Her eyes flicked his way. “That girl you see in your head isn’t me.”
“Looks like you,” he said.
She shook her head. “They’re just memories of a past life. If you come with me, you’ll see.”
“See what?”
“Everything. Your past. Your future. Everything your mother kept from you.”
Answers. She was offering him answers.Finally.
Sean scrutinized her painfully lovely face, decoding her expression as something like…pity. “She kept it from me for a reason, didn’t she?”
Isobel’s pretty mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Yes. But your destiny comes whether you want it or not. So choose. Will you come with me and learn what’s coming, or will you go in blind?”
Alarge crack in the trunk served as the entrance to the giant tree, guarded by several people adorned in nothing but leather and weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.
“Guardians,” Autumn murmured to him, and Sean ignored the shocked expressions followed by bows as he passed, each of them tapping two fingers to their temple.
A long, wide entrance opened into a giant staircase carved inside the Tree. The wood gleamed, crisscrossed with flower-studded vines. Crystal lanterns and sconces warmed the inside, flickering with light that wasn’t fire, but something…else.
At the center of the Tree, they reached an open atrium that stretched to a vast height. Streams fell down the walls at eight intervals, filling the space with the tinkle of water. The creeks snaked through stone pathways, coalescing in an indoor pond at the center of the atrium. Small bridges connected each section.
People leaned on the railings along the upper corridors. They stared as his group entered, then bowed.
“Pay them no mind,” Autumn whispered Sean’s way.
“Why are they bowing?”
“Because of who you are. Just come with us.” Isobel took his elbow and marched him up the stairs. They ascended several flights, then branched off toward a long hallway of closed doors.
“This is where the Council members lodge.” As they walked, she pointed out various doorways and name-dropped people he’d never met. “We call it the Council Hall.”
Eventually, Autumn skipped ahead and burst through a door etched with intricate carvings—swirls and suns and moons and stars. A stocky man in a blue vest rose from his seat in an antechamber, setting aside a book.
He smiled at Autumn, but it faded as he laid eyes on Sean. A beat of silence passed before he bowed deeply. “’Tis an honor.”
“Kywyn is still awake, yes?” Isobel asked. “He’s expecting us.”
“Of course, Lady Isobel.” He pulled a rope beside the door, then opened the door to announce them.
Inside, a man a couple years older than Sean stopped pacing to take in the gathering at his doorstep. The man had longish black hair and deep blue eyes, but that wasn’t what wrapped a vice around Sean’s heart, squeezing out shock and disbelief with a tightening fist.
Sean recognized him. This was the face that stared back at him in the mirror each morning. Bluer eyes. Blacker hair. Sharper angles. Still uncannily similar. Was this a long lost twin? A brother he’d never known?
Cole’s hand landed on Sean’s shoulder, probably as support, but he could barely feel it. He was numb from the inside out.
The man’s eyes locked on Sean, his mouth parted, and a single word emerged. “Caden?”
No.
No, no, no.
Sean shook his head. Took a step back. “Who— No. A brother? Are you my brother?”
The man’s eyebrows drew together. “No. I’m—” He shook himself and motioned them inside. “Please, come in. I’ll explain.”
Sean followed Autumn into a luxurious living space, all deep red sofas, golden knickknacks and vibrant artwork. A wide panel of glass doors led to a balcony. The inhuman sky glittered behind the glass, looking more like an AI screensaver than real life.
