My hand fell from his. “Protected how?”
“As my wife, Aelira.”
A pit formed in my stomach with his words. Lioran couldn’t know about this—he would never accept it. I couldn’t accept it.
“And Lioran…does he know what you propose?”
“He has enlisted my help in giving you a future you deserve.”
This was his plan. This was how he would alter my fate?
Nausea ripped through me. I almost reached for Calyth to brace me, but my body instinctively recoiled.
“Think it over. I leave to return to my territory in a couple of days—I think you’d love Eyrsea as much as I do.” He bowed his head to me.
I would be passed around and traded for the sake of Nythrel—Lioran approved of it.
“Your offer is generous…I will think it over.” I could barely say the words.
Calyth could free me from a life with Thalen, but every day I would look at him and I would onlyever see Lioran.
I was resigned to accept my fate with Thalen, but Lioran never would. He would rather I bond with his brother.
If I went with Thalen and shipments stopped coming from Pyrran, I wouldn’t have power to change Ashlyn’s fate. Going with him wouldn’t reverse the blight. I thought of Thalen’s hands around my waist—the way his eyes searched mine as if he was uncovering every truth hidden behind them.
Thalen wouldn’t leave without me, not unless I made a choice that made it impossible for him to take me from Nythrel.
I gripped the bodice, unlacing the ties that crushed my chest and waist—the pain was unbearable.
Calyth promised me a future. A life with him may grant me peace and freedom, but I would be his wife—bound to him for the rest of my days.
It wouldn’t protect Ashlyn—the divide wouldn’t allow her to pass through.
The velvet curtain curled beneath my fingertips as the wind rapped on the window. Each day since we arrived, I watched people come and go through the garden—all admired a perfectly arranged display of flowers contained within stone walls. Every bit monotonous and organized, except the tree that bore my flowers—a complete outlier.
I crossed the divide, defied all logic, broke every rule—held magic that only the heir to the throne should have possessed.
Footsteps echoed beyond my chamber walls. Life would continue here without me—but my life, my choice still mattered.
The cold metal latch released beneath my fingers. A whisper of wind caressed my cheek, carrying a familiar melody. The song of the land simmered inside me; my magic responded to it. It settled within me, pulsing and beating in time with it all.
It had to be what certainty felt like.
There was only one place I ever felt I belonged, only one home I longed for even still—Lythira. It needed me, called to me even here. Cora had a vision that I could restore the land and bring it back to life. If her vision was right—if I was capable—I wouldn’t need Thalen or Calyth to determine my fate.
I could create my own.
It was time to seal it in a way they couldn’t reverse.
I would make a bargain with the king to reverse the destruction my legacy created.
To heal the lands—I would give a part of myself that I loved most.
Myrwood Grove would take my magic, I would give it freely—until only pieces of me remained.
The door handle turned. Lioran peered around the door.
“You spoke with Calyth…” His words were hesitant.
