Page 51

Chapter

Fifty

“You look great, Vale. I’d even argue better than the last time I saw you.” When she finally released him, her gaze softened.

“Gods, it feels like it’s been forever.”

“A few years,” he laughed, “I can only imagine what Aela would say if she could see you now.”

“She’d say I look like shit.” Their laughter rang out.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this morning. I had some last-minute things to do for tomorrow.” Addie said to me.

For the weddings.

Addie led us through the library, a space I’d come to know well.

Still, she pointed out things I had missed, little details hidden in the towering shelves, and even revealed the entry to the archives, a doorway I’d somehow never noticed before.

For hours, we sat and talked, the three of us sharing stories of Mom.

Addie brought up memories from her visits—stories I hadn’t heard since I was a child—and we laughed over the time Mom got lost in the market for hours, refusing to ask for directions.

As always, I felt that familiar ache whenever Mom came up, the void she left behind so vast, no amount of stories could ever fill it.

But all too soon, the bells rang.

The day was drawing to a close, and I knew it was time for Dad to go.

“I’ll do a better job of visiting,” Addie whispered as she hugged him again.

“Aela would be proud of you, Addie.” Dad’s voice was steady, a warmth radiating from him as he gestured to the grand library.

“This… Everything you’ve done here is impressive. The ladies of Azmeer,” he said with a wry smile, looking between the two of us.

I reached out, offering my hand as Dad.

He didn’t need my help anymore, but I wanted to hold on to him, just for a few more minutes.

Dad gently pulled me into a small alcove hidden away from the main hall as we made our way to say goodbye.

“Brida,” his voice laced with concern, “before I go, tell me—what’s really bothering you?”

I froze, suddenly finding it hard to look him in the eye.

“What do you mean?” My fingers fidgeted with the edge of my sleeve, and I shifted uncomfortably.

His brow raised, his smile gentle.

“I may have asked Alvar about the other young man who came to the house yesterday.”

I blinked, caught off guard.

“You mean Dainan?”

Dad nodded, his eyes twinkling.

“He’s older than you think, you know.” A startled laugh escaped me.

“Well, he doesn’t look it,” Dad teased, that same mischievous grin I remembered from my childhood lighting up his face.

“He seemed…interested. I haven’t seen someone look at our home like that since I brought your mother over for the first time.”

My chest tightened at his words, but I shrugged, trying to play it off.

“Maybe he’s just nosy.”

Dad’s expression softened further, and he reached out, resting his hand over mine.

“Brida.”

“There may have been a moment—fleeting, really,” I began, the words spilling out before I could stop them, “when something might have happened between Dainan and me. But he’s getting married tomorrow. That’s what Addie’s been working on.” My voice cracked as the reality of it sunk in further.

Dad’s hands gently squeezed mine.

“You’d be surprised at how things can sometimes work out,” he said with a knowing look.

“Life has a way of surprising us.”

I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond.

It was all too much, and at the same time, not enough.

“Alvar showed me where to go,” he said as he pulled away, straightening his coat.

“This is where I leave you.”

“Absolutely not.” I shook my head.

“I’m walking you.”

“No.” Dad smiled, a kind but determined glint in his eye.

“The last time I left you, I needed someone to escort me. But now I’m capable. I’ll be fine, Brida.”

His words were gentle, but they tugged at something deep inside me.

He had come so far—healing, regaining his strength.

It should’ve been a comfort, but it only made this moment harder.

“Please, just let me?—”

“I’ll be okay.” He reached out, resting his hand against my cheek, and I leaned into the familiar warmth of his touch.

“I’m okay.”

The reassurance in his voice settled over me as he pulled me in for a final embrace.

I clung to him, holding on for a beat longer than I probably should have.

“You write to me soon, okay?” His voice was soft against my ear.

“You’ll do incredible things, Brida. Don’t doubt yourself.”

A soft laugh bubbled up despite the ache in my throat.

“I promise I’ll write.”

As we pulled back from each other, I took in his face, trying to memorize every line, every detail.

His face looked just like it had in the vision during the second trial—healed, whole, radiant in a way I hadn’t seen in years.

“Good luck with wind walking,” I joked, trying to keep my voice steady as I slipped my hands into my pockets.

Dad chuckled, leaning in to kiss my cheek one last time.

“I have a feeling I’ll be just fine, my beautiful girl.” His eyes were bright as he stepped back.

“I’ll see you soon.”

I nodded, biting my lip to hold back the tears as I watched him walk away.

He carried himself tall and proud, with the same grace and strength I’d always admired.

