Page 20 of Court of Embers (Dragonesse #2)

She tapped her nails on the map. “Before Nasir died,” she said slowly.

“At least a week or so prior. She tended to him as he grew sicker and weaker, but when it seemed that his final days were upon him, she returned to Talariel. I haven’t seen or heard from her since, though I’d assumed she was simply disappointed he hadn’t named Yura his heir.

A scorned mistress in denial and full of rage, unwilling to see him into Aurae’s arms.”

“We could be jumping at the wrong thing, but I think Aerona had a hand in his death,” Rhylan said, the line between his brows carved deep. “Tyria, you were in Koressis often. I know this is inappropriate to ask—”

She laughed suddenly. “You’re going to ask me if I was secretly one of Nasir’s mistresses, are you not? I will tell you once and never again—no. I served him only as an advisor. Perhaps he shared plans with Nerezza and Aerona that he never saw fit to tell me.”

I surreptitiously rubbed one of my temples, thinking, and wishing like hell once more that I could call up his spirit.

“Unfortunately, those of us who could answer those questions are gone,” Tyria said. “And I’m sorry for it. Nerezza and Anjali might’ve known, woven as tightly as they were, but Sunya bless their souls, they took the knowledge with them.”

“What do you mean, woven tightly?” I asked, my heart fluttering. “My mother was friends with his?”

I had known my mother was a social climber. But Anjali? How could I have missed that?

“Oh, yes. I suppose you wouldn’t have noticed, being in the Training Grounds, but they were always together when Anjali visited Koressis.

It was genuinely a shock when Nerezza stood trial for Anjali’s murder.

To this day, I will not believe your mother was responsible for her death.

” Tyria shook her head. “I testified myself that they were the best of friends, but Nerezza refused to speak for herself, and of course, your testimony was firsthand, Rhylan. The Drakkon had no choice but death or exile.”

I looked at Rhylan, and he stared back at me.

How much didn’t we know about them? I asked bleakly. I never would’ve guessed. But Rhylan…if they were friends, if even Tyria couldn’t believe it…

I saw what I saw , he said, just as despairing, and just like that a memory bloomed in my mind.

It started crisp and clear, the same white halls of Koressis I remembered from my youth, the open-air gardens high above the world. I was in Rhylan’s body, striding towards one of them, the shafts of sunlight piercing the tower and lighting the flowers like their petals were stained glass.

And there in the middle of the garden, my mother. I was startled by the memory of her, how similar we looked. Nerezza’s fine, sharp-boned features, drawn in terror as she knelt, clutching Anjali’s body in her lap.

The memory blurred, becoming foggy at the edges, stained with horror. All I saw was Anjali— Mother—pale as porcelain, blue eyes just like my own open wide and blank, blackened blood pooling in her mouth and spilling over her cheeks, the wounds in her chest and throat—

And there, Nerezza, her hands stained with that same blood as she stared up at me, wild-eyed, teeth bared in a snarl of fury.

“What did you do?” I screamed, the dragon tearing out of me—

“Rhylan. Sera.” Tyria’s sharp voice cut through the memory and I returned to myself, hands shaking.

I sat down in the nearest chair, legs suddenly weak.

“So you didn’t see my mother kill her,” I said, voice hoarse. “You testified on the aftermath, not the action.”

“She was holding her corpse and covered in her blood,” Rhylan retorted hotly, and I felt the fresh grief of finding her dead emanate from him. “She wouldn’t say a damn word, wouldn’t let go of her—”

“And how would you react if you’d just found your best friend dead, in such a brutal way?

” I demanded. “Think about it, Rhylan, what’s more likely?

That my mother, who would gain nothing and lose everything, just—I don’t know, fucking lost it on a whim and murdered a good friend of hers?

Or that maybe she and Anjali were conspiring, and someone out there didn’t want those plans to come to fruition?

