Page 136 of Aryn

“And if we succeed, that will no longer be an issue,” I add as I take Cato’s hand. My tail unwraps from my waist and coils around his thigh, wanting to hold on to him wherever possible.

“Well, that’s new,” Cameron mutters.

Cato and I both glance down at the patch of freckled skin. Rhael stares with wide eyes, gaze darting between my tail and Cato’s complexion. “It’s a long story,” I tell him. “One we’ll be sharing in great detail with the Vaelor.”

Rhael dips his head and runs his hands along his braid. “I understand. Please, do not feel obligated to fulfill my curiosity. Father says it gets me into far too much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” I rush to assure him. “We don’t mind answering questions, but we don’t want to speak out of turn.”

The smile he gives me in return is nervous, not nearly as relaxed as earlier. “Of course. Come, let me show you the castle museum.”

“Ooh, a museum,” Lillith whispers to Taryn. “Do you think they have any weapons?”

“If they do, there is no touching,” Taryn whispers back, but Lillith only chortles.

Rhael’s posture loosens again as he leads us through a large doorway, nodding at guards and waving at the castle hands as we pass. The museum is enormous, filled with treasures from across Elyra. Intricate wood carvings of mythical creatures line the shelves, while vibrant paintings of sweeping landscapes and historic battles cover the walls. Woven tapestries hang from the rafters, and glasswork catches the light, throwing colored patterns across the floor.

“The Vaelor made it her mission to collect art from around the realm,” Rhael says as he smiles fondly at the collection. “This is one of my favorite places to be. I’m honored to show it to you.”

We peruse the room, breaking into smaller clusters as we look at what speaks to us. Cato and I stop in front of some tapestries, and I point out the Dreven waiting in the wings. He’s fascinated by the battle depictions, and spends a long time looking over the spears and swords fashioned in ancient ways he’s never seen before.

A painting catches my eye. It’s abstract, but it’s abundantly clear it’s the perspective of someone under the water, staring up at a yellow sun and blue sky. It’s so much like the human world that I pause to inspect it further, then do a double take at the name printed on the plaque underneath.

“Rhael… is this yours?”

His ears flush a deeper teal as he ducks his head. “Ah… yes. I paint in my spare time. It’s nothing special, but the Vaelor insisted on displaying it.”

“This looks like the human world,” Taryn says as she steps up beside me.

His face lights up. “This pleases me greatly. After reading so many stories of the human world, I was determined to paint her beauty. I was never sure I got the shades of blue right.”

“Damn, if that doesn’t make me miss home,” Cato murmurs beside me.

“Rethinking your idea to live in Elyra once we save the worlds?”

“Maybe we can split our time,” he says with a grin. “Summers here, winters there.”

Cameron snorts a laugh. “I don’t know how to break it to you, but I don’t think there are summers here. Hells, there are barely winters there.”

Rhael glances between us, reflecting the lights off his piercings. “Is it not cold in your lands?”

“It’s hot as fuckin’ balls,” Cameron corrects. “It’s like boiling a big old cauldron of water, right? And it’s hot as fuck, but you decide to climb inside anyway, and then you put the lid on, just in case it wasn’t hot enough already.”

Rhael’s eyes are wide as he stares. “What about the snow?”

Cameron chuckles again as he glances around at the art, all depicting cold weather and icy conditions. “‘Fraid snow doesn’t exist anymore on our side. Maybe in some of the more extreme parts of the world, but not where we are.”

Rhael shakes his head, then glances back at his painting like he could draw heat from the sunlight. We finish looking through the museum, then climb to the highest battlement to overlook the city. The capital sprawls out below us in a sea of rooftops and winding cobblestone streets under the pale winter sky.

I point out a distant wing of the castle. “That’s where Zadeus held me,” I say quietly to Cato.

His brows pinch as he looks at me. “I never thought about the fact that you would’ve been here.”

“Not for long. He was assembling his research team when he took me, but eventually he placed us in a secret location. Fewer distractions, he said.”

“Sounds like Ljómur.”

“It was very similar,” I agree. “He put his research in remote parts of the world. That way, he could see enemies coming from miles away. Very few people knew what he was doing, and even fewer knew the locations.”