I blinked. “The wards are back up?”
His expression didn’t change. “They are. The pool breathes once more, though its rhythm is faint. So I ask again, how?”
I shook my head, surprised. Quinn had been sure the pool was dying. The black water. The loss of two warders. The steady fading. But then…
Alahathrial.
“He—there’s a fae in the castle,” I said slowly. “His name is Alahathrial. He…” I met Veralin’s stare. “He said he was boosting the pool. He admitted it couldn’t last forever. He mentioned something about fifty years.”
Veralin’s mouth curled at the edges, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “So, he lives still. And meddling, as always. His magic is not compatible with the pool’s origin. He should know better.”
“He said that too,” I whispered.
The Blood King turned away, just slightly. “He can supplement it, yes. Enough to trick the wards into breathing. A fool’s effort. But… you did not lie.” He exhaled, something between satisfaction and regret in the sound. “Very well.”
He raised a hand, and one of the robed Blood Fae behind me stepped forward.
“You will see her now. Both of them.”
My pulse kicked up. “Where?”
His voice was silk-wrapped steel. “The dungeons. Where all the kingdom’s secrets are buried.”
The fae gestured for me to follow. And with one last glance at my grandfather’s cold crimson gaze, I stepped into the dark.
I followed the Blood Fae down a narrow corridor that reeked of damp stone and old blood. The torches lining the walls flickered with a sickly-green flame, casting jagged shadows that seemed to whisper as we passed. The corridor ended at a heavy iron door, and the fae unlocked it without a word before slipping away into the dark.
Inside the dungeon, was a cell. The air was colder. Heavier.
And then I saw Elara curled against a woman’s chest, asleep, her small hands fisted in the fabric of the stranger’s cloak. The young woman held her like something precious, something breakable. She looked up as I entered, her eyes sharp, as violet astwilight. But her hair was a deep-chestnut, curling softly around her bruised face.
“Who are you?” she asked the moment the door shut behind me.
“My name is Ashe,” I said gently. “I’m here for Elara.”
The woman exhaled like it hurt. “She said you would come.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t believe her.”
I stepped closer, eyes drifting to the blood on her lip, the angry bruises blooming across her cheeks. “Are you really… Veralin’s granddaughter?”
She gave a slow nod and closed her eyes again. “Unfortunately.”
I swallowed hard. “What happened to you?”
She opened her eyes and looked down at Elara, brushing a strand of hair from the girl’s face with trembling fingers. “At least this one will go free.”
“What’s your name?” I asked, voice softer now. “How have you survived here?”
She hesitated before answering. “My name is Veyna.” She looked up at me again, and for the first time, I saw the weight she carried. Not just in her posture, but in the shadows behind her eyes. “And I survived by being exactly what he wanted me to be. Obedient. Silent. Forgotten.”
Her hand slid protectively over Elara’s back. “But not anymore.”
I stepped forward slowly. “Then come with me. Both of you.”
Her eyes watered but she didn’t cry. “He’ll kill us.”
“No,” I said, kneeling beside them. “He wants me. And he made a mistake bringing you into this. He just gave me another reason to burn his entire kingdom to ash.”
Elara stirred in Veyna’s arms, her lashes fluttering as she woke with a gasp. She blinked, taking in the dim dungeon, her small body stiffening when she realized where she was.
