“If there are revelations as to the origin or remedy for your curse, the Nymphian Library would have them. It’s an ancient, hidden place that houses the world’s oldest knowledge. Located in the Perellian Forest outside of Lyrae, it is inaccessible without nymphian magic. I will notify them that you seek an audience with the hamadryad who protects the library. It’s where I would go first in a search for your curse’s cure. It would be the one place that could have the knowledge needed in overcoming dark magic, which is the only thing that can cause a blood curse.” She paused, sniffing the space between us. Her perusal of me left a glint in her eye. “And it might reveal more of your own mysterious heritage, Water Wielder.”
Dom straightened his spine. “Any assistance for my cause would be greatly appreciated, and remembered.”
“I am sure in the future, I will have need of aid, and when I call upon you, you will no doubt answer.”
“You have my word, Queen Thaleia.” Dom hit his fist across his chest. A soldier’s sign of loyalty. Hope and determination flashed in his expression. I had the sudden urge to bottle it for him.
“How can I assist with reopening a path between our realms?” I was still discovering the extent of my magic, but I would offer whatever I could.
“We would need to create a bridge with your magic and our portals. The last water wielder created the way, and maintained it with some of her blood.”
I reached for the hilt of my dagger. “Then I’ll need a vial.”
The queen smiled, and sent out a pulse of magic. A servant entered the room with a rolled map and a glass vial. She handedthem to Queen Thaleia who passed off the vial before delicately unrolling the map and securing it to a low table.
The queen pointed out our approximate location in the sea, then dragged her elegantly webbed hand with its vicious nails upward, beyond Yarit. She outlined an area with her finger, tapping the place where the glaciers lay dying. It was very near the town of Vorkut, where we planned to venture next so that I could connect with Delah’s mercenary friend and secure more weapons.
Queen Thaleia explained that Vorkut is more of an outpost for travelers, but there are many residents that maintain a market, apothecary, an inn, and other vital resources. The entrance to her realm had once been established in the glacial hinterlands, north of Vorkut. Once the bridge was established, she would combine her blood to mine and reopen the path between realms so that communications could resume.
“If a door previously existed there, my magic might take more easily to reestablishing it, rather than creating an entirely new entrance. I’m not even sure how to do it.” But I had mastered transporting a group of people underwater without drowning. I had projected my consciousness through the sea. Perhaps there was much more I could do with my affinity, like the queen indicated.
“Like calls to like, and your magic should be able to pick up on the previous magic’s pulse. It is degraded, but all magic leaves a residue—either shimmer or char. And similar magics echo with the same frequencies.”
“Then lead us there.” Her belief was contagious.
“I will send you out with Trent, a brilliant navigator who knows the terrain well. He will guide you down the path where the last bridge once stood. You will be portaled close to the coastal glaciers and fjords, but not directly. There are underwater sea caves you can enter, then travel through old lavatubes which will have you surfacing near glacier-fed inlets. Pay attention to your magic, then unleash it when the time is right. You must focus your intention and connection to the water. Do not be afraid of the power.”
I became Ruin of the Scourge precisely because I moved forward despite my fear. Fear had always been a constant companion, and I would not shrink away now—too much depended on me. Dom stood close, his towering presence bolstering my resolve. His shadows thread around my wrists, whispering through my fingers. I was not alone.
We decided to leave that afternoon. The queen excused herself, her regal tail leaving ripples of power in her wake.
Dom and I turned toward each other. My mind was muddled with all that lay ahead of us. Of whatever was revealed between Dom and I. There was much I wanted to say.
“How long do you really think you have?” I couldn’t speak the rest, but I had to know. My magic surged, defying the thought of his death.
“I’m not sure. Weeks? Maybe months? I require more tonic than I’ve ever needed to keep the effects of the curse muted.” He started to say more but stopped himself. “I’m sorry I let you down.”
“What?” No. I fisted my trembling hand. “You have done nothing but protect Aphellion and defend against the darkness. You will defeat Nolan. We have this compass, the Nereid Army, and I will open a bridge to our allies. You will overcome this curse. You will have a life.”
“Perhaps… And what of you?” His shadows swam around us as if they listened with their own ears, awaiting my response.
My throat swelled thick with guilt and grief, with all the things I wanted but couldn’t have. I had the sudden urge to reach out to Dom. My hands clenched instead, willing the pain of my nails to inject me with clarity. “I will help you accomplish yourgoals.” It’s all I could offer. I had done too much, and this was my opportunity for retribution, for penance. Was I darkness or light? Not even the queen could tell.
“Liora—”
“I am not ignorant enough to believe the King will stop at nothing to find me. My time is likely much less than yours in these realms. But I would rather die than see darkness prevail. We made a bargain that I wish to extend. I will secure weapons in Vorkut, and beyond that, I will help you find your cure. There is no escape from my past, no realm where Nolan can’t find me. From one old friend to another. Let me do this, and then let me go.”
He jolted as if I’d punched him. His gentle touch tucked my hair behind my ear, his tenderness sharper than any blade against my heart. “I will only let you go when my final breath is torn from my lips. And even then,m’est kisertes,I will find you. As I have never stopped searching for you. I accept your bargain. But I do not accept your fate.”
My lips parted with a gentle intake of sea water, and he tracked the movement.
When our eyes met again, I spoke low, tentative. “Then I suppose we should prepare to depart. Time is not on our side. And I fear the longer we delay, the more Nokts will be unleashed.” It’s not what I wanted to convey, but it was pertinent, safe.
Anguish stormed in his gaze. “As you wish.”
My overwhelm silenced my response. My insides felt raw at the reality of our situation. We were the walking dead, and we both harbored hope that the other would live. The irony was not lost on me. I remained holed up inside my mind—planning, reeling, longing—as we walked through the castle’s corridors.
Had my display of concern and affection revealed too much? He hadn’t recoiled at my touch, but that didn’t mean he felt thesame for me. Something smoldered between us, but I could have misread it. My emotions slammed chaotically through me, my frosted fingertips the only outward sign of my distress.
