“That’s entirely up to you, girl,” a gruff voice said at my back. We all turned to find a tall, muscular man in his late forties walking through the door. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp, with matching scruff that held hints of gray along his chin. Deep brown eyes took us in until they landed on Devora.
His lips parted, surprise lighting his features. “Ceres,” he said on an exhale.
Devora looked around in confusion. “Sorry, I—I’m Devora.”
Thecae shook his head and blinked several times. “Of course. Apologies. You just…you like so much like her.”
The blood drained from Devora’s face. “Who?”
Thecae swallowed. “Your mother.”
18
Devora
My chest caved in, all the air leaving my lungs. “You—you know mymother?”
The Shadow Wielder gazed at me as if he were seeing someone else. He had to be twenty years my senior, if not more. Probably around my parents’ age. Was he friends with them? Could he take me to them? A tentative hope blossomed in my chest, unfurling at the edges like a blooming flower.
“I knew her, yes.”
“Well, where is she?” I stepped forward in excitement.
He licked his lips, a deep crease appearing on his forehead. “I thought you knew.”
My hands went clammy at my sides. “Knew what?”
“She…she died, girl.” His throat moved as he swallowed. “Her and your father both. In a shipwreck a long time ago.”
That flower of hope rotted and died in my stomach. My shoulders fell as I exhaled, the weight ofyearsof longing now wrenched from my very bones with every breath. I rocked backward on my heels, reeling from his words.
They were gone.
I should’ve expected this. I should’ve put the pieces together. I was usually so good at that, at reading between the lines, takinginformation and twisting it till I got the truth. I was found on the shores of Mysthelm as a baby. If I was alone, what was theonlyreasonable explanation?
I was an idiot. A foolish girl holding on to the thread of a dream that I’d find my family one day. Not just that I’d get my answers, but that I’d find somewhere Ibelonged. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted that until it was dangled in front of me, then ripped away.
Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. Even Nox’s features had softened toward me, no longer full of the resentment I so often saw.
Pity was worse. I’d rather have anger.
“What happened?” I finally asked, barely holding my voice steady.
“Ceres and Malijah were part of a rebellion against the former emperor with me and some others over twenty years ago. Until she got pregnant,” Thecae started.
Ceres and Malijah. My breath caught at the sound of their names.
“They didn’t want to get involved in anything that could potentially endanger Ceres or the baby. We knew where things were heading in the empire, and they didn’t want their child growing up in such a dark world.” Thecae met my stare again. “So they and a couple other families set sail for Mysthelm shortly after you were born. The ship and its crew were supposed to return, but when weeks went by and we hadn’t heard anything, we sent some scouts.” He took a deep breath, his voice suddenly weary. “All they brought back was rubble from the wreckage. We thought everyone died.”
I sat down on a large box against the wall, afraid my legs would give out if I didn’t. “I was found inside a basket. There was a—a blue baby blanket with the name Devora S stitched onto it.” My nose twitched with a sting, and I adjusted my glasses. “It was the only piece of my past I ever had.”
“Sephorne,” Thecae said, voice rough. “That’s what the S stands for. Your last name.”
Devora Sephorne.
I mouthed the words, letting them roll across my tongue. A shiver crept down my spine. I’d never had a last name. A jagged piece snapped into place, however small it may be.
“My mother stitched that blanket, you know.” Thecae gave a soft smile that looked at odds against the hard planes of his face. “Our families were close. Do you still have it?”
