“This is unbelievable,” she said, wonder in her voice. “No one knew this was down here?”
“I’ve read a lot about Evergorne Court, but nothing mentioned this area. I’m not sure how something like this could break—” The curse tightened around my throat, strangling anything more. “Ifany of my ancestors knew that this had meaning, they didn’t pass that information down.”
“Maybe it’s older than them.” She glanced up at me with that spark of reckless curiosity I admired so much. “Makes sense. They wouldn’t be the first to build over something ancient.”
Had the fates driven the first king of Evergorne, Aricor, to build in this location to ensure someone would find whatever it was we were seeking? I had to trust it was so.
Reyla’s hair stuck to the side of her face, but she didn’t seem to care. I wished I could focus on the way the light caught the sweet line of her cheek. Stop here and show her all over again how much she meant to me. But the air around us shifted, getting colder, tighter, and I couldn’t ignore the pull I felt to continue. I reinforced my magic, keeping it ready to shoot out at any threat, as was the blade in my hand. At least I felt I could use my magic here.
We came to what looked like the tunnel’s end.
“Blank rock,” I hissed, glaring at the wall.
Farris sat on the ground, staring in the same direction. He whined.
Reyla’s light flared brighter, revealing an arched seam. “It’s a stone door.”
My stomach dropped as a glowing symbol etched into the smooth surface crawled into view: the Evergorne Crest.
“Someone knew this was here, then,” she said softly. “Symbols like this don’t appear on a surface on their own.”
“They do if the fates or magic are involved.”
With a nod, she stretched her hand toward the symbol before she snapped it back. “Touch and beware, I assume.”
I grunted. “We go back, or we find a way to go forward.” Stepping closer, I brushed my hand over the worn stone surface. Ice cold and… whispering? Distant yet close, it echoed in my ears and throbbed through my veins.
The carvings lit up, burning too bright, too fast. I jerked in a breath, and my pulse thundered in my ears.
Reyla grabbed my arm, her fingers digging in. “What’s happening?”
I shook my head, easing back to stand with her. My gut twisted. “Maybe we shouldn’t?—”
I sensed something on the other side of that door was waiting, and I couldn’t tell if it wanted us to open the panel and expose it or leave it alone.
“Why dragons?” she asked so softly, I barely heard.
“No,ravens.” The size of my torso, they faced each other, their wings outstretched, their faces angling toward each other to form a graceful circle. That’s what the crest had always shown.
Or so I’d thought.
I blinked hard, moving closer. Ice roared through me when the image…shifted. “Notravens.”
“I've always seen dragons,” she said dryly.
“And you were right.” They’dneverbeen ravens. “Dragons,” I said again, my hoarse voice cutting through the chilly air.
“Finally,” Reyla's grin softened the ache building at the base of my skull. “Took you long enough.”
“To me, they’ve always been ravens.” I shook my head. The curse appeared to have stolen even something as simple as this. “Why?”
“Why does this curse hideanything? I’d bet my crown there’s a good reason, one that you-know-who doesn’t want us to discover.” She ran her fingers over the crest on the door, her light glittering across the carving, outlining the wings that arched above the curling tails. “Beautiful.”
I leaned in to study the lines etched around the crest, discovering faint seams tracing into gaps almost hidden by time. They curled around and coiled into a circle in the center of the dragons. “A lock?” Swallowing back the excitement and dread dueling in my chest, I traced my finger over the faint grooves. A vaguely unpleasant tingle shot up my arm. “There’s incredible power here. Magic's holding the door closed. What's waiting for us beyond?”
“I believe we're supposed to find out.” She swiped her hair over her shoulder and stepped closer, following the markings with her eyes. Leaning in farther, she pressed her palm against the carved area in the middle. Her eyes slid closed, and her light wavered, dimming before brightening again as if it was being sucked into the stone like water into dry earth. With a shake of her head, she stepped back. “You try. My magic’s too inconsistent.” Regret tinged her voice.
“I love you. What you do is more than enough. I'm… me because of you. Never forget that.”
