Page 47 of Duskbound (Esprithean Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

"Aether." My voice cracked on his name. Something in my tone made him freeze, golden eyes finding mine before following my gaze across the water.

We moved as one, shifting to shadow form in an instant. My heart thundered as we rematerialized beside the Vordr, urging them deeper into the forest. Had we already been spotted? The thought sent ice through my veins.

"We need to be close when they come ashore." Aether's voice had shifted, all traces of intimacy replaced by tactical precision. "Find out what they're doing here."

I nodded, still tasting him on my lips, still feeling the ghost of his touch on my skin. But there was no time for that now. We dissolved into darkness once the Vordr were hidden, moving silently toward the shore.

Through the mist, the ship emerged like a ghost—first just a shadow, then taking solid form. Water churned white against its dark hull, and the Sídhe crest snapped in the wind, gold thread catching what little light penetrated the clouds. Fire licked through my veins as I noticed a second flag beneath the Sídhe crest—a roaring sun with crossed swords.

It can't be.

But I knew that symbol. The Soleil family crest.

The ship's anchor splashed into the water, chains rattling as smaller boats were lowered into the choppy waves.

"I'm going to see how many are on board." My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

I'd never tried using my focus while in shadow form, but the web responded instantly, braiding through my darkened mist. Silver orbs of consciousness lit up across the ship like stars. Four on the upper deck. Six below.

"Ten," I breathed.

"We have two options." Aether's voice cut through the rain. "We can wait for them to come ashore, to see what they're here for, or we can cast darkness and take out everyone on the ship."

"Cast darkness?" The words felt foreign on my tongue.

"Don't worry, I can handle it." There was something deadly in his tone.

Two figures appeared at the ship's bow, their forms blurred by the mist. They lifted what looked like brass spyglasses, methodically scanning the shoreline.

"They're looking for something," I whispered, but the words died in my throat as one of the men suddenly pointed behind us, shouting to his crew.

My stomach dropped as I turned. Tryggar stood on the cliff's edge, his silver form unmistakable against the storm-dark sky.

Fuck.

Options raced through my mind, each worse than the last. We couldn't run— they'd already seen Tryggar. And if these were Soleil's men... I didn't let the thought go any further. If they even got a glimpse of my Riftborne branding, I'm sure some sort of torture would await us. But letting them return to Sídhe with news of us could destroy everything we'd planned.

"We need to make a move, Fia." Aether's voice was low, urgent. "It's your call."

I swallowed hard, tasting bile. "We take them out." The words felt like glass in my throat.

The crew had begun loading into the smaller boats when we moved. We shot across the water like living smoke, materializing on deck just as impenetrable darkness descended over the ship. Panicked shouts erupted around us.

I lunged toward a guard in Sídhe colors, shadows coiling around my fist—then I froze. Through the darkness, a flash of honey-blonde hair.

My heart stopped.

"Aether," I choked out. "Stop. Aether, stop!"

The darkness dissolved, and suddenly I was staring into aquamarine eyes I knew better than my own. Osta stood before me, terror morphing into shock as recognition dawned. Tears welled as she threw herself into my arms.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. This couldn't be real. The last time I'd seen her, her eyes were wide with horror as a scream broke her throat. When they took me away from Emeraal. Now here she was, on a ship in Riftdremar, tears streaming down her neck. My Osta had always been sunshine and terrible jokes, not this trembling, broken thing.

Something cracked open inside me—a dam I'd built months ago, holding back every memory of her that hurt too much to face. Osta, who had been my sister in all but blood, both of us marked as Riftborne, both of us surviving on the edges of a society that never truly wanted us. We had found each other when we needed it most, two outcasts who turned their tiny flat into a sanctuary of laughter and warmth and safety.

I had dreamed of this moment so many times in my tower in Ravenfell. Imagined all the things I would say, how I would explain everything. But now, holding her, feeling her shoulders shake with sobs against mine, words seemed impossible. How could I tell her that while she thought I was dead or worse, I had discovered the truth about our birthplace, about who I really was? That I had found answers to questions she'd whispered about late at night, wondering about our parents, about the war that made us orphans?

My Osta. The piece of my heart I'd left behind in Sídhe. She still smelled like vanilla and warmth, still felt like coming home. But we were both different now—changed by time and trauma and the weight of secrets I wasn't sure how to share–

"Well, that was almost quite the tragedy," a distantly familiar voice cut through my thoughts.

I pulled Osta behind me, looking up to find Lord Soleil watching us, Lady Soleil at his shoulder. Not the General. Not Baelor. Movement behind me drew my attention—Aether stood surrounded by guards, perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back. Though weapons were trained on him, his eyes remained fixed on me.

"Enough," Lord Soleil commanded. "Leave the man alone."

The instant the weapons lowered, Aether vanished, reappearing at my side like a shadow made flesh.

Rain pearled on the worn deck planks, each drop reflecting the sky above. The wood beneath my feet was smooth from years of boots and salt, dark patches showing where the sea had claimed its territory.

"What are you doing here?" I turned to Osta, but her wide eyes were fixed on Aether.

"Who's he?" she whispered, tears still tracking down her face.

"Osta, focus. What are you doing here?"

Her gaze slid to the Soleils, and something in her expression made me follow it .

