"It was so very easy. All it took was making your sister sick," Ferria continued, her tone casual. "One small spell and suddenly you were desperate enough to come back here. To make a bargain. To put yourself exactly where we needed you."
Briar’s eyes widened at the revelation. "It was you? You made Allegra sick?"
"Yes." There was no remorse in Ferria's voice as she crouched down, bringing herself to eye level with Briar.
"But why? Why torment a child?" Briar's chest felt tight, breath coming short.
"Because your mother stayed away. It was her we wanted. She made the first bargain after all and we needed to know what it was and why it caused so many… problems. Instead we got you. Desperate and willing. Unfortunately, Eliam got to you first, struck his bargain."
The nausea had nothing to do with the head injury now. Briar thought of Allegra's pale face, her labored breathing, the way she'd grown weaker and weaker until Briar had been willing to trade anything to save her. All of it manufactured. All of it deliberate.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
"I'm practical." Ferria stood again, moving back to her bench. "Malus needed answers and freedom, and I needed something from him in return. It was a simple exchange."
"What could he possibly give you that would make this worth it?"
Ferria's expression shifted, something softer bleeding through the cold calculation. "Eliam."
The single word hung in the air between them.
"Malus promised me that when this is over, when he has what he needs and can reunite what was fractured, I'll have Eliam. Whole and complete. Finally able to see me the way I've always seen him."
Briar stared at her, trying to make sense of the words. "Reunite what was fractured?"
There was silence and then Ferria laughed, the sound sharp and devoid of any real joy. "You really don't know, do you? About what happened that night? About what Malus's ritual actually did." She tilted her head, studying Briar with renewed interest. "How much has Eliam told you about that night?"
"He doesn't remember it clearly." The words came out automatically, and Briar immediately wished she could take them back. She didn't want to give Ferria anything, didn't want to engage in this conversation.
But Ferria's smile suggested she already knew that. "Of course he doesn't. How could he? His mind was split along with everything else."
Briar's hand pressed against her chest, feeling the warmth there pulse with agitation. Split? "What are you talking about?"
"The ritual." Ferria settled back on her bench, clearly prepared to enjoy this. "Malus was conducting a ritual to strip Eliam's power, but Eliam sensed it, felt what was happening, and he intervened."
She paused, as if considering how much to reveal.
"It was already in progress when Eliam arrived, that’s what we needed your mother for, innocent blood spilled in tragedy. We assumed he would figure out what was happening, but also knew that even if he did, it would be too late. He wouldn’t be able to stop it. Unfortunately, we underestimated his… ingenuity."
"He made a deal and as a result the ritual didn't just fail," Ferria continued. "It backfired. Instead of stripping Eliam's power, it fractured him. Split his very being into two separate entities. The darkness, the control, the possession—all of that stayed in Eliam. But the rest?" Her smile widened. "The capacity for joy, for genuine warmth, for actual connection without constant control—all of that was torn away and given form."
The safe haven suddenly felt smaller, the air harder to breathe. Briar could feel where this was going, could see the shape of it forming before Ferria even said the words.
"Arion," she whispered.
"Yes." Ferria's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Prince Arion of the Star Court. Beautiful, kind, controlled Arion who appeared with no memory of his past, no family, nothing but an innate understanding of magic and a personality that felt hollow until he was near his other half." She leaned forward. "Arion isn't a separate person. He's the missing piece of Eliam, walking around in his own body, completely unaware that he's incomplete."
The warmth in Briar's chest was pulsing frantically now, responding to something in Ferria's words. The way it had always reached for both Eliam and Arion, the way it recognized them equally. Because they weren't two people. They were one.
"That's impossible," Briar said, but her voice lacked conviction.
"Is it?" Ferria gestured at Briar's chest, where the warmth pulsed visibly through her clothing. "You've felt it. The way your magic responds to both of them.” She stood again, pacing now. "That's what Malus needs. Both pieces in one place, the essence you carry as the catalyst. When he has you, he can force reunification. Restore Eliam to what he was before the fracture. And with the complete Forest King's power, he can break the seal."
Briar's mind was racing, trying to process the implications. Every interaction with Arion suddenly made horrible sense. The way he'd looked at her with want he didn't understand. The way his light had grown sharper, more aggressive. The way he'd kissed her at the border and the warmth had surged with recognition.
Because he was Eliam. Had always been Eliam.
"And when Malus reunites them," Ferria smiled, "when Eliam is whole again, complete and powerful, Malus will give him to me. The bargain is already made. I've waited centuries for Eliam to see me, and he never has. But when he's whole, when he's restored to what he should be..." She trailed off, her expression distant.
