Page 223 of The Throne Seeker

“Do you remember the story of the first king, Argarion?”

Her mind flashed back to the statue they’d just seen. “Yes, of course. Argarion was the king who split Vallor into seven provinces. Every child in Cathan knows. We celebrate it every year on the solstice.”

“He also defeated the greatest enemy that mankind ever faced.”

Rose nodded, remembering from their history lessons. “The leader of the revolution—he was the one who tried to conquer Vallor for himself. But Argarion proclaimed he was never to be mentioned in any book, wishing for his name to be forgotten, that a man that evil did not deserve to be remembered in history.”

Roman nodded. “And how was he defeated?”

She shrugged. “No one knows exactly, only that he was rendered powerless by Argarion and killed for his crimes.”

“I thought so, too… until what I read today.”

Rose skidded to a stop. “What could you have possibly read that could make you question centuries-old history?”

Roman turned back to her as he reached into his cloak, pulling out an old, worn leather book. “Because I read Argarion’s journal.”

She stared at the tattered book, its worn edges secured with a leather strap. “Where did you get that?”

“The same place I got this.” He held up the key he’d used. “My father gave me this key with a locked chest the night we returned to the castle. I found the book in the chest and started skimming it. I didn’t know how much meaning it held until I realized what it was.”

Her eyes widened with intrigue. “What does it say?”

“A lot. But most importantly, Argarion explains how he fought against an ancient enemy. He still refused to use his name; however, he does refer to him by a nickname—the Blood King.”

Rose’s chest seized.

It couldn’t be.

“Do you think…”

“That it’s the same Blood King the seer and the snawfus foretold of? It’s entirely possible,” Roman responded gravely.

Her heart plummeted through the dust-filled air. “How could that be? Argarion killed him thousands of years ago.”

Roman shook his head, holding up the journal. “Not according to this. He destroyed his powers, yes, but the Blood King escaped. Argarion spent the rest of his life trying to find him but never succeeded. Everyone else presumed he was dead, but Argarion was the only one who knew the truth.”

Her mind scrambled to put the pieces together. “But if he’s still alive, that would make him thousands of years old. How could he live that long? Unless he was…” Rose’s voice trailed off again as the realization set in.

“A siren,” Roman finished. “Argarion even confirmed it in an entry.”

The eternal flame in his hands flickered, casting a dark shadow across his face. She swore the tunnel itself was closing in on them, attempting to swallow them whole.

She started to walk again. “But even for a siren, that’s an incredibly long life,” she pointed out.

“He must have figured out a way to survive all these years.”

“So you’re telling me I’m supposed to defeat the most powerful siren of all time?” she whispered into the shadows.

Anxiousness crept into his eyes. “It’s a theory.”

She bit her bottom lip as she fiddled with her fingers. She was going to be sick.

“Luckily for us, Argarion wrote about how he destroyed the Blood King’s powers,” Roman said.

Her eyes whipped to his. At last. Hope. “How?”

“Argarion stole a powerful talisman that belonged to the Blood King,” he explained. “A personal item always in his possession said to contain unlimited power. It was made of a rare sunstone that fell from the sky centuries ago, shaped like the same sun symbol that fills Cathan’s walls. Which leads us to why I’ve brought you here.”