A renewed sense of purpose flashes in his gaze. He taps his chin with his index finger. "She would be a valuable asset! I will reach out to her immediately."
"Thank you, Professor."
"And if I might be so bold, Princess?" When I nod, he continues, "You might not believe in your heritage or the legacy that you were thrust to bear, but there are many of us who do notquestion who you are. You are Aurelia Basilius-Sol. The light to impending darkness. I may not be a warrior, but I would follow you to the very end."
His words feel like a knife to the chest. I swallow hard, forcing the tears welling to stay away. "Professor, if I can be honest, I’m scared. I’m not my father. Everyone expects so much of me but I’m afraid if I claim my birthname that I will not live up to expectations."
"The only expectation you should require of yourself is to be who you were born to be. You’re right." My eyes widen, but he presses onward. "You’re not your father. Nor are you your mother. You are you. And that’s who we need you to be right now. Not who you think we need you to be or who we think you should be. That’s a life you’ve suffered with until you reached our shores. Take up the helm. Walk in your own power. Will you fail?" He squeezes my hand. "There’s always a chance of that. But if you don’t accept who you are, then I’m afraid you’ve already failed."
I swipe a rebellious tear slipping down my cheek. "I’ve been Ilaria Shaye Kitarni my entire life," I rasp. "I can’t just forget that."
"No one is asking you to forget your past. We are asking you to take ownership of the life that was unwittingly stolen from you. Names have power. The name Kitarni does not illicit fear in the enemy. But Sol does. The demons know that name. They cower and bend the knee to that name, not because they respect it, but because they know they are no match for a Sol. The name bears power."
"So, you are advising I should have people address me as Aurelia?"
"I’m saying you need to remember who you truly are, Princess." Riggs' smile fills me with a sense of power I haven't experienced.
"I haven’t done anything to deserve the name Aurelia Basilius-Sol."
"It doesn’t matter what you've done or not done. You do not need to earn your name. You do not need to prove to anyone you deserve to be Aurelia Basilius-Sol. You only need to rise and reclaim what is yours."
Nyx places his hand on my shoulder and with that light touch, my bottom lip quivers. Why am I getting so emotional right now?
I grimace, wrestling with my thoughts of being unworthy. Then I remember when I battled Bastian in Elowen, I claimed my name, but I felt like a fraud. But Riggs is right. I’m not an imposter. It’s who I am. My parents gave me my name. It’s time I stop shying away from the power flowing through my veins, stop downplaying the legacy I now bear. I inhale and exhale slowly. It's time.
"I am Aurelia Basilius-Sol. I am the daughter of Enver Sol and Sylvane Basilius. I will not cower. I will not bend. I will not break." I open my eyes, meeting Riggs' watery gaze. "I will not let this realm fall."
"I believe you," he smiles warmly, squeezing my hand.
A knock on Professor Riggs' door jars all of us. It's not time for his classes to begin so his aide shouldn't be coming to fetch him.
"Come in," Riggs releases my hand and squares himself to the door.
One of King Soren's guards opens the door. My throat bobs. Why is a soldier here? But he's not looking at me or Professor Riggs. His eyes are fixed on Nyx. That's when he steps forward and hands Nyx a sealed envelope and turns on his heel to leave.
Nyx wastes no time opening the summons and his shoulders slump. "Shit."
"What is it?" I ask.
"It's Ronan. Got into it with his father this morning. Uncle Soren wants me to come talk some sense into him." Nyx folds the letter and stuffs it into his pocket. "You can come with if you want or I can escort you home – "
"I think I'll run a few errands." I motion for him to go ahead. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Kitarni – "
"I promised my mother I would visit her anyway," I insist. "I'll catch up with you later. Promise."
His lips twist, but there's nothing he can do or say to make me change my mind and he knows it. Relenting to my will, he wags a finger at me. "Don't do anything dangerous."
I smile, "I'll save all the danger for when you're with me."
"I'll hold you to that." Nyx bobs his head toward Riggs. "Thanks for meeting with us, Professor."
"Oh," he's taken aback by Nyx's politeness. I am too quite frankly. "It's always a pleasure."
With that, Nyx stomps out of Riggs' office and after a few more minutes, I, too, find my way into the hallway. I promised Nyx I wouldn't do anything dangerous. I didn't promise him I'd be on my best behavior.
Nineteen
