"And he'll be coming when we're at our weakest," Rogan said. "Lord of the Sky, the people won't let go of their belief in the Evermen. What will they do when one shows up?"
"We need to rebuild the machines. Evrin is doing everything he can, he barely sleeps. We need to hold the Empire together, and I know you're doing everything you can. But there's something I can do."
"What is it?"
"It's about Killian."
"Your young man, the one who crossed... the one you say has their powers. I thought it might be. Ella, Evrin Evenstar said you could never bring him back."
"Killian has their power. Trust me in this, Rogan. You won't believe the things he's capable of. When the time comes, we'll need every weapon at our disposal."
"I'm with you so far, but what is it you plan to do?"
"It's a long story, but if I can find Killian's parents, I can find a way to bring him back. The trail leads to the Imperial Courthouse."
"How can you be sure that if you open the portal, more of the Evermen won't cross over?"
"I'll only open it for the shortest time," said Ella. "And I won't be waiting for Killian to simply step through."
"What will you do, then?"
"I'll cross over and get him myself."
Rogan thought for a moment. "All right, Ella. I'll have some of my men take you to the courthouse right now. Just don't go digging up any secrets, not without talking to me first."
Ella nodded. "Of course."
~
WITH the custodian's help, Ella quickly located the records for the years she was interested in. She started at what she guessed would be two years before Killian's birth, methodically searching through birth and marriage certificates, custody battles, divorces and deaths.
After eight hours of searching, she reached the end of the period. She hadn't found anything.
She thought back to the old man at the orphanage. The way he'd spoken, something had happened that was more than just a trivial event, something that involved the destruction of records and the elimination of evidence.
Ella decided to study the criminal trials.
These were the cases that were a matter of death or imprisonment for those convicted — lords and ladies weren't frequently convicted for theft or brawling. These trials were for adultery, murder, and corruption. Surprisingly frequently, nobles were put on trial for treason.
The Emperor had been a man jealous of his power, and from the trial notes Ella read, he wasn't above sentencing those closest to him to death.
The cases were fascinating, but Ella forced herself to concentrate on the details, scanning each set of notes swiftly before moving onto the next.
Yet she stopped at one thick file in particular, unable to stop reading. This case was from the time the Rebellion broke out, a time within the span of years Ella was interested in. Over twenty years ago, the Western Rebellion was the war that saw Miro and Ella's father, the Alturan High Lord Serosa Torresante, executed by the Emperor. It was the war that made them orphans.
The story of the war's inciting event was familiar. The Halrana High Lord at the time had married his only daughter to Emperor Xenovere. A man of uncertain temper, Xenovere had beaten his new wife in a sudden rage, killing her.
The Emperor had tried to cover up what he'd done, but Lord Aidan Alderon, a man married to Xenovere's sister, secretly passed the true story to the Halrana High Lord.
The Halrana called on their steadfast allies, the Alturans. The result was the Western Rebellion.
The case Ella now held in her hands was the set of notes from Lord Aidan's trial.
Inevitably, Lord Aidan was found guilty of treason. Lady Alise, the Emperor's sister, pleaded with her brother to save her husband's life. Her desperate words were recorded, and Ella felt her throat catch.
Xenovere was unrelenting, and Lord Aidan was killed by hanging, the penalty for treason. He then intended to hang Lord Aidan's body from the Wall for three days. But after further begging from Lady Alise, Xenovere relented, and allowed his sister to intern her husband's body in the nobles' cemetery in Westcliff.
The case summary ended there, but directed the reader to another file, the trial of Lady Alise.
Ella hunted through the records until she found it. This case continued the sad story of Lord Aidan's family. Unable to look away, Ella read on.
The Rebellion became a full-fledged war. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her brother the Emperor, Lady Alise had been pregnant with Lord Aidan's child. During his trial, Lord Aidan must have known his wife carried his child, Ella realised. Poor man!
As the war raged, Lady Alise gave birth to a traitor's child. Fearing for her life and that of her son, Alise tried to flee Tingara and her mad brother. The Emperor's men caught them trying to find passage to Altura, and after a summary trial, Xenovere's sister was also convicted of treason.
Whatever feelings the Emperor had left caused him to exile his sister to the Isle of Ana, a small rock off Tingara's eastern coast. The child was taken from Lady Alise and never seen again.