Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
I hadn’t come that way.
I’d shadowstepped from the Solar to avoid being followed by Delano, who was guarding the chamber while Casteel went to speak with Kieran to see if there were any updates from Pensdurth. And to locate Malik.
But Pensdurth wasn’t the only reason Casteel had gone to Kieran instead of summoning him to the Solar. He wanted to fill him in on what we’d learned.
“Do you want to tell Kieran or…?” Casteel had asked when we returned to Wayfair, leaving it open-ended.
I could’ve kept Kieran in the dark. That was what I wanted. The fewer people who knew about the whole Sotoria thing, the better. But that would’ve been foolish. Keeping that kind of information—any information at this point—to ourselves was incredibly dangerous. Kieran needed to know. Others would need to know so we could prepare for what Kolis may do.
So, I took the coward’s way out and asked Casteel to tell him. I didn’t want to have the conversation. The gods only knew what I would say to humiliate myself again.
Something like this can’t be okay.
I ran my fingers across the rough sandstone blocks, seeking the hidden door’s nearly invisible seam. It only took a few moments before my fingers brushed the minuscule gap.
Recalling the areas Isbeth had touched to open it felt like muscle memory since I’d watched her do it a hundred times—maybe more. Stretching up, I pressed on the smaller block of stone, counted down five, and pushed again. The section of stone shuddered, telling me I was successful. Stone whispered against stone as I shoved the door open.
Cool air rushed over me as I stepped into the pitch-black void. Tiny bumps rose on my skin as I stood in utter darkness. No electricity fueled the lights in this area. There had been gas lamps and torches, but they’d likely burned out weeks ago. Still, I remembered where the torches were and had planned for this.
Shutting the door behind me, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I pulled on my memory of the Vault, visualizing the dozens of torches lining the walls that lit the cavernous space. Eather stirred as my will formed in my mind.
The soft whoosh of flames igniting in quick succession shattered the silence.
A wry grin tugged at my lips. Gods. Having this ability as a child would’ve either been spectacular or a complete disaster that ended in me burning something down.
I opened my eyes. Torchlight now flickered and danced across the walls, casting an amber glow over the crates of jewels.
Diamonds of every shape and size. Emeralds the color of the sharpest blade of grass. Sapphires that resembled the deep blue sky at dawn. Piles of rare jewels such as Royal Jade—a milky-green stone—and Blood Ruby—prized for its deep crimson color. There were even black opals and the Twin Stone, which currently shifted from black to white as the torchlight reached it.
I walked between the crates, passing the closed velvet boxes and carelessly left jewelry scattered across the display tables. There was so much wealth in just the collection of jewels and jewelry.
Even more existed in the area of the Vault situated below Wayfair, where the coins were stacked.
Something like this can’t be okay.
This could feed every soul in Carsodonia and beyond for years. Instead, it was just squirreled away here. Backs broken, and lives cut short to unearth the stones. Bones shattered, and flesh burned to mint the coins. All so it could be hoarded, ensuring that those who had so little had even less.
As I proceeded and moved forward, disgust with Isbeth, the Blood Crown, and myself filled me. I was haunted by memories of playing with the jewels as if they were nothing but trinkets. Then again, I had been a child and unaware of the value of such beautiful things.
I needed to make sure the others knew about this, and we needed to plan how to use it.
Because it would no longer remain here. Not a single coin or jewel.
But right now, I was here for one thing in particular.
As I neared the staircase, I turned to the right and saw a pathway between crates that led to a door. I walked under the rounded archway and turned the handle, the wood groaning as I pushed it open. I took one step inside and stopped, the eather coiling and twisting tightly.
Roses.
I could smell the faint trace of Isbeth’s perfume.
Something like this can’t be okay.
Jaw clenching, I walked in. The torches lit on my command. I passed the plush crimson chaise I could still see Isbeth lying upon in a lazy yet elegant sprawl, and the equally lush chair I sat in, my legs dangling until, as the years passed, I could finally reach the floor. My gaze fell upon the gilded stool and ruby-adorned vanity, a sapphire-encrusted brush on its surface. I picked it up.