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And when William smiled and squeezed her shoulders before dissolving like the mist around them, she had to swipe tears from her face all over again.

But yet again, a figure appeared, a woman who Alex didn’t recognise. Not until she spoke.

“Hello, child.”

Alex’s eyes widened at the beautiful young Tia Auran, radiant with light and life.

“Lady Mystique?”

The ancient immortal chuckled warmly. “I always did like that name. Just as I never truly figured out if you first gave it to me in the past or in the future, since you heard it from me in the future, but I heard it from you in the past.”

Alex didn’t even try to get her head around that. “You look—You look—”

“More like my sister now, I dare say.”

It was true—the resemblance between Aes Daega and Aes Orsa was undeniable now that Lady Mystique was no longer wrinkled and weathered by her years in Medora.

“Your time here is nearly up, child, so listen and listen well,” Lady Mystique said, resting her hand against Alex’s cheek. “When all seems lost,Kelarna de la Soraya.”

The translation came to Alex instantly and she whispered, in question, “Remember the light?”

Lady Mystique shook her head and then repeated, more firmly, “No, Alexandra.Kelarna de laSoraya.”

But despite the repetition with the emphasis on the final word, the translation didn’t change.

“I don’t—I don’t understand.”

Patting her cheek once before stepping back again, Lady Mystique just looked into her eyes and said, “When the time comes, you will.”

And then she, too, was gone.

Frustrated, Alex called out, “You’ve said that to me before— and it’s no less annoying this time!”

But other than perhaps what she imagined was a chuckle in the swirling mist, there was no answer.

Alone and surrounded by nothing but clouds and haze, Alex wasn’t sure why the Gate didn’t spit her out and send her back to the stadium. Not until one final figure appeared.

“Well met, Alexandra Jennings.” He paused pointedly. “Or should I continue calling you Aeylia?”

Alex’s body was taut as she locked eyes with King Astophe.

“Your Majesty,” she stammered, dropping into a curtsey.

He laughed lightly. “Come now, Alex. I think we’re past the formalities. And besides,”—he gestured to the clouds around them—“I’m hardly sovereign here.”

Alex conceded his point.

“I missed you once you were gone,” he said quietly. “I’ve never had a better Stix partner before or after.”

Alex snorted, certain he was lying.

“It’s true,” he said, his amber eyes lit with kindness. “No one lost as well as you did.”

For any normal game, his statement would have been offensive. But since the point of Stix was to lose—the winner being the person with the most pieces wiped from the board atthe end of the match—the Meyarin king was offering her quite the compliment.

“I had a good teacher,” Alex told him shyly.

He laughed again. “That, I won’t contest.”