“He would never. Lord Krokan is the old god of death, but he does not wield his power with malice. He bridges our world and the Great Beyond with his wife, Lady Lellia. The Lifetree is what roots her to this world. He would never intentionally attack it. The impacts on the Lifetree are the failure of the sirens and a casualty of his rage.”
“He would never attack Lady Lellia, assuming he was still in his right mind,” I say as gently as I can. “But I’m sure it would’ve been said that Krokan would’ve never attacked the Eversea, either, right?” Ilryth continues to stare. I know he heard me so I don’t press for a response. “Do the sirens have any idea of why Krokan is raging the way he is?”
“If we did, it would’ve been long since mended.” Ilryth sighs heavily. “The siren viewed the bond of Lord Krokan and Lady Lellia as the most sacred connection in our world, and the next. It is why we value our oaths to others so much. Why, when we marry, we do so for life.”
It’s my turn to look out into the Abyss. It’s not the first time I’ve wondered what Ilryth might think if he knew the truth of my debt, but this is the first time I’ve dwelled on it. Oaths sound like they’re even more important here than in Tenvrath, especially marriage. I suppose I have my answer for why he never considered me having previously been married.
A sad smile crosses my lips. I’m mildly surprised to find that I dislike the idea of being seen as less than favorable to Ilryth. It makes the bud of affection for him that had been growing within me, despite my wishes, stint.Who could ever love you, Victoria?I ask myself, in my own voice. Not Charles’s. But he’s the one who answers,No one.
Maybe I’ll give up all my memories of Charles and our time together before Ilryth finds out. That way, if Ilryth ever does, I can look him in the eye and tell him I’ve no idea what he’s speaking of. I will remove that shame from me by force. With every sung word I’ll wring it from my bones.
“What is it?” he asks softly. “What are the wraiths making you think of?”
“What do you mean?”
“You look sad.”
Ah, sweet man, I can make myself sad all on my own. No ghostly evils necessary.
“I was thinking we should start moving again,” I lie. Then to ensure he won’t probe, I add, “You said they are more active at night. We’re racing the dusk.”
Ilryth straightens and looks down at me. The light of the anamnesis casts half of his face in silver, the refraction of the rocks casting the other half in a deep blue. He looks like the image of the balance of life and death that he previously described. As effortlessly handsome as always. As untouchable as this whole world previously was to me.
Yet, Ilryth extends his hand. Like a bridge between two worlds that should have never been, I take it and Ilryth pulls me up. He isn’t expecting me to push off as well, and I float right into him.
My body slides against his, too much, too quickly. The little shorts I wear bunch between my thighs, generating uncomfortable friction. Reminding me of just how little touching has happened in that particular location. I shift my legs, but that only makes it worse as they brush up against the scales of his tail, sending a shiver up my spine at the smooth, cool sensation.
We ease away slightly. I avoid his probing stare.
“It’s not just for the wraiths.” Ilryth seems to gather his thoughts as well before continuing as if nothing happened. “It’s easier for souls and spirits to travel at night. Yes, that includes the wraiths, but also you.”
“Unless I died without knowing…I’m not a spirit.” I certainly hope I would know about that sort of change in status.
“You’re not,” he agrees. “But the magic holding your body together has been imprinted on your soul. Much like the souls of the wraiths being held together by the magic of death. When we cross the Fade, there is a chance of it unraveling with the dawn—just like a wraith or ghost would.”
Sheel’s worries return to me. Yenni. The whole of the Eversea… They told me that I might not survive beyond the Eversea, and that was a risk I was willing to take for my family. But the cost could be all of them. The scope of my selfishness comes back into focus.
“We…we should return,” I whisper.
Ilryth startles, then a serious expression overtakes his features, shadowing them. “You don’t mean that.”
“I can’t…”Am I really doing this? Am I really sacrificing my family for them?“How can I go to my family at the cost of the Eversea?” It was so clear to me what was worth more when I first arrived. Now, I’m not so certain.
“These doubts are the wraiths speaking for you.” Ilryth grabs my hands. He’s as immovable as the giant roots around us. “We will save both. Your family and the Eversea. Together.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I…” It’s his turn to trail off. To lose himself in his thoughts, words knotted. “I have no reason to be,” he admits. “But when I’m near you, I find myself believing that anything and everything is possible.”
I stare, stunned.
“So keep your strength a bit longer, for us all.”
Somehow, I manage a nod.
“Good.” He smiles and it is as if dawn itself has broken over this dark, forgotten corner of the world. Ilryth points through one of the archways. How he knows what direction is what escapes me. “Just beyond there is the Fade. On the other side of that is the Gray Trench, and your ship. We will go and get the silver you need and return before night falls.”
“I’m ready.”
