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“Then it is not Balram we seek,” Darvol hissed.

“We don’t know that for certain. He could have been baiting her toward that room with the crystal. If it is him we search for, then having the full godstone would allow him to kill us as he said. Either way, it is of little consequence now,” Zariah answered. “We have yet another threat, courtesy of Illio, and we never even perceived such a menace. Our ether can be syphoned. Our sister has paid the price.”

What the fuck was happening? I forced myself straight, fighting a wave of dizziness as I tried to wrap my mind around what I’d seen. They wanted more than just to roam freely. Who was this dark brother Revka had thought of? Wait, they were looking for Illio’s seed. Someone who could perform more than one type of magic… But the only one I knew who could do that was Rune. And they’d already dismissed that as being a result of her access to my magic as my carrier.

Something tugged at my fuzzy brain. They were looking for Illio’s seed.

“You never caught Illio’s shadow hand?” I asked, and they spun toward me as though they’d forgotten I was there. “Um, Facet?” I corrected.

Zariah laughed, but there was no humor in it. “If only it were that simple. No. It wasn’t a Facet he created, nor was it an illusion. He used his magic to do the unthinkable, daughter of Revka.”

I bit my lip so as not to interrupt and ask her to use my real name. Instead, I asked, “What was it he did?”

“He fell in love with a human.” Zariah spat the word like she’d tasted something sour.

“Worse,” Darvol corrected, hand on her shoulder. “He mated with her. He imbued magic in her blood so she would conceive an abomination, not a Facet, not a human, but some disgraceful combination thereof. He created a scenario in which one in each of his offspring’s generations could continue to bear a drop of his magic.”

“He sought to topple us,” Zariah said, shaking her head. I detected real sadness in her voice. “He wished to elevate humans to godlike status in our place.”

I gave my weight to the wall, but this time it was not dizziness that provoked it. It was the shock of understanding that these beings that I and my people had always deified—that they looked down on humans as less than them.

“But you said you enjoyed experiencing what humans did.” My own voice came out small as I said it. I was grasping for hope.

“We do, dear,” Zariah said, truly looking at me again for the first time since I’d come out of the bath. “But that doesn’t mean we wish to be like them. Do not fret. I know you’ve enjoyed their company. We’ve all done the same. And you didn’t know the truth, so you cannot be blamed.” She placed a hand on my arm, and more of her calming energy surrounded me, attempting to blanket my racing heart.

But it no longer felt like a welcome touch, and I straightened, slipping away from them both.

“My friends are good people.” It was all I could manage.

“You are too trusting,” Darvol snapped. “We can no longer afford to trust any humans. You’ve seen yourself what this man did.”

“It is only when given too much power that they turn dangerous.” Zariah set a calming hand on her brother this time. “But Darvol is right I’m afraid. You would do well to let them go, dear, assuming they haven’t succumbed yet to the sea. Can you imagine the disaster if you’d fallen in love with one? You’ve seen what a mess Illio has made.”

But I had fallen in love with one. And it was clear Rivven and the others should steer far from the isles. I forced my wild heart to slow and tried to think through my next words, willing them to sound innocent. “There are some things I still don’t understand.” I aimed my doe eyes at Zariah, who seemed the more level-headed of the pair. “What did Revka mean when she said that reuniting the three—um, four stones would remove your exile? You said only one of you could pass through the border at a time.”

Darvol waved a dismissive hand. “Illio thought he could protect his love,” He sneered at the last word, "from us by defacing and hiding a piece of what he should never have had access to.”

“He stole one of the godstones,” Zariah interjected.

“We were able to travel freely between realms when all of the crystals were present,” Darvol continued, gesturing toward the pit where the glowing heartbeat seemed to come from. “Thankfully he only took one.”

“He took it to protect his lover?” I asked.

“No. He took it before he left for the human kingdoms.” Darvol sniffed in derision. “He knew it would give him magic equal to our own. Equal to his creator.” He beat a fist into his chest so hard I winced, but I eyed the rest of the godstones with renewed interest.

“And you want to snuff out the last of his bloodline?” I asked, wondering if Balram was indeed the person they sought and, if so, whether that was the worst idea.

“Then the blight will be cured,” Darvol agreed, nodding. “Humans will never again be able to challenge us.”

“And Illio?” I whispered, afraid to ask the fate of the last Facet before myself. “What happened to him?”

“You needn’t concern yourself, dear,” Zariah said with too much kindness. But Darvol interjected.

“Let her see as a warning, sister, so she will never be tempted by a human’s wiles or by the draw of the source crystals.”

Zariah sighed but nodded and led me around another cluster of pillars.

When I rounded the corner I gasped, hand fluttering to my chest. Before me stood what looked like a statue carved from the same clear crystal that filled the rest of the cavern. But it was too detailed to be a mere statue, and the pain etched forever in the man’s eyes seemed to pierce my very soul.