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Quinfina chuckled. “No, dear. Your mother was three-quarters Shyrlivi.”

“You’re shitting me.” I glared when Cyn snorted, then I looked back at Quinfina. “How?”

“This is preposterous,” Cornaith said.

For something so “preposterous,” he didn’t stop her. None of the council moved—hanging on her every word. Guards ringed the unconscious audience and crew, while others hauled bodies away, leaving only the princes, the council, Quinfina, the triplets, and me.

“A long time ago, your great-great grandmother mated with a Shyrlivi during one of his trips to Earth.”

“Mated? Like, they had sex?”

Cyn turned away, but I heard his laughter. Asshole.

“No. Well…” Quinfina’s glossy lips curled into a soft smile. “They did, or you wouldn’t be here. But it was something more. Your great-great grandmother was his Nyrith.”

“How is that possible for a human?” Ezra asked the moment she finished speaking, as if he needed the answer immediately.

It was the question of the week. How could a human be a Nyrith for a Shyrlivi?

“Fate works in mysterious ways.” At Ezra’s unimpressed stare, she smiled. “It’s the best answer I have for you, Young Master. Even I can’t say what Fate intended all those years ago. But I can say what happened as a result.”

“Spit it out,” Cornaith snapped, but he cleared his throat when Quinfina turned to him. He inclined his head in apology.

It seemed not everyone tolerated his holier-than-thou attitude.

I liked Quinfina more already.

She turned back to us, giving the council her back—a move I hadn’t expected. Did the spiritual advisor hold more power than them?

Her hand once again tightened on my arm. “Your great-great grandmother’s biological makeup shifted when they completed their soul tether. She ceased to be human.”

I kept my eyes on her as she explained, turning my world upside down.

Murmurs and gasps rose behind her, but her gaze remained on me.

Amra twirled one of her rings around her finger, speaking softly. “I’ve never heard of this in all my time researching our history.”

Cornaith glanced at her, eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a fine line.

“They kept her existence a secret from both the council and the people of Elyrdin. She remained hidden on Earth.”

Ash scratched his beard. “How do you know?”

Quinfina tapped her temple.

Zeke’s warm hand slid over mine on the slab—the first time he’d touched me since the kitchen. “She sees things like me, but she’s much more powerful.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, grasped his fingers, and looked back at her. If I spoke to him, I’d burst into tears. I needed to stay level-headed.

“Your great-great grandmother eventually had a Shyrlivi child,” Quinfina said, releasing my arm. “Her father sealed her powers and cast a potent glamor over her, so she presented as nothing more than human.”

“How was he so powerful?” Lymsrana said, stepping near where we sat.

Quinfina looked at her. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, then Lymsrana’s eyes widened. She schooled her expression so fast I almost missed it.

What happened between them?

“So why didn’t he make her human?” Zeke asked, distracting everyone. “If he’s able to seal powers, why not change her? I mean, if humans can change into Shyrlivi, why not the other way around?”