Page 46 of Dark Bringer (Lord of Everfell #1)

“Forget Casolaba,” Valoriel said sharply. “Of far greater concern is the kaldurite and discovering where it came from.” He looked suddenly intent. “Do you know?”

Gavriel shook his head. “I went to Pota Pras but never found the mine.”

Disappointment clouded Valoriel’s face. “I will set the seraphim hunting for this human girl, Kal Machena. In the meantime, you will go home and deal with all the pressing matters awaiting your attention there.”

Gavriel opened his mouth to argue, but the beat of wings announced another arrival. Haniel alighted on the balcony in a flurry of white robes.

“Brother!” She came to his side and linked their arms. “I am so relieved to see you awake. We were all terribly worried. You must come to my solar and share a meal.”

He did not want Haniel’s company at the moment. There was too much to think about. “I will dine in my rooms?—”

“Nonsense! The meal is already prepared. And you look as if you will keel over if you do not eat something.”

In fact, he was ravenous. “Very well,” Gavriel said. “Join us, father?”

A glance passed between them. Valoriel shook his head. “Food holds no appeal for me anymore. But you must heed your sister and take nourishment. We do not wish to see you take a turn for the worse.”

* * *

Cherubim servants silently set out dishes of ashishim and karsu. The scent of pistachios, dates, and saffron rice mingled with a heady muscatel. Haniel was playing the gracious host, but her eyes—sharp, calculating—told a different story.

“More wine?” She lifted the crystal decanter.

One sip had set Gavriel’s head spinning. “I prefer water,” he said.

“As you like.” Haniel took a sip. “It is from southern Iskatar. The humans there have a particular talent with grapes, if little else.”

“You do them a disservice,” Gavriel said. “The Iskaris are known for their poetry as well.”

“Poetry that glorifies conquest and bloodshed,” she retorted.

“That reflects their culture, not their nature.” His gaze turned to the window of her solar. Night had fallen and a river of stars flowed through the sky above Mount Meru. A million suns, each with their own worlds. Had Travian and Minerva fled to one of them?

When he turned back, Haniel wore a cold smile. “You cannot deny the truth, Gavriel. Consul Casolaba’s corruption is merely a symptom of the larger disease. The humans and witches cannot be trusted—certainly not with this new gemstone. They do not deserve the gift of free will.”

A draft guttered the candles, casting shadows across her face. He had known Haniel for centuries. She was passive to a fault, never interfering in political matters. Now he wondered if that was a mask to conceal her own ambitions.

“The founding principle of Sion is free will,” he reminded her.

She leaned forward, resting her alabaster arms on the table. “Travian and Minerva are gone, and it’s clear they will not return. We must shape this world as we see fit, brother. Kaldurite—handled carefully—is the key.”

“You knew about it all along, didn’t you?” he exclaimed. “Yet you withheld that information when I first came to Satu Jos.”

Haniel waved this away. “There were rumors such a stone existed, but no one had found one in centuries.”

“Casolaba did,” Gavriel said, “and it got him killed, along with the boy from Pota Pras.”

“My point exactly! It is clear the witches were behind both deaths. They are desperate to find the source before we do.” Her pink lips twisted.

“The witches hoard power, while the humans squabble over scraps. And what do we do? We watch. We wait. We arbitrate petty disputes while the very foundation of our world crumbles.”

Gavriel disliked agreeing with her, but some of what she said was true. “What exactly is your solution?”

“It is quite simple. Lithomancy is the foundation of the witches’ power.

Take that away, and they will have no choice but to fall into line.

We abolish the chapter houses and place them under the direct authority of the archangels, to be deployed as we see fit. They will be a tool to restore order.”

“Whose order? Our father’s? Or yours?”

“ Ours , Gavriel.” Her tone grew honeyed again. “Would that be such a terrible thing?”

“What you’re suggesting is tyranny. I won’t be part of it.”

A flash of anger crossed her face. “You have no choice. The decision has been made.”

“By whom?” he snapped. “Have you spoken to the other archangels?”

“Some agree with me,” Haniel said. “Others have grown complacent, attached to their pet humans.” Her flat gaze suggested that Gavriel fell into this category.

“Like you’ve grown attached to fantasies of absolute power?”

Her hand moved like a striking snake. Gavriel caught her wrist, feeling the rage that trembled through her.

“You forget yourself, Light-Bringer,” she hissed.

“And you forget what we are ,” he replied evenly. “We were created to serve, not rule.”

She wrenched her arm free. “Na?ve, as always. Do you imagine that your vaunted reputation means anything ? That your judgments matter? You’re a relic, Morningstar. Clinging to ideals that no longer serve us.”

“Is that Valoriel speaking?” he asked bitterly. “Or is this ambition your own?”

Something dangerous flashed in her eyes. She rose from the supper table, her wings unfurling. “Be careful, Gavriel,” she said softly. “Even those who stand highest among us can fall.”

