The Turquoise Tower (Revenant Wyrd Book 6) Read Online Free Page A

the ancient art of astrology she so loved. But as Grace’s eyes drifted down the tower, to where the bridge was supposed to rest, reaching out to the wyrder’s academy, her blood ran cold.
    The bridge was gone, as was the upper half of the wyrder’s academy. Grace could see evidence of the ruined tower on the ground all around her.
    “Did it explode?” Grace asked. Fragments of the tower lay all around in a circular pattern. Stores and homes had been crushed under the weight of some of the larger blocks. There was blood in various spots on the cobbled streets, where it couldn’t be washed away. The sun had darkened the blood into brown stains.
    “I really don’t know,” Aladestra said with a shrug. “I remember fighting the fallen, but there was so much confusion. It sounded like an explosion, but with such destruction, who can really tell one sound from another?”
    Grace nodded.
    “Would you like to see the fallen?” Aladestra asked. “We have kept it for observation.”
    “Yes,” Grace said, despite her better judgment. She hated going into the morgue of the Ivory Tower. Being surrounded by so much death might not bother some people, but Grace just didn’t like it. “I’ve never seen a fallen up close.”
    “Really? With everything you’ve been through?” Pi asked, coming to walk beside Grace, or maybe Grace was just slowing down the further they made it up the hill.
    “Even with the battles I’ve lived through, no.”
    “Count yourself lucky,” Aladestra said. “It’s a terrifying sight. To know that the being in front of you looks human, but has such power, such thoughts that you just can’t understand.” Aladestra shivered. “And something new — this one had black eyes.”
    “Black eyes?” Sara asked. “That is new.”
    “What do you think that means?” Grace asked.
    “Eh, who knows? Anyway, the rest of the Realm Guardians are waiting for us, so your inspection of the angel might have to wait, Grace,” Aladestra said, coming to a stop before the oaken doors of the Ivory Tower.
    Around the base of the tower was green grass, no gardens like one might expect, and nothing overly grand. The tower sat at the top of the hill, and though it wasn’t crowded, other buildings sat nearby. Off in the distance Grace could see a tunnel leading under a series of streets to the more seedy part of the city, one she might have visited in her younger years.
    Aladestra pushed the door open and welcomed them all into the dimly lit corridor of the entrance hall.
    The hall was fashioned of mud-colored brick, lending a darkness no amount of firelight could quench. Grace knew this hallway would open out into a lobby of sorts, but they weren’t going that far. To the right, not far from the entrance, a series of stairs carved into the building wound up and out of sight.
    “I’m not sure how long this will take,” Aladestra said, turning to the rest of the group. “We only need Grace, Sara, Annbell, and Mag — the rest of you can explore if you’d like. We’ll break for lunch in three hours, and meet anyone who would like to dine with us in the lobby straight ahead.” Aladestra motioned down the hallway ahead of them.
    “Oh, what fun!” Rosalee said. “Dalah, let’s walk around the city.”
    “You think we could get around the entire city in three hours?” Dalah asked.
    But Aladestra was leading them up the stairs, and after only a short distance, Grace lost the rest of the conversation.
    The first door on their left was the conference room they would be using. Aladestra opened the door and welcomed the group inside.
    Around a circular table sat the other Guardians, and a smattering of their personal entourages; whether guards, advisors, or a little of both, Grace wasn’t sure. Most of them she recognized only through reputation and titles.
    Azra Akeed she recognized, having met her once. Her red hair and caramel skin reminded Grace of the short, unfriendly time she had spent in the Realm of