I didn’t know about their friendship, but I do know my mother would never have recklessly thrown away everything she’d worked for—”

“What plans, then?” Rhylan asked tightly, the blue in his gaze overtaken by hot crimson. “What are these plans we’ve never heard of that were worth killing for?”

“ My father was your Preceptor,” I said slowly, unable to believe that he was refusing to see the obvious. “My father the Drakkon , whose heir I was. My mother put power on a pedestal above everything else, and your family is an ancient, royal bloodline. Put it together.”

“We have only one account of them being best friends,” Rhylan gritted out, and Tyria cleared her throat.

“Are you telling me my word is false?” she asked coldly, and just like that she threw cold water on our tempers.

“No,” he said, and sighed. “No. I…”

Tyria’s icy expression softened. “You were in pain, and in shock. You had seen something no son should have to see. Our minds are not clear in times like those. But I would agree with Sera. It wouldn’t have surprised me in the least to find that Anjali and Nerezza were secretly planning to break any previous negotiations or agreements and bond the two of you with Nasir’s blessing, which gave at least two Houses good cause to put a stop to it. ”

“I had been promised to Tidas,” I said woodenly.

“The Razored Cinders would have been furious to lose a foothold in Varyamar. And, of course, the Gilded Skies had an eligible bastard child as well. Don’t you see, Rhylan, that Aerona was always there with Nasir?

If our parents were forming a secret alliance, she might have been the first to hear of it, and to realize that Yura would never become Dragonesse if we mate bonded. ”

He had dropped his head into his hands, his thoughts muted through our bond. I felt awful, like I’d been dredged through sewage, telling him his own memories were wrong…but I also saw them as an outsider, without the white-hot shock of emotion.

And I did not see my mother in a way that made me think she was guilty. She had looked horrified, her face contorted with pain and terror, clutching Anjali’s body like a child she feared for.

She had once held me that way, when I was young and still needed protection.

“That is a strong motive for murder,” Tyria said softly. “But I cannot convince you. All I can do is tell you outright, truthfully, that I never once had reason to doubt their friendship. But right now, as cold as it sounds, we have more pressing matters.”

Rhylan scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “You’re right.”

“Do not announce my joining in your Court yet,” Tyria said. “I will write to Aerona and express interest in their Court, and see if that shakes her out of hiding.”

“I just want to know if she’s still alive.

She’s the only other person who could answer as to what went on in Koressis.

” I rubbed my clammy palms across my knees, wishing Rhylan would look at me.

“As for us, we’ll return to Jhazra and continue research on the Outsider and the Primoris.

Do you have any such material in your library? ”

Tyria shook her head, beads tinkling as her braids swayed. “That’s not the sort of material you’ll find in an eyrie library. It’s kept by Isandoral and the royal Historians in Koressis.”

I squeezed the bridge of my nose, a deep headache coming on. Rhylan?

There was silence on the other end.

“So, we need to destroy our enemy before we can research how to destroy our enemy.” I laughed, and it sounded hollow. “So simple.”

“No.” Tyria smiled. “There’s a lovely loophole.

You may not enter Koressis Eyrie and take the throne until you’ve won the war.

But you may request a consultation from the Historians.

That’s what they exist for. A battle has been won more than once on the advice of the Historians, and I wouldn't be surprised if Yura had already availed herself of their knowledge.”

I looked up at her, a bubble of hope daring to rise in the despair that filled me. “How?”

“At the base of the tower, there is a door carved with Larivor’s likeness.

Knock three times, but do not enter. You may ask your questions through the door if they find you worthy, but there’s no guarantee they will answer.

” She considered the map thoughtfully. “And take my son with you. He should be there for you in your time of need, to help Kirana.”

I hid a smile, and it was too easy. My face felt mask-like and cold, my body trembling under the rejection of Rhylan’s mind-speech. “Of course we’ll take him. Thank you again.”

She sent us off with a wave. “Be safe and well, and we’ll meet again soon, standing together.”