by Lynette Noni
“You have one chance to stay my hand, so I suggest you start talking,” Saefii said, the other glass dome disappearing with another flash of light, their friends vanishing with it.
Alex turned woodenly back to the empress. Thoughts fled as panic overwhelmed her. Looking around at the advanced race of beings, she suddenly feared that her reasons might seem paltry and insignificant to them. Why should the Tia Aurans care about what was happening in a world far removed from their own? What hope did Alex truly have of persuading them to help? She hadn’t even been able to convince the mortal races of Medora to agree to an alliance, not until it was too late. The consequences of their disbelief had been disastrous; the loss of life something that would stay with Alex for as long as she lived—for as long as there were stars in the sky.
A gentle nudge at her side had Alex raising her eyes to meet Kaiden’s encouraging gaze. He believed in her; he wouldn’t have risked his life by travelling across worlds if he didn’t. And his confidence was exactly what she needed right now.
With a small nod of gratitude to him, Alex turned back to Saefii. She looked from the empress to the two male advisors and then expanded her view to sweep across the silver-eyed assemblage, making sure she had everyone’s full attention.
“My name is Alexandra Jennings and I’m here because we need your help…”
“That could have gone worse.”
Alex looked across at Kaiden, noting his relaxed features as he strode over to inspect the luxurious cushions in the corner of their new surroundings.
“It could have gone better, too,” Alex replied.
After explaining their reasons for travelling to Tia Auras, she and Kaiden had been flash-transported from their glass dome into some kind of lavish common room. Free from the barrier, they now had a much larger space to wander, complete with multiple adjoining doors—all of which were locked—and a balcony.
Venturing out onto the balcony, Alex sensed Kaiden step up beside her as she peered out over the immense view and reflected on what had happened in the throne room.
The good news was that she and her friends hadn’t been executed on the spot after she’d finished speaking. The bad news was that no one had said anything, other than Saefii’s quick order to, “Move them to their rooms.”
Alex wasn’t sure what to think. She had been so deliberate in her storytelling, careful to remain succinct as she revealed the threat Aven and his Claimed army posed to Medora. More tentatively, she’d told of how Athora had offered the means to travel between their two worlds, and quietly offered news of Lady Mystique’s—or Aes Daega’s—passing. And yet, other than a few murmurs at the mention of the ancient woman’s demise, for everything Alex had shared, the Tia Aurans had given nothing away. Their faces had remained blank, their silver eyes unreadable. All she knew was that they had been satisfied enough not to kill her and her friends outright—though, for all she knew, the verdict could still be out on that one.
“It really, really could have gone better,” Alex repeated in a whisper, unable to keep the fear and uncertainty from her voice.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, they looked out across the shiny, golden city. It had been stunning from a distance and was no less so from wherever they now stood, in some kind of arched palace, from what Alex could tell.
“You did the best you could,” Kaiden said gently, curling his arm around her and drawing her closer to his side. “Now all we can do is wait and see what they say.”
Alex leaned into him, sighing quietly. Part of her was aware that she should feel uncomfortable or at least awkward in his embrace, but on the contrary, it felt natural. After everything they’d been through together, after he’d held her while she’d cried over Niyx, she didn’t have it in her to put up walls between them anymore. She was tired of pushing him away. So instead, she would allow herself this moment, as long as he was willing to offer it.
Together they stood and watched the setting suns disappear as twilight fell. Alex wondered why the desert had never allowed for anything but night-time, but she also realised that a new world meant new rules all over again. She didn’t plan on being in Tia Auras long enough to learn its secrets, nor did she intend to visit the unending wasteland beneath the clouds again. The mysteries of this place could remain exactly that— mysteries.
“There’s just so much riding on this,” she whispered, unable to inject more volume. “If they don’t help us—”
“Shhh,” Kaiden said, turning her so they faced each other. “You’ve done what we came to do. Don’t fear what hasn’t yet happened.”
