Page 193

She glanced at the low ceiling my light had revealed. It was covered in hanging, crystalline structures, their sharp edges both beautiful and menacing; we appeared to be at the mouth of a cavernous tunnel of sorts. A relatively clear path stretched before us—the only way out. A palpable relief washed through us at the sight of our obvious next steps.

That relief lasted only seconds.

The light rising from my body was acting strangely, rapidly gathering near the ceiling, as if being pulled in by those odd crystals. They captured the light and magnified it with incredible, unnatural force, and our surroundings went from being shrouded in total darkness to being flooded with so much light that it was equally disorienting.

Blistering heat rapidly followed the eye-watering brightness.

Then came the sound of one of the crystals popping, followed by glistening shards raining down, pinging against the rocky ground.

Cursing under my breath, I attempted to pull some of my magic back. It did little good; even the slightest flicker of light was caught and reflected back with blinding ferocity and heat.

Meanwhile, one after the other, our allies were following us through the portal, cramming into the space and immediately finding themselves lost among the unbearable light and heat. Their sounds were strangely muffled—making me more and more certain unnatural spells and protections were at work here—but the panic rolling off them quickly became palpable.

Just as that panic started to sink its claws into me, I caught sight of a shadow rapidly encircling one of the crystals above. It pressed into the middle of the translucent structure like ink blossoming in water, dimming the light beaming from its center.

Understanding dawned over me. I closed my eyes and focused, no longer trying to pull my magic back, but instead holding it in place while Nova added her shadows to it.

The searing heat slowly cooled. Stillness overcame our crowd of allies. Curiosity overtook panic, and I opened my eyes to find Nova standing directly in front of me, cast in a soft, delicate light.

She was carefully studying the hanging crystal closest to us, her upturned gaze reflecting the swirling mass of our magic now balanced in its center. With precise movements of her hands, she continued to guide her shadows into other crystals near and far, until they were all filled with both our magics, and the entire tunnel was cast in the same muted, pleasant light and warmth that directly surrounded us.

“Traversing this pathalsorequires balance, apparently,” she whispered, her tone a mixture of lingering panic and building awe as she lowered her gaze and looked around.

It was impossiblenotto be awed by the sight now surrounding us.

The balanced glow of our magic slowly, fully revealed the short tunnel ahead—the strange, colorful flowers along its floor, the walls lined with smooth, iridescent stones. There were faint, glowing symbols etched into some of those stones, pulsing with an energy that felt ancient and alive—much like what we’d witnessed on the gate itself.

The world beyond the passage beckoned. The mere glimpse we were able to see from where we stood revealed a wide expanse of fields, trees, and a smattering of rooftops, all bathed in an otherworldly white light.

Nova jogged ahead to get a better look. I followed closely behind, emerging more cautiously from the tunnel to find myself on top of a hill overlooking the ruins of what appeared to have been a sprawling city at one point. Vast plazas lay cracked and overgrown, connected by the shattered lines of an elaborate road system. The remains of houses were dotted along those broken roads, most of their walls sagging and crumbling into the earth, choked by vines and creeping ivy.

At the bottom of the hill lay a twisted, rusted, and half-buried gate that led into a barren courtyard. The courtyard was long and narrow, with the ruins of multiple walls dividing it. A central path led through it, up to a massive structure of battered stone and cracked marble…

The remnants of a palace.

Its shattered towers jutted up like broken bones, only partially visible above the outer defensive walls—but the main building appeared to be more or less intact, its bricks weathered but standing firm, the majority of its arched, ornate windows unbroken.

Beyond it all, far past the palace and the city behind it, lay a wide expanse of glimmering grey. A sea, perhaps. Its shimmering seemed oddly out of place in this otherwise still andsilent world, and I briefly wondered what the rest of this place might look like under the light of a normal sky and sun.

“The Palace—and Kingdom—of Midna,” said Bastian, coming up behind us. “Or, what’s left of it, anyway. It was once the most powerful, most central kingdom in existence, back when Noctaris and Soltaris were part of one singular world. Some legends say the last King and Queen of Midna played a role in the formation of the Aetherstone—that they were duty-bound to the gods themselves to see that artifact created and protected.” He scanned the ruins, his eyes lighting up as they fell over what remained of the main palace. “This is actually in better shape than I expected; I imagine its rooms are full of all sorts of interesting things we could study…”

“Not really what we’re here for, unfortunately,” Thalia reminded him. “Though maybe we’ll survive long enough—and balance things well enough—that we’ll have a chance to explore and unearth more knowledge.”

“We survived getting here,” Nova said. “That’s a start, isn’t it?”

Her brother nodded. “We’re lucky we had you two back there.” Glancing over his shoulder toward the tunnel, he added, “The path to this realm and its Stone were meant for both of the Vaeloran to walk together, so that likely won’t be the last time we’ll need both of your respective magics.”

“It also further explains why Lorien needed to steal Grimnor, and Nova’s magic, to better balance his own powers,” Thalia said, already making her way down the hill.

Nodding in agreement, Bastian followed her.

Nova hesitated, her eyes glazed over in thought, the corners of her mouth drooping. I could read her well enough by now to guess at what she was feeling—guilt and regret over letting Lorien escape with that sword and everything else.

“Whatever he took,” I said, placing a hand on the small of her back and urging her onward, “it isn’t as powerful as you are. And he won’t be able to wield it as you can. He used it to get into this place—and for nothing more, for all we know.”

She gave a barely perceptible nod; it was the only response she had time for before the rest of our company caught up to us, forcing her to shift her expression into something more formidable. Something our doubters couldn’t question.

We crept carefully down the steep hill, making our way through the dilapidated entrance and into the skeletal remains of the courtyard. As we passed under what remained of the entry arch, the sky suddenly shifted, its milky white glow giving way to churning clouds of dark purple and blue.