The door to the solar burst open. “Is that a threat, Haniel?”

Suriel stood in the doorway, looking elegant in a flowing dashiki of blue-green silk. Six seraphim flanked her, hands resting on their sword hilts.

“Sister.” Haniel’s stare cast daggers. “I don’t recall inviting you.”

Suriel stepped into the room, her dark braids adorned with gold beads. “I left explicit instructions that I was to be informed the instant our brother woke up, yet someone countermanded them.”

Haniel scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but Morningstar is my guest, not my prisoner.”

“Is that so?” Suriel moved deeper into the solar, her seraphim standing guard at the door. “Then you will not object if he returns to Arjevica with me.”

“We were in the middle of a conversation,” Haniel replied coldly.

“It sounded more like an argument.” Suriel’s smile was sharp as a blade. “Or perhaps I misheard?”

Tension crackled. His sisters had never liked each other. “My business in Satu Jos is not finished,” Gavriel began.

“You have no say about what happens in my province,” Haniel snapped. “Your investigation is closed. If you cross my border again, I shall take it up with Valoriel.”

“We shall see,” he replied. “Thank you for the meal, sister.”

She glared as they left the solar, Suriel’s seraphim guards closing ranks around them.

“You have excellent timing,” he said wryly.

“And you have a talent for making dangerous enemies.” Suriel’s dark eyes were serious. “We need to talk, but not here.”

Something in her face made him stop. “What’s happened? Tell me now.”

She pulled him into a crossing corridor. “You were brought to me in the middle of the night, at death's door.”

“Kaldurite poisoning. I know.”

“Yes, but what you don’t know is that one of your cypher guards said it was Haniel who did it. And your secretary agreed with her.”

Gavriel’s brows rose. He was mildly shocked, but less so than he would have been an hour ago. Haniel had big plans for herself, and she would not suffer obstacles.

“What was their evidence?” he asked.

“Nothing conclusive, which is why our father doesn’t know yet. Haniel has risen high in his esteem. She travels here often, far more than the rest of us. I think she whispers poison in his ear.”

That would explain Valoriel’s new habit of watching the legions rather than listening to the Chorale.

“The two cyphers can be trusted without question,” he said. “And Yarl, too. I must speak with them.”

“That is the problem,” she admitted. “I sent Edvin Yarl back to Kirith for his own protection.”

That worm of dread stirred in Gavriel’s gut again. “And the cyphers?”

“They are missing. Both of them.”

“How?” he managed, his throat suddenly dry.

“Mercy Blackthorn chose to remain behind when your coach was attacked in the forest. She may yet live, and I am searching for her. Cathrynne Rowan I met myself. She and Yarl brought you to the Angel Tower. After we spoke, she left for the chapter house in Arjevica, but she never arrived. She has vanished without a trace.”

White-hot rage coursed through him. “Why wasn't I told this the moment I woke?”

“I’m telling you now,” Suriel said, her tone sharpening. “Brother! Wait?—”

Gavriel stormed back to Haniel’s solar and threw the door open.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

Haniel’s brow creased. “Where is who ?”

“Cathrynne Rowan!”

“The cypher? Why would I know?”

“Because someone has taken her.” He strode over to Haniel, fingers itching to seize her slender neck and hoist her into the air. “If you harmed her, I swear that you will regret it for the rest of your days?—”

“I have no idea where she is,” Haniel snapped, backing away. “How dare you accuse me?” She turned to the doorway. “Suriel, talk sense into him! What do I care about a cypher ?”

Something in her voice brought Gavriel back to sanity. She sounded genuinely outraged.

“Listen, brother,” Suriel said evenly. “If Haniel had entered my city, I would know it—regardless of her special powers. It was not her .”

Haniel arched a brow at him, her jaw tight.

“Just stay out of my way,” Gavriel growled.

Her blue eyes grew even frostier. She raised her goblet. Her hand trembled slightly, whether from fear or anger he couldn’t say. “As you wish, Morningstar.”

He turned his back and joined Suriel in the hallway once more.

“We will return to Arjevica with the legions,” he said. “They will go house to house?—”

She seized his arm. “Valoriel will not deploy his elite soldiers for a half-blood cypher. And you will only expose your true feelings. Haniel is no fool. You have just given her more leverage over you! Take yourself in hand, brother.”

He drew a deep breath. “Then you will help me find her, with every resource at your disposal.”

“Of course I will help you,” Suriel chided. “Why do you think I left your bedside? I have been trying to locate her. Calm yourself, Gavriel.”

Icy wind struck his face as they launched from one of the platforms and flew toward the black tower called Sinjali’s Lance, whose portals led to every province in Sion.

He would give Suriel a chance. But if she failed, he would tear her beloved city down with his own hands if he had to, stone by stone, until he found Cathrynne Rowan.