Alex felt the tension drain out of her at his words, knowing he was right. There was little point worrying just yet. She had to remain hopeful.
She placed her hands on Kaiden’s chest, feeling his steady heartbeat under her fingers. “Thank you for coming here with me,” she told him. “Thank you for not letting me do this on my own.”
His lips twitched into a grin. “Did you really think I’d pass up any opportunity to spend time with you?” He shook his head, his bright blue eyes lit with amusement. “No chance, Alex. You should know by now, I’d follow you to the end of the world.” He glanced pointedly at the three moons now slowly rising in the star-strewn sky. “And beyond.”
Alex felt warm all over from his words, her stomach fluttering, but not in an unpleasant way. She knew how Kaiden felt about her; he hadn’t hidden his intentions. He also knew how she felt about him, even if she wasn’t yet willing to admit as much to either of them. But regardless of what they were—or weren’t—to each other, the comfort and security he offered was like a balm to her soul, enough that she couldn’t resist sliding her arms around him and leaning forward to press her head to his shoulder. Kaiden responded by drawing her even closer and resting his cheek against her hair.
It was as they stood embracing against the most romantic backdrop of all time that they heard the sound of a throat clearing, followed by Jordan’s voice.
“By all means, don’t let us interrupt.”
Alex jolted, her head moving back at the same time as Kaiden’s, only to find their friends inside the common room, standing just before the balcony’s entrance.
Pulling away from Kaiden, Alex strode towards them, torn between screaming at them and hugging them. When she halted a few steps away, she still didn’t know which reaction to lead with. While considering her options, her gaze locked on Bear, noting the shadows beneath his red-rimmed eyes and his face strained by grief.
William.
Bear had lost his father less than two days ago.
Just as Alex had lost Niyx.
She swallowed at the look he sent her, seeing her own pain reflected in his eyes. Instantly, her feelings about her friends’ recklessness dissolved, along with any desire she had to demand an explanation for how they had come to be in Tia Auras. She didn’t wait another second before moving forward to wrap her arms around Bear.
“I’m so sorry about your dad,” she whispered into his ear, his return embrace so tight it was almost painful.
She felt him shudder against her, but then his grip eased as he whispered back, “It’s how he would have wanted to go. In battle, with honour.”
From what Alex had known of William, that was true. But Bear had missed a key point.
“No,” she quietly corrected. “In battle, doing what he could to protect his family.”
His arms spasmed around her, and this time there was no ‘almost’ regarding the pain of his tightened hold—it straight up hurt. But she hugged him back just as fiercely, offering what comfort she could. The loss of Niyx was still so fresh, but Kaiden had been there for her, and the letter Niyx himself had written had helped her move past her all-consuming numbness to see that there was more she had to do before she could let grief overwhelm her. But Bear… He hadn’t been given the same closure. More than anything, he should be with his family right now, not gallivanting across worlds.
Gently withdrawing from him, Alex stepped back
and took in all her friends as Kaiden moved up beside her, having greeted Declan, Jordan and D.C. while she and Bear had been having their moment.
“What are you all doing here?” Alex finally asked. “How did you even get here?”
“What, no, ‘Hi, guys, lovely to see you’?” Jordan returned. The spark that had returned to his eyes since his freedom from Aven’s Claim was missing, telling Alex that he was almost as affected by William’s death as Bear. But she could also see that he was trying to remain strong for their friend, as if he thought acting as normal as possible would somehow help. Alex wasn’t sure that was a smart move—they both needed to grieve. As did she. And yet, none of them had the luxury of time right now. Their mourning would have to wait.
Ignoring her ‘I want answers now’ expression, Jordan moved forward and pulled her into a hug, followed by D.C., who all but launched herself into Alex’s arms.
“Next time we’re alone, we are so going to talk about what was happening out on that balcony,” D.C. whispered into Alex’s ear before pulling back again, her expression promising an in-depth, likely high-pitched discussion.
