“I couldn’t—”
“Please,” she whispers, then stands on her tiptoes and gently brushes away my hair. She unties my necklace and adds the golden shell to the string.
I grab the new shell and slide it until it’s under my nose, holding it up so it catches in the sun. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
As she smiles, I can’t help but think of someone else, and I try to push the thought down. Wrenley puts her necklace back on and heads to the door. “If you really want to thank me, Summer Prince, then promise me this isn’t the last time I’ll see you.”
31
Farron
Ezryn and I walk through the cloistered halls of Queen Reach Monastery. An elderly acolyte named Silvio leads us toward the armory, his back bent. There are even wrinkles on his pointed ears. He must have been serving here since the Queen left.
I look behind me. We lost Rosie a while back. I’m not surprised—it’s such a Rosalina thing to do, to get caught up in a painting or the glimmer of a sunbeam. A sense of curiosity whispers through our bond. I’m sure she’ll tell me all about whatever wonder was so fascinating when I find her.
Admittedly, I catch myself wishing I could wander the monastery for no other purpose than to take in its history. But I have to help Ezryn get to the bottom of this. Tilla said shipments of Spring steel have been moved up to the monastery. What reason would a sanctuary need for weapons?
Thankfully, we found Silvio, the master armorer. His age and constitution seem another indication of how little weapons are used up here.
Silvio’s hand trembles as he unlocks a wooden door and gestures us in. I follow behind Ezryn. The room is dark, lit only by torchlight, but clean and well-organized. Racks line every wall, holding all manner of weapons, from spears and lances to swords and axes. They all glint with the familiar sheen of Spring steel.
“As requested, High Prince Ezryn,” Silvio says, holding out his hand. “Here is our armory.”
Ezryn strides over to one of the racks and examines a blade. “Freshly forged. Tell me, armorer, when did these weapons arrive?”
Silvio taps his chin. “We’ve had various shipments over the last few months. With the goblins growing bolder in the mountains, High Cleric Kairyn decided that the Queen’s Army should be equipped with more than rusty kitchen utensils. His words, not mine.”
“The Queen’s Army only answers to the Queen herself,” Ezryn says.
Silvio shrugs. “The High Cleric says peace comes from preparation. He wants the acolytes trained as well. Why, the other day, I held a blade for the first time in three hundred years.” Silvio shivers and gives a breathy laugh. “Invigorating!”
I cross my arms. “So, does everyone in the monastery have access to these weapons?”
“Only the High Clerics and I have a key, and the steel is regulated. One must pass certain training before they may wield it in the practice grounds. Each weapon is signed out until its return. Kairyn keeps quite a watch on things. He’s even taken it upon himself to teach some of the younglings a lesson or two!” Silvio’s wiry eyebrows raise. “Lessons I’m sure you passed on to him, High Prince Ezryn.”
Ezryn turns away and looks back at the steel.
“So, you haven’t noticed any of your weapons missing?” I ask.
Silvio shakes his head. “No, High Prince.”
“Thank you, armorer. You are dismissed,” Ezryn says.
Silvio bows and takes his leave.
When the door shuts behind him, I lean against a rack, the steel clattering. “I thought we might have finally found a lead, but everything seems accounted for up here. With how bad the goblin attacks have become, I understand why the acolytes want to learn to defend themselves.”
“I’m … relieved.” Ezryn’s voice is slow, considering.
I raise a brow. “That our sole clue has turned out to be a dead-end?”
“I wasn’t sure who I would find when I came up here.”
“You mean what you would find?” I clarify.
Ezryn shakes his head. “No. Who. I couldn’t be sure of my brother’s true intentions for breaking his banishment. But coming up here … He’s beloved by these people. They’ve taken in so many displaced by the attacks.” He sighs. “Kairyn’s done more for Spring as an exile than I have as its High Prince.”
I walk over to him. “You had reason for your suspicions. Kairyn defied your order of banishment and deposed your father’s princeguard in place of his own. Have you decided on his punishment yet?”