Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The bright red circle drawn around Ceron on the map of Escarral glared up at Lyv, laughing and taunting, from the council room table. Dotted lines weaved through the mountains and valleys to both Oria and the capital city of Escarral, both possible paths Corliss's dark army could take in their path of destruction. The conduit's words still echoed in her head, even with the other voices talking around her. She couldn't hear anything they were saying, only the words the Ceron territory in Escarral has already fallen.

Lyv tried swallowing the lump of emotion in her throat as she closed her eyes, trying not to picture it all.

Ada and Gyver.

Avice, Elia, and Dain.

All of the people of Ceron.

Gone.

All she could imagine was what happened in her nightmare – all of them running from the shadows before it enveloped them in darkness.

The shock of it all was that Guinevere let it happen. She had allowed Corliss destroy one of her daughters and a part of her family. All just to achieve her goal of bringing Escarral to its knees before destroying it completely. Once Lyv was able to get her hands on her, she didn't even know where she would start, only that she had definite plans of killing Guinevere herself.

Everyone around her at the council room table was trying to plan out their own movements and attacks. Attacks, not rescue plans for those who might have survived in Ceron. Because if Lyv knew anything about Corliss and her power, she wouldn't have left anyone alive. They were probably a part of her dark army now.

They hadn't been able to get a raven with a message to anyone in Escarral. Lyv had a feeling she knew the reason. Corliss's shadows more than likely did the same to them as they had to the plea for help that had tried to reach Dalcaine.

They were losing time. In the hours they sat in the council room, they could have already been halfway to Escarral on the dragons, even if it had just been a few of them to go. Of course, Lyv knew they needed a plan and couldn't go in blind, but this was her family they were talking about, her home for all her life up until those last few years, and she wanted to get there now.

Lyv could feel the shock and numbness slowly reigned itself in. Finally, she was able to refocus on those around her as they discussed their plans of going to Escarral, though now under very different circumstances. Jai's hand had yet to let go of hers as he sat beside her. The king and queen were on his other side, still in their nightclothes and robes even though the sun was just beginning to peek through the windows. Elys was in Lyv's lap, holding her other arm around him as he sat up straight, eyes closed, searching through his visions for something they could use. Gideon, Thia, and Allel were on the other side of Emmeric and Alexea because Bridget had claimed the seat next to Lyv, which then meant Alberich, Drue, and Jules were there, too. None of them had gotten any sleep, showing their tiredness with the dark circles and bloodshot eyes.

Everyone was either standing or leaning against the table, throwing ideas around, placing small figurines on the maps to show movements, and marking them up on the parchment since those maps were going to go along with them. The Escarral map to be precise, the one Jai had drawn up for her father Bence when he went under a different name and glamour.

Lyv wasn't the only one who wanted to get to Escarral as soon as they could. Jai, Gideon, and Jules were extremely vocal in getting more of their people over. And it wasn't because the others weren't thinking the same, but that they had a stronger connection with the land since they'd spent months to years living there among the people. And Lyv...until going to Dalcaine, it was the only home she'd ever known.