“If Calix wanted me to know, he would have told me by now!” I threw my hands up, exasperated. But Siria reached back out, grabbing my hands as she shook her head.
“No. If Calix hasn’t told you, it’s likely because he thinks you already have enough to deal with. I know my cousin, and he’ll want to tell you this himself.” Siria smiled softly, pushing a bit of hair, which had fallen in front of my face, back behind my pointed ear.
“You’re so young, Asteria.So young,and with so much on your shoulders already.” She sighed deeply. “And I fear it will only be added to as this war ramps up.”
I squared my shoulders, inhaling a deep breath. “I can take it.”
Her smile softened further, becoming something almost motherly. “I know you can. We all do. That doesn’t mean you need to, however. You have so many people here who love you, Asteria. Who will be there to help you carry the burden.”
Her words unsettled me. I knew there was a lot of pressure on me, but I’d managed to kind of push all of that to the back of my mind while I worked out everything that had happened since Cyrus had taken me.
But her words brought all of it back.
Thanks to Liviana’s visions, everyone was depending on me to ensure this war would be won. I had no more idea of what I was supposed to do, or how, than I did when I was hidden as a human.
While it might be easier as a Fae, I still didn’t understand how I specifically would be theanswerto us winning.
Though, the part of the prophecy that claimed I wasthe reasonmade more sense now. Everything with Cyrus really jump-started all of this into motion. Calix could have slowly kept stealing into cities to free humans for centuries before it would have gotten to this point if I hadn’t met Cyrus.
Maybe this was for the best, however. We could free the humans sooner and ensure they all live better lives. We could make sure the balance didn’t swing too far toward chaos, saving Celesterra from destruction.
But Siria was right. Everyone saw me as the key to this, and the pressure was a weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
* * *
The next day,Calix and I flew back toward the mountains, this time heading for the fortress where I’d finally meet my real mother and twin brother.
No. My mother, the one who raised and loved me, was myrealmother. This woman, this queen who sent me into slavery, she was just the one who birthed me.
But her letter still echoed in my ears. I knew she wanted a relationship of some sort with me. I knew she likely had agood reason, but reason didn’t really factor into my rage as I contemplated everything that happened as a result of her choice.
“Say the word, and we’ll turn around.” Calix’s words filtered into my head as we approached the mountains. I could just make out the shimmer of them in the distance.
His reassurance calmed me, reminding me that he was here and had my back. It was a soothing balm to my nerves. I had no idea what to expect from this meeting.
In all honesty, I’d been trying to avoid thinking too deeply about it.
I had no idea what they were like. Only a quick, kind moment at Placement Day to construct any kind of idea of them from.
I’d always wanted a brother. Someone to sneak around and cause mischief with around the village. Someone who’d protect and fight for me. Who’d tell Verin and her gaggle of girls to leave me alone as he dried the tears I’d pretend I hadn’t shed.
But my mother… I’d had a mother I loved. I didn’t know how to make the idea of her fit in my head. Or my heart.
My anger over what was done to me was still burning too brightly, and without an actual explanation provided for it, I could only stew in it further.
As we flew over the next hill, my fiery breath caught in my throat, smoke spilling from my maw. The mid-morning sun was shining brightly, rising over the mountains before me, lighting them up and making them absolutelyglow.
I’d known the Etheralta Mountains were made of star opal, in theory, but seeing it…
The mountains were so different from any rock-formed mountains I’d ever seen. Magic had to be involved in this; there was no other explanation for how truly fantastical it looked. The colors within the white star opal shined brightly: green, pink, purple, yellow, and orange, the colors and shimmer seeming to reflect off the mountain and extend out in all directions in this light. The entire mountain range sparkled like a gem. For that’s what it was, in truth. One gigantic, uncut gem.
No wonder Calix said they had more than enough star opal. Every inch of these mountains was worth its weight in gold. A fragment chipped off the edge could have kept my human family in riches until the end of our days in Sonmathion.
I shook my giant head, still getting used to the monstrous size of my body parts in this form, and called out to Calix, “No wonder you never worry about money! By the Otherworld, you must be the richest person in this Tartarus damned realm.”
Calix’s chuckle reverberated in my ears, teasing, “Does it make you feel better to know your mate can keep you in star opals for the rest of your life?”
I giggled to myself, thinking of my reaction to getting the necklace from my parents, the one I had with me even now. I wasn’t wearing it, not ready for that conversation with Calix yet, but I knew I would need it for support, if nothing else. Something from the parents who raised me as I faced meeting the one who birthed me.