He’s okay, I reminded myself.

He’s okay.

???

I need you.

You were given a gift.

The gift.

Ilia.

Breathe.

Listen to the sounds of the water, Brida, just breathe.

You were given a gift.

The gift.

How was this a gift?

It was a curse.

Just breathe, Brida.

I opened my eyes the next morning, unsure of what I had been dreaming, but woke in a sweat, my heart pulsing as if trying to escape my body that held it prisoner.

Sighing, I rose from bed and got dressed before making my way down the empty halls to the House of Shadows.

I stood in front of the door.

Nothing happened.

“ Hello? ” I said to the loquacious door.

It didn’t open. “Can you open, please?” I asked as I heard a faint hissing from behind it.

Silence.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but it took a great deal of energy to get here this morning, and I would appreciate it if you opened the bloody door.”

“ You have no idea how bloody this door is, child, ” the voice answered.

It was not its typical greeting.

“ You should not be here. ”

I looked around me.

The cavernous atrium remained empty, save for me and the voice that belonged to the door.

“There’s nowhere else I should be right now,” I whispered.

“ You’re wrong, girl. ”

Girl .

Another had called me “girl” before.

“ Ollo? ” I whispered, and the door laughed.

“ Gods no, do you think I sound like him? ”

What is happening to me ?

I thought.

“Who are you?” Taking a step forward, I placed the palm of my hand on the cold obsidian door.

“ You will know soon enough. ”

Do they all speak in these riddles?

“ Not all of us. ”

I hadn’t said that out loud.

A laugh echoed through my mind.

How are you doing that?

I thought.

“ It’s one of my gifts, ” the voice purred, “ one of my many gifts. ”

I stood in silence, trying not to think.

“ Ollo gave you clear instructions. ”

“Clear?” I yelled, “Everything that man—I don’t even know if I can call him a man—PRIMAL, said was cryptic.”

“ Think about what he told you, ” it said as the door opened.

“Thank you,” I muttered under my breath.

My shadows began hissing in melody as I stepped through the threshold.

The House of Shadows buzzed with life.

The air humming with conversations, laughter, and the shuffle of arriving guests preparing for the weddings.

I weaved through the groups, keeping my head low, my gaze averted.

Today, of all days, I didn’t want to be recognized.

The library, however, was a welcome contrast—a sanctuary of silence amidst the commotion outside.

“Good morning, Tura,” I whispered, careful not to disturb the peace.

“Brida,” she greeted warmly, her eyes crinkling with kindness.

“I was hoping I would see you today.”

Tura had made this place feel safe.

The library had become my refuge, and she, an unspoken confidant.

“I did some research after we last spoke.” She bent down, rummaging through a drawer, her movements quick yet deliberate.

With a gentle thud, she placed a stack of five books in front of me.

“This is just preliminary, of course,” she explained, her smile patient and understanding.

“There may be more, but it will take some time to uncover everything.”

I stared at the books, some so old they looked like they might crumble in my hands.

“Thank you. This means more than you know.”

Tura’s hand found mine, squeezing it.

“I know today is a hard day, love. I lit the fire upstairs and prepared a cup of tea for you, in case you decided to come.”

“A fire, in a library? Tura, I never imagined you’d allow flames so close to your books.”

Her laugh was soft and reassuring.

“Those flames will not harm them, trust me.”

I collected the books and placed them in one of the bags she kept at her station, the ancient texts settling into their new home with a quiet rustle.

“Thank you, Tura,” I repeated, my gratitude laced with my unease.

The familiar quiet enveloped me as I climbed the stairs to the third floor.

I sank into the chair, and reached into the bag, pulling out the first book.

Tura had marked several pages with tabs, her neat handwriting scrawled in the margins.

I turned to the first marked page, the soft rustle of the paper soothing, and began to read.

Seventh Day of the Six Month

As I sit here penning these words, with the light offered to me by the flickering fireflies, my thoughts are consumed by her.

Whispers are carried on the wind, and secrets dance in the shadows of Azmeer, and yet my mind returns to her.

As I watched her from the shadows, a veil of secrecy shrouding my intentions, I felt drawn to her.

She is a puzzle waiting to be solved, a riddle to be deciphered.

A game to be won.

Nineteenth Day of the Eighth Month

There is a power that emanates from her, ancient and primal in nature, yet she continues on with an air of unknowing innocence.

There is so little to go on, so few clues to unravel the mystery that surrounds her, and yet I cannot stop myself.

I am a moth to a flame.

