Ravenmarked (The Taurin Chronicles) by Amy Rose Davis

“The displaced northerners drained the south of food and resources. It took decades for the northern territories to recover and rebuild. Are you saying there is some kind of justification for that kind of destruction?”
    “You sound like a kirok tutor,” he said. “The Svek had a prophecy that a man would arise to reunite the Western Lands. They had a king who thought he had a divine right to conquer Taura and Culidar. The kirok supported him. Didn’t your books cover that bit?”
    She bristled. “The kirok can’t be responsible for one man’s prideful actions.”
    “No, but it is responsible for its own response to those actions. Don’t worry, though—the Svek suffered, too. Their monarchy dissolved. There aren’t even any nobles left in Sveklant—just farmers, traders, and hunters.”
    “Are there any who follow Alshada?”
    “There are pockets—small kiroks, family groups, towns that worship him in ways similar to the kirok in Aliom. Some follow the old earth gods. Some say they are waiting for a champion to unite their land under a single standard once again.”
    She sighed.
    “Afraid you’re a little less prepared than you thought you’d be?”
    Yes. “No. It’s just a lot to think about.”
    “I won’t leave you with anyone who will expect you to drink pig’s blood.”
    She laughed when she saw his grin. “You have a wicked side.”
    “I’ll not deny that.” He reached for his pack.
    “Why take me so far away? Couldn’t you take me somewhere closer?”
    He laughed. “I asked the Sidh queen that same question. I tried to convince her to let me take you to Eirya, but she wouldn’t. It seems you have to be at the edge of civilization to satisfy some obscure prophecy.” He opened his pack and offered her some hard tack and jerky. “How much do you know about the magic and the prophecies about the rightful royal line?”
    She nibbled on the hard tack. “I read the First Book of the Wisdomkeepers. I know the stories about how the Syraf Namha rebelled against Alshada and caused the rending of the Western Lands. I’ve read how the Sidh were split into two groups and how the Syrafi who followed Namha were cursed to be Ferimin. And I know about the Forbidden.” She shuddered. Half Syrafi, half human, the Forbidden fed on human transgressions and devoured souls to strengthen themselves. The darker a person’s soul, the more it strengthened the Forbidden. She took the skin of water he offered and drank. “The sayana said the stories were myths and legends of a pagan people.”
    Connor snorted a laugh and pointed at the scar on his chin. “I got this from one of those myths when I was escorting a train of livestock through Nar Sidhe territory. Nar Sidhe bastard attacked at night when he thought we were asleep.”
    Mairead shivered. “Then it’s all true?”
    “All of it.”
    “Even the Forbidden?”
    A haunted look passed over Connor’s face. “I don’t know.”
    “But you believe the rest of it.”
    His mouth tightened. “I do.” He took the waterskin from her and drank. “Do you know about the reliquary?”
    “Yes. Some.”
    “Some? That could mean a lot of different things.”
    “I’ve read about the relics, and I overheard the sayas talk about it once.” Mairead swallowed. “Is it as powerful as legends say?”
    “In the wrong hands, it can channel powerful earth magic that would trigger earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves, and floods. In the hands of a benevolent god, it could heal the earth and wipe evil away for eternity.” He paused. “Or at least, that’s what legends say. Queen Brenna was the last rightful queen of Taura. You are, presumably, the only living person with her blood. You are a threat to the safety of the reliquary by your existence. Unless you are the one meant to carry it. Are you?”
    “I don’t think so.” She remembered what she’d read years before. During the war, the Brae Sidh, Syrafi, and tribes fought the Nar Sidhe, Ferimin, and