“A…wall. It’s a wall of thread, and it’s surrounding me, blocking everywhere I try to look.”
“Cut the threads.”
“They can’t be cut, but…I think there’s a window. A weakness.”
Desmond’s fingers curled at his sides.
“I’m getting something,” Emylia whispered. “The way in. I see…truth. Someone is speaking from behind this wall of threads.”
“What are they saying?”
She shook her head. “I’m a seer, not an oracle. It’s harder for me to turn images to words, but…no, I see it.”
Another stretch of silence.
“So long as the Veil remains,” Emylia said, each word slow and careful, “the Blood of Darius cannot enter El’Ara.”
Teryn frowned. Who—or what—was the Blood of Darius?
Desmond, however, wasn’t concerned by the name Darius but something else. “The Veil? What is the Veil?”
“A ward woven to keep the Blood of Darius at bay.”
“Can the Veil be destroyed?”
“When true Morkara is born, the Veil will be torn, setting into motion the end of the Blood of Darius.”
Desmond’s voice deepened. “Who is thistrue Morkara? How will they end the Blood of Darius?”
Emylia winced, her eyes darting rapidly now. “The true Morkara is the Blood of Ailan, born under the black mountain. He will unite three crowns and return El’Ara’s heart.”
“But who is this person? Where can I find the true Morkara?”
Emylia paused, head bobbing slightly side to side. “You will never know him.”
Desmond’s jaw tightened.
“But…but you may find his mother.”
“Who is his mother?”
She winced again, and a sheen of sweat coated her brow. “She too is the Blood of Ailan, but with the beauty of Satsara. She has the blood of the witch, blood of the Elvyn, and blood of the crown. The unicorn will signify her awakening.”
“What about this black mountain you mentioned?”
“A black mountain…over a field of violets.”
“I’ve never seen such a place.” Shaking his head, he stood and paced before the desk, hands clasped behind his back. “But if I can find it, then…then how do I put an end to the true Morkara?”
“If you end the true Morkara, the Veil will never be torn. The Blood of Darius will forever be barred from El’Ara.”
“But if I don’t end the true Morkara, he will end the Blood of Darius?”
“Yes,” Emylia said.
Teryn’s mind reeled to comprehend what he was hearing.Morkarasounded so much like Morkai, but he didn’t know what it meant. Was it a name? A title? And while Desmond seemed to know who theBlood of Dariuswas, Teryn hadn’t a clue. Then there were the other names: Satsara, Ailan.
“There has to be a way,” Desmond said. “Tell me a way! Where do I find the black mountain over a field of violets? What is the true Morkara’s name? His mother’s name? Who are Satsara and Ailan?”
