“This has nothing to do with the Elorium! Can’t you sense it? All these portraits...the images, it feels like they are watching me. Each face is a reflection of how I'll look if I choose incorrectly.”
“Is that what you believe?”
“Aren’t these the women that have been Marked? I can see they are affected by it.”
Cillian paused to glance at the portraits.
“None of these women bore the mark,” he said, turning to me.
“But they’re all like Seraphina,” I said. “Older women, bearing masks to hide their mature faces, trapped by a choice they were forced to make.”
“Tilly, we don’t hang the marked on the wall like some trophies of a fate we failed to prevent. These are the women of Elora, our mothers, our sisters, our history.”
***
He looked toward the woman I had seen throughout the house. “This is a portrait of our mother. Can’t you see the resemblance? I assure you that her youth and beauty have not been affected by any choice she made.”
Despite my reluctance, I steeled myself and moved closer to Cillian. As I Gazed at the portrait, I could see that even through the mask, her lovely features mirrored his.
“Fine,” I said, a small, reluctant smile tugging at my lips. “Maybe on this one occasion, I’ll believe you.”
His warm gaze met mine, and my chest tightened. What was I doing? Why did being near him feel like standing too close to a fire I couldn't step away from? I should have stepped back and said something sharp, but my body refused to move.
Whatever theEloriumhad done to my energy was clearly messing with my mind. It had to be because the alternative, that these feelings were genuinely mine was far more concerning.
The smile faded as quickly as it had come.
“How have these women been affected if it wasn't due to an incorrect choice?”
His expression changed; the light in his eyes dimmed. “If you are finally ready to start believing what we say, I’ll tell you.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Worse still, I didn’t have the energy to argue the way I usually would.
“My mother and the women of our realm lived harmoniously before it all changed. Her beauty is no longer what you see in this portrait.”
I leaned back against the cushions, suddenly aware of how close he was. His warmth pressed against my side, and I hated how much comfort I took from it. I should have pulled away. I knew that. But my traitorous body disobeyed.
“I can hear how much it hurts you,” I said, feeling the pain of each of his words so intensely that I had to stifle the emotion rising in my throat. At this moment, he looked so genuine. Caring. He wasn’t like the others.
He was drained because he had been trying to keep me alive. That was a comfort in some strange way.
How could his voice be so gentle, almost coaxing? And Gods help me, I wanted to lean into it. He wasn’t supposed to be this soft. He wasn’t supposed to look at me like that, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to make me feel safe. But he did. And that terrified me more than the Elorium ever could.
“You talk about your world like it’s… beautiful,” I murmured. “Even with everything that is happening.”
A faint smile touched his lips. It didn’t feel misleading or fake. It was genuine.
“Our people sought answers from our council, but none were found.” His voice cracked slightly. “My mother used to say the stars were kinder before Vareth rose and unleashed chaos on every corner of Elora.”
The way he spoke about his mother with grief tugged at the humanity inside me. I didn’t want to feel comfortable in his presence, but somehow, I was too tired to keep pretending.
“You miss her,” I said softly.
“She wasn’t spared,” he whispered. “No woman was.”
“Is she dead” I said. Did Vareth kill your Mum and your women?”
His eyes flicked to mine, surprised.
