Iwalked beside Endymion through the familiar hallway now painted with the soft pink hues of sunset. Floating orbs of firelight flitted on the sides, casting shadows that deepened the second’s already sharp features. As I gazed up in search of the first stars, I was surprised to find Varos’ pale blue-green surface claiming the shifting sky, unable to recall the last time I’d witnessed Lumnara’s first moon, the sight so rare.
A prickle of sadness tugged at me as I recalled Eithan getting annoyed when I’d let my blade dull. “And not on Varos’ time, now,” he’d chide, then wink as he held out a sharpening block. Before, the sight of Varos brought a sense of comfort. Now, its dual crescent form didn’t quite belong in this realm. Or perhaps this was its realm of choice, and the fates in their cruel humor had placed it here to remind me that familiarity was a comfort no longer extended to me.
“What is it?” Endymion asked, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. I realized then that I’d stopped walking.
“Varos,” I said, indicating the moon without shifting my focus, “do you see him often here?”
“Yes. It’s Kaleatia that hides herself more often fromus.”
“And Fenorryn?” I asked after the third moon.
“In equal measure to the human realm.”
“Hum.”
I stared up for a few more heartbeats reconciling that information.
“Thank you,” I said, and he tilted his head in my direction, brow creased.
“For what?”
“Bringing Luca here.”
He dipped his chin in acknowledgment but didn’t respond as he shifted his focus forward again, and in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel confounded by him as we walked in silence.
Before Eithan left, I would have said I was a decent judge of character. But after the king, I knew I could never make that claim again, and while I recognized my own failing in this regard, I stared at Endymion’s profile at a complete loss.
He was contrary in so many ways, and I wondered if it was his court, his temperament, or if the kindness he showed me was merely a commander’s strategy to gain an asset—the spark. He’d knowingly given up his power in the human realm to find me first, but then proceeded to disobey a direct order. And although he’d explained his motives for not bringing me to Wymond, I had a hard time believing his intent was purely altruistic. But he’d shared the burden of my dream without a second thought and made sure to shield me from the pain we both knew he felt. Then again, he’d been cruel with his words to me in this very hall only to shrug it off as if it were nothing.
Had he wanted me to unleash my power on him? Is that why he’d taunted me? Maybe he’d done it to test my powers, and I’d unwittingly given him exactly what he wanted. Damn— what if he’d offered to step into my dream so he could mine for information that served his agenda? Was it possible I was paranoid, looking for missteps and plotting when there were none? If that was the case, then I’d be remiss to forget the times when I’d seen him, the real Endymion. The one I suspected he kept locked down. Hecouldn’t fake the vulnerability he’d shown when confirming the residence adjacent to mine was his—or how we’d stripped each other bare with our words and silent understandings on that dancefloor.
And what about our?—
The floor beneath me wobbled, and my steps staggered like someone spilling out of a tavern in the wee hours of the night. Lightheaded, I reached out to grab for Endymion and missed, falling from the effort.
He was at my side in a flash, the movement so fast it made my head spin.
“Nyleeria, what is it?”
“It’s nothing. I’m okay,” I lied and made to stand up, only for the room to spin twofold, forcing me to abandon the effort.
“What’s wrong?” His tone was demanding, like he needed to know who his enemy was.
“Give me a second,” I murmured, and pressed my hands hard against my temples.
The ground still moved below me, and I felt like an acorn bobbing on the waves, but as I got used to the sensation, my powers stretched outward, waiting for permission to search for the source of the disturbance.
I obliged its request.
It cast out in every direction before quickly narrowing down on the source of its curiosity. While I couldn’t see with my eyes, a picture formed in my mind with strings of energy, and I was surprised at my ability to interpret exactly what it had found before receding back.
Still disoriented, I looked up at Endymion, who was vibrating with the need to act. “The wards,” I said, “they’re being rebuilt by a woman of mixed heritage, is that correct?”
He didn’t answer at first, taking a moment to look me over, and I couldn’t tell if it was out of curiosity, scrutiny, or if he was choosing his words. “She’s of Summer and Autumn, and yes.”
I shuddered, uncomfortable with how accurately I’d known the truth.
“The wards clicking back into place,” he said. “You didn’t just sense it—you felt it.” His words were more statement than question, and I mulled it over.
