Veythar forged weapons from raw dark matter, directing their fury against the armored High Court Guards. A banner with the twin-serpent crest waved sadly in the soot-choked wind, a large tear separating the intertwined fangs.
The crowd dispersed, forming a gap around a lone figure in the center of the carnage. He stood bare-chested, his expression raw and agonized. Littered wounds across his body drained him of life, the dark blood of the Veythar staining the earth.
Before the vision could sharpen into the final blow, the orb went still. The light dimmed with a violent flush of heat, evoking a shocked gasp from me as I pulled my hands away.
“You see, Kaelia,” Sora started, taking the orb from my hands. “That war was the result of the Sayel.”
“You are saying,” I began, “that not only would the High Court execute the counterparts of the bond, but our realm may also fall to dust?”
Keeper Sora nodded, her eyes boring into mine. “That is exactly what I am saying.”
11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The scent of jasmine and honeysuckle hung thick in the air, sweet enough to taste. It clung to my throat and lungs, all soft promise and blooming hope. It was a staggering contrast to the metallic tang of blood and the scent of decay that had filled my nose only an hour ago within the Seer’s Orb.
Everywhere I looked, the Garden of Thrynn was a riot of color. Petals of coral and gold unfurled in the sun, while droplets of afternoon dew clung to the roses like tiny, shattered diamonds.
Couples weaved through the shaded canopies, hands clasped tightly, their laughter trailing behind them like ribbons in the wind.
My stomach rolled, nauseous with envy. Everywhere I looked, someone had been chosen.
I found a secluded stone bench near the edge of the grove and sat, the heavy leather-bound book I had managed to slip away with from the Archives resting on my lap.
But as I opened the cover, my focus faltered. My skin still remembered the slow drag of Talon’s thumb along my jaw. The world had gone silent when he touched me. Even now, in the middle of this vibrant sanctuary, I felt a prickle at the base of my neck.
Is he watching me now?
I looked around, my eyes scanning the silver-barked trees and the high stone arches. I looked for a shadow that did not move with the sun, for the glint of glacial eyes behind a trellis of roses. I saw nothing but the swaying of flowers and the casual stroll of citizens.
He was not there. Or, perhaps, he was simply better at hiding than I was at seeking.
I forced my gaze back to the page, but the text blurred.
I could not focus with the shadow of my solstice looming over the coming dawn. I was no closer to a choice. I remained caught between the hollow safety of a sanctioned bond, the demands of the council, and the terrifying pull of a connection that should not exist.
I stopped my research and stood, my gaze catching on a pair of lovers sitting on a nearby marble bench. They sat silently, hands entwined, shoulders touching, looking as if they were anchored to the very earth.
I looked away. I could have that.
I could find some boy with kind eyes and a steady laugh. A simple life approved by the council and a house that did not feel like a battlefield.
Or, I could have one thing I selfishly wanted for myself, consequences be damned.
I reached out, my fingers brushing the bark of a massive Thrynn tree. I leaned my forehead against the rough wood, the cool shade of the canopy doing nothing to chill the fever in my blood.
Just choose someone safe, Kaelia.
My fingers curled against the bark. I could settle for a merchant’s son with careful manners. A scholar who would speak softly across a supper table. Anyone whose touch would not set the air ablaze.
The thought barely formed before something inside me recoiled.
No merchant’s son had ever made the stars align behind my eyelids.
“They say if you touch the tree while unbound, it grants you a vision of an Elarthai.”
I startled and stepped back, my red locs whipping across my vision.