From the Ashes

Chapter 32 ~ Blood Vow

    Morana remained in her room long after the sun had risen. She had barely managed to sleep. All night, her mind was whirling with the information they'd learned, and what was to be done with it. A part of her hoped that if she just lay there long enough, she could forget it all. But that would solve nothing, and her hopes were in vain.

    At last, she rolled out of bed and made her way downstairs. The library felt unusually silent today. There was an air of tension within it, as though the structure was holding its breath and awaiting her decision. Morana drew a deep breath and detected Tarion's scent, but it was stale.

    She traced it from the room she'd left him in last night all the way out of the library. There, she found a fresh trail. Morana followed it into a quiet little grove of trees amidst the garden plots. Tarion stood within it, his face lifted to the patches of sunlight that slipped between the tree boughs.

    His arms were crossed and his eyes remained closed, though she knew he was aware of her presence. "There's less green and more color in these leaves," Morana remarked.

    "It's like that beyond the enchantment too. I walked the perimeter again last night."

    "We'll have to move on before winter comes." Tarion's eyes opened and slowly, he turned towards her. "I think our next step is obvious. We have to find the sword, Noxbane."

    "And then?"

    Morana masked her nervous sigh with a half-hearted cough. "We keep working with my magic. If my power can destroy Astaroth, I suppose I need to practice effectively destroying things. But...there's something else to consider."

    Tarion waited expectantly. "Janus said that Hadeon wouldn't allow him to destroy Astaroth. What if that sentiment still holds? Are we going to have to fight a god as well as Astaroth?"

    Tarion's lips curled sideways in a frown, but his answer was more reassuring than Morana expected. "I think Hadeon must have learned from his mistakes. If Janus and his daughter both bore his power, that made both of them Phoenixes."

    "It must have been after their deaths that Hadeon altered when his power would return to his mortal descendents. And besides, he is Ascended now. He can't walk among us anymore, so even if he tries to stop us, we won't be fighting him physically."

    "We'll still have to face Astaroth's army." Morana chewed on a fingernail absently, contemplating. "Maybe it's time to announce our fight. Call others to fight with us."

    Tarion shook his head at once. "We're not ready for that. That would challenge Astaroth outright and he'd retaliate before we even started looking for Noxbane. We should at least have the sword in our possession before we reveal our plans."

    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and a calculating gleam crept into his gaze. She recognized the look. Koen had worn it many times. A warrior assessing the battle.

    "You're right about one thing," he said, catching her eye. "We need to call others to fight. I looked over that map last night and it looks like the spot where Janus left Noxbane is the Mouth of Hadeon. Right beside the Isle of Lorn."

    "Where the Cahirim is gathered," Morana realized. "I can't believe Astaroth hasn't found the sword by now. He must spend a lot of time on the Isle."

    Tarion shook his head. "Rhidian and Gaelen oversee the Isle. Astaroth rarely goes there. It must have something to do with maintaining his physical form. Janus said he can't hold it off of dry land and Lorn is an island, so maybe he's uncomfortable there."

    "Either way, it's obvious why he wouldn't search the Mouth, and even if he sent others down to look for the sword, they couldn't touch it. Only your bloodline can wield it."