– Written correspondence from Tinyrah Kazimyr to Evyen Dieanira
Taryn
Airess stared at him in disbelief, her mouth hanging open. Taryn watched the betrayal take root within her, her face hardening after the initial shock. Her entire body stiffened, brows furrowing as she looked at him. It was a look he never wanted to be on the receiving end of. Taryn’s breath faltered.
It was never meant to come out like this.
Airess’ nostrils flared as she whipped her head to look at Ismene. Her usually polite demeanor was gone and replaced by a brazenness he hadn’t seen from her before. He winced, desperately wishing he could explain himself before things spiraled.
“House Deyanira hasn’t existed for thousands of years,” Airess said. It was a fact that Taryn had always known wasn’t true.
“House Deyanira still exists, along with the other houses: Kazimyr, Moros, Lucien, and Tozya. Each family house and its members are direct descendants of the Gods, and three of those Houses still stand on the other side.In Tevye. Where you both hail from.”
Taryn’s world spun at the reminder of who he truly was. His real name. His origins. He never thought he would hear the word again.Kazimyr.It was a truth he had buried, had ignored, since his grandmother died.
“I don’t understand,” Airess said angrily. “What do you mean where wehailfrom?”
“You and Tarynon are Tevyen. You were brought over to this side of the world when you were babies, for your own safety. The Tevyen society knew the Prophesied Ones would be born, and they were willing to do anything to stop it from coming into fruition, including killing you both as children.”
Alarms rang in his head. The Prophesied Ones? Nowthiswas news to even Taryn.
“Why would they want us killed?” Airess demanded, her voice rising. Her face reddened, and Taryn felt the energy radiating off her in waves.
“Because it isyouwho will bring forth The Dawn, unite both halves of the worlds, and make it whole again. The Tevyens don’t want that to happen. You’d disrupt a power balance there that had been set since Tevye’s creation. It was better for you both to be sent to our side of the world–The Old World,they call it–and grow up where people believed Tevye was just a legend.”
“So Rune knows about Tevye?” Airess asked–a question Taryn had also wanted to know the answer to. His grandmother was the one who made Taryn aware as a small child that he was a Tevyen being, that he was a member of the Kazimyr House. However, she never once mentioned anything about a prophecy, about uniting the world whole again. Taryn clenched his fists, diverting his attention to Roznarr.
“Only the small council here in Rune knows. This is not information to be shared with the public. It would cause too much panic. The people are not ready for this truth,” Roz interjected. Taryn outwardly scoffed. The king’s head snapped to him, eyes narrowed.
Who was he to decide what the people were ready for?
There was a palpable tension in the air, an energy radiating off of Roznarr, Airess, and Taryn. Ismene stayed silent, eyes darting between the three, lips pressed into a thin line. Taryn could almosttastethe power on his tongue, feel it thrumming against his skin, but couldn’t discern who it was coming from. Ever since they arrived in Rune, Taryn felt his Magick radiating within his body stronger than it ever had.
The Queen Dowager spoke first, breaking the silence. “Perhaps we should give our new guests some time to process this information. They have traveled a long way to get here. Besides, we have a ball to prepare for. The Salamoon is only a few days away.”
“Of course,” Roz said icily, dropping Taryn’s gaze. Taryn smirked, smug in the fact that Roz was the first to break eye contact. King or not, Taryn would assert his dominance–especiallyafter scenting the interest wafting off the male when he kissed Airess’ hand. It bothered him more than he cared to admit, and he couldn’t deny the protectiveness he felt over Airess. Taryn knew Airess had no idea about the unspoken power struggle going on between the two. The Fae’s enhanced senses brought up another layer of emotion that an Elve could not comprehend.
Ismene nodded in agreement and stood, flattening her hands against her clothing. “We will… give you some time to process. I will send someone to retrieve you both for our first lesson, once you’ve settled in, of course.”
They all filed out the door, one by one. The Queen Dowager was last, her gaze lingering on Airess briefly before turning to leave.
Slowly, Airess turned to Taryn. Their eyes met, and the color drained from her face. She shook her head slightly, as if denying the possibility that he had lied. Shame coursed through him, a cold feeling that traveled down his entire body. He knew how it looked. How it sounded. Taryn could only hope she would understand after he explained himself.
Of course, Taryn had suspected over the course of their travels what Airess could be. When she exploded the caravan, Taryn had his confirmation. Even though he had only heard about the power through his grandmother’s stories, Taryn knew she was Lightborne–a power only a Tevyen could have.
As for himself… he knew all along what his real name was. That he was a Tevyen Fae, Stormborne from another land. It was why he could control all the elements that made up a storm: water, wind, and lightning. It was why he had made sure to keep his abilities a secret when he grew up here, because there was no one else like him in Rune.
“How did you–” Airess began, then stopped herself. She inhaled and sat up straight, regaining her composure. “Is it true? Did you know this about yourself? About me?”
Taryn’s throat closed up, the air around him suddenly heavy. “Airess, I need you to know that I would have eventually–”
She let out a bitter scoff and withdrew, leaning away from him. Taryn’s heart pounded at the display–at what she must be feeling right now. He was the only one left in Airess’ life. He knew she felt the sting of his withheld information on a deeper level, however new their relationship was. Because they were all each other had, and now he had tarnished her trust.
Gods, I’m an idiot.
Taryn swallowed and forced his voice to come out steady.
“I learned about my true name from my grandmother. She told me the stories about Tevye, about the remaining God Houses that exist on the other side. You have to understand, I was taught to always keep my abilities a secret. I was always careful to only wield water when I lived here, to appear as I were only Waterborne to the other Fae. I didn’t know about you until the caravan. I assumed you were a Tevyen being after that… encounter, but I hadno ideathat you belonged to a sacred House.”
