“What happened? What do you mean?” I asked, all the more curious. Given the speed of every development that had been thrown at us, I hadn’t had the time to dig into Taeral’s past, or his parents’, for that matter.

He resumed walking, and I followed. We headed for the door at the end of the corridor. “My dad entered an alliance with the ghouls. It’s ancient history. I’ll tell you about it someday, I promise. It’s just… it’s a long story, and given what you’ve been told about ghouls, I imagine you’ll need more context in order to make up your mind about my father’s past decisions.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “You make it sound like he torched the planet or something.”

“It could’ve been worse,” he said, wearing a faint but bitter smile. A moment later, he turned his attention on me. “How are you feeling? I know our literal brush with Death was insane.”

“Oh. I’m okay. I am. It’s just a lot to take in, and quite fast. Fortunately, everything is moving so fast around us that I don’t have time to be traumatized.”

He laughed. “I totally get it. Here,” he said as he pushed the door open for me. I stopped in front of him with a questioning look. “It’s okay, it’s just another corridor. I know this place like the back of my hand.”

That was a true reminder. I walked in, welcoming the slight chill of this part of the castle. For a moment, I did wonder why he hadn’t teleported us straight into the sanctuary the moment we’d passed through the portal, but as soon as he took my hand in his again, I realized I didn’t mind walking through the palace.

It was an opportunity for me to be with him, disguised as a brief tour of the place. Besides, I figured he’d missed the palace, too, with its intricate, gold-brushed details and perfumed flowers and flowing silks. The touch of his hand made my skin tingle, bringing me closer to thoughts I’d tried to keep away from my central focus. My heart pounded whenever he came near me, and my stomach was inundated with raucous fireflies at every smile he gave me. I’d been fascinated by him from the moment we’d met, but I knew he’d had his crush on Inalia at the time.

I hadn’t dared get between them, because I loved and respected Inalia more than anything. But now, she was a Hermessi, forever parted from him. Her sacrifice had cleared a path for me to try to get to his heart, but I had no idea how to do that. I’d never felt like this toward anyone, and the troubles we’d been dealing with had made it all the more difficult. Nevertheless, I could no longer ignore how I was feeling.

Taeral had wiggled in and established himself at the core of my existence, and he probably didn’t even know it. If I were to be honest, I’d let him. I’d opened myself up to the possibility, and I was now stuck in a peculiar limbo, where I wondered whether I should act on these feelings or sit back and hope they might pass. Then again, there was a high probability that we might not survive this. Why shouldn’t I give it a shot? Worst-case scenario, he’ll give me a friendly and polite no, and I’ll respect that.

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. It got a brief sideways glance and a timid half-smile—but it was already more than I could’ve hoped for. Maybe there was something between us, something that had not been there before.

He opened the door into the sanctuary, and I took a deep breath, instantly overwhelmed by the view before me. Ever the careful gentleman, he stilled by my side, firm in his grip, waiting for me to acknowledge the dozens of glowing crystal casings that had been laid out in four long rows. This was the imperial sanctuary, reserved for those who’d belonged to the upper echelon of the Fire Star. A couple more sanctuaries had been built outside the city for the common people who’d fallen under the Hermessi’s influence. This one had been kept small because of the important positions that many of its patients in the planet’s leadership held.

The caskets were fitted with feeding and fluid tubes, a combination of medical care and magic that I instantly recognized as the work of knowledgeable witches. Inside, the affected fae lay dormant, their eyes closed and their skin shimmering bright orange, like beacons of crystal fire. It made me cry a little on the inside, for their lives were hanging by mere threads.

At the end of the first row to our left, I recognized Queen Nuriya—she was just as Taeral had described her, basically impossible to miss, and there were pieces of him I could see in her. I’d never seen a jinni before, not with the lower half of the body manifesting as mist. It was difficult not to stare. Riza had told me about the jinn’s traditional appearance, and how she’d chosen not to adhere to it.

Nuriya stood by Sherus’s casing. Taeral gently pulled me toward them. The closer I got, the better I could see the fae king. He was handsome, much like Taeral, tall and noble even as he slept. Nuriya had kept the crown on his head—according to Taeral, she’d said that a sleeping king was still a king. I could only imagine the toll that this was taking on her.

Between the rows, several witches moved around, making sure that each of the affected fae was well looked after. Following my wandering gaze, Taeral sighed. “The Hermessi clearly don’t discriminate,” he said slowly. “Kings, nobles, warriors, and common folk alike. All here, waiting to be reaped and used as weapons.”

“All the more reason for us to kick the Hermessi in the face, right?” I said, and he chuckled.

He lit up at the sight of his mother, and Nuriya opened her arms to welcome him in a tight embrace. They hugged for the better part of a minute, while I waited quietly by Sherus’s casing.

“What a wonderful surprise,” Nuriya murmured in his ear. “You’re a sight for my sore, sore eyes.”

“I missed you too, Mom,” Taeral replied. He glanced at his father while Nuriya pulled back and gave me the warmest smile. I nearly melted. “This is Eira,” he added.

“Oh, I remember. You mentioned her during one of our talks,” she replied. Indeed, Taeral had spoken my name in his brief conversations with her over the comms line, though I could no longer remember when, exactly. Everything had happened so fast since Taeral had first come to Cerix. “Welcome to the Fire Star, darling. It is an honor to have a Hermessi child in our midst,” she said to me, and I felt my cheeks burn like eager tinderboxes.

