confidential, but I have.” I turn to Seb, Blaine, and Torin now. “Irene’s study. The night I broke in, I saw she had books open by that hand and was catching the blood. Knowing the queen, she must have found some way to weaponize a pureblood or she wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Couldn’t she have just sold the blood for profit?”

“Come now, Roiden, do try your best to not display where you are lacking,” I sigh drolly. “Why would a queen need more wealth when she already had the king by his crown jewels? Irene was never interested in wealth anyway, only ever power. If she found some all-mighty power that she could weaponize for her own gain, she would’ve written it down somewhere. My guess is there’s instructions somewhere in her study.”

Blaine nods in agreement. “No one was allowed in or out, not even the king.”

Even if Irene wasn’t hiding blessed weapons, she was hidingsomething. Something that could turn the tide in this war.

“So we form a task squad to break into the palace and search the queen’s study.”

“Noiteron, if I may,” Seb interjects. When Rowan nods, he unrolls another longer parchment. Guard rotations and labeled rooms. “I would like to propose a dual-purpose mission. Ophelus has been storing a group of knights here near the outer wall since he unleashed the first wave of Kijova. The numbers have been dwindling. I’ve tried smuggling them out myself, but I’m unable to get more than one out at a time. They can’t get far on their own; their health is… deplorable at best. Ophelus and Lucius have been using them to raise their dark army. If we don’t stage a rescue soon, there may not be anyone left to rescue.”

“How do you suggest we accomplish this?” Rowan’s voice isn’t judgmental like Roiden’s has been. His thumb and index finger pinch his chin in concentration as he traces the inked lines with his gaze. He analyzes for every potential weak point, anything to exploit or siege.

Seb points to the map, emboldened by Rowan’s acknowledgment and respect. “We send two separate teams. One will break in and free the knights, while the others head to Irene’s study. These are the exit points. We rendezvous at the western tower just below the study. If anything goes wrong, I’ll send out a single blow from the war trumpet at the top of the east tower.”

“That actually sounds reasonable.” Amír scans the map for any signs of error with a faintly impressed expression coating her face. “Not too bad, kid. We will decide the teams at our next meeting after we’ve had a chance to fully flesh this plan out.”

“In the meantime,” Rowan continues, “be prepared to be called upon at any time given the time sensitivity of this mission. We can’t afford to wait long, not with those lives on the line. Meeting adjourned.”

I pull Seb aside as soon as Rowan finishes speaking. I ignore the pointed gaze of Roiden and the familiar pang of it. I’ve seen his face somewhere, I just cannot place where.

Seb follows along silently, watching my motions curiously. My hands are frantic, I know, but a low dread has settled in my stomach ever since he pulled out that map. Torin, Ruby, and Blaine trail not too far behind. Once I am sure we are alone, I set into the young knight.

---