Chapter 267: Echoes of War
Their words entered me, slicing through the darkness like the first ray of the morning sun. I hadn’t dared hope that the reason they returned for me was for...well, me. Hearing them say it dispersed whatever doubts I’d been holding on to, forcing me to face what they had been trying to tell me the entire time.
As I grappled with this newfound perception, Dyson frowned, lacing his fingers together. Glad we got that settled, but one thing bothers me about this Alverin fellow. Why did he give away their base location? Even if he thought Starlight would attack on her own, and thus be easily caught, why risk it? Why not set up another ambush like they did last time?"
I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. It was too much to admit the possessive nature of the slavers, and how desperately they wanted to enslave me again, to claim me. Fortunately, there was another reason, too, though it was Vithrass who gave it to me.
My hands held a slight tremble as I looked around the table, focusing on the faces I so desperately wanted to trust. I had taken a big step earlier in admitting my true name and identity, but they had already known that. This was much harder, a secret I didn’t want anyone to know.
"I’m, um, good at magic," I said in a choked whisper.
Rasce snorted. "That’s an understatement. But you can’t even use combat magic, and even if he wanted to enslave a mage, why didn’t he do it when you talked?"
"Hey, let her finish," Tana said.
He rolled his eyes but gestured for me to continue. After another breath, I’d gathered enough courage to say, "There’s some law they follow that prevented him from acting, but now that Vithrass is dead, there’s...sorry, what I was trying to say is that I accidentally perfected the curse magic they’ve been working on–the Heart Crest."
"You accidentally invented a new spell?" Rasce asked, disbelieving.
I flushed red, looking away.
"It wouldn’t be the first time," Tana said, coming to my rescue. "She taught me a bunch of arrays she developed."