“Because one illuminated with light the moment the Mareki Gem showed itself to us in the Eternal Tomb,” Scarlet declared. “Like keys unlocking a piece of magic.”
The room fell silent. Arrow’s hands stilled.
His eyes closed as he whispered, “You saw the Mareki?”
“We did,” Scarlet and I answered simultaneously.
“And nothing else happened?” His voice was barely audible.
Scarlet and I exchanged a glance.
“No…” I said slowly. “Just the tome we had in possession at that moment. Why? What else could’ve happened?”
He laid the book gently back on the table, though his fingers trembled. He took a step back, rubbing his jaw as his composure unraveled. Something was wrong—I could feel it. I had never seen him like this. Disheveled, uncertain… vulnerable.
“The last person known to stand in the Mareki’s presence was your mother,” he said, voice shaking. “She found the Tomb and altered magic to allow her in. She was searching for a way to break the prophecy. To save you both. I begged her to stop. I couldn’t lose all three of you. But she wouldn’t listen.”
At the mention of her, my heart stilled. My throat tightened, breath shallow. I could feel Scarlet’s reaction through the bond—her fury iced over, replaced with dread.
“There were no letters,” Arrow continued. “Too dangerous while she was away with Scarlet. We communicated through her dragon and one of my most trusted captain’s bonded. When Lakota relayed Harlow had revealed the Mareki… he said a mark burned into her skin the moment she saw it. She fled to the Glade with you,” he said, eyes flicking to Scarlet before falling again to the floor. “That’s when we realized—it was a tracking rune. Anyone with a shard of the Mareki could follow her.”
My voice came before I could stop it. “How could you possibly know that?”
Rhodes stepped around the table and pulled Scarlet to his side. Nash laid a steadying hand on my shoulder.
“Because General Wylder has a shard of the Gem,” Father said. “It powers the wards around the Shadow Glade. It alerted him to Harlow’s connection. When he channeled through it, he saw where she was. That’s when she rushed to deliver Scarlet to Cora Reyes and fled, thinking it would be safe, but—”
“The Grim had a shard too,” Scarlet interrupted, her voice razor-sharp. “So it was her—the writing etched around the pedestal. That was Harlow. She was trying to solve the prophecy’s riddle.”
Arrow said nothing. That silence was his answer.
Nash’s hand squeezed my shoulder, but I barely felt it. Numbness was already spreading, inch by inch, swallowing me whole. All this time, I had blamed Elias Wylder for our mother’s death. The rumor must have grown from the idea that General Wylder shared Mother’s location with the wrong person, since he had a shard of the Mareki in his possession.
But Reyes had a shard too. So after she left Scarlet behind, Reyes had the power to track Mother down. The fight created a gruesome elemental storm. Once Mother died, her connection to Lakota was severed. He disappeared, never to be seen again until the day he chose Scarlet in the Burn Trials. I had always blamed Lakota for abandoning her legacy too easily… until I learned recently his memories were taken from him before Harlow Fitzroy was struck down.
“What do the tomes say?” Father asked, breaking the silence.
“We haven’t read them yet,” Scarlet replied, her voice cracking slightly. “Didn’t want to risk an ambush and have them stolen. Only one activated with magic. The second one… we found it after the Mareki appeared. We didn’t have time to go back.”
“They weren’t found together?” His tone sharpened.
She shook her head. “No. One was given to me by Ailis in the Glade. The other was hidden in Professor Hogboom’s office.”
“Ailis?” Nash echoed.
Scarlet nodded. “She also repeated part of the prophecy.”
Nash’s hand dropped from my shoulder. His voice rose, incredulous. “That can’t be right.”
Scarlet’s eyes narrowed, her posture stiffening. “Are you calling me a liar, Salvitto?”
“No—no,” Nash said quickly, palms lifted in surrender. “I’m just saying… it doesn’t make sense. I’ve known Ailis since my first day in the Glade. She doesn’t speak.”
“She’s never said a word,” Rhodes added, frowning. “Everyone’s always assumed she’s mute.”
Scarlet waved her hand dismissively, her voice tight with frustration. “But she spoke to me. She said, ‘You will understand in due time. And the truth will come face to face.’”
“How do we know there are only two parts of the Key?” Father asked.
