Children of Fallen Gods (The War of Lost Hearts Book 2) Carissa Broadbent (best book recommendations txt) 📖

He looked exhausted, the shadows beneath his eyes even darker now. He leaned back in his chair, gaze trailing around the table.

“As we all have seen, thanks to Tisaanah, the Kazarans have surrendered. Retreated, but… I suppose we can’t have everything. The question remains, then, of what we do next. There are many cities in the north that need to be dismantled. General Farlione is currently laying siege upon the city of Antedale.” Again, a twitch of disapproval at his lip. “Though I have made it clear that time is of the essence.”

Just the sound of Max’s name made my heart leap. A siege. I wondered what his plan was. I knew he must have one.

“And after that,” Zeryth went on, “he will move on to other cities in the south. We, then, are left with many here.” His gaze fell to me. “Thankfully, as we all saw, we have…significant resources. It should be quick work, if we leverage all that we have. And so, that brings me to my request for all of you. Many of you have strong connections among Aran nobilities. I ask you to write to them. Ask for their support, from their private armies. We have cities to conquer, and we must conquer them quickly.”

The Valtain man across from me let out a puff of smoke, gesturing to the map on the table.

“This,” he said, “is a great deal of sacrifice, Zeryth. There is a high cost to what you plan to do.”

It was difficult for me to hear accents in Aran, but his words were tinged in an unfamiliar lilt that made me think that he, too, was not a native speaker.

Zeryth gave him a withering stare.

“Are you suggesting, Iya, that we can’t win?”

“Of course not. You can certainly win.” I did not miss the change in his wording. “But the Orders were never intended to be an Aran institution. They belong to no nation. And yet, you want to discard thousands of lives in an attempt to secure Ara’s throne. This is not our fight.”

Zeryth’s lip twitched.

“We have already had this discussion. Does anyone have anything more helpful to contribute to this conversation?”

But Iya was not done.

“Are you feeling alright, Zeryth? You don’t look well.”

Zeryth gave him a cold smile. “I feel perfectly fine.”

“Mm.” Iya leaned back in his chair. “As I said. There are some things, some magics, that are not worth the cost.”

Did I imagine the way that his eyes landed on me before moving back down the table?

“As always, I so appreciate your insight, Councilor,” Zeryth said. Then, pointedly, he rolled out the map. “But we have more important things to discuss. Our path has already been decided. It’s just a matter of how.”

The meeting went on for hours, and by the end, my head was pounding. The future yawned out in front of me like a terrible, endless mountain. Whatever sense of accomplishment I’d felt after this victory withered away with every new X slashed over the map.

Perhaps I had managed to avoid the worst of a battle once. But I would have to do it again, and again, and again.

The thought sickened me. As it was, I already felt the hot blood of those that I had killed staining my hands. By the end of the meeting, I could barely breathe. Not that I allowed myself to show anything other than calm confidence.

When we finished, Zeryth was the first to leave, and slowly the others filed out of the room too. But I remained, walking the library. Every inch of it was packed with books or plants or archeological specimens, every piece of white wall covered with tapestries or paintings.

I paused at one display of insects mounted on little golden stilts. There were moths and enormous spiders, caterpillars and shiny, colorful beetles. The one that caught my attention was a small butterfly, wings glinting with faded flecks of gold. It reminded me of the one that Kira had shown Max, all those years ago. This one looks too pretty to be a part of your collection, Max had told her. Words I could remember so clearly that it felt like they’d been my own.

I wondered if this had all been for her. Perhaps it had been one of her parents’ many efforts to avoid more live insects in the house.

“The Atrivez butterfly.” A smooth, accented voice came from behind me. “Beautiful. Extinct now, of course, like all magically-sensitive creatures.”

I turned to see Iya approaching.

“They used to say they were impossible to kill, because they were so skilled at sensing danger,” he said.

My eyebrow twitched. “Perhaps this one was not so good at it,” I said, and Iya let out a short laugh.

“Perhaps not.”

There was a brief silence, and I looked up to see him regarding me with a wrinkle between his brows.

“How are those that came here from Threll?” he asked. “Are they settling well?”

I blinked. Perhaps my surprise showed on my face, because he chuckled and said, “Please don’t tell me that I’m the first to ask about them. Not that it would surprise me. Ara is a self-centered country.”

The truth was, no one seemed to give any thought to the refugees beyond mild annoyance.

“It is a big change,” I said. “But at least they are safe. Still, there are many more that need help.”

“And the Orders have demanded such a high cost from you, to give it to them.”

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure how much Iya knew about my Blood Pact — about Reshaye. But the weight of his gaze told me enough.

“I believed in the Orders, once, for what they were intended to be,” he said. “An organization that stood for all Wielders in the world, independent of any nation, no matter where the Towers stood. And perhaps once I thought I could guide it back to that light, from within. I’m ashamed to say I’ve grown tired and lazy. But…” His head cocked, slightly. “It is nice, to see