Page 35

35

ROWAN

They had the precise effect Marek had hoped for when he first told me of his plan. The arrival of Kael and Mev—a prince of Gyoria and princess of Aetheria, united and standing together as one, was a powerful statement about the future of Elydor. One that would not look like its past, a world on the brink of war.

At least, that was Elydor’s potential. We were a long way from such a reality.

“How are you, Rowan of Estmere?” Kael hugged me as if we’d started out as friends when the truth was anything but. He had not trusted me, with good reason. My intentions had been pure, seeking out the lost princess, my alliance with her father long and true. But Kael was perceptive, and like Nerys, could sense there was something more than I’d been able to share.

“You’re a long way from Aetheria,” I said, the stalwart Gyorian as true to his kind as any. Built like the side of a mountain his kind move, it was Kael’s pragmatism that often masked an openness that was buried deep inside. One that allowed him to fall in love with the daughter of his most bitter enemy, now Kael’s ally in recovering the artifacts and reopening the Gate.

“This one,” Mev said, grinning from ear to ear as if the Queen of Thalassaria was not glaring down on us, “is persistent,” she said of Marek. “And I thought Kael was a walking red flag. Holy shit, he has nothing on my husband.”

“Mev.” I opened my arms, squeezing her tight. “Thank you for coming.”

“Red flag?” Nerys asked, staring at Princess Mevlida. She made a striking figure, dressed in traditional Aetherian garb, her flowing silver-and-white robes lifting like ribbons in the breeze. When we first met, her hair had not turned completely white, but now Elydor’s magic had taken hold and it was as startling as it was long.

“You look like a princess,” I whispered.

Mev laughed. “Because I am.” She turned to Nerys, bowing in Thalassari tradition. “You must be Lady Nerys. I am Mevlida Harper.”

“Princess Mevlida of Aetheria,” Kael reminded her, earning a swat on the arm for it.

“Do not correct me in front of others, husband.”

“If you’ll remember, we do not use the term ‘husband’ here.”

“No?” she asked. “Funny, ’cause it seems like I just did.” Mev gave him a look that said, “We’ll discuss this later,” and then said to Nerys, “I’ll explain red flag another time. I’m an expert on the subject,” to which Kael made a sound of dissatisfaction. “They’ve not voted yet?” she whispered to Nerys.

“Nay,” she replied.

“Which are they?”

“Top left, four men, one woman, all dressed in teal and black.”

In the next breath, she raised her gaze to the queen, stepping forward.

“I am Princess Mevlida of Aetheria,” she shouted, loud enough to be heard above the buzz of the crowd. “Together with my husband,” Mev continued, “Prince Kael of Gyoria, we have come to witness the challenge which I am told is held in long tradition with Thalassarian law.”

That she bowed to Nerys, but not Queen Lirael, was something all would have noticed.

“A challenge,” the queen replied, clearly uneasy at this second surprising turn of events, “in question.”

“You have two royal representatives, along with a highly respected human who I count as a personal friend, as does my father, before you, standing witness. All three clans of Elydor represented. Perhaps you should think carefully on your answer.”

The queen raised her chin. “What is the question?”

“One not addressed to you.” She tilted her head slightly, toward the council. “But to you, the council which governs such affairs. I am new to your world but am told the Thalassarian council is a sacred charge, meant to keep the power of your king or queen in check. If I am not mistaken?”

I took a step toward Mev. “Top left. Veylin. He’s been bribed by the queen.”

“Lord Veylin,” she called, not missing a beat. I tried not to smile at how far Mev had come since I’d left Aetheria. And how similar her mannerisms were becoming to her father, though something about Mev had reminded me of King Galfrid from the start, even before the two had met. “You seem to me the sort of man who might be the council’s leader?”

“Is he?” I whispered to Nerys.

“Yes. How did she know that?”

“She senses emotion, like me, but more than feelings alone. Mev can detect intention, though I’m unsure how that translates here. Good guess, maybe?”

Either way, it took him by surprise.

Mev’s next words were lost in a vision so sudden, so vivid, that I was forced to redirect my attention to it. I’d seen Nerys battling Lirael and was confident this challenge would take place. But this time, instead of being on the periphery, seeing the entire battle, I was on the ship, facing the queen, as if I were Nerys. A subtle movement, the queen’s hand moving to her belt and remaining there before whipping out, caught my attention. By now, I was able to focus within my visions, and I did so on the queen’s belt. What may have been imperceptible by Nerys in the moment was evident to me, as if the belt were now invisible. A small, black gemstone glowing faintly red.

As quickly as it came, the vision was gone.

I missed what Mev had said to Veylin, but it seemed the council now huddled together as the queen watched them. She was furious, her council members alternately scared, confused, and resolute. But I was less concerned with their emotions than I was with that gem.

“Kael,” I whispered.

He spun toward me.

“A small, black gem, glowing red from its inside. What is it?”

Most gemstones that could be found in Elydor were mined in Gyoria. Sure enough, though he seemed confused by my question, I sensed a confidence in him as he spoke. “A shard of the abyss. A forbidden bit of gemstone that, like the Stone of Mor’Vallis that has the potential to kill its user.”

“If it were used by the queen, against Nerys?”

I had no time to decide how to explain my knowledge to Kael. That would have to come later. For now, if the queen planned to cheat, I needed to know how Nerys could combat it.

“It would amplify her power, not unlike the Tidal Pearl but on a smaller scale and in a much different way. But I’m thinking you don’t need a history lesson at the moment?”

By now, both Mev and Nerys were listening.

“No, I don’t. But I do need to know how Nerys would combat such a thing.”

“Why does it matter?” Nerys asked.

