I stepped forward, folding my arms.That’s why he needed to be part of this.“So the fae that created this map... they had your power.”
Remy nodded, gaze unreadable. “Or something like it. Wraith’s Caress wasn’t that rare in the full-blooded fae. I’m just the first halfling to have it in hundreds of years.”
Zander finally spoke. “That’s what we’re up against. Whatever the Blood Fae left behind on the isle… they never intended it to be easy to find. We’ll need a lot more than a map to survive it.”
“Good thing we’re not easily killed,” Riven muttered, dragging her fingers through her hair as she sat down next to Ferrula.
I glanced at the map again. The script shimmered beneath Remy’s fingers.And it’s a good thing we have someone who can read the damn thing.
Zander leaned in, his fingertips bracing the edge of the table. “What does the map say, exactly?”
Remy didn’t look up, still tracking lines of overlapping script that glimmered beneath his hand. “There’s a vault,” he said. “Hidden in the Fae Sanctuary. It’s protected and tied to bloodline and intention. We’ll have to find the Light Fae once we breach the wards. They’re the only ones who can grant access.”
“A vault?” Naia echoed, her voice tight. “What’s inside?”
Remy glanced up, eyes darker than usual. “Something we need. The instructions aren’t clear, but whatever it is, there’s a test involved. A trial.”
“Of course there is,” Ferrula muttered, folding her arms.
I stared at the map, my chest tight. “How do we find the sanctuary once we’re through the Blood Isle’s wards?”
Remy turned to Zander, then to both of us. “That’s where you and Ashe come in. Darklight and Stormlight must combine to point the way.”
I blinked. “Dark Fire, you mean?”
“Zander’s magic,” he said, nodding at Zander. “Born of shadow, tinged with fae influence.”
“And Stormlight?” I asked.
Zander glanced at me, lips quirking. “Lightning, if I had to guess.”
“How do we combine our power?” I asked warily, still remembering the chaos from the last trial.
“No different than you did during the last trial,” Zander said.
“That didn’t go so well,” I reminded him, deadpan.
He just shrugged. “We’ll do better.”
Remy snorted, a distinct grunt of disbelief. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
For a moment, no one spoke. Zander studied him, then inclined his head. “Thank you for interpreting the map. I know you normally only do it for my father.”
Remy finally looked away from the parchment. “You’ll owe me one day,Your Grace.” His tone was light, but the undercurrent was anything but.
Zander held his gaze, something unreadable passing between them, before he nodded once. “Noted.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from commenting. This was going to be a long trip.
I leaned over the table, the map spread beneath my fingertips, its lines etched in magic older than anything I’d ever touched. “This map… it was created before the Fae Isle fell, right?”
“Yes,” Remy confirmed without looking up, his fingers ghosting over the layered script. “Long before.”
“Then why did they have a Fae Sanctuary?” My voice was wary. “There were no Blood Fae then, right?”
Remy’s brow furrowed slightly as he ran his hand over the lower left edge of the parchment. The script shimmered and shifted beneath his touch. “The sanctuary wasn’t created for the fae. Not at first.” He tapped a small crescent mark near the southern cliffs. “It was designed to house injured animals—creatures the fae protected. Winged species, mostly.”
“As in… dragons?” Jax asked from behind me.