Unable to break the bonds of the pull from her presence.

Second day of the Eleventh Month

There is a mystery that shrouds her, a veil of secrecy that hides the truth of her lineage.

I have seen the power that lies within her, that will come from her.

A raw energy that courses through her veins like the blood of the earth itself.

She is no ordinary mortal, of that I am certain .

Did whoever wrote this think Thale, or Ilia, was mortal?

I turned to the fourth tab.

First Day of the Twelfth Month

As I gaze upon her sleeping form, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight, curled against my side, I am filled with a sense of awe and wonder.

Although I may never know the truth, I will continue to love and cherish her for all of the days of my immortal life .

Fifteenth Day of the Twelfth Month

I dare not speak my suspicions aloud for fear of revealing too much to her too soon.

I sit with her, my heart aflutter, a mix of longing and trepidation.

She continues to be a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and I am determined to uncover the truth.

No matter the cost.

Twenty-First Day of the First Month

I cannot help but wonder about her lineage, about the gods from whom she descends.

She is strong, beautiful, and beyond compare, and yet she carries herself with a humility that belies her true nature.

It is a paradox that both intrigues and frustrates me, for she seems to be unaware.

Third day of the Second Month

Could she be a descendant of Ilia?

The elusive goddess of fire and shadow, or perhaps another of the ancient deities whose names have been lost to time?

Ninth day of the Third Month

My heart remains heavy with all I have uncovered.

She, the woman who captured my soul with her radiant presence, has chosen to walk away from me.

[Redacted] is a revelation that both terrifies and enchants me, for I have glimpsed the power that she holds, should she choose it.

She walks a path that I can only imagine, her destiny entwined with forces beyond my comprehension.

I would have tried, had she let me.

She is a goddess in every sense of the word, and though she may have left me, I will forever be grateful for the love she brought to my life.

My love, my Aela.

I bolted upwards.

Who wrote this book?

The cover was blank.

I tore open the book to the first few pages: This book is the personal property of Yezed Albahar.

Oh Gods.

The book slipped from my hands, crashing to the floor with a muffled thud.

My heart raced, each beat louder than the last.

Addie—Addie would’ve known about Yezed’s beliefs.

Why hadn’t she told me?

Gods, Addie.

Without another thought, I snatched the book off the floor, shoving it into the bag, swinging the strap over my shoulder.

I bolted. I had to find her.

“Brida, dear, where are you g—” Tura’s voice trailed off as I sped past her, too focused to respond.

My mind spun, tangled in a web of questions and disbelief.

The door said nothing as I burst out into the open air, my shadows hissing at the sudden shift from the library's stillness to the chaos outside. I hadn’t run like this in weeks, and I could feel the strain on my legs, the burn creeping up from my calves with each frantic step. But I couldn’t stop. Not now.

The halls stretched endlessly before me, blessedly empty, allowing me to run without the inconvenience of dodging others. The bag thudded against my hip, the rhythm punctuating my scattered thoughts.

I rounded and skidded to a halt, my heart hammering against my ribs as I was swallowed by a crowd. They stood, waiting for something, a low hum of murmurs rippling through them like a distant storm. Why is everyone just standing here?

Before I could gather my bearings, a deep, resounding gong echoed through the hallway, startling me back into reality. The large double doors ahead swung open, and the crowd surged forward. I tried to push against the tide, my mind still screaming that I had to reach the library—but I was helpless, caught in the current of bodies.

I fought against it, but the sheer force of the crowd was relentless. I was pulled along, dragged through the threshold, and into a cavernous room lined with pews. The walls towered high above, imposing, and the chattering of voices ricocheted off the stone like a chorus of whispers, growing louder and louder.

I was somehow near the front now, swept to the very heart of whatever this was. Panic gripped me. I need to get out . The only exit was at the back of the room. My breaths quickened as I began navigating the pews, muttering a constant stream of “Excuse me, pardon me,” my focus fixed on the aisle leading me to freedom.

Another gong rang out and a voice as deep and commanding as the first day I arrived in Azmeer filled the air. “Be seated.”

I froze. The voice rumbled through me like an order woven into my very bones. I willed my legs to keep moving, to ignore the command, but it was as though I had lost control. My body sat of its own accord, surrendering to the unseen force that compelled me.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, music began to play, delicate yet powerful. I glanced over my shoulder to the back doors, which had been closed moments earlier but now swung wide open once again.

There, standing in the doorway, were Lil, Rai, Dainan, and Iona.

And just like that, the pieces clicked together.

I had a front-row seat to the wedding.