After a brief hug from Declan which included a bone-jolting thump on the back, everyone was once again back in the same positions, this time with Alex tapping her foot impatiently.
“Who’s going to explain?”
“Headmaster Marselle told us he would send you straight to Woodhaven after you returned from the battle at Graevale, but you never arrived,” D.C. answered, her eyes shifting carefully to Bear and away again. “We didn’t think much of it until Declan turned up and said you were missing. Both of you.”
“I hunted this lot down, figuring you might be together, wherever you were,” said Declan. “And we all headed back to Akarnae to search for you.”
“But there was no trace of either of you anywhere—it was like you’d both disappeared,” Jordan jumped in, walking towards the pile of cushions and collapsing onto them. While stretching out and making himself comfortable, he continued, “We were worried Aven had taken you, but we figured he would’ve been more triumphant about it and let the world know. So that left us thinking that wherever you were, you were probably safe.” He looked around and amended, “-ish.”
D.C. moved towards the cushions, sliding down until she was lounging next to Jordan, leaning into him when he wrapped his arm around her.
“The only logical conclusion we could come to was that your disappearance had something to do with the Library, so that’s where we headed,” the princess said. “It took us hours of pleading into what felt like nothingness before a cloaked man appeared with Soraya and told us that he’d sent you off to another world.”
Jordan snorted. “We thought he was a crackpot. Would have continued to if Soraya hadn’t been with him. Or if Declan wasn’t with us—he’s like a human lie detector, did you know?”
Alex did know that. Kaiden had once told her that Declan’s gift was an ability to sense deceit—something Kaiden had adopted as his own, and one of the reasons they had both figured out she was from Freya.
“What else did Athora say to you?” Alex asked, her voice quiet.
“Athora?” Jordan asked. “Is that the cloaked guy?”
“Did he say why he sent us here?” Kaiden asked when Alex was unable to do so.
It was Bear who answered this time, his voice barely a croak of sound, enough that Declan moved closer to him and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder—something that surprised Alex, especially when Bear seemed grounded by his show of support.
“He said you came to get help from the people who live here—from the Tia Aurans—because without them, we have little chance of stopping Aven.” Bear swallowed but held Alex’s gaze. “He said that your gift won’t be able to save anyone, not like you hoped it would. Not like we all hoped it would.”
A ringing silence met his words. Alex had nothing to be ashamed of—on some level, she knew that—but she still felt like a failure. Everyone had been living under the presumption that she held the key to defeating Aven because of her gift. But that had never been the case.
Inhaling deeply, Alex said, “So, you know why we’re here. That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“As if we’d miss out on this,” Jordan said, attempting levity for the sake of them all. “When that Athora guy offered to open the door for us, how could we say no?” He grinned despite the sorrow lingering in his eyes. “A new world to discover? Sign me up.”
Ignoring his feigned jubilation, Alex brought her gaze back to meet Bear’s and whispered, “You should be with your family.”
He stepped forward to take her hand as he looked around at them all. “I am with my family, Alex.” He squeezed her fingers. “And right now, you need me more than they do. They know I’m here—they all but pushed me out the door to come and find you, because they knew that’s what Dad would’ve wanted. I’ll have time to grieve with them once this is over. We all will.” His throat bobbed, but he stood taller and held her gaze as he said, his voice now strong, “He was a protector—he gave his life protecting us, as you said. I’d only be dishonouring his memory if I wasn’t willing to do the same.”
Alex blinked back tears, prouder of her friend than she could say. He’d always been the steady one of the group. While he could easily match Jordan’s mischievous personality, Bear was still the most level-headed of them all. And now it seemed his nature was only working in his favour, helping him to focus and compartmentalise, just like Alex was doing with Niyx.
“Well, whatever brought you all here, it’s good that we’re together,” Kaiden said, as if aware that Alex needed a moment to gather herself. He offered them all a wry grin and added, “You’re all fools for coming, but you’re lovable fools all the same.”
