The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 29: Lost and Found

Our approach to the palace was the exact opposite of our approach to the temple. Slow and cautious. With trepidation, I walked along the crumbling, cobbled path toward the gatehouse. Remiel walked behind me, his double-bladed scythe glinting in the pale sunlight.

I glanced up when we walked through the large archway. Everything that wasn't made of Ravenstone had long since burned in the fires. There was no iron gate to open or glass left in the windows. The golden doors that had once greeted visitors from all over the world were nothing more than shining streaks along the white stone steps. A gaping black hole bid us welcome.

"What is it?" Remiel asked when I halted suddenly.

"The doors...were they made of gold?"

His attention shifted from my face to the entrance. "They were gold plated, and the doorknobs were giant black pearls from the Crystal Sea." He held up his hand and made a fist. "This big around."

"I can see it. I remember."

With a little more excitement, I headed inside the palace. Ash made the stone floors gritty beneath my shoes, and along the walls of the foyer were deeper piles of powdery cinders. Likely, the flames had entered far enough to burn chairs, statues, or chandeliers, but since those objects were easily consumed, they hadn't been able to sustain the fires long. Only a few steps further and we entered a world untouched by destruction.

Remiel sucked in a breath. "It's like the temple."

Our steps echoed in the cavernous grand hall. Four corridors extended off the main room, two on either side, and before us were two great, curving staircases with banisters of the same gold as the front doors. Even in the dark and beneath the grime, the metal glinted.

'Moranthia! You do have two feet. You don't have to slide down the railing every time.' My father's lavender eyes held no anger as he stooped to straighten the bow in my hair.

'It's not nearly as much fun.'

'I suppose that's all that matters.'

My mother's tinkling laugh drifted from upstairs.'Oh really.'

"Morana."

I blinked away the mists of memories and smiled at Remiel. He did not smile back. Fear, and something a little like madness, peered out through his dark eyes.

In a flat voice, he asked, "Where did you go?"

"I used to slide down that banister. It exasperated my parents. Remy, what's wrong?"

He pulled me against him and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "I'm sorry. I saw your gaze turn inward, and it made me panic."

"Mara can't reach us in here."

I don't know where that thought came from, but I knew it was true as soon as I said it. She could not go where her flames couldn't go. Of course, it still begged the question as to why she had attacked me on our first night here. The unlocked memories painted a far different picture of my sister. One that loved her family. Years of burning would drive even the kindest soul insane. And I suspected Mara was far from the kindest.

Remiel's shadows curled around us. My assurances didn't seem to put him at ease, and he struggled to let me go. It wasn't at all like the confident man who'd followed me across the continent.

"You're right," he said at last, gripping his weapon tightly as he peered around the room. "Where should we go first?"

I nibbled on the edge of my thumbnail as I sifted through muddied recollections. Finally, I pointed to the left. "I believe that hallway will take us to the stairs that lead to the cells below."