When storm and flame as one arise,
The Veil shall thin, and truth defy.
For only one may seal the Veil.
Only truth shall tip the scale.
And if they bond in soul and skin,
The war may end, or else begin.
The words lingered in the air, burning with quiet power. Then, they dissipated like fog into the stone.
Thaelyn could barely breathe. “That’s us,” she whispered.
“Yes.” Elyria’s voice trembled, not from fear, but awe. “You are the storm. He is the flame. Together, you could bind the world or break it. That is why the dragons stir again, why the Veil weakens, and why the dead things rise again.”
“But the war hasn’t fully begun yet,” Thaelyn said, though the words felt like a lie even as she spoke them.
“No,” the Queen agreed. “It has started. The gate is cracking. The Rift is stirring. And now that your Aether is known, you are in danger beyond imagining.”
The shadows in the room thickened. The lantern nearest the door sputtered and died.
“I’ve seen Kaen’s future paths,” the Queen said softly, voice gone tight. “He hides them well, even from me. But there is darkness wound in him, tightly braided with ambition. Be careful, child. He does not merely desire power; he desires legacy. And in you, he sees both.”
Thaelyn’s chest tightened. “He wants to use me.”
Elyria’s voice was sharp now. “He wants toclaimyou.”
Thaelyn looked down at her hands. They bore faint lines still, Aether-scorched from the healing she had done. She traced one absentmindedly.
“I won’t be anyone’s weapon,” she said. “Not Kaen’s. Not the King’s. Not even the prophecies.”
Queen Elyria smiled faintly, the sadness in it cutting deeper than steel. “Good. Hold that fire close. You’ll need it.” The Queen leaned forward slightly. “It’s not my business, but what is happening between you and Thorne? You can be bonded riders to your dragons and not have the connected bond between the two of you.”
Thaelyn felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “I don’t know. Something’s changing between us. It’s not just the bond. I feel him inside of my core. It’s not just me thinking about him. It’s there even when I try for it not to be.”
Queen Elyria studied her for a long moment. Then nodded, slowly.
“I sensed this. Hoped for it too, perhaps. The Prime Bond is more than a myth. It is the echo of a connection forged before time broke it apart. If you and Thorne walk its path, you must be prepared for what it demands.”
“Demands?” Thaelyn’s voice caught.
“There is a price for everything, child. Even love.”
The Queen stood. Her robes whispered like river water. She stepped to a shelf along the far wall, retrieved a sealed scroll, and pressed it into Thaelyn’s hand.
“Before you leave the palace, seek out the Archivist again.Vaelen Solen. He’s here at the palace. He knows the older tongues. He alone may help you understand what’s to come.”
Thaelyn gripped the scroll, feeling the faint pulse of magic sealed within.
“When should I read this?”
“When the moon is veiled, and Nyxariel calls. It’s sealed now, but you’ll know.”
Queen Elyria took her hand briefly and fiercely.
“Go now. Storm and flame await. Beware the wind that does not howl, those are the whispers that kill.”
