“Then it’s settled,” Bayne announced. “We leave Kayj and the Vael Lacrima unguarded until we can destroy the arch.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LYVIA
Enslaved by Nivisian elves in the second dawn.
– A Written History of the Itherians, by Olienna. Crystal Castle.
Lyvia – The Arx, Votruvia
Awarmth crawled from the entrance of the tunnel on the Arx. Thick, stone monoliths lined the narrow path, the massive boulders squatting shoulder to shoulder, stretching twenty feet high. The soft glow of our torches bounced off the smooth rock, and I ran my fingers over cool stone as we hiked into the heart of the floating mountain.
“Curious, there are no cave formations here,” I murmured after several tense minutes of silence, remembering the stalactites and stalagmites lining Enya’s burial chamber. Water gathered in small pools suspended above our heads before plopping down in quick spats and slickening the floor.
“I don’t think this place answers to Vael’s laws of nature,” Isla murmured from behind.
Certainly not, given the entire island floated above the waters below.
We followed the stone path until a soft gray glow began to stretch along the walls, the tunnel opening somewhere above as our footing angled upward. My thighs burned as we climbed, my boots slipping against the wet stone and my knees nearly kissing the ground before a hand gripped the back of my jacket, steadying me.
I threw a grateful glance at Aeriden.
“Bet you thought you’d be more coordinated as an elf.” He chuckled.
I shoved out of his grip, but my lips tugged up. “I’m plenty coordinated. And I bet I could take you in an arm wrestle now.” I raised my brows in challenge.
“You’re on, Sis. Next time we make camp.”
My eyes caught on Kellan as I looked up. The gray light filtering in from whatever lay at the end of the tunnel cast a soft glow around his dark form. Shadows hid his features, but I thought I caught the hint of a smile on his lips before he turned.
My breath caught as we reached the top. The monolith tunnel opened to a massive, dark valley where thousands of tall crystals sprouted from the ground and walls, creating a forest of icy gems.
Aeriden let out a low whistle at the otherworldly beauty.
The centers of each crystal let out a soft glow. The ones nearest us ranged from deep silver to white, and as I craned my neck to see further, the colors shifted, transitioning to a deep blue-black. They illuminated the thick fog hanging above.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” Isla murmured beside me. Her hand gripped mine and squeezed.
“Did you have any idea this was here?” I asked, turning to Kellan, whose eyes were already on me.
He shook his head, his face soft,eager.
We followed the only path through the crystal forest until the lighting shifted from a black blue to a deep, ominous crimson and opened to a small chamber with a shattered marble tomb in the center.
Chunks of rock and debris littered the sacred resting space, the bones of its occupant thrown across the room in savage sacrilege.
Kellan stilled as he scanned the jagged crystals creating the walls of the chamber. He took a cautious step forward and placed a hand on the edge of what remained of the demolished tomb.
I slipped forward, placing a hand next to his, and my stomach twisted as I scanned the bottom of the tomb. The only remaining bone in the occupant’s final resting place was a skull with a dagger shoved through the top, holding an old slip of parchment in place.
My leg slid over the wide stone edge, and Kellan gripped my forearm, lifting it and helping me into the cold space. I knelt next to the ancient skull and inspected the tightly rolled scroll and dagger.
Fractures spiderwebbed from the embedded dagger, leaving jagged, ninety-degree lines edging away from the weapon. I ran my forefinger over the chipped bone, noting the consistent coloration. My heart panged for Drystan as I examined the skull. Where was he now? He’d gotten away when Renova and Ganmira had come through the gate, but we’d been cut off from Sultira for months now…
Kellan knelt beside me, angling his head to better look at the dagger and note.
“This damage was inflicted after death,” I murmured to the group. “Many years after.”
