Page 60 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain

And so, madness took my brother.

I have spent many years praying since they succumbed to the madness that curses our family. Praying to the Mother, the gods, the Fates, or whatever higher beings are in control. I prayed that I would get to keep my mind.

The affliction is unpredictable. No recurring indicators of who has been marked are known. For instance, my grandfather was sane and whole when he died of old age. The only of his siblings that fell was a bastard half-brother. Like the rest, he died in his quest for god power. My prayers to be spared have increased in conviction and vehemence ever since the day she was born.

Ellya Rhydelle.

I felt her take her first breath. It was just after midnight as one of the first cool night breezes of the season fluttered the gauzy curtains of my chamber. I lay awake, unable to sleep after I left the Samhain festivities early due to restless anticipation that I did not understand at the time.

Then, it was as if a small light within me flickered to life. The warmth of it licked at my soul, nourishing and soothing it in a way that I had always been lacking. An emptiness I had carried within me all my long life was finally full of purpose and joy. That joy woke every cell in my body as my life connected to hers. I knew then what had happened; that the new shine in my heart meant the birth of the one meant just for me, and that I was meant for her. What I did not expect was to find her so early in her life. Nor did I expect her to be the daughter of the King of Brhadir.

A true mate is rare, and I had never heard of any true mates who had been born so far apart. I was just over two hundred when Ellya entered this world. Even after the precious piece of her soul that belongs to only me took root within, I thought she would have a life full of her own experiences and adventures before we found each other.

When I saw Mhaylene—King Milo of Brhadir’s mother—in Bokhaii, and she mentioned that Ellya had just turned five, on Samhain, I struggled to hide my excitement.

It was known that Tellisha had died in childbirth, but I did not know until then what night her death occurred. I told Mhaylene that I would like to come visit since it had been many years since I had seen my old friend in Crane Hills. I had not yet been able to see Milo since the unexpected passing of his wife.

In truth, all I wanted was to know if the Rhydelle princess was the girl I was waiting for.

I tried to deny my selfishness. I tried to convince myself to leave her be until she got older, to let her learn and grow and live without the weight of her whole life being laid out for her. But I could not resist. Every day that passed, I could focus on nothing else—nothing but the knowledge that I might know where to find her. Time was torture in those days, and within only a couple moons, I sent word to Milo that I would be coming.

The anticipation in those final days was nearly maddening.

I did nothing but pace the palace, trying to pass the time. I could take it no longer and showed up at Rhydelle Castle a day early, bringing Kraeston with me to tap into his power to not need rest between jumps as I traveled from The Capital in Quinndohs to Rhydelle Castle in Crane Hills.

I knew I had found her before I entered the castle grounds. As soon as I entered Brhadir, that invisible string between us tugged for the first time, pulling deep in my gut and guiding me to her. Up until recently, that tether begging to follow has not stopped pulling at me since.

My heart tried to hammer straight through my chest with every footfall as I neared that garden terrace at Rhydelle Castle. There was a tremor in my hands the moment before I swung open the gate and my old friend and his family came into view.

And there she was.

Feeling her aura, my nervousness instantly soothed. I was overtaken with calming peace when she turned and ran to me, as if she knew who I was; she recognized me for what I was in the capacity of a child.

When Ellya hugged my neck and told me we were going to be friends, I felt settled in a way that I had not since before Locane turned. In a way I had not since we were thick as thieves, one always with the other. Mother always told us we were two halves of the same whole. Even when Locane and I were still close, I have lived my entire long existence being lost—like something was missing. Ellya has filled those missing pieces, only now I am missing the gaping pieces of my brother.

For most of my life, I had never envisioned having a family of my own, for I had never met anyone who inspired any true passion in me. Really, I was just waiting for her. After Ellya was born, I have spent so many years experiencing nothing but peace and joy while we got to know each other.

I nearly brought her home with me when I left Brhadir after the conversation with Milo that evening that essentially ended our centuries-long friendship.

Ellya finally drifts off to sleep late in the night. She endearingly insisted that I keep reading to her for hours, and I happily obliged.

Reluctantly, I leave and head towards Milo’s apartments, knowing that he is waiting. I am not nervous despite the conversation that is to come with a man, an ally, I have known my whole life regarding his young daughter. Knocking on the solid oak door twice, the roughness of the wood scrapes at my knuckles.

“Come in! Come in!” his booming voice calls.

The door swings on silent hinges as I enter the parlor. Milo has his shirt sleeves pushed up his arms in a casual manner, and hisblonde hair falls into his eyes. When I am settled on one of the plush velvet couches, he pours us each a healthy drink and clinks his glass against mine in celebration.

“Well, this is an unexpected turn of events,” Milo tells me.

Laughing, I nod in agreement. “I must admit, when I saw your mother in Bokhaii, and she told me when Ellya was born, I could not resist coming here to see if she was the one.”

“You knew your mate had been born?” Milo asks me surprised, and I nod with a soft smile gracing my lips.

“I did. I felt it the moment she entered this world.”

Milo’s eyes suddenly shutter and he pours another drink. “Yes, unfortunately that wasn’t a joyful night for everyone.”

The bitterness with which he speaks takes me aback, but I offer him my condolences nonetheless. I was unable to make it to Tellisha’s funeral after she died, tied to The Capital with the responsibility of hosting a trade summit that had been scheduled over a year before her death.