Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,113

were hints of recognition on their faces, of memories coming back from the last moment of clarity before they put on the bloodstones. First one man raised a pitchfork over his head and sprinted toward Ceren, then another, holding aloft a scythe.

Suddenly realizing that he was surrounded by thousands of armed men he had forced into submission, Ceren fled.

I couldn’t imagine he would get very far, with his body weakened by the broken bond and both Talia’s army and his own after him. My priority had to be making it clear to everyone that the fighting could cease. I would send someone to free Father and the other prisoners soon after.

Still clad in my slippers and shift, I found a horse wandering riderless among the turmoil and climbed into the saddle.

The battlefield was chaos, with a vast majority of the people present not entirely sure what they were doing there. The last thing they remembered was Ceren putting a bloodstone necklace on them, and now they were awakening to find themselves in combat. Fortunately, the confusion allowed me to make it to Talia’s side of the battlefield.

It wasn’t hard to spot Talin. Xander was massive, and there was a wide swath of clear ground around him. I was relieved to see he had stopped fighting, but there were men and women still going after Ceren’s guards, who had continued to fight even without their master’s command.

When Talin spotted me, he screamed my name, and I dug my heels into the horse’s sides. We flew toward each other, both dismounting simultaneously. This time, when he pulled me into his arms and held me, as if he never wanted to let go, it didn’t cause my chest to tighten with dread.

“Thank the gods you’re all right,” he breathed against my hair. His face was streaked with dirt and blood, but all I could see were his ocean eyes, searching mine.

“I broke the blood bond. Ceren fled. We need to tell your mother right away.”

He nodded and kissed the top of my head. “Of course. Let’s get you back to your family.”

“My father,” I said. “He’s still in the dungeon. Someone needs to free him.”

“I’ll see to it as soon as we’re back at Old Castle.”

“No, it can’t wait that long.”

“Nor.” He smoothed my hair from my face. “You’re trembling, love. You’re in shock. Your father will be all right for a little while longer. Right now, we need to take care of you.”

I was too exhausted to argue. I let him lift me onto Xander, and when he climbed up behind me, I slumped against him, struggling to remain conscious. I was asleep before we left the battlefield.

* * *

I woke in the room I shared with Adriel.

“Nor.” Zadie rose from a chair and hurried over to me. “Thank Thalos you’re okay.”

“Zadie.” We hugged each other tightly. There were a few candles lighting the room, but it was dark outside. “What’s happening? Where’s Talin?”

“He found his mother. She brought her troops back to Old Castle for the night. Tomorrow we’ll assess the damage.”

Memories of the battlefield rushed in. “Has anyone seen Ceren?”

“There are people searching for him, but so far, he hasn’t turned up.”

I shouldn’t have been concerned. Ceren was weak and alone, vulnerable outside the shell of the mountain. But the thought of him creeping about like a pale spider made me nervous.

I glanced down and realized I’d been changed into a clean shift. “How are Mother and Father? Can I see them?”

Zadie nodded, gently urging me to lie back against the pillows. “Everyone is fine. You’ll see them in the morning, after you’ve had some rest.”

There was a light knock on the door, and a moment later, Adriel entered.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she said as she came to give me a hug. “I heard you broke the blood bond all on your own.”

I smiled sheepishly. “You don’t sound particularly surprised.”

She shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of the mattress from Zadie. “I always knew you had an affinity for magic. You just needed to realize it for yourself.”

I told Zadie and Adriel everything that had happened in New Castle, ending by showing them the bloodstone pendant still around my neck. It felt like nothing more than a cold piece of metal and stone.

“Will it still work?” Zadie asked.

“The stone? I don’t think so,” I said, though I made no attempt to test it out. “I think whatever power made Ceren and me capable of wielding the