A Court of Ash and Necromancy

28. High Tension

    The next day passed much like the previous one. Estelle was listless and unsettled, both by the argument with Celeste and by the meeting swiftly approaching. All of their guests had arrived and the meeting would take place the next morning.

    The entire Palace radiated with tension. Eris was a raging flame, crackling through the hallways and leaving embers of pain and anger in his wake. Castiel was constantly at his side. His Spymaster, Keitha, had said he hadn't been apart from his son for more than five minutes since Evren's kidnapping. Estelle couldn't blame him. He was probably paranoid that his child would be next.

    Besides Keitha, only three other people had accompanied Eris. Two of his generals and Keitha's wife, Juliette. Juliette was tasked with taking care of Castiel during the rare moments Eris wasn't around. Estelle had to wonder if Castiel had realized his mother wasn't actually with the two females. If so, had Eris told him the truth, or yet another story to fool his young mind?

    Larilis and Lucien accompanied Eris through the Palace. Elain kept herself occupied by helping with arrangements for the generals and advisors who accompanied the High Lords and Ladies. Helion brought only one general along for the meeting, as opposed to Eris' two.

    Tarquin had arrived with Varian, Amren, and a general as well. Both Tarquin and Varian were on edge. Estelle knew it was because of Cresseida's recent disappearance. She was Varian's sister, and Tarquin's cousin. Another person with ties to a High Lord, who Melantha had snatched out of her home.

    Kallias and Viviane brought two generals and an ambassador with them. Estelle couldn't wipe Viviane's tired and worried face from her mind. The beautiful female had dark circles under her eyes, as though she hadn't truly slept in weeks. Not since Wynter disappeared.

    Kallias' anger was as icy as Eris' was burning. When he entered a room, it felt as though all the warmth had been sucked away. He spoke very little or not at all, and kept one hand on Viviane's arm. Mikael had sought them out and apologized profusely, promising to find their son. His friend. Estelle had spent an hour in the bedroom with him after that, simply holding her mate as he fought back tears.

    Tamlin had come alone, unsurprisingly. The tension between him, Rhys, and Nyx was almost tangible, although they all did their best to hide it when Venelia was around. Drakon and Miryam also came by themselves. They alone seemed to be unaffected by the spiking emotions in the Palace. They were sympathetic, of course, but no one from their hidden country had disappeared, so they were a little more collected than the rest of their companions.

    Jurian, Vassa, and the other Mortal Queens brought no generals or ambassadors either. Estelle couldn't help but hope that they, or Drakon and Miryam, would have some useful information. They had been around for centuries, despite being Mortal.

    Jurian's soul had been trapped in the world for many years, thanks to Amarantha. She wore his eye in a ring and one of his fingers in a necklace, keeping his soul bound to his body parts. He was eventually resurrected by the Cauldron during the War with Hybern. He maintained his Mortal appearance, but it seemed like the Cauldron's power had unexpectedly lengthened his life span as well.

    Vassa shared a similar story. She had once been cursed by the dreadlord Koschei to take the form of a firebird by day and a Mortal at night. During the war against him, Vassa wielded the Amulet, a powerful piece of the Dread Trove capable of resurrecting the dead and granting them a Fae's lifespan.

    She had connected with the artifact, and through it, gained a longer life span as well. Estelle found it all hard to comprehend, but as Mikael had said, there was far more to the Cauldron and the artifacts created by it than anyone could ever, or would ever understand.