I was right. Snuggling beneath the blanket felt nice. I often rested my head against his shoulder, not knowing which was more striking.
The view before me—majestic wolflike snow dogs pulling rhythmically along the stretch of ice and a scattering of bursting trees. The view above me—a silver shining full moon, the star of the universe amongst hues of green in a twinkling night sky. Or the view to my right—green eyes surrounded by a golden-brown rim. They always stood out when he wore green. Everything was just…beautiful.
We had been moving at an incline for the past half an hour and an even steeper one approached. I thought we would have to go around it, but Aegir winked at me and stood, feet parted. He lifted his arms forward, thrusting his palms. We moved up at high speed, yet I was not shifted backwards like expected. When I looked behind me, I noticed that we were gliding against moving snow that lifted us in tandem with the dogs’ gait.
Then I decided thatthatwas the most beautiful thing. I had seen him wield ice before, but never in his true Element. I wished I had Amani or Macy’s talent. I would have surely drawn that exact moment if I did.
Moving in parallel to the mountain’s incline obstructed my field of vision and I wondered how long we had to move like that. Aegir sitting down as soon as we met flat land told menot for long. Minutes later, we approached a cliff, and Aegircommanded the dogs to slow down, to halt. Then he offered me his palm and walked us towards the edge of the cliff.
The view of the moon was unobstructed; it shimmered gracefully above our heads as if Thalassa herself was gleaming with excitement. At first, I thought that space itself extended beyond the horizon—an anomaly, a tear in the universal structure—but then I noticed that the sparkling stars at the bottom of the cliff were not a continuation of the starry sky, but a constellation of flickering lights. My eyes adjusted and with the help of the moonlight I could make out the outlines of streets and houses. What I saw below us was not the sky, it was land—it was a village.
“Welcome to the village of Silvermeer. Well, actually, welcome above the village of Silvermeer.”
“What is this place?”
“See for yourself,” Aegir said, handing me a round talisman of sorts. I grabbed hold of the talisman and assessed it, unsure what to do with it. Aegir closed in behind me and guided my hand towards my right eye. “Close your left eye,” he whispered close to my ear. I obeyed. Then he grabbed hold of my arm and shoulder and guided my gaze. I gasped the instant the talisman adjusted, homing me in with the sharp vision of an eagle.
“You should see it, right, there,” Aegir mumbled.
My face softened at the sight of her.
A marbled statue of Thalassa—goddess of the moon and water. She was beyond beautiful, in her sea form. She stood tall, with her webbed hands exposed at her sides. Detailed carvings gave the impression of her being surrounded by splashing waters that reached up to her thighs. And her polished face with a big pair of intent eyes screamedI am goddess.
“She’s beautiful,” I whispered.My goddess.
Then he let go of my shoulders, allowing me to explore the village as I pleased.
I immediately recognised the architecture—white detached houses with pointed roofs painted in a very particular shade of blue. I also recognised the symbols of Thalassa’s moon carved above the wooden doors.
My eye settled on a window, and I watched a little girl seated in front of a dresser. Her mother was braiding her hair, the same way my mother used to braid mine before tucking me in bed. I recognised that, too.
I gasped. “They’re Ilmans.”
CHAPTER 83
“They are your people, Cordelia.”
“How?” I breathed.
“My parents signed the peace treaty, yes, but we were not in favour of it. My siblings and I”—which I knew included Eldric—“set up a search party the moment we received news. We saved as many as we could…so many were lost, trapped in their human form in the middle of the Thyren Ocean. Many were found lifeless, scattered on the Islets of Mora. I’m sorry.”
“May their souls be received by Thalassa,” I murmured.
I finally lowered the talisman. The tears that lined my lower lids were not because of the strain from using the talisman.
“How many?” I whispered.
“One hundred twenty-six thousand, five hundred ten.”
My brows drew near. I’d heard that number before…the answer to my other question—what his tattoo meant.
“My parents never left the castle, so it wasn’t difficult to hide them beneath the great cliff that no one ever comes to. But we also warded it, just in case. Amani wanted it built in a similar style. She said she wanted to make them feel at home.”
“And your brother? I can’t just forget the fact that he wanted to execute Marshen.”
“Ehh. My brother…he—he sometimes gets carried away. He doesn’t like being disobeyed and throws temper tantrums whenever he feels threatened. But life made him that way. It didn’t always treat him fairly. But I promise you, he means well.”
“I trust you.”
