Elders!
Three full moons until eternal night settles over Phyllesia and the rest of the world.
And then there’ll be no escape. Even if Tayna and I make it to Free Cities, how long until the darkness and hordes of Tainted Ones breach the walls? How long until we starve?
“Do you see why I’m doing this now, Talysse?”
The lump in my throat doesn’t allow me to speak.
“Will walk you to your room,” the prince says simply, and we leave the safe coziness of the cottage, a stark contrast with the dark visions of the future.
Maybe he’s wrong? Maybe there’s a way. If I survive the Trials, I’ll find a way.
We walk the cold marble corridors of the palace and it feels like the door of my tomb is sealing shut, leaving all my hopes and dreams in shambles.
Talysse
A Midnight Snack
As soon as Ayrene leaves my room with the empty dinner plates, I climb into the bed. The cold sheets immediately remind me of the dreadful mist that took me to the Room of Reflections.
“It’s the last night before the Second Trial,” Ayrene reminded me while brushing my hair. “I pray to Atos you sleep well, m’lady Talysse.”
But there are other things far more terrifying than the magical mist which dragged me to the Room of Reflections.
We’re all living on borrowed time.
But how accurate was Aeidas’s estimation?
The predictions of that frail white-haired court mage have been correct so far. Probably, she has access to some similar documents, and she’s managed to establish some kind of a pattern. The sky spheres appear to move randomly, but for the wise and skilled ones who have centuries-old records, there must be a way to foresee any changes coming.
Soon, the sun will set forever.
Pulling the covers up to my chin, I notice that my fingers are shaking. To prove that things can always get worse, tendrils of silvery ghostly mist filter beneath the door.
Elders. Not again.
Just when the swirls of malevolent magic reach the bedposts, the door of my room flies open.
“Talysse.” Aeidas stands in the doorframe, shirtless and chiseled like a marble statue of Elder Heroy, his long hair messy and draping his bare shoulders. “Are you all right?” The cold chills running down my body are swept away by a sudden heat wave.
“Are you seeing this, too?” I ask, my voice trembling. He nods, a furrow forming between his brows. His gaze follows the mist, which quickly withdraws down the scarcely-lit corridor.
“And I have a suspicion where it comes from,” he says darkly. He shuts the door and looms near the bed, looking down at me. “Are you unharmed?” he asks, his voice a soft whisper. “Did it…speak to you? Or show you something?”
I hesitate but decide to tell him about the previous night. The furrow between his eyes deepens.
“She took you to the Room of Reflections,” he rumbles, the knuckles on his fists turning white.
“Who is she?”
“Someone who’ll pay dearly for all her crimes after I have no further use for her,” he spits through his teeth. Standing in the light of the dying fire, he looks again like the cold and brutal Fae Lord I’ve seen in the Governor’s Palace.
The silence stretches between us, dark thoughts buzzing around like angry wasps.
It’s obvious that sleep is out of the question.
Suddenly, Aeidas claps his hands, startling me, and says in a far more cheerful tone, “You know what? I have an idea.” His jade eyes light up with a mischievous glint.
