But nothing happens. The Tear remains warm but silent in my hand. Lucien opens his eyes and glares at me like it’s my fault our magic rocks aren’t listening to him.
I think back to the coronation ceremony, the source of so many of my theories. For some of the anointments, the priestess gave me just one swipe of oil. If I’m right, and the one over my breastbone was meant to symbolize these necklaces…
She anointed me twice there, two firm swipes of oil.
It can’t hurt to try it. “This might sound kind of stupid, but what if I try wearing both necklaces? Maybe the two Tears have to be together? Like—maybe like they’re two halves of a whole?”
“Nice try,” he says dryly. “If you want to give me both necklaces, though, I’ll give it a shot.”
I grunt in frustration. “Where exactly do you think I’m going to take your necklace? We’re sort of stuck on this ship.”
He shakes his head, unwilling to budge.
“Look. How about we try it together?” I offer. “I think the chains are both long enough to go around both of our necks. Then neither of us has to worry about the other getting information first or whatever it is you think is going to happen.”
I’m aware it sounds desperate and weird. But we need more knowledge, and the Tears could hold the key.
He looks dubious, but he nods. “Sure, if it’ll make you happy, darling. Although if you wanted to get close to me physically, you could just say so.”
Lucien’s right; we have to get uncomfortably close to make this arrangement work.
Stark’s eyes are on us as we hunch awkwardly together, stretching our necks out to get our heads closer to each other without actually touching. Lucien has to hunch down even more since he’s taller than me.
From a few paces away, Venna snorts. “You look like two birds doing a weird mating dance.”
“You’re welcome to come over here and give it a try,” says Lucien. He manages a lascivious look toward her even in this awkward position.
I huff out an exasperated breath. “Ready?”
Lucien just holds up his necklace in answer, settling it around us. I put mine on top, and instantly—
I’m tumbling into a vision.
51
MERYN
So theyweretwo halves that needed to be brought together.My smug satisfaction at being right lasts for only an instant before all my attention is on the visuals before me.
It’s different from the others I’ve experienced. It’sfarless clear and far more… fractured. It’s like pieces of memories, rather than something coherent.
The first thing I see is a beautiful woman, butbeautifulmight not be a powerful enough word to describe her.
She’s radiant.
Her skin is gold and seems to glow from within. Her fine-featured face is framed by shoulder-length emerald-green hair. She exudes indescribable energy. In beauty, yes. But she has an air of peace, too. Gentleness brushes my skin as she cradles her pregnant belly.
I instantly know she isn’t human.
Part of it is her strange eyes, which are the color of sunlight through springtime leaves and have strange not-quite-black pupils that reflect the warm light around her oddly. But it’s just an instinct, also.
There’s a quiet knowing in my chest when I look at her that informs me she’smorethan I am.
A fissure forms, breaking me away from her. Another scene comes into focus as I whirl through the past.
The same woman—being?—stands over a child. The infant looks entirely human, not sharing the woman’s ethereal glow. The woman drifts her fingertips over the child’s stomach as it sleeps, gazing at the baby with warmth in her eyes.
A man materializes beside her, appearing as if the space he occupies was a mirror someone abruptly tilted toward me to catch his reflection.
