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Ma dropped onto her stool, but her eyes never left my face. Irecognized that look—the one she got when she was putting pieces together.

"Tell me everything," she said quietly.

I nodded, relief crashing through me, washing away any doubts. “It’s a lot,” I warned her.

“I can handle it.”

"First, we were in Riftdremar looking for arcanite. We found the old mines where?—"

"Arcanite?" She blinked, as if recalling a memory.

"That's what started all of this." I let out a breath, the weight of everything I needed to explain suddenly crushing. "Sídhe stole the arcanite from Riftdremar. Then they burned it to the ground to hide what they'd done."

"But why?" She leaned forward. "Why did they need it so badly?"

"There's this ability—a focus that can steal essence and move it somewhere else. It’s called a siphon." I gave her a knowing look. "Remember your plants, Ma? How the arcanite killed them when you thought it would help them grow?" Something flickered in her eyes. "They lied to us about what it does. It doesn't create essence—it stores it. It can take or give to the land, based on how the energy in it is directed…"

Ma's eyes were darting back and forth now, across the room.

"The King of Sídhe. We think he's a siphon," I finally finished.

Ma leaned back, running both hands through her hair until it fell completely loose from its bun. After what felt like forever, she let out a laugh that sounded more like defeat. "I always knew the Guard was pure fucking evil."

"I was wrong about them." I moved closer, meeting her eyes. "I should have trusted your gut. It's always right. But there's so much more to it. The King—he's lying to everyone. Most people in the Guard believe they're defending our realm. We have to get the truth out somehow. It's the only way to end the bloodshed."

"I guess..." She trailed off, her eyes finding mine again. "I don’t understand. Why you?"

I pressed my lips together, choosing my words carefully. "They recognized me," I finally said. "You know I've never fit in here."

"Recognized you?" The shock was back in her voice.

"I'm one of them." My eyes darted toward the front room. "Well, in part... My father was Kalfar, my mother Aossí. They both died in Riftdremar when it fell."

Ma looked around the room like she might find answers written on the walls. "Esprithe be damned," she whispered.

"There's another thing, actually..." I took a deep breath. "I didn't come here alone."

Her eyebrow shot up. "One of the Wraiths is here?"

"He's not a wraith, Ma." I couldn't help but smile.

"He's in this shop right now?" Her eyes narrowed as they swept across the space. "Where?"

"Aether," I called softly.

Shadows writhed beside me, and suddenly Aether was there. It nearly flipped my world upside down to see him standing so close to the desk I had worked at for years before even knowing he existed—with his void burns trailing up his neck like dark veins, disappearing into his raven hair. The metal of his piercings reflected the firelight beneath the cauldron, the fire that Ma had probably started with her own hands.

His golden eyes assessed Ma carefully, but to my surprise, she didn't flinch. Her gaze lingered on the way his arm wrapped around my waist, and heat rushed to my face.

A moment passed in excruciating silence as the two merely observed each other.

Aether finally nodded, face neutral. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

Ma's eyes drifted from me, to Aether, then back to me, her expression completely unreadable. Finally, she let out a sigh.

"Well, that's a real man if I've ever seen one." Ma chuckled, raising her arms as if to surrender.

I caught Aether's gaze, mortified, but there was that damn dimple threatening to show as he fought back a smile.