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He looks up at me with glassy eyes as he continues, “I wasn’t meant to be a political leader, so when the position was thrust upon me unexpectedly, I made some mistakes along the way. I was learning and improving, but it wasn’t good enough for some. Cor’than led a rebellion to overthrow me, killing my allies and closest friends in the process. I was forced to flee.”
His voice is hard and unwavering, as if anger would remove the wound beneath. My heart cracks a little for him, and my instinct to comfort him takes over. I reach across the table, grabbing his hand in mine. Instantly, Chroma is swimming between us, filling my enriched senses with warmth.
Sunders eyes touch mine again with a softness so light my chest aches for him. In an instant it’s replaced with his hard glare, but I don’t miss how he holds my hand tighter.
“Now the commoners live under a usurper’s rule. I’ve heard reports of oppression and enslavement of those unable to pay their tithe. The truth is that I don’t know how bad it is. I’ve yet to risk a visit to Valenfall since my exile. I need a strong invading force to stand with me.”
I give his hand a light squeeze when he finishes speaking. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Sunder.”
He doesn’t meet my gaze and merely grunts in response, but his thumb rubs lightly atop of my own. “When we first met, you said you used to be Dan’thiel of Valenfall. Is that why you go by Sunder now? To avoid your brother?”
“No. I’ve told you that you are my fated mate. That’s both true and not. At least… not your whole mate. Dan’thiel’s soul is bound to yours, and I’m only a part of him.”
He sets down his fork to rub his temple, never removing his hand from mine. Exhaling a weighty breath, Sunder finally meets my eyes again.
“About four hundred years ago, I was in exile, living with my last remaining ally. She and I were… entangled. It was complicated but an easy distraction from my powerlessness to save my people. I knew the first step to retaking my homeland would be the mate bond. I’d need to be much more powerful than I already was to stand a chance against Cor’than without an army behind me. Suffice it to say that my ally, Malicryn, didn’t want me to leave when the time came for me to start my search for you.
“When she was done, she’d killed Dan’thiel, fragmenting his soul into four pieces. Each of those Soul Shards found themselves in a new body hundreds of years later. At least that’s what I was told when I woke up in this fae body just twelve years ago, with Dan’thiel’s memories and feeling like an empty husk. I’m the First Shard of Dan’thiel’s soul, and I named myself Sunder.”
The depth beneath those stormy eyes pull me. The anguish lingering in his words. The betrayal and loss. I squeeze his hand again, and this time he squeezes mine back. I want to wrap him in a hug. Take away his pain. The words slowly process in my mind as the weight of his experiences twists my heart. But wait. Did he say four?
“Does that mean that there are three otheryous out there who are also my mate? How does that even work?”
Shaking his head, Sunder shrugs. “We’ll figure it out as we go, I suppose.”
My heart swells with hope. Maybe I still have a chance to find love with one of these other soulmates. “When do I meet them?”
“When we go to Illuemera, we’ll track them down. We need them.”
Biting my lip, I make my decision. “I’ll call Jasper.”
Chapter Twelve
Dan’thiel
I awaken, floating in the air above a strange land. Mountains all around me shift into focus, slightly obscured by the fog hugging the ground. What’s happening? This isn’t Illuemera. Where am I?
How did I get here?
I hear voices calling to me. The silent whispers in my mind feel familiar but distant. Four distinct male voices sound in my head with questions of their own. I try to focus on them, but they keep slipping away.
“Hello?” I call out to the empty sky around me. My voice stretches endlessly, without echo or reply.
A bright crack of light blinds me as my time floating in the sky ends with me plummeting to the ground. Screams tear from my throat as the ground grows nearer. A large stone castle appears below, approaching at incredible speed. I reach for my brilliant green Chroma to summon a pillow of air to break my fall, but the source is muffled.
Muted and distant, Chroma lingers just out of reach. Panic. This is how it ends?
As the ground rises, my descent slows until I land softly, standing in front of an enormous stone wall with green fields at my back. My heart races in my chest as my head swivels, trying to take in every detail. Still pulling at the source, Chroma is out of reach as if I’m shielded.
I march to the door, incredulity mounting, ready to demand answers. The edges of my vision blur and distort with every movement, disorienting me slightly. A dream perhaps?
The large wooden door opens and a slender male at least two heads taller than me steps through. His skin is the faint cool colors of the High Elves, but as the light catches it, it turns almost translucent. An opalescent quality tints the edges. I stumble away from the creature with mouth agape.
“Are you unharmed, Prince Dan’thiel?” His sky blue skin blends with the clouds behind him as he towers over me. His long white hair reminds me of Malicryn, and the memory of her betrayal moments before slams into me. My hand grabs at my chest where her dagger ran through me.
“Is this death, then?” I bark out, trying to find some shred of familiarity to grasp on to. My hold on reality slips away with every passing second.
“Yes. And no. My name is Rynlin. I am one of the spectral guardians of the place between realms. Most simply call it the Otherworld.”
