Page 11

The outdoor bathing suite was a sorrowful sight. The lush foliage had faded, leaving significant gaps in the forest walls, and the water ebbed at dangerously low levels. The white stone bath and cascading waterfalls were mere shadows of their former glory.

The last time I was here, the space overflowed with light and life, and Rowen had been able to touch me. He bathed me, washed my hair, and ran his hands along every inch of my skin—made me come with the touch of his hand. Strange how that felt like a lifetime ago.

Now, we took turns bathing, cautious and separate. I wasn’t a scientist, but it didn’t take one to know that bathing with an electrical conductor was a risk not worth taking.

The sound of trickling water filled the silence between us. Rowen must have sensed I wasn’t ready to talk. Not yet.

Our separation was already proving to be torturous. And with each swipe of the eucalyptus bar, my body felt . . . different.

Finished with our baths, we descended the floating steps and wrapped ourselves in the plush robes that awaited us.

We entered the anteroom, a vanity and chair seamlessly carved into the tree trunk.

As much as I wanted to avoid the mirror, I knew it was time to face what the Elder Spirits had done to me.

I lifted my eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

I knew I had changed, but the Light had reforged me with more than I could have ever imagined. I brushed the thick forest of my hair back, revealing slender ears that came to a sleek point. Starlit freckles adorned my new ears in what looked like studded diamonds.

I traced the outer shell of my ear in disbelief. What the fuck!

The Wyn had tapered ears and were referred to as elves many times, but mine looked completely different. The Wyn’s ears arched up with a subtle flare like the tip of a leaf, while mine were longer and more tapered.

I moved my face back and forth under the moonlight, my freckles gleaming with a faint, ethereal glow. My silver-grey eyes stared back at me in disbelief. “This is insane. I recognize myself, but I don’t. Why don’t I look like the Wyn?”

“I’ve read stories about the elves from the old world. They were said to have similar features. It could explain your enhanced strength and endurance. But I’m not sure.”

I let out a strangled gasp.

Rowen was right behind me, offering his support through his eyes in the mirror. “There is more, Keira. Lower your robe.”

I let the robe slide to the ground.

I inspected my body, taking in the changes the Alcreon Light had given me. I would have to cut this hair soon. It was way too long. And this morning, I’d bit my nails down to the quick only for them to grow back long and healthy.

The other changes to my body were more subtle. I’d always had a muscular build from running, but now my muscles felt stronger, bigger, yet somehow lighter, more agile. It was an odd sensation, feeling extremely powerful yet on the verge of a complete breakdown .

As my search continued, I noticed a scar on my ribcage. It looked like a swirling galaxy of molten silver upon my skin. My finger traced over it lightly before noticing more marks on my stomach, arms, and legs.

“Those are all the places I healed you with the noxlily,” Rowen said, inspecting my marks. All other blemishes and scars were gone, except where the noxlily petals absorbed into my skin like shimmering tattoos. They were everywhere.

I’d given myself tunnel vision to ignore these obvious changes, but now, the memories flooded back.

“The Elder Spirits mentioned Erovos broke my body beyond repair,” I replied, and a tortured sound left Rowen’s lips.

“They used the petals as anchor points to bring me back. And now it looks like . . . like I’m . . .”

Rowen clenched his jaw. “The Marked.”

I nodded before counting ten more glimmering marks, and that was just what I could see.

I knew there was one at the base of my skull.

During my brutal time in the Crystal Crypts with Caeryn and Fou, I’d sustained a severe head injury along with a myriad of broken bones.

Rowen had treated my concussion first, forcing me to feel and fight for my life as he brought me back from the brink of death, healing petal by healing petal.

The Spirits tried to warn me that I would return with more power, but they gave me too much! They’d had to alter my body to handle it, but even with these changes, it was still a burden I struggled to bear.

It was, as Takoda said, overwhelming me . But I was determined to prove myself, Takoda, and Nepta wrong. I needed to show that I could handle the new power within me.

The bathing chamber once overflowed with glowing blossoms, but now, it housed only a single flower, its petals wilting at the edges. “Keira?” Rowen questioned as I rushed over to it, my heart aching for its fragile state .

My light had been known to grow vegetation, spark moonblooms, and even bring extinct plants back to life. The least I could do was help one withering flower.

