Free Wielder of Tiren (The Raven Chronicles Book 3) by KateMarie Collins

from this journey. Hala had his heart, even if she didn’t know it.
                  He turned his head, catching her gaze. What prompted him to rise and come her way, Arwenna had no clue. But he was so much like Joss. Both of them could read her even if her face was marble.
                  Liam sat next to her, his elbows resting on his knees. Ever direct, he didn’t hesitate to speak. “What’s wrong, Mom? The others may not see it, but I do. There’s something you don’t know and it’s killing you.”
                  She laughed, “Did your father teach you that trick? The two of you are the only ones I could never hide from.”
                  A slight blush crept across his cheeks, “There may have been a discussion or two, yes. But only because he wanted me to be able to take care of you if he couldn’t. Which meant learning when you were hiding something.”
                  “Like how you’re hiding how you feel about Hala?”
                  The red flush grew more pronounced on Liam’s face. “Eventually, she and I will talk about it. But now doesn’t seem to be the time. It’s bad enough for Sera to be prancing about with Kial on her arm. You don’t need two more lovesick puppies on this trip.”
                  “What I need, Liam, is to be home with your father. That’s not happening any more. Besides, you two are far more levelheaded than Sera. Kial’s currently terrified of me, and what I can do to him. And I doubt Y’Dürkie or Hugh will argue with you courting Hala, if she’ll have you.”
                  He turned, placing one leg up on the bench and leaning against the wall of the shelter. “That’s all well and good, and there may be a discussion or two between Hala and myself before we get home, but you’re evading my question. What’s wrong?”
                  Arwenna laughed for the first time in weeks. “Fine, since you won’t leave this alone. Six years ago, when you first started your apprenticeship, did your father come see you that summer?”
                  Liam shrugged, “Yes. He came every summer.”
                  “This time would’ve been different. Did he ever mention visiting Oranji, or the cave where we first found Tiren? The one where Lexi brought him back as her Son?” She’d shielded her children from some of what happened, left out details, but they knew about Joss’ return. And most of the events leading up to it.
                  His brow furrowed in thought. “There was one visit, yes. The time would’ve been right. He talked about visiting with what was left of Tiren’s mate, Trieste. Said there was part of the story missing, and he knew the whole truth now. He gave me a strange bar of metal, told me I’d know when to use it. Then he left.”
                  “Did he tell you the story?”
                  “No. He didn’t. Or, if he did, I don’t remember it.”
                  Arwenna knew she’d give herself a headache trying to force a memory that wasn’t hers. Whatever Joss found out, he took it with him. Krilln would know. If she saw the Aeshor again, she’d need to ask him. “What happened to the steel?”
                  “That’s easy to answer. Three years ago, when Hala was getting ready to go to Almair, Y’Dürkie found me in our home in the Stronghold. Tiren had told her it was time to leave her, have another Wielder. I was told to make a dagger for Hala. It felt right to pull out that bar and use it. So, I did.”
                  “Did your father say anything about the steel that you remember?”
                  He paused. “He called it the ‘heart of the matter’.”
    * * * * *
                  Heavy raindrops pelted the deck and shore alike. Small bursts of dust dotted the shore, kicked up