“You’ve sensed the imbalance. Mev… Princess Mevlida… came through and yet the Gate remains closed to all others. You know well, nothing in Elydor happens by chance or without repercussions. If you still do not believe humans belong here and wish to eradicate them, as does your father, explain how a thaelonwas able to come through?”
“Half-human, aye. But she is also half-Aetherian. ’Tis likely the reason.”
“She was not the only Elydorian trapped in the human realm when your father slammed the Gate shut without warning. Why have the others not come through? Surely they’ve tried?”
I’d told her this many times, but Lyra had never believed me. Even so, I would say it again. “We did not know he intended to sever the ties between our realms. My father’s quest to close the Aetherian Gate was his alone.”
“I know.”
Nothing she could have said would have surprised me more.
“Kael said as much, and I believe him now.”
“Ahh, how lovely for you that you’ve grown close enough to my brother that you trust his word over mine.”
Lyra’s expression was deadly. A combination of secrecy and seduction.
“Jealous?”
My response was honest and instantaneous.
“Yes.”
She laughed then, a tinkling, distinctly Aetherian sound.
“I have no need for pretense, Lyra. As I’ve said, Idohave a need for the truth which you’ve skirted around since you arrived. You wish for me to obtain the Stone of Mor’Vallis, Gyorian’s most sacred relic, from its rightful owner—my father and king, who is the only one capable of actually wielding it. Subsequently incurring his wrath and likely joining my brother in being banished from my own lands. So the truth? If you would, please?”
Her brows arched as I spoke.
“You’ve heard that the Maelstrom Depths have calmed, have you not?”
“I’ve heard tales, but not believable ones. Lyra, what do the Depths?—”
“Your father stole the Wind Crystal to close the Aetherian Gate. He returned it, or more precisely, your brother did, but unbeknownst to Kael, the returned one was a fake. Your father hid the real Crystal at the bottom of the Depths, turning legend into reality as they rebelled against the presence of such a powerful artifact, and one which belonged in Aetheria. It has recently been retrieved and returned to its rightful owner, something your father likely suspects but could not know to be fact. That is why the Depths have calmed and allowed sailors to approach closer than before. It’s also the reason your father became so angry at me for not confirming his suspicions.”
Every word she spoke surprised me more than the one before it. As my enemy, it was my duty not to believe her, and yet… she spoke the truth. I thought back to the events that later led to King Galfrid’s queen being taken, to the Gate’s closure.
I didn’t say it aloud. Not yet. But the realization sat heavy in my gut. If what she said was true, and the Wind Crystal had played a role in sealing the Gate… then she was after the Stone for the opposite reason. To undo it. To rip open the veil between realms once again.
That should be reason enough to stop her.
And yet…
My father had stolen the Wind Crystal, wielded it like a weapon, and then lied to everyone. Including Kael and me? How much more had he hidden from us?
I would not aid her in reopening the Gate. But I had no choice but to help her restore balance, or at the very least, uncover the truth my father buried along with that damn Stone.
And if she planned to use it to destroy us?
Then I’ll be there to stop her.
“If you are lying…”
“I am not. And you know it already. You’re smart, Terran. For a Gyorian,” she added.
“You flatter me,” I said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“Help me,” she said, her tone softer. “Not for me. Not even for Aetheria. But for the realm your father broke, the truth he buried, and the power he stole from both our peoples. If we don’t reclaim the Stone of Mor’Vallis, he won’t just keep ruling by deception but will be tipping the balance until there’s nothing left to save.”
