From behind an arched doorway, Alahathrial stepped out, as elegant as ever, robes of silver and midnight falling like smoke around him. His ageless face was unreadable, lips already curling into a smile.
“Well,” he said, his voice like velvet. “To what do I owe this pleasure,my son?”
Zander didn’t speak at first, just studied Alahathrial with his arms tense at his sides. The space between them hung taut with unspoken truths, bloodlines, and betrayals neither of them wanted to claim.
Then, without a word, Zander reached beneath his vest and pulled free the folded parchment Teren had given us.
He handed it to Alahathrial with a quiet firmness. “We need to know what this says.”
Alahathrial took the paper delicately, his long fingers brushing the edge like the script might bite. “And where did you find this?” he asked, almost idly.
Zander didn’t answer.
“This spell,” I cut in, “is supposed to break the wards guarding the Fae Sanctuary.”
Alahathrial’s golden eyes flicked up, interest sharpening.
He moved toward the table, laying the parchment flat against the polished wood and smoothing it with a single hand. The runes shimmered faintly in the light, a pulse of power hiding beneath the ink.
He began to read.
Not aloud, but with the subtle motion of his lips and the flick of his fingers, tracing each symbol like it was etched into his memory.
“This is ancient High Fae,” he murmured after a moment. “Predating the fall of the Twin Courts. The spell itself is a weave designed tointerruptdark power, not release it.”
He glanced at Zander. “Specifically, it’s meant to disruptshadow-born wards.Those powered by corruption. It would only work against a sanctuary protected bylightmagic. Not blood wards.”
My breath caught.
“So if the spelldoesn’twork…”
“It means the Fae Sanctuary is likely no longer protected by the High Fae,” Alahathrial said, his gaze piercing. “It is under the Blood King’s dominion now.”
Zander exhaled, jaw clenching. “And if that’s true, if we find the sanctuary, and it’s inside Blood Fae territory, what do Ashe and I have to do to get through the wards?”
Alahathrial studied us both for a long moment, then turned his gaze to me.
“Storm and Flame,” he said quietly. “Two powers. Both born of ancient lineages. To break the wards, you’ll need tosynchronizeyour magic. Not just cast beside each other, butas one.It must be woven together, lightning feeding the flame, fire fueling the storm.”
Zander looked at me. “We’ve never done that before.”
Alahathrial tilted his head. “Then you’d bestlearn.Because if you fail... the sanctuary won’t kill you.”
He paused.
“It willuseyou.”
Chapter
Forty
Zander’s gaze drifted, his focus splintering as if something else had just seized hold of his mind. His shoulders stiffened, his mouth drawn into a thin line.
I stepped closer. “What is it?”
His voice came quiet, edged with something uncertain. “Hein… he wants us to come to Dragon Isle.”
That surprised me. “Does he take you there often?”
