Page 205 of Lady of the Drowned Empire

“You put the Valalumir in her, Auriel. A thousand years ago—you—not me! I simply returned it! And I did nothing to it. Do you want to know why it burned! It was lighting up for the other Guardians. Whenever one of them got their hands on our Lyriana, got them a little too close to her heart…the light recognized them. And it got, shall we say, excited.”

I blinked. Remembering now the first time it had truly burned, I was kissing Rhyan in my room at Cresthaven. His hands were on my breasts. Gods. And after I’d lost my diadem, I’d run into Aemon, he’d grabbed my shoulders.

The light was recognizing Guardians.

Mercurial dropped Rhyan beside me.

“It was burning in Meera’s room,” he said, his eyes widening. “When Morgana took your chest plate.”

I stared at Mercurial. “Morgana? She’s…she’s a Guardian, too?” I asked.

“Ereshya, goddess of the orange ray,” he said. “Looks like history has repeated itself in more ways than one. She’s betrayed you, and run to her lover Moriel's side, again.”

My chest heaved.

Mercurial snaked his head, his neck rolling. “I have to go now. You two have caused far too many problems I must fix, or it will spell doom for everyone. But when I find you again, you better be ready this time. Ready to listen. Ready to become Asherah. Because you just handed Moriel all he needs to become a god. It's only a matter of time before his full power returns. And believe me, you won’t want to see what that looks like.”

The ghost of a smile spread across his blue face. And with that, he was gone.

I thought of what Rhyan had told me that night in my room weeks ago. That his father said I had the potential to unleash more power and destruction than anyone in the Empire ever has.

He’d been right. I’d just unleashed Moriel back into Lumeria.

A laugh like bells chiming sounded in my head. Oh Asherah, your full power as a goddess will be even more destructive.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing him out of my head.

“Lyr…” Rhyan said. “We’re going to figure this out.”

“How?” I asked. “I’ve just given the most dangerous god to walk Lumeria his greatest weapon.”

Rhyan nodded. “You’re more powerful. Look what you’ve done. We defeated him before. We’re going to do it again. There’s the two of us, together. But first…” His eyes blazed emerald green, so full of light and determination. “We’re going to rescue Jules. We're going to get her back. And then, we’re sending Aemon, Moriel—whatever he wants to call himself—back to hell.”

I squeezed his hand.

“And Lyr,” Meera said softly. “You’re not alone in this. We outmatch them right now. Three to two.”

Us against Morgana. How was that even possible?

“Three to two?” I asked, finally hearing her words. “But Meera, only Rhyan and I…."

She shook her head. “I touched you first,” she said. “That night, when I was having my vision. I reached for you, and you started to burn—that’s when you called Rhyan. I think…I think based on what Mercurial just said, I’m also a Guardian.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

MORGANA

I sat alone on my bed, my gown spread across my legs. Aemon sat in his throne room…I supposed I could think of him like that now. As Aemon. As the Ready. Now that our relationship, now that this thing between us, was no longer in the dark.

The room glowed with indigo light, the darkest of the rays. I had kept the shard. Betrayed my sisters. All because I knew what I wanted. More than anything.

I wanted to bring the Empire down.

And as much as I fucking loved Lyr, as much as my heart was torn in two leaving Meera, as much as I wanted to die every time I saw Lyr’s face in my mind—saw that look of betrayal, saw the devastation I’d caused by telling her the truth about Jules, I wanted something more. So much more. Something I knew I’d never get if I went home, if I’d gone with them. If I’d continued following the rules, playing the same games.

I wanted change.

And I didn’t care at this point how I got it.