Lady Soleil stepped forward, a gentle smile gracing her features. "I've been looking for you, Fia. Ever since you disappeared from Emeraal."

"Looking for me?" The words felt hollow in my throat. "What do you mean?"

Lord Soleil moved beside his wife. "That night, when we met, I realized immediately that you were not like us. Do you remember?"

The memory rushed back—his curious gaze, the weight of his words. I'm glad you're on our side. My heart skipped as understanding began to dawn. My eyes darted between the Soleils and Aether, who looked as confused as I felt.

"My wife, her focus allows her to see premonitions." Lord Soleil's voice carried a note of pride. "Sometimes they're just feelings, other times they're full-blown visions. She's an absolute marvel?—"

Lady Soleil stopped him with a look. "As I said, I've been looking for you since you disappeared. And yesterday, I felt your presence back in this realm."

"I don't understand." I turned to Osta, whose tears hadn't stopped. She looked both exactly the same and completely different. Her honey-blonde hair still curled rebelliously in the damp air, but it had grown long past her shoulders now. New lines creased the corners of her eyes. She wore one of her old dresses, the blue one with tiny flowers that she'd sewn back when she still worked for Thearna, but it hung looser on her frame.

"I thought you were dead," her voice cracked. "When you disappeared... I became a mess, I couldn't function after that." She kept doing this thing with her hands—twisting her fingers together until the knuckles went white, then letting go. It was new, this nervous habit. Just like the dark circles under her eyes were new, and the way her smile seemed to tremble at the edges before fully forming. And I'd left her alone, drowning in grief while I discovered my own truths across the rip. The weight of it pressed against my chest until I could barely breathe.

"The Soleils," Osta continued, gesturing to the couple, "they saw how much I was suffering. And they finally told me the truth."

I looked back at them as Lord Soleil gripped the railing separating us.

"We never believed you to be dead. We never thought they would harm one of their own. Just like we knew no harm would come to us that night." He turned his eyes to Aether. "None of you have ever targeted civilians, despite what those in the Guard might say." Lord Soleil's tone grew serious. "I was young when Riftdremar rose up against Sídhe. Young, but vigilant. I knew the narrative they spun was a lie. Many knew back then, but few cared."

The rain seemed to let up as he spoke. "So when we began experiencing attacks on our Western borders, I allowed myself to get close to the Guard, allowed them to exploit my focus. And once I traveled to Emeraal, to Stormshire, and saw those towers of arcanite, I realized that this was yet another lie, folded beneath layers of carefully constructed propaganda and nationalism." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "But I still didn't know all of the details."

Lady Soleil stepped closer, her eyes finding mine. "We didn't know who this supposed enemy was, so I began searching after Henrick told me of his suspicions. And you all do well, keeping yourselves hidden. It took nearly a year before I was able to see anything at all through that darkness." Her gaze flickered to Aether.

"Eventually, I saw glimpses of a dying realm, green turning to ash." Her words hit me like a physical blow. I thought of my first sight of Umbrathia—the eternal eclipse, the withered crops, the hollow eyes of its people. How different would things be now if others in Sídhe had seen what the Soleils had seen? If we could make them believe past all of the lies.

The Soleils shared a meaningful look before Lord Soleil continued. "Since then, we have begun forming a small resistance, some normal citizens, some within the Guard, those that were willing to destroy their blood oaths. Much like you, I assume." His eyes were on me, but then they stretched past my shoulder, and I heard footsteps behind me.

"It's been a long time." The voice sent a jolt through me. I spun to find a man with shaggy blonde hair and familiar brown eyes—eyes of the Riftborne boy I’d grown up with in the House of Unity. Who had been one of my true friends in Sídhe. The last time I’d seen him, it had been outside of the Compound, when he looked at me like I was a stranger.

"Eron." His name came out as barely more than a breath as I walked toward him.

"When I saw you had joined the Guard, I didn't know what to think. How to talk to you. Because I was already a part of this, and..." He trailed off, uncertainty creasing his brow. "Well, I didn't know if I could trust you."

He offered a tentative smile and held out his hand. I looked down at it for a moment before pulling him into a hug instead.

When I turned back to Aether, his face was unreadable, but one eyebrow lifted slightly—a silent question. Can we trust them?

I sighed, taking in the scene around us. They made an odd collection on the rain-slicked deck—base guards in their uniforms standing beside civilians in travel-worn clothes. The Soleils seemed almost ethereal in their fine garments, Lady Soleil's silk dress rippling like water in the wind, while Lord Soleil's coat was punctured with buttons that matched the ship's brass fittings.

"Well, you found me," I said finally, turning back to Lady Soleil. "What did you want with me?"

"Can we discuss it over lunch?" Osta broke in, her voice wavering slightly. "All of these emotions have left me dreadfully hungry."

Despite everything, I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. Even after everything that had happened, she was still so perfectly Osta .

"Lunch would be splendid," Lord Soleil agreed. "Shall we exit the boat and discuss everything?"

My eyes found Aether's again, searching for guidance. Just moments ago, we'd been lost in each other, sharing shadows and secrets in the rain. Now here we stood, surrounded by people from my past, the lines between enemy and ally blurring as the sun peaked out from behind a cloud. His face remained carefully neutral, but I could see the shadows filtering through his void burns, ready to protect us both if this turned out to be anything other than what it seemed.