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It didn’t matter. All I knew was that I wanted to spend every moment of my life with Kael and never let go.
Chapter 26
Kael
Iwalkedalongthehalls of the Martial gallery, Mirijana and Aella trailing behind me like ghosts. A faint light from the morning sun had filled the sky and I yawned, ready to sleep but unwilling to face Theron to do so. The haze of daylight cast the stone-lined halls in soft purple-gray rays. The air was still and quiet, broken only by the occasional rustling of my dress and the sound of our footsteps. I kept circling the servant stairwells, trying to catch Rhazien as he returned from plotting with his mother.
I didn’t have a plan, not truly, but I was desperate to leave the palace and willing to do anything to escape the shame and confusion twisting my stomach in knots as I spun Tannethe’s poison ring on my finger. My mind raced with conflicting emotions, like a sandstorm inside my head. Theron’s revelations had left me reeling, and I was struggling to make sense of it all.
As we walked, I thought about how broken he’d looked in the darkness, his face half in shadow as he confessed what Raura had done to him. What they’d all inflicted on him. I couldn’t help but sympathize. I’d experienced much the same, even if I didn’t remember most of it. My body still did.
But I loathed him. I hated that the more I learned about him, the more I realized we shared similar histories. We’d both lost our fathers young, both were taken from our homes and abused. But the difference was that Haemir had saved me, while Theron had no one to turn to. He had been on his own, and that made me pity him.
Then, just as quickly, that pity would switch to rage. All the horrible things that we had in common were his fault. He was the reason I had no home, the reason my father had died, and I had been made a slave. It didn’t matter what had happened to him; he still perpetuated his pain on others. I’d suffered because of what he did. And I knew I wasn’t the only one. Theron’s actions had hurt countless others. Even if I could forgive his sins against me, I refused to forgive him for what he’d done to others.
My thoughts chased each other as I walked the halls, trapped between these two opposing emotions. It was like being caught in a whirlpool, constantly being pulled in different directions. I looked over my shoulder at Mirijana and Aella, who were chatting amongst themselves, not paying attention to me. Exactly as I wanted, if only Rhazien would appear.
The conflict inside me was overwhelming, and I wanted to escape. I wished to just forget about Theron and all the feelings he brought out in me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to push him from my thoughts. I had to reconcile what I felt for him.
As I paced the Martial Gallery with my two companions trailing behind me, my eyes were drawn to the glittering tiara on display once more. If what Oz said was right, then Theron’s ancestor had worn this crown before his grandfather killed her and ended the Godsfall...
The shadows deepened around us, blanketing the floor and casting a chill over it as if the stone was alive and aware. The smell of iron and old stone hung in the air, like blood on the wind, and I thought of the story Oz had told us. That the war had started here, in this very castle. The Elves stored power in metal and stone. It stood to reason that the palace was still infused with remnants of that battle. I stepped closer to the display, reaching out to open the glass case. It was as if the tiara was calling out to me, begging me to try it on and feel the weight of the crown upon my head.
I couldn’t rid myself of the sensation that something dangerous was hidden, prepared to attack.
Mirijana and Aella were oblivious to my inner turmoil, chatting quietly amongst themselves. But I couldn’t shake the idea that I was being watched. That the shadows themselves were alive and aware, coiling around me like tendrils of smoke and snakes.
My heart raced as I reached into the display case. I was afraid to touch it, worried about what I might discover about myself if I did. But something drew me closer, a magnetic pull that I couldn’t resist. I forced myself to reach out and touch the crown, one finger connection with the embossed leaves. Heat and lightning ran through me, some hidden part of me blooming and coming to life. The quiet was a heavy blanket, smothering everything in my vicinity, silencing the entire world. All that mattered was the magic beating in my blood. But I knew better. It was the metal, as I’d never experienced it before. It sang to me, a melody playing in the back of my mind that I’d never been able to decipher the words. Now though…
Shock coursed through me, and I sucked in a breath. Was I some sort of Sálfar Remnant? Were those even possible? I’d never heard of such a thing. The implications of it were staggering. I had never identified what type of Remnant I was, always assuming I was descended from a Wraith or perhaps Fae or Zerkir. But to be part Elvish... It would explain how my father knew the language, and why he taught it to me—Footsteps sounded behind me and I jumped, breaking my train of thought. Magic shot from me, shattering the case and sending glass and metal flying.
My heart pounded in my chest as I scrambled away from the shattered display, trying to hide the tiara I still held. I glanced around anxiously, sure that everyone must have noticed what I had done.
I took a steadying breath and forced myself to calm down. If anyone discovered my magic, I would be killed—only Elves were supposed to possess magic. That was the point of their wars, of the Godsfall; to consolidate their power so no one could oppose them.
“Kael! Are you alright?” It was Mirijana, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at the wreckage of the display case in horror. “What happened?”
I hesitated before speaking, unsure of what to say or do next. “Um. I’m not sure.” I glanced up to see the owner of the footsteps that had surprised me. Xadrian stood there watching me with an intensity that made my stomach twist into knots. “I must have bumped it.”
Xadrian’s black eyes studied me as he approached, his confident grace and flirtatious manner tinged with a vague threat as he leaned into my space. I tried to focus on my breathing to keep my thoughts and emotions hidden. He was a clever one, and I had to tread carefully.
“Are you alright?” He stopped inches away from me, crouching beside me and offering me a hand up.
My heartbeat quickened as I met his gaze, forcing myself to be still despite the overwhelming urge to flee. “I’m fine,” I grumbled, the words burning in my throat as my face reddened. He held my stare for a moment before smirking and stepping back.
His expression shifted then, and he crossed his arms in front of him. “What brings you here? It doesn’t seem like your usual sort of place, seeing as Theron is nowhere to be found.”
My throat went dry at his question as I frantically searched for an answer that wouldn’t make me sound suspicious or reveal too much about myself. “Just taking a walk.”
“You seem nervous,” he said, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“You’re mistaken,” I replied, my voice steady despite my inner turmoil.
“Are you sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
My mind raced as I tried to think of a way out of the situation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered, my tone unsteady. “Excuse me, I need to get back.”
