CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Herrah Celestyn, commander of orbs. To shatter or shift, a world of power, the ultimate gift.
—Lock Scroll, the Arx.
The shrieks and cries of the ashen echoed through the rocky cliffs surrounding their caged camps. Soft breath of the Juniper Sea floated in from the east, as the bright morning light painted the cliffs in golden tones. An involuntary twitch pushed me forward as Bayne’s hand found its way to the center of my back.
I was relieved to be reunited, to see him safe, yet over the past months, something had wedged into the connection with Bayne that I had so desperately clung to. Choices, it seemed, shaped more than simply who we were. They shaped our connections, and something had grown between ours.
My mind turned over the emotion as if it could dissect exactly what was happening to it, the Transcindiel flitting up in encouragement as I examined the change, until I came to the sad conclusion that choices could also shape love. And though I hadfallen out of love with Bayne, I still cared for him. And we needed him.
That threat… Whatever Olienna, Daimos, Saros, or Xenelpha had to say about the gods, theEmbodied… we’d deal with it. Because I knew I could do anything with my family and my friends. We were all of us connected. Humans and elves.
And I would come for Queen Antares. The cunning elf remained behind in her golden castle, her powers mightier and her defenses greater since I left the Land of Light and Life. But I’d learned patience these last few months. And though her life was now tied to Bayne’s, I’d free him and claim hers someday.
My hand drifted to the amplifier around my neck. I tugged it out of my undershirt and held it in front of us, running my fingers over the intricate designs etched on the surface. Ferns and vines twisted in an elaborate pattern, bordering a small, budding flower in its center. The nyxteria, the flower of Nivis. The lullaby my mother sang to me as a child, toLyviánala.
I swallowed against emotion rising to the surface and the inevitable conclusion I’d come to. Eira had named mesobraen.
Cousin.
I hadn’t approached Ursa, Eira’s sister, yet to ask her. Or unraveled the mystery ofhow, given the impossibility of it all.
Bayne took the amplifier from me and examined it, his dark brows pinching together.
“Are you sure you’ve got this? You can rest first if you need to. Looks like you’ve been busy,” he murmured, his words fueling the growing doubt.
I shuddered, my stomach pitching at the task ahead.
A soft tug of wind drew a loose strand of hair free from my cheek. It slid along my neck, and I swallowed before turning toward Kellan, who approached alongside Tiberius. The horse’s big black head bobbed in greeting toward Bayne before he clomped to me and placed his velvety muzzle in my palm.
Ready?he asked.
I think so.
He sent a wave of calming reassurance that surrounded me in a blanket of warmth. My caeluma. My shared soul.
Nerissa stepped forward alongside Vulcan.
“We’re ready for you below,” Nerissa said, nodding at the camps.
Outside of the gates, menders stood among Rising and Lotrennian soldiers, Selvina among them. Wagons of healing supplies, including hundreds of vials of the nyxteria sleeping draft, dotted the gates.
We’d met at length last night, making plans and discussing the best way to approach this. Because when the ashen were saved, when they were transformed back into their original forms, chaos would ensue. A humanitarian crisis. Bayne ordered shipments of food from northern Lotrennia, and we’d found a third Aelius Orb in the Onyx Tower, allowing us to communicate with Sultira to ask for aid.
I took one last glance at the first of eight camps below, my throat bobbing. Could I do this? I turned to our small group. Bayne approached Vulcan, gripping his shoulder as Aquila swooped down from above. His wings sent the dusting of snow dancing around us. Though his emotions were blocked, I could see the pain etched across Bayne’s face as he approached Aquila and placed a hand on the giant hawk’s beak.
He’d yet to pull his mental shield down, yet to allow the true caeluma and Bellator connection to come through to ensure the queen had no access to him. My heart broke for them, for the wall that had been put up. But I’d free them if he let me. And I’d end her.
Kellan stepped toward us, his dark eyes sparkling beneath the early morning sun, and Bayne’s shoulders stiffened, turning to the pirate lord.
“After you, Bonscaíh,” Kellan murmured, lifting a hand toward Tiberius.
I nodded, and Bayne went rigid.
“It meansshadow,” I explained, offering a soft smile to him.
Warning flashed in Bayne’s gaze as he stared at the pirate lord. Had he heard me?
