Page 140

He raised a hand to his milky eyes that stared unseeingly out from his dark, ageless face.

“Long ago my eyes were stolen from me,” Athora said. “But I am an Oracle of my people, and he who was responsible could not truly steal my sight. Which is why, when Aes Daega was given the prophecy by one even older than we, I knew that a time would come when both she and I would be free of this world.”

There was so much there for Alex to process. But Athora didn’t give her time to do so.

“Her freedom came today, just as mine will soon follow.” His ancient face held an echo of the peace Lady Mystique had worn in her final moments. “And as for the other captive who was freed today, you already know who that was.”

A stuttered inhalation. That was all Alex would allow.

“Niyx Raedon spent a lifetime imprisoned by a cause he believed worthy of those chains,” Athora said. “Today, he was set free.”

Alex couldn’t deny the truth of his words, awful as they were.

“However,” Athora said, and Alex looked at him, hearing the strange tone to his voice. “Despite everything I’ve just said, prophecies are fickle things, and while the one we have just interpreted is valid, I do not believe it is correct. In fact, I am certain of it.”

It was Kaiden who spoke then, standing beside Alex in a show of support. “What do you mean?”

“The prophecy hasn’t yet been fulfilled,” Athora said simply, “because the key components haven’t been met.”

“But they have,” Alex argued. “Everything it said happened today.”

“They haven’t,” Athora disagreed, “because the prophecy is not regarding the Shadow Walkers and the Dayriders.”

Alex just shook her head. “You’re clutching at straws. ‘Day’ and ‘Night’—who else would it be about?”

Athora raised his hood again, covering his face, but his voice was deep with mystery when he answered. “There is a language far older than anything you can imagine, older than time itself. It was that language that called the stars into being and spoke the worlds into existence. One of those worlds was called Medora, a name that, in the ancient language, means ‘Night’. Another of those worlds was Tia Auras, a name that translates to—”

“Day,” Alex interrupted as disbelief washed over her. “You think the prophecy—the ‘Day and Night’—you think that means—”

“The reason I have been training you, Alexandra,” Athora cut in to finally circle around and answer her earlier question, “was not so you would strengthen your gift. It was so you would be prepared when the day came for what you must do next.” His hooded head tilted downwards, and she imagined his blind eyes would be capturing hers if they could. “With so few days spent training with me, you are not prepared enough for what you will face. However, the time has now come for you to step into your destiny, prepared or not.”

“Are you—Are you saying—”

“You must go to Tia Auras, Alexandra,” Athora said. “You must convince my people to join the fight for Medora. Aven is their nemesis as much as yours, the Meyarins being eternal enemies to my race. Only with their help will you be able to fulfil the prophecy and set the captives free, defeating Aven once and for all.”

Silence in the cavern, and then a strangled sound left Alex’s throat. Soraya nudged her muzzle into her limp hand, sensing her inner conflict. Kaiden on her other side remained quiet, but she could feel his tension like a tangible force.

“You—You want me to go to another world?” Alex finally managed to say. “To Tia Auras?”

In answer, Athora raised a hand and trailed it through the air. As if he’d waved a magic wand, a ripple fluttered in the empty space and an opened doorway appeared, a doorway unlike any Alex had seen. The view beyond revealed a sky full of bright, shining stars but nothing else.

“I am the last gatekeeper to my world,” Athora said. “I would go myself, but my exile forbids me to return upon pain of death.”

He made a flexing motion with his fingers and suddenly A’enara was summoned into Alex’s hand without her consent, arriving in a blaze of blue flames.

“You hold the Balance of Power in your hands,” Athora said in a quiet voice, using the name Kaiden had discovered in his research. “You were born for this task. And you must see it through.”

So much had happened in such a short amount of time. Alex couldn’t stand the idea of facing more, not now, notever. But if Athora was right—if there was the slightest chance that the prophecy could still come to something, that those who were Claimed could be set free with or without her gift, then she had to do what she could to bring it about. Even if that meant venturing to a new, unknown world.

Sensing her rising determination, Athora nodded, and A’enara was banished once more without her deliberate decision.

“You will have to leave your wolf behind,” Athora said. “My world is no place for a creature born of both shadows and light. I shall watch over her until you return.”

His offer was unexpectedly thoughtful, but Alex still hated the idea of travelling to a world she knew next to nothing about on her own.

Kaiden reached for her hand, and when she turned to him, he said, “If you think I’m leaving you to do this on your own, you’re crazy.”

She knew the right thing to do was to object. To tell him how dangerous it could be, to come up with an excuse for why she had to go it alone. But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She felt the weight of Niyx’s note in her pocket and the knowledge that he had trusted Kaiden to look after her in his stead. She recalled how Kaiden had held her through her grief, listened to her stories, dried away her tears. He hadn’t left her side—and she knew he wouldn’t. So all she could do was entwine her fingers with his in silent gratitude.