“He joined the soturi of Ka Kormac when he was exiled by your father,” Sean continued. “Sheldon’s retired now, but still lives here, offering shelter to any of us who pass through. Any of us who stand against Devon.”
I nodded.
“How are you doing?” he asked, his eyes crinkling with concern.
I shook my head. “Well, the last five minutes don’t paint a great picture. But, I’m alive. So there’s that.”
Lyr squeezed my hand, her face tightening like she was trying not to cry.
“You were—you were coming to kill me,” I said, pulling out Auriel’s memories as I looked at Sean.
His face fell. “Only if I had to. I didn’t want you to live like that.”
“I didn’t either.” I’d had to do the same thing for Garrett. Kill him. End it. Keep him from this life. But that had been before—before Lyr had found a cure. Before the knowledge had been unlocked, and the red shard taken from the Moon Court. The thought that he could have had a different outcome, that I was saved and he wasn’t, made my heart hurt.
“I’m so glad I wasn’t on time,” Sean said. “I came searching for you. Tracked you down. It took me about three weeks to find you out here. I came alone. When I saw how many akadim there were, how much protection the cave offered, I left, and put out a call for every soturion who wanted to help. Who wanted to stop the threat. And who—who cared about you. Who wanted to help you in any way they could.” His throat bobbed as he looked away. “Gods. Thanks to the Gods you got here first,” he said to Lyr.
I silently thanked her, too.
Not because I was afraid Sean would have killed me.
I was afraid that as an akadim, I might have killed Sean.
“How?” he asked, looking at Lyr. “How did you do it?”
Lyr straightened and looked at me, her eyebrows raised in question. I knew what she was asking. Permission to tell Sean the truth about who we were. It was the only way to offer a real explanation. And I was done lying, hiding who I was.
“Tell him,” I said.
So Lyr did. I watched his eyes widen with shock, and then a kind of calm knowing, like he’d always suspected that I was Auriel, like deep down, a part of him had always known. I listened breathlessly as Lyr spoke. I knew what had happened to her while I was gone, seeing the last six weeks play out in Auriel’s memories. But hearing Lyr explain it, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her courage and bravery, and determination left my heart pounding.
She did all this. For me.
When she finished explaining the connection between me and Auriel, and then the one between her and Asherah, Sean looked pale, his eyes full of tears. He stood up wordlessly and went to hug her, holding her so tight, I didn’t think he’d ever let go. Until he did—and pulled me into his arms.
“I want to talk to you,” he said quietly. “Later. Just the two of us. Make sure you’re really okay.”
“I am,” I said. “Or, I think I will be.”
“Good.”
The last time he’d found me in the wild, I’d been too depressed to function or heal myself. But I was stronger now. I had Lyr. Still, I knew talking to Sean would feel good. He always knew what to say, and I’d missed him terribly these last few months. Ever since we left Bamaria to track Meera and Morgana.
Finally, he sat back down and took a sip of water, as I rejoined Lyr on the couch.
Sheldon walked in to check on us. He was an elderly man with a thick Glemarian accent that reminded me of Artem. All bushy white eyebrows. He welcomed us and asked if we needed anything, then left, giving us our privacy again.
“Right now,” Sean said, “there’s something you should know.” He gritted his teeth. “There’s much I haven’t been able to tell you these last few years, because your father—he forced a blood oath on me. But things have changed, and I think I can tell you this now.” He sat forward, setting down his glass of water on the table.
“I put out a call for help when I saw how many akadim I faced all those weeks ago. How much help I needed to get to you.” He clasped his hands together. “Soturi from all over the South answered. Dozens who knew you as a boy, dozens more who fought and trained beside you. And every soturion who fought akadim at your side in Bamaria. They all answered the call, readyto defect from their posts and legions. In the end, there was over a hundred ready to fight. I had to ask some to stay behind. There were too many to be able to travel at the speed I wanted. But right now I have fifty soturi with me. And each one is loyal to you. Not your father. You, Rhyan.”
“What? What are you trying to say?” Lyr gasped, and I met her eyes.
I nodded at Sean to continue, my heart pounding.
“Most of the soturi I’ve gathered are camped out in the woods. We’ve been moving in small packs to avoid detection by Kormac. Our rendezvous point was in the meadow before the Wall of the Prince, tonight. We were going to strike. And well—you know.”
“I know.” I swallowed, realizing how close we’d both come to destruction if Lyr had just been one day late. “We’ll still rendezvous tonight so I can share the good news,” he said.
