“Was?” Araya tore her gaze away from the castle, unease crawling under her skin. Something about the way the mistswallowed the towers made her feel like the whole place was holding its breath, waiting. “It’s not now?”
“The fae haven’t lived here since King Corwin fell,” Thorne said, his voice quiet. “Once the Veil formed—well, it was easier for Eloria to move things to Lumaria. But the castle is maintained, in case any of our people who brave the Shadowed Veil need shelter before moving on to Lumaria.”
Araya shivered, tracing her gaze along the jagged cliffs. Eluneth—the last home of the free fae. Gods, what would Jaxon do when he found out she was here? Bile rose in the back of her throat. She hadn’t escaped him, not really. And she couldn’t afford to stay here.
“How do we get up there?”
Thorne pointed.
Araya followed his gesture, her breath catching as she spotted the narrow, twisting steps carved directly into the cliffside. They had to be ancient—slick with mist and half crumbling in places. One wrong step and she’d tumble into the sea—if she was lucky enough not to hit the rocks.
“You can’t be serious.”
“It’s the only way up from here,” Thorne replied smoothly, though his lips twitched like he was hiding a smile. “Didn’t you work at the Aetherium? They have a lot of steps there too.”
“Inside steps,” she retorted. “Well maintained, with bannisters—and walls.”
“You’ll be fine,” Thorne said, his tone maddeningly dismissive. He turned and strode down the dock, leaving Araya no choice but to scramble after him.
"If I slip, I’m dragging you down with me," she warned.
He shot her a grin over one shoulder. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The climb wasas treacherous as it looked—slick, uneven, and steep enough that one wrong step would send her plunging to her death.Araya kept her gaze glued to her boots, blocking out the churn of water far below. Even years of climbing the Aetherium’s endless staircases hadn’t prepared her for this. By the time they reached the top, Araya was gasping for breath, her already bad mood turned venomous.
Araya stared out over the ocean, trying to gauge how far they had come—but the mist churned over the waves and the Shadowed Veil loomed on the horizon, leaving her without a single landmark. She might as well have been standing in another world—cut off not just from Aetheris, but from everything she’d ever been allowed to be.
“How far from the mainland are we?”
“Too far to swim,” Thorne said cheerfully. “Come on—let’s get inside before we freeze.”
Araya narrowed her eyes at him, swiping a damp strand of hair off her face. “I wouldn’t be upset if you tripped on the way back down.”
Thorne just laughed and pushed open the gates, leading her into the courtyard.
The castlelookedabandoned—its gardens dead and its weathered stone walls crawling with barren vines. The inside was no better, their footsteps echoing in the stale air as the heavy door slammed behind them.
“I thought you said this place was maintained.” Araya skimmed her fingers along a windowsill as they passed, dust coating her fingertips. “This looks abandoned.”
“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Thorne sighed, leading her through the labyrinth of halls. “It wasn’t always like this.”
She raised an eyebrow at his back. “Did you spend a lot of time here?”
“I did. My mother was a Healer for the royal family—good friends with his mother. And my father was one of King Corwin’s generals. Loren and I grew up together.” Thorne paused, his gaze flicking briefly to one of the threadbare tapestries that lined thewalls without seeming to really see it. “He’s some of the only family I have left.”
Araya looked away, a strange weight settling in her chest. She hadn’t asked to be part of any of this—they were the ones that had dragged her into it.
“So...are we heading to Lumaria then? After Nyra fixes her boat?”
Thorne shook his head. “No—we’re staying here. At least until Loren and Eloria decide what happens next.”
“What happens next?” Araya scoffed. “You mean what you’re going to do with me?”
Thorne didn’t have an answer to that.
“Of course.” Araya crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “I guess it’s easier to keep me locked up here.”
“It’s also safer,” Thorne said quietly. “There are a lot of fae with a very real, personal hatred of your bond. And you haven’t exactly been discreet about his identity.”
