“Blake,” I whispered. “I would let you?—”
“Anna, no, I cannot,” he said. “I must fight it. It is a vulgar power that should be eliminated from Valyria entirely. Not used by a prince.”
I hated when he was right and I hated that he was suffering.
“But Malakai,” I said. “He was so powerful.”
“I command a legion of the best blood mages in the Realm,” Blake said. “Malakai or any blood mage that walks this world cannot touch us there which is why we must save it. Here, I have no power against him.”
I rested my head against his chest.
“Let us enjoy it while we are still here,” he said. “It will not be long before the Council sees you. It is then that we must face the difficult path that lies before us.”
I smiled and twisted into his arms, pressed tightly to his body. I watched the sky, the stars and the moon shining brightly overhead.
“What is it like being in Raven Falls?” I asked.
Blake’s gentle ministrations against my scalp paused for a moment.
“Raven Falls is a complicated city. Many other regions fall under its domain but the city is diverse and ancient. My linefirst came to power a few thousand years ago, or at least that’s how you might understand it. It is said that the Ryth’enirs were a direct descendant of a god still worshipped in Raven Falls—the God of Fire, Daemon. His likeness has taken on many forms throughout the city's history. In some, he wields fire like a torch to light a path to righteousness; in others, his fire is a destructive force used to destroy. There has long been conflict about which path of fire we were meant to take and it has impacted the lives of the people in the kingdom over the centuries. Right now, and ever since the Fall of the Great City, Raven Falls has been lost in shadow—cursed ever since Aryus chose to fully use his blood affinity and took the life of Queen Adara,” Blake said.
“The Tragedy of Aryus Ryth’enir,” I said.
“Exactly. As you can imagine, since then, Raven Falls has not been a place the rest of the Realm is fond of,” he said.
It was as if we were adrift in space itself as we lay there, floating down a river in the cosmos, lost in each other’s warmth, waiting to see where the river would take us.
“I spoke with Ash,” I said, not sure why this came to my mind.
Blake didn’t say anything, but his body stiffened at his name.
“If you want to save your world, the three of you cannot continue this feud,” I said. “The Realm’s demise is more significant than your broken bonds.”
Blake growled in a low hum before he spoke. “If I knew how to fix it, I would.”
I touched his hand, letting him know I was there. “We’ll figure it out.”
I returned to the sky, realizing somewhere out there was the galaxy the realm was meant to be a part of.
“Where should I look if I wish to gaze upon the original location of the Realm?” I asked.
Blake laughed in amusement. “I have spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure that out. Even with our telescopes and magnifying my field of vision, I cannot see the galaxy that I know.”
“This world’s night sky is not quite as impressive as Valyria’s,” I said, “but it is still wondrous to behold.”
“It is real,” Blake said. “The first time I came to this world was the first time I could look upon the heavens and know that what I saw was true.”
“If the Realm’s sky is an illusion, what is beyond? Where is it?” I asked.
“We do not know,” he said. “Wherever it is, though, it does not look like a place we want to be.”
I stared into the night sky, identifying Orion’s Belt as I listened to the gentle hum of the creatures of the night. A slight breeze rustled the trees and petals descended across the lake like snow fluttering down in large, crystallized snowflakes.
“Are there any constellations that are easily recognized in the Realm’s sky?” I asked.
Blake was relaxed beside me, still looking at the stars, deep in thought.
“There are,” he said. “The most often used is the unicorn. Its horn is the brightest star in the sky and can be seen even when the light of the moon dims other stars. It is said to have guided mages to the southern parts of Valyria where Venustas was settled. Travelers called it their light through the darkness as they journeyed long distances to trade in the city.”