I gently cradled the indigo plant, the precious life flickering within my palms. My heart soared as it recognized me, but then, like a creeping tide, the wilting edges washed upon my consciousness in brutal waves.

Suddenly, I was drowning in death. It was everywhere, not just in the flower but in everything. In me . It overcame my body, and before I could let go, the decay spread, drying the petals to a burnt crisp.

The flower was already dying, yet I had sped up the process and killed it faster.

Tears burned in my eyes, blurring the dead petals in my hand. I thought I had the gift of life, but I was wrong. I had the penalty of death.

I couldn’t see anything as storm clouds gathered overhead, but the air was parched. Not even my tears could summon the rain we so desperately needed.

“Keira,” Rowen yelled over the thunder. “Breathe. You’re okay. It’s okay.”

The panic had taken over, blinding me. I couldn’t stop. Everyone was right to handle me with care. I was unstable.

“Breathe with me,” Rowen called from right beside me, but I couldn’t wrangle myself in; my thoughts spiraled in death. “Be here with me. Please.”

“I don’t want to feel like this,” I cried, the sense of doom looming within me. I was thankful that Rowen wasn’t trying to touch me; if I hurt him, I would never recover. “I’m scared of what is happening to me. I’m losing all control. Losing myself.”

“My flame, it’s all right, you’re all right,” Rowen soothed as I choked on feelings of dread and terror. “Be here with me in this moment. Now this moment. And this moment. ”

Second by agonizing second, Rowen helped me back to myself, and I tried the age-old trick of breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth.

“Good girl. You are here with me in this moment,” Rowen assured as the wind calmed and my hair fell around me in thick tendrils. My eyes snapped to my soul flame, looking terrified yet relieved as I came back to myself.

I collapsed to my knees, my hair floating around me like billowing seaweed. “I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. We will get through this. You are the strongest person I know.”

“I have no clue what to do.”

“Just keep being yourself. That is all you can do.”

“I’m trying,” I said, hoping I could stay myself while everything slowly slipped away and darkness crept in.

“Will you be okay to dress while I gather the Summit? They will know more about your changes and markings than I,” Rowen said, his strong and unwavering presence offering me comfort.

“Yes, I’ll be okay. It will be nice to have a moment to gather my thoughts.”

“You are safe here.”

“I know,” I said with a weak smile, holding my arms around myself.

Rowen quickly changed into his dark breeches and shirt and fastened his holster around his waist with a few deft clinks of his belt. “I’ll be back for you.”

“I’ll be here.”

A part of me was scared to learn the truth. The possibilities terrified me, but there was no more denying it, no more running from it. The truth had to be faced. The body I once had was gone, the woman I knew vanishing before my very eyes, something terrifying taking her place .

I hoped the Summit could help me find answers. If not, I feared I would aid Erovos in bringing about the destruction of us all.

Dried and dressed, I sat at the wood-woven vanity and picked at my nails.

“They await us at the Sacred Vale,” Rowen said, his comforting aura filling the powder room. His dark hair framed his face in perfect waves, and the hollows at his temples flexed as he took in my nervousness. “Are you ready?”

“No,” I moaned, burying my face in my hands.

Rowen exhaled and then approached me with deliberate steps that commanded my attention. He towered over me before he dropped to his knees, his eyes locking with mine.

He placed his hands on either side of the chair, his fingers so close to brushing against me that my thighs squirmed. It reminded me of the night at Prism when my drinks had mixed with the opiates in my blood, and I’d been drunkenly relegated to sitting on a stump in the middle of the forest.

He was careful not to touch me then, and he was careful not to touch me now.

“I know it’s hard and frightening, but once we know what is happening, we can move forward.

It’s as you said, the first step of the race is the most important.

It’s what sets everything else in motion.

This is that first step, Keira. Let’s take it together. ”

I smirked up at him. “Look at you using running analogies. And here I thought you weren’t paying attention.”

“Only at first.” He grinned, his full, white smile on display.

“Well, when you put it like that,” I said, standing in a cobalt dress that flowed to the ground. The back was open, plunging all the way to my tailbone while braided straps draped across my shoulders. Even though the fabric was soft, it chafed against my overly sensitive skin.

Rowen’s eyes trailed down my body, caressing my skin with his gaze.

A low growl emanated from his chest. “The sooner we figure out how I can touch you, the better.”