Page 35

“The heartbreak,” she whispered, “of falling for a human is one I would avoid.”

I released my grip on her elbow but still did not move. “I would not dishonor you by taking advantage of our proximity, knowing I am not long in Thalassaria.”

There it was. Our reasons for not leaning into one another and taking what we desired. For there was no doubt that Nerys and I desired the same thing.

One of us had to step away.

There is no greater honor than to be chosen to carry and protect the secrets of our ancestors. To see our future and guide humans toward their rightful place in Elydor.

I could hear my grandfather’s words as if he stood there and spoke them aloud to me. It was his strength, and not my own, that allowed me to take a step, and then another, away from her. With a firmer resolve than before, despite the most enticing vision in front of me, I asked the obvious question.

“What do you train for?”

In response, Nerys walked toward the very window I’d been staring out of since coming here. Though I joined her, I was careful to put enough distance between us as not to be tempted to reach out. To touch her again. To pull Nerys into me.

To take what we both wanted but neither could afford to have.

With a flick of her wrist, a silencing mist formed all around us.

“It was not far from there,” she said, pointing into the distance. “Where a fishing vessel overturned. Some storms, even the strongest Thalassarian cannot calm. None worried for the men aboard, as all were experienced water-wielders and they were close to shore. One by one, they rode waves back to that dock. Except for one.”

Nerys’s hands balled into fists.

“What happened?”

“He was young, had not seen fifteen summers yet. The others returned to the shore, thinking they’d all made it back, but the young one’s abilities were no match for the storm. He hung onto a piece of debris as the ship’s captain debated whether or not to save him.”

She was becoming angrier as the story unfolded.

“Why on Elydor would he not save him?”

When Nerys looked at me, though anger still lingered, there was resolve in her expression too.

“Unfortunately, the queen was on the dock, preparing for a voyage to Aetheria. She forbade it, saying that the sea was a trial, and if he couldn’t master it himself then it wasn’t for anyone to take the burden from him. You see, she believes in balance. That Thalassarians must master the sea without relying on others, or they weaken themselves. But it wasn’t about balance that day.”

“What was it about?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“He was half-human. And though born with the Thalassarian abilities of his father, he struggled to master the sea as quickly as he might have otherwise.”

“And you believe that was the reason she did not want him to be rescued?”

Nerys frowned. “Some believe so, aye. I do not think it was so straightforward as that. The queen is well known to take such a stance. For us to rely on no others, we must be strong. And though I do value independence, neither do I believe seeking aid is a weakness. The queen would disagree, however.”

“Did he survive?”

Nerys smiled for the first time since she began her story. “He did. The captain, in defiance of the queen, rescued him. And would have been punished for it if there was not an uprising that found Queen Lirael more at odds with her people than ever before in her reign. At least, that is what I am told.”

“You were not there when it happened?”

“No. But the story has haunted me. Last eve, when you spoke of your grandfather and said, ‘He was the best of men,’ I thought of the boy, clinging to life on a piece of driftwood. Of you, and the other humans I’ve met. Good people who do not deserve to be locked inside a bedchamber because of the queen’s fear.”

I hadn’t thought of it before, but her words made sense. “Gyorians, Aetherians are not locked inside, as I am?”

“No,” she confirmed. “It would do little good as they would be able to easily escape. There are ways to… subdue their powers. But it is considered unseemly to use them, unless in battle.”

I glanced about my chamber. My prison. “In some ways, your queen is no better than King Balthor.”

Nerys’s laugh was harsh, not at all one of joy. “Inmanyways, though hers are more subtle. And of course, closing the Gate after kidnapping King Galfrid’s partner cemented him as the ultimate villain of Elydor in terms of his hatred of humans.”