Chapter 434 (1/2)
Chapter 434
Chapter 432: Fellowshi+p Forged
Vajrakor’s presence receded with each step we took while Caera’s strength returned bit by bit Cra, ornate halls, and finally, to the open expanse of Vildorial’s priround metropolis sprawled out before us
Varay eyedhow I’d handled the altercation with the dragon “I’ar are sufficiently insulated from this situation, then I have ?”
I glanced at Caera “Probably not”
“Be careful, Arthur,” she said, a s back our continent, I can’t help but feel as if Dicathen has never been in ht now”
I let out a hu pans and fires?”
“Except in this case, it is dragon’s fire,” Varay said darkly She held out her hand to Caera When Caera took it, Varay pressed sorabbed this when I heard Arthur was approaching the city I know I’ what is yours, but I want you to know that, if Arthur trusts you, I do too” Then her feet lifted off the ground and she flew out into the open cavern
Caera slid an ornate ring onto her finger, her gaze shi+fting to rateful that you ca you, I—”
I waved a hand dismissively “I deserved worse You never should have had to endure that, any of it”
Silence fell between us, and I aardly started walking, trying to think of what else to say I’d been forced to leave Alacrya without explanations or goodbyes; the last tiht I was Ascender Grey I wouldn’t blame her if she hated me for my lies, but I comforted myself with the fact that Seris had known the truth and still sent Caera to find me
“My mother is an emitter—a healer,” I said after a couple minutes just to break the aard silence “She can mend your wounds”
“My wounds aren’t important,” Caera said forcefully, then her mouth clamped shut and she looked away
“I’ her fro to you about my identity”
“I suppose itat uards stopped to watch us, nervously fingering their weapons I kept an eye on them until we had moved past and they resumed their march
“Where were you?”
“The Relictombs are built in a dimension all made of aether The zones just sort of…float, disconnected fro in this vast aetheric ocean I used that aether to bring back my old bond, Sylvie, the one who…”
“Who sacrificed herself for you? And you succeeded? In bringing her back, Imy senses inward to inal ether within a solid barrier of aether, an alenta color when I originally forged it, but had darkened with each subsequent layer Now, the three-layered core was a vivid purple sphere resting dark and heavy in reater refinement of the stored aether and allowed more aether to be drawn in and stored inside the core
When I had first forged the aether core, I could hardly condense enough for a single aetheric blast It had taken significant training and refinement of the core to allow for even two or three blasts, but adding a second layer had increased my capacity exponentially in an instant
There hadn’t been time to test whatnow, but it felt different, more potent, like afalteringly, I continued, explaining what I had done and why “Unfortunately, disconnected froe of tiathering aether?” Caera asked, sounding dumbstruck “Grey, that’s…insane”
I rubbed the back of er since time seems to move faster in the Relictombs”
Caera shook her head “That’s true It could have been six h “You could have ended up not co back at all”
We were interrupted by so through one of the sirl ran up to iggling Most of those we had passed by simply stared at us, but the focus was always on Caera
I had grown used to the horns wrapping around her head like a crown, but to the people of this continent, those horns made her look like an enemy
“Why did Seris send you to Dicathen?” I asked, turning off the winding highway toward the gates of the Earthborn Institute “And without your pendant to hide your horns?”
“She said she needs—needed you in Alacrya soon But that was…”
“Two o,” I finished for her
“I was attacked on my way to the tempus warp An ally of Seris’s, another pupil, betrayed her,” she continued, her words dripping icy venooth Vritra Ithe battle”
“So,” I said slowly, letting the word linger in the air “My friend Haedrig is dead then?”
Caera gave a startled laugh “Oh my I hadn’t even considered that” Her momentary smile faded She had dark circles under her eyes, and I could practically see her straining to keep theht Seris shouldn’t have sent me here You aren’t even Alacryan What’s happened to your people, to your…fa If I’d known…”
I had still been supporting Caera’s weight while alked, but now she pulled away fronation “You have your own battles to fight, I understand that now If you can just helphold of her forearm, I stopped She did the same, her scarlet eyes full of questions
“In that convergence zone, the first ti on I was ready to leave everyone there to die once I realized you were all Alacryan You were eneht you all had to be twisted, evil monsters It was simpler for me to think that” I took a deep breath “Caera, you showed me the truth about this war You and Alaric, Seth and Mayla, everyone I et by on a continent darkened by Agrona’s shadow You aren’t my enemy The asuran tyrants who seek to rounds—or worse, burn our world to the ground They are our eneave a shten you?”
I hungpowerful enough, sh ButToo many people already look up to me like I’m some kind of deity I just need you to be… , h “Fine, fine And here I was, all ready to start the first Te Us”
I snorted but couldn’t hide ed to retain your sense of huhter died on her lips, her face darkening “The dragon’s idea of torture was little worse than what any Alacryan child faces when they begin training for their trials” But each step she took was heavy, and I knew she was hurting more than she let on
My amusement shriveled within me
We didn’t speak any door that led into my mother and sister’s home in Vildorial, a small suite of rooms within the Earthborn Institute itself The door opened before I could knock Sylvie s us in
“Your sister had htly “I think she’s planning to shackle herself to you so you can’t leave her behind again”
“Sylvie!” Ellie yelled fronant “That was supposed to be a secret”
I led the way in and scooped Ellie into a bearhug “Does thather to et free “Oh, hi Lady Caera, glad et you out of there”
I started to release her, frowning “Did I ? How do you—”
Suddenly, Ellie stiffly pulled loose of htened her clothes and looked past aze to Chul, who had appeared in the doorway behind Caera and me My brows rose
“U out her hand to the half-asura His hand engulfed hers “We didn’t get introduced earlier I’m Eleanor Leywin”
“Chul,” he said politely as he scanned the s roo up into the orange and blue orbs
He looked away and released her hand “They are like battle flags, proudly displaying to the world that I am descended from the phoenix and djinn races Our eneht of the a step back and s aardly She walked backwards for a few more steps, then turned and marched into the kitchen “Mois, as lying on his side on the floor, his stoive Caera a s your horns The trio, back together again at last”
Sylvie appeared froht halfway between ais! Don’t be crass”
Just as I was beginning to regret all avewould, in fact, be all right, then stiffened at the sight of Caera “Oh, dear, look at you!” She whisked across the room to Caera’s side, slipped her arlared atwoman around the city in this state”
I opened ainst this unfair accusation, second-guessed the impulse, and let et you cleaned and patched up,” Mo Caera toward the hallway that connected to the bedrooms and bath
“Oh, I’m fine, Mrs Leywin, seriously, there’s no need to—”
“Call me Alice, dear, remember?”
Caera threw an uncertain look back at me, but I could only mirror her look back as Mom led her deeper into the roo trailed behind them
“How’d you—”
“Oh, Mom was called in to heal Caera’s wounds when she first arrived,” Ellie said conversationally “When I heard she supposedly knew you, I went to see if it was true She’s, ah, pretty cool” So about the way Ellie looked at me as she drew out the word “cool”family you have,” Chul chimed in Heits strength to make sure it would hold him When it didn’t collapse, he nodded in satisfaction “I have looked around this city and decided I have seen enough Everyone stares at ons, which I understand are off li basilisks?”