Page 10 of From the Myths of Kings

“You have command over the oasis?” Saoirse asked as they ducked through the stone archway.

“No, just the stone,” Tezrus answered. “No one has dominion over the oasis. You probably know I hail from Terradrin.” He gestured to his white hair and colorless eyes, evidence of his aptitude for living in darkness.

“My father was a stone-singer. Stone-singers are extremely useful underground. They’re always needed to re-form tunnels and repair collapsed chambers. Before I gave my life to the Order as a young lad, my father prepared to take me on as an apprentice when my gift of stone-singing was apparent. They always need more stone-singers, especially down in the mines.”

The hallway opened into a large chamber that lit by bioluminescent lichen on the walls. The room was furnished simply, filled only with necessities and a large stone shelf crammed with books.

“Please sit,” Tezrus said, gesturing to the stone table at the center of the room. He took a seat in one of the chairs and beckoned to them. “I’m sure you’re hungry as well,” he noted, watching as their eyes landed hungrily on the bowl of ripe mangoes at the center of the table. “You’re free to eat as many as you like.”

Saoirse settled in the chair across from Tezrus, adjusting the various weapons hanging from her so she could sit more easily. It would’ve been better to take off the bulky blades, but she still didn’t trust the oasis and its tricks even if Tezrus assured them they were safe in his dwelling. She eyed the tempting fruit that shone like jewels in the dark chamber, but her stomach was so twisted with nerves she didn’t think she could force a bite down. Aurelia, on the other hand, took the chair next to hers and casually plucked a mango from the bowl, biting into it and gazing expectantly at Tezrus.

Noora was hesitant at first, her eyes flicking back to the entrance of the chamber, a muscle in her jaw flexing. After a beat, she took a reluctant seat next to Saoirse.

“So,” Tezrus began, “you sought me out because the Order of Elders finally fulfilled their task of releasing the Titans’ long-lost sister from imprisonment.” It was more of a statement than a question. The faint light from the undying flames limned his pallid complexion, making his near-translucent skin appear blue. “Why do you need my help?” His milky white eyes glowed as he posed the question, as if he was searching for a very specific answer. Saoirse sensed that if she said the wrong thing, he would shutter any truth away.

“The Sea Witch?Selussa?has two out of four Relics in her possession,” Saoirse began carefully. “She seeks to awaken the Titans with all four Relics and release them from their ancient prison. We’ve been told you’re the only one who knows how to defeat her.”

Even seeing Selussa’s dark magic firsthand, it was still hard for Saoirse to believe the words herself. She’d learned of the ancient Myths of Old growing up. The stories had deteriorated over time and truth had faded into myth, the once-revered legends unraveling into the dreams of fanatics and bedtime stories told to children. Until recently, Saoirse hadn’t believed in the Titans, mighty but terrible god-like beings said to have created each unique kingdom of Revelore and the people who inhabited them. When Selussa revealed that the legends of the Titans and their defeat were all true, Saoirse’s entire understanding of the world was shaken and her duty to protect her people became even more imperative. The world as they knew it could be at Hel’s gate.

Tezrus was quiet for a moment, his inscrutable gaze leveled intently on Saoirse. He didn’t seem surprised by anything she’d just revealed. Saoirse had expected the old man to balk at the news after hiding away from the world for twenty years, but he merely leaned forward and folded his hands on the table, as though he’d been waiting for this moment a long time.

“No,” he breathed. “Why do you need my help? You don’t think others have come before you, hunting my secrets by blade or by word? Perhaps the stakes were not as dire nor were the threats so cosmic in nature. But their hunger for knowledge was rooted in selfish gain, steeped in indiscriminate greed. I turned them all away.

“Why should my wisdom be used to save the world when Revelore has already been sentenced to death by its own corruption? You may think Selussa has suddenly tainted Revelore with her darkness, but I assure you, our world has been slowly poisoned by the greed of kings for far longer. What happens after you stop Selussa and the Titans, Daughter of the Sea? Will your kingdoms return to bitter rivalry and meaningless bloodshed over a piece of metal? Will the Tournament continue decade after countless decade, until nothing but blood and ash remains? Perhaps the Titans should return and remake the world anew. So I ask you again: Why do you need my help?”

Saoirse stared at him, taken aback by the bold question. She flexed her fingers under the table and bit the inside of her cheek. That familiar stitch of guilt in her heart tugged tighter. He was probing for a deeper answer. But Saoirse didn’t want to voice it out loud. Somehow, breathing life into her fears to anyone, let alone this stranger, was a far more terrifying prospect than speaking of ancient gods and monsters.

