The weirwood on Rookery Island was the largest Danyla had seen so far, nearly half again as large as the one in Weirwood Square. Its enormous canopy covered almost the entire island.
Beneath its moss-covered roots, which protruded above the ground, she could still see fragments of dried-out black oilstone, but the magical energy within those stones had long since dissipated.
Perhaps those pieces of black oilstone, drained of their magical energy, were what had given this enormous weirwood such vigorous life and powerful magical fluctuations. They had also nurtured the Citadel's distinctive magical creatures-the black ravens and white ravens.
After sensing the rich magical energy within the weirwood, Myracis promptly stretched out beneath it without the slightest hesitation.
The weirwood's ancient, abundant natural power made her feel wonderfully comfortable. Here, Myracis also felt the power within her become unusually active, much as it had when she rested beneath the weirwood on Holy Flame Island.
Led by Maester Riven, Danyla arrived at White Raven Tower. The place had been cleaned thoroughly and lacked the pungent stench of an ordinary rookery. Perhaps that was because relatively few white ravens were kept here.
"Your Highness, we keep sixteen adult white ravens here in total. We tried the method you sent us, and it really worked. A few months ago, we hatched two broods of little white ravens, and nine survived!"
Only Riven and the two young apprentices beside him were accompanying Danyla now, and those apprentices were people she had placed in the Citadel.
With the information Danyla had privately passed to him and the feed she had formulated, Riven had become the overseer of Rookery Island over the past two years, thanks to his outstanding skill in raising and training ravens.
After becoming the overseer of Rookery Island, Riven had immediately