I had no choice but to respond, truthfully. “She has a piece of it, beneath her belt. Or will, if not already, before you begin.”

To say all three looked at me as if I were mad would be an understatement.

“Have her searched first,” Mev supplied.

“How would we explain such a request?” Nerys asked. Realizing she was trying to protect me, despite such secrets holding us apart, made my resolve about the future role of The Keeper even stronger. But that was another problem for another day.

“She won’t do it,” I said. “And is looking for every reason not to battle Nerys. She could use such a request to invalidate the challenge.”

“The only natural counterbalance is aevumite,” Kael said. “Which is difficult to find. Impossible outside Gyoria.”

Their group went silent at the same time as the council broke apart.

“We have our decision,” Veylin said, addressing the queen but with an eye on us as well.

None asked how I knew, but they would. What mattered though was that this council was about to allow the challenge, and the queen had a means to defeat Nerys by cheating.

“It will be allowed.”

A roar erupted from the crowd, both on the beach and above us as onlookers all but hung over the railings.

“Nerys, you cannot compete this way. We must call her out if there is no other way.”

“I must compete.”

“What’s happening?”

Caelum and Marek appeared as everything happened at once. The queen consulted with her inner circle as preparations began. Marek had explained that he and the Tidebreaker fleet would assemble and escort Nerys and the queen to the docks where they would board a ship, taking them out to sea so they could harness water from all around.

As Marek approached the queen and council, Nerys explained to Caelum that Lirael planned to use a shard of the abyss during their battle.

“How do you?—”

“I saw it.”

There was no other way to explain. “You… saw it?”

“There is one other way.”

Thalon hobbled up to us from where he stood, close enough, apparently, to have overheard some of our discussion.

“Nerys, you brought an ancient scroll to me once after Seren told you of its presence. One your mother particularly enjoyed studying as it was buried in the deepest part of the Deep Archives.”

Nerys’s eyes widened. “Purification Rites.”

“What are they?” Mev asked.

“Magic so old, it has mostly been forgotten,” Nerys said.

“It is time,” Veylin announced, his voice now amplified using an Aetherian Echo Stone. A hush fell across the crowd. The queen, now stripped of her robes, stood with Marek and her guards.

“Water rituals are not just about control,” Thalan said to Nerys, who leaned closer to him to hear over the cheers of the crowd. “They are about communion with the natural flow of life itself. Use that knowledge to perform the Ritual of the Sacred Waters.”

“The only magic strong enough to purify the abyss’s corruption,” Nerys interrupted to explain to the rest of us. “But it hasn’t been used for centuries, Thalan. Even if I could remember it, I?—”

“You can remember it, Nerys. Trust yourself. The Sacred Waters are near; use them.”

“Are you certain we should not ask the queen to be searched?” Kael’s eyes narrowed on the woman in question. “The abyss is a strong, dark magic source. Even the small shard from it will amplify her power.”

I was inclined to agree with him. And yet, in my vision, she had the gemstone upon her. It was up to Nerys to decide. I said as much.

“I cannot risk her using my request to invalidate the challenge. I will perform the Ritual and nullify her advantage.”

“While battling her?” Mev asked, clearly concerned.

Nerys reached out and took Mev’s hand. “Thank you for coming. If not for you, and Prince Kael, this challenge may not have taken place. Thank you all.” She released Mev’s hand and glanced at Thalon, Caelum and then rested her gaze on me. “For your guidance and support. But now it is my turn to do what must be done.”

I would have kissed her if not for the witness of hundreds of Thalassarians all around us. Much too soon, she was called to Marek’s side, the spectacle of both women, now surrounded by the Tidebreaker fleet who had been summoned the moment the challenge was issued and who had arrived one by one, a striking one.

It would take some time for them to get to the docks and sail out, close enough for us to witness but far enough from shore that the depths of the sea would be at their disposal.

“Should we watch from there?” Mev asked, pointing to the stand that had been erected for the queen and her inner circle.

“Certainly,” Caelum said. “I will get Aneri.”

I was less than pleased about this turn of events, though thankful to have had the vision. Unfortunately, Mev must have been thinking along the same thread. Arms crossed, she waited for me to explain.

“Can we discuss this later?”

“Sure,” she said. “Maybe we can have a chat about that after we talk about the googly eyes you were giving Nerys.”

Though I wasn’t familiar with the term, I could discern her meaning easily enough.

“Can’t say I blame you,” Kael said. “She is quite…” He stopped when Mev cocked her head to him.

“A looker?” she provided.

“A what?”

“Looker.”

“What’s a looker?”

“This will be quite a shock but… it’s a person easy to look at. Get it?”

“Oh, I got it,” he said suggestively. “As will you tonight when?—”

“Perhaps we should join the others,” I cut in.

“Classic dodge,” she said. “But you can’t avoid me all day. Clearly, there’s something going on between the two of you, and I want the scoop.”

I looked at Kael, who shrugged.

“Classic dodge, as in… never mind. Two peas in a pod, you guys are.”

With that, Mev left us, but Kael and I remained.

“She’s different,” I said. “In a good way.”

He smiled at her retreating backside. “She’s becoming her father.”

“Most would see that as a good thing.”

Kael and Galfrid had a complicated relationship. Once enemies, they now worked together as family, a fact Kael’s father could not have taken gently.

“Have you heard from Adren?”

“Aye. We’ve much to discuss later. But first, maybe you can answer Mev’s question.”

“About the shard?”

Kael shook his head slowly. “No. Not the shard.”

Nerys. How could I explain it to him when I was just beginning to make sense of it myself?

“As you said, we’ve much to discuss. Later.”