Jordan chuckled, the sound genuine. “Put that on my tombstone if this doesn’t work out: ‘Jordan was a fool, but a lovable one. May he rest in foolish peace.’”
Alex blanched, and she wasn’t the only one. “Don’t even joke about that.”
Jordan eyed her carefully, ignoring the elbow D.C. shoved into his ribcage. He stood up again and approached her, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “Hey, I know it’s tough about Bear’s dad, but we’ll all get through this together, okay?” Moving back again, he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “If we give into our fear of what might happen to us, then Aven has already won.” He offered a morbid grin and finished, “The good news is, if we all end up dying here, at least he won’t have the pleasure of killing us himself. That’s a satisfying thought, right?”
Alex wasn’t able to say anything around the strangled feeling in her chest.
She knew Jordan was trying to help. Indeed, his words seemed to lighten the feeling in the room, as if everyone—even Bear—agreed that in order to defeat Aven, they first had to conquer their fears of the future and win the battles in their own minds. And it was true, Alex knew it was. But still…
Jordan didn’t know the real reason why she was so distressed by the mention of them dying. Of anyone else dying. Because other than Kaiden, none of them knew. They thought she was upset about William, and while she was heartbroken for Bear, she was also working her way through a much more crushing personal blow. Two, really, with the death of Lady Mystique. But it was Niyx—the Meyarin they thought to be little more than Aven’s merciless best friend—that they would never understand about. They had no idea who he was to Alex; they probably didn’t even know that he had died, let alone cared what his passing meant to her. And they couldn’t know. Not until she figured out how to tell the story. How to tell his story.
Until then, she had to stand strong. If Jordan could act like his normal self for the sake of Bear… if Bear could continue on as he was… then Alex could, too.
Nothing was all right. But she could act as if it were for the sake of her friends. And maybe, just maybe, one day her emotions would catch up.
“All right, let’s focus,” D.C. jumped in, crossing her legs underne
ath her and patting the cushions around where she sat, a clear invitation for them to join her.
Determined to push past everything she was feeling and instead give her full attention to what lay ahead, Alex folded onto the ground with the others, the six of them forming a circle.
“What do we know about these people?” D.C. asked. “Other than that they have an amazing city and the gates pack one hell of a welcome headache?”
“Vardaesia,” Bear said. “When they dragged us in here, they told us the city is called Vardaesia.”
That was also what the empress had called it, Alex recalled.
“It’s a pretty name,” D.C. mused. “Var-day-see-uh. Sounds like a song.”
“It sounds like a city made of gold and diamonds,” Declan said dryly. “This place must be worth a mint.” He rapped his knuckles on the gold floor peeking out from beneath the cushions.
“It’s the royal palace of an otherworldly empress,” Jordan said, equally dry. “What did you expect? Sticks and pebbles?”
“Let’s start there,” D.C. cut in. “Who is this Empress Saefii? She came to see us before she did the appearing-and-disappearing trick with us in the throne room, but all she said was that if you didn’t answer her questions to her satisfaction, then we’d all be dead. I’m guessing since we’re still alive, you must have handled her interrogation okay. So, what did you learn?”
“I don’t think there’s much about this world and the people in it that we know and you don’t,” Alex said. She looked at Kaiden then back to the others. “We weren’t given a briefing before we came. We were just told not to fail.”
Silence met her statement.
“That Athora guy didn’t tell you anything?” Bear asked, his grip flexing as he held a cushion between his hands.
“He said the Tia Aurans and the Meyarins are mortal enemies,” Kaiden answered. “He said we need to convince them to fight with us, so that the prophecy given to Alex can be fulfilled. But that’s pretty much all he told us.”
When her friends looked at her in question, Alex quickly filled them in on the newest development with the prophecy— Athora’s interpretation about Tia Auras meaning ‘Day’ and Medora meaning ‘Night’, which was why the ancient man believed the two worlds needed to ‘combine and fight against one Enemy’.