Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
A prince who never was. Heir to a throne he never claimed. Lone survivor of a royal family. I want to ask him where he’s from. It must be one of the outlying islands, or I feel sure I would’ve heard of him before now. But his past is something I have to approach carefully and cautiously. It’s full of pain, and I don’t want to cause him any more hurt than he has already suffered.
Voss turns then, his pale eyes taking in Raith without surprise. "Mr. Hollow. You should be dead."
"I get that a lot."
"Yes, I imagine you do. Your survival speaks to the potency of Miss Thorne's healing abilities. Quite remarkable." Voss's gaze shifts to me, assessing. On the surface, he looks as calm and collected as ever. And yet... I sense something else behind his eyes. Something like desperation. Or maybe impatience? "How are you recovering, Nessa?"
"Well enough," I say, matching his careful neutrality. "Though I was hoping you wanted to talk to us about the siphon. Maybe to assure us we don't need to worry about it happening again."
"Perhaps you'd both care to sit? This may be a lengthy conversation."
He gestures to two chairs before his desk, waiting until we're seated before taking his own position opposite us. The deliberate courtesy doesn't escape me, nor does the fact that he's positioned himself with the light behind him, making his expressions harder to read.
"I'll be direct," Voss says, folding his hands before him. "I know more about the siphon situation than I've previously shared. I believe there could be more than one siphon within Confluence's walls. How many, though, I can't say for certain."
"And you're just now telling us this?" Raith's voice is dangerously quiet.
Voss raises an eyebrow. "I am telling you now, as a courtesy. There was no need for you to know before."
"No need—" Raith begins, but I place a hand on his arm, stopping him.
"Why tell us at all?" I ask. "Why not the Empire Council? Or the instructors? Why us specifically?"
Voss studies me, his expression impossible to decipher. "Whoever else knows is irrelevant. I’m sharing this now because I believe you, Miss Thorne, could be the reason they're here."
The words land like ice in my veins. "No. It said it was only using me as bait to get to Raith."
"I didn't say they wanted you dead. You represent both a threat and an opportunity to them. They serve a master, one who has been hunting unbound for centuries for reasons we can only guess. Perhaps he wishes to gain allies, or perhaps he has other purposes.”
"How the hells would you know what Lorkan Grace is hunting?" Raith asks.
"I make it my business to know things, Mr. Hollow. For instance, I know that Malakai and his allies have acquired weapons they should not possess. I know that there are eyes within Confluence observing all that transpires, eyes belonging to forces that might wish you harm. And I know those eyes will be watching most keenly during the Crucible, representing a very real threat to Nessa's safety if she's forced to demonstrate her... abilities."
"Empire emissaries," I say. "We heard they're here to observe the Crucible."
A flash of surprise crosses Voss's features, so brief I almost miss it. "You're well-informed. Yes, the Empire Council has sent representatives—ostensibly to evaluate the school's performance and our methods."
He rises, moving to a cabinet beside his desk. From it, he removes a crystal decanter filled with amber liquid and three small glasses. "Would either of you care for a drink? Avernium Reserve. Quite rare these days ever since the trade blockade a few years back."
"No," Raith says firmly.
"Miss Thorne?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
Voss pours himself a measure, returning to his seat with the glass in hand. He doesn't drink, merely swirls the liquid, watching the light play through it.
"I have a proposal for you, Miss Thorne," he says after a moment. "One I believe will be of mutual benefit."
"I'm listening," I say carefully.
"There is a place, not far from Confluence, that I would like you to see. A place of significant historical importance, particularly for someone with your... unique heritage. I believe it may help you better understand your abilities, perhaps even enhance them. At this place, you could have the final answers you seek about what you are. No more mysteries. No more questions."
"And when exactly do you propose this field trip take place?" Raith asks before I can respond, his voice hard.
"Tomorrow," Voss says. "It should be before the Crucible, and we’ve run out of time to delay. I believe what Miss Thorne might learn there could prove invaluable during the trials to come."
"No," Raith says immediately. "Tomorrow is the last day we have to get ready before the Crucible. Nessa needs rest. She needs to prepare. She doesn't need to be traipsing through the woods with you on some mysterious errand."