“The honor is mine, I assure you,” I said.

“How is he?” Taeral asked, unable to take his eyes off Sherus. I would’ve held him in my arms, right then and there, if I could’ve, if it would’ve done anything to mend his broken heart. This situation was hurting him deeply, despite his strong and reserved façade.

“Same as yesterday, I’m afraid.” Nuriya sighed. “He’s stable, but we don’t know for how long.”

“We do, actually.” Taeral scoffed. “Once the Hermessi reach five million affected fae, he’ll be…” His voice broke. He couldn’t say the words out loud. Nuriya slipped an arm around his broad shoulders and held him close. Tears twinkled in his amber eyes, but none dared to leave and roll down his cheeks.

Looking at them both, I noticed new similarities. I’d always found it interesting how one person could stand next to one parent, then the other, and resemble them both in different ways. Yet on his own, Taeral was unique—the best of both worlds and, from my understanding, an exceptionally rare and unique hybrid. He had the shape of his mother’s eyes and the blackness of her rich hair. Peeking at the crystal casing, I noticed Sherus’s expression as he slept—tranquil, despite his condition, wearing a faint smile. I recognized it. Taeral had Sherus’s smile, down to the fine line that formed at the corner of his mouth, an ephemeral shadow that could only bring joy.

But something troubled me in this scene. Taeral exchanged a few thoughts with his mother and brought her up to speed on what we’d accomplished on Mortis and on our way back to The Shade. I listened carefully, while examining every detail around me. There was a faint sense of familiarity present which I couldn’t put my finger on right away.

“What do Derek and Sofia think about you going back to Cerix?” Nuriya asked, after having been told about Eirexis’s location.

“They believe we’ll get local support from the new prime minister, but that we need to keep a low profile, nonetheless,” Taeral replied. “We’ll use the pink water cave of Hellym to get there. It’s the most inconspicuous way.”

Nuriya nodded slowly, still looking at Sherus in his crystal casing. I followed her gaze, and only then did it hit me. The familiar vibe. It came from him, somehow. There was something about Sherus, or perhaps something inside him that… resonated with me, on a deeper level. As if we knew each other, as if we’d met before. Of course, that was impossible, but it did nothing to wipe away this feeling I had.

Without even realizing it, I touched the crystal surface. My bones hummed. The resonance was even more powerful and confusing to me.

“It’s a good idea, as long as you’re careful,” Nuriya said. “I suppose you’ll have to organize your search areas carefully, as far as Eirexis is concerned. Cerix is a pretty big planet, you’ll need a plan so you don’t waste any time.”

“Kabbah mentioned using my scythe for this,” Taeral said. Nuriya looked at the weapon resting on his leather belt. “It might help, apparently.”

“Like some sort of detector?” she asked.

“Could be.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question,” I said. They both looked at me, eyebrows raised, once more proving their familial similarities. “What kind of fae is Sherus? Is he a full fire fae? Or… I don’t know, is there something different about him?”

“Different? What do you mean?” Taeral asked, understandably confused.

I exhaled sharply, trying to find the right words to explain a feeling I didn’t quite understand, myself. “I feel something resonating from him, if that makes sense? It’s difficult to put into words. He’s not like other fae I’ve come across.” I chuckled nervously. “Now that I think about it, you’re not the average fae to me, either.”

Nuriya grinned. “Taeral is half jinni. I’m sure you know that.”

I nodded. “And that would explain why he feels so different to me. However, I can’t explain why King Sherus has this effect on me.”

“You… feel something resonate from him, you said?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she stared at her husband, probably trying to make more sense of what I’d poorly described. I nodded. “Sherus is a powerful fire fae. His heritage spans millennia; his bloodline is strong. Maybe as a Hermessi child, you are reacting differently to him.”

“That… That would make sense, yes,” I replied, accepting the idea but still unsure as to whether it offered a full explanation or not. As a Hermessi child, I did notice my whole being reacting in the presence of fae. Some shone brighter than others in the back of my head, with Taeral at the very top. But Sherus was something more.

I’d felt like this before. I just needed to figure out when and how and why. It was frustrating. As if a word had gotten stuck on the tip of my tongue, refusing to let go. Nuriya brushed those thoughts away by bringing us back to the main topic.

“Taeral, whatever comes next, I need you to remove yourself from this picture,” she said firmly.

“What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.

She let a deep sigh roll out of her chest, also careful with her choice of words. Judging by the pained look on her face, she was struggling. “Your father might die. You know it, and I know it. It’s an awful thing to say, but it’s the truth.”

“I know,” he whispered.

“I need you to not let these thoughts of him get in your way. Take whatever you’re feeling about this and use it to fuel your energy,” Nuriya said. “Don’t allow yourself any emotional distraction.”

Taeral cleared his throat, a nervous smile trying his lips. “Mom, you don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t put my own father out of my mind.”

“You have to,” Nuriya replied firmly. “For the sake of all of us, you have to. Whatever happens, it seems as though our fate is in your hands, darling. I need you to concentrate and pull through. I need you to remember your military training. You’re a soldier, first and foremost, here and now.”