Styerra looked down at the book, her eyes widening.
‘An Ancient … you haveWrenwyn’sbook? She was cursed! You must put it back, get rid of it before it’s too late.’ She backed away. ‘The gods will not be pleased.’
‘I’ve already read it,’ Erath said.
Styerra gasped, shaking her head.
But he smiled, a disarming thing. ‘Its pages, Styerra … they’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen.’
And before she could stop him, he opened the book and showed it to her.
It was empty.
The pages, utterly lacking a single mark upon them.
Styerra’s brow furrowed, a look that reminded Ezer so much of herself, she felt as if she were staring into a mirror. ‘There’s nothing here, my love.’
She reached out, as if to check his forehead for a fever.
But he shook his head and gently pulled her hand back down. ‘Not at first. But Zeban told me if I would only read it, spend time with it … eventually, my eyes would be opened, and I would see.’
Footsteps sounded behind them, and he quickly hid the book. But it was only a Scribe passing through. The Realmist’s blue eyes were bright, full of wonder as he looked back down at the empty pages.
Styerra’s lip quirked. ‘Something is wrong. You’re tired from training, or perhaps you’ve spent too long out in the snow. You could go to the Masters, or the Healer, or even Draybor?—’
The king.
‘Drayborwon’t see reason,’ he spat. ‘I can’t risk it.’
‘Draybor is your friend,’ Styerra pleaded with him. ‘He loves you like a brother!’
‘And he is also a crown prince, blinded by ritual and family ties. By a lifetime of Sacred lies.’ He sighed and closed his eyes, breathing deep in frustration. ‘No one can know until they are ready, Styerra. Zeban sensed that I was ready. Because of you. Because of us. So he shared it with me. And now I’m sharing it with you.’
He pulled the empty book out again.
‘Sharingwhat,exactly?’ Styerra asked.
He ran a thumb across the top of her hand, touching her ring. ‘The book promises a different life. It is like the Sacred Text, but vastly different. It speaks of a different realm. A place without boundaries, where magic doesn’t have to be earned by promises and deeds. It is given. And this realm, Styerra … it is a place where love isn’t barred. Where a Knight and a Servant can be together. Forever.’
Her eyes widened.
She glanced at the empty book, then back at his eager expression.
‘Where is this other place?’
‘The Sawteeth,’ he said. ‘It’s a pathway. An opening, and I think Wrenwyn was the one to discover it long ago. I think that’s what made her different … able to wield without invocating. I think the others tried to kill her because they feared what she’d found.’
‘Wrenwyn went to this place?’
‘Yes,’ he breathed. ‘And … perhaps she is still there. Waiting for others to join her in freedom on the other side.’
‘But that can’t be true,’ Styerra whispered.
‘Perhaps the Masters,’ he said slowly, ‘have been controlling us, all along.’
‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘They wouldn’t do that.’
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, like he was desperate for her to understand.