She tried to open her mouth to answer, but the words were caught in her throat, that stitch of guilt holding her back from expressing the thoughts brimming in her head. All the reasons Saoirse needed Tezrus’s help crashed into her all at once. She needed his help because if she couldn’t stop Selussa from destroying the world, no one would. She needed his help because almost everything she loved had vanished like dust in the wind. She needed his help because of everyone she’d lost leading up to this point, and for all those who would come after her.

Her mother. Her father. Rook.

Their faces passed through her mind like phantoms, reminding her why she was here. Falling in love with her greatest enemy had opened Saoirse’s eyes to the corruption of the Tournament and the legacy of hatred she had been led to believe was the only way forward. Whether or not Rook ever forgave her, he had given her something greater than love and even more irrevocable: He gave her the truth.

“I need your help because my people are in danger,” Saoirse said, her voice hitching with emotion. “Nearly everyone I love has been taken from me. This goes beyond the Tournament, beyond our petty rivalries and political games. I know you may hesitate to trust my word, given that my kingdom has fought bitterly against her fellow nations for decades.”

Saoirse hesitated for a moment, deciding how much to share with Tezrus. She felt a sudden swell of shame in her heart, cutting her from within like a dagger. Everything, she decided. If she wanted the truth from Tezrus, she needed to share everything with him.

She exhaled slowly and began to confess. “All my life, I’ve hated the rest of Revelore. My hatred ran so deep I made a desperate deal with the Sea Witch for a chance to win the Tournament. I didn’t think twice about agreeing to kill a stranger. He was an Auran prince, and that was all the reason I needed to end his life. I was so blinded by the desire to win, I couldn’t even see the deception in Selussa’s bargain. I didn’t know I’d been played until it was too late. You see, I am the reason Selussa was set free and why she is now one step closer to resurrecting the Titans.”

Under the table, Aurelia’s hand found hers. She twined their fingers together and squeezed Saoirse’s hand once. Anchored by Aurelia’s steady reassurance, Saoirse continued, “You may think that I want glory, that I want to be the one to defeat the Titans so I can solidify my right to the Crown of Revelore. I’ll admit that may have been true at one point. If I was still the same person who made that bargain, I might’ve come to you today with ulterior motives.”

She thought of how easily she had given up the dark pearl to Selussa, one of the four Relics used to defeat the Titans. The hunger to defeat her enemies had been so potent Saoirse had surrendered her power over the sea and practically handed over the keys to free the greatest threat to their world. It was painful to think of how foolish she’d been, a keen burn in her stomach like salt in a wound.

“But I am that person no longer. I don’t want to merely stop Selussa from resurrecting the Titans. I want to see the institution of the Tournament crumble to the ground entirely. I want Revelore to be united once more, just as we were centuries ago. When our ancestors came together to defeat their gods, they ushered in an era of peace that lasted for centuries. I believe we can come together once more.” Rook had given her a glimpse of that world. Hasana had made her believe obtaining it was possible..

“No,” Saoirse said, blood racing hot through her veins, “I don’t think the Titans should return and remake the world. I believe we can remake it on our own.”

Saoirse’s voice echoed through the chamber, her impassioned words igniting the arid room like lightning crackling on the horizon. It was cathartic to confess her mistakes and bring her shame to light. She was shocked to find her cheeks damp with tears. Saoirse hadn’t realized how badly she needed to release her guilt. Just because she’d made mistakes didn’t mean she was enslaved to them, she realized. And she meant every word. She did want to see the world reborn.

Tezrus said nothing, his white brows knitting together as her words sank in. His countenance softened toward her. “Very well, Daughter of the Sea. I will tell you what I know. But you must understand that defeating the Titans will cost you greatly. To take their lives once and for all, something must be taken from you in return.”

She looked at Aurelia, who hadn’t let go of her hand the whole time. Her face was alight with pride. Saoirse had already lost everything dear to her. But she would lose it all again if it meant saving Revelore and those who remained.

“I understand,” she told Tezrus with a solemn nod. Even if it cost Saoirse her life, she’d gladly pay the price.

The old man settled back in his chair, preparing to unspool threads of truth. Saoirse held her breath.

“Let me first tell you the story of how I came to join the Order of Elders. You recall that I was originally raised as my father’s apprentice as a stone-singer?” His eyes grew distant, shining with memories of his youth. “My father worked the mines when I was a lad. He made a living singing to the stone, searching for precious gems deep in the earth. He could find veins of diamond running through rock quicker than anyone else in the Under Kingdom. My mother didn’t have the gift of stone-singing, but she worked alongside him, cracking open stones with her pickaxe while my father followed the call of the crystals.

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