Page 55 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

Aiden remained on the other side where she had left him, but those shale eyes still tracked her every step.

With the silent lake behind, Alora leaned her forearms on top of the faded wood, stopping to take in the expanse of the valley. She could view the entire camp from there. To her left, the forest was the thickest, allowing little hope of successfully escaping through it without drawing attention or slowing herself down. Her eyes scanned across the tree line until her view became blocked by large, long tents—barracks, she presumed. Next, she landed on three large, upright weapon racks on the other side of the arena. All brimming with various sizes of swords, warhammers, battle axes, throwing stars, knives, bows with arrows, and … daggers.

Her dagger. The obsidian blade she had acquired from the green faerie in the markets was … was itgone? The High Prince had swallowed it with his shadows.What did that mean for it?She wrinkled her nose as she gripped the top of the arena wall tightly, about to curse his name, when a familiar voice called to her.

“Alora!” Eldacar waved with a book as he stumbled to the wall. “So nice to see you again. Did you come to practice your skills?”

She lifted her hands, forming fists and unfurling them—repeatedly. “Nope. I still can’t use my magic. Courtesy of your beloved High Prince.” Her voice pierced with sarcasm.

Eldacar pushed his glasses up with a wrinkled nose. “Soon. I’m sure of it.” And patted her hand.

Sure… Soon.She didn’t believe him.

Alora gripped the wall and leaned over, scanning across it until her eyes found Aiden. “Could I borrow some books about my magic? I’d love to learn more.” Maybe once she passed the High Prince’s shield, her powers would return.

Eldacar paused.

“What?” Alora crossed her arms, tightening her face. “He won’t allow that either, will he?”

“No! No.” He smiled, cheeks swelling, pushing his glasses upwards. “Of course! I had hoped to see you again today. I brought one out for you in anticipation.” He held up a finger and spun around, almost knocking into a soldier walking by. His short, red hair swayed as he nearly skipped over to the table full of books and rifled through them until he landed upon a blue leather-bound book wrapped with leather strings. Eldacar’s grin widened. “There you are! If I remember correctly, you’ll want to start on page … twenty-three.”

Alora pulled the book from his hands with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Eldacar.” Her hands gliding over the engraved, burning butterfly on its cover when someone at the far end of the arena shouted in victory.

Short, golden hair reflected shards of sunlight, so pale it reminded her of Rowlen. She bit back a wave of heartache, watching as a female stood above the male, a sword edge dangerously close to his throat. The corners of her mouth twitched, almost smiling, before splashing from the lake drew her attention.

She turned around, along with Eldacar.

A faerie with prismed scales, covering her exposed skin, walked between two walls of waves. Offering a perfect view of the lake’s bottom. And jumping between those walls, sea creatures formed only of water splashed and merged with the lake’s water. That faerie and her magic allowed the walls to crash behind her every step, closing the tunnel as she crossed the white stones of its shore, teal hair, and battle-black armor completely dry, meeting Alora’s enchanted eyes with a welcoming grin.

Alora was almost too awestruck to speak but managed, “There’s so many of my kind here. I’ve never seen powers like these.” Her eyes glistened, tracking the movements of the water faerie conjuring a helmet-sized flying dragon in the sky.

“Would you like to learn about them?” Eldacar sheepishly grinned, and Alora nodded. “Wonderful!” Clambering over the wall and using his hand to brace himself when his feet betrayed him, Eldacar led her to a nearby cluster of trees off the edge of the lake.

The stories poured from him soon after.

She was starry-eyed listening to his tales—his knowledge. Completely enthralled.

Eldacar was much different from the rest. Not stone-cold like Jade, rather warm and kind-hearted. Soft-spoken, much like Thalon, but more reserved with a shy demeanor. He was quite the opposite of Aiden. Not one for attention or dramatics, surely not one for jokes. But when he held his books, when he spoke of magic …thatwas Eldacar. And she thought him to be much younger than the rest, sitting there, gleaming over his books. Like a faeling who loved stories—he was created for storytelling. Made for the books themselves. Their keeper. Their interpreter.

His brown eyes irradiated confidence as he spoke.

“… and then there are earth shifters. Now they are really quite something. Imagine commanding Elysian’s tallest and strongest mountains to simply pick themselves up and move. Something as simple as a bowl of dirt turned into a marching army. Making grass into tiny daggers. They are really sublime!” Eldacar plucked a blade of grass and pretended that it was a weapon. “And healers. Mystics who can touch a festering wound and seal it to healthy skin. Can you imagine that?” He cupped a hand against his chest, utterly awestruck.

“I don’t have to imagine. My closest friend had those abilities. He cared for me a great deal of times when…”When Kaine would?—

Alora pushed the thought from her mind as tears lined her eyes. She sniffed and wiped one on her sleeve. Rowlen deserved the thought, and Kaine wouldn’t ruin it—not this time, anyway.

But Eldacar’s face still softened with troubled curiosity. A pitiful reminder.

He pushed up his glasses, shuffling in the dirt beside her with a tender lilt to his tone. “Is everything alright?” Before she said a word, he pulled a cloth from his jacket and handed it to her.

‘Please, be careful.’Rowlen’s voice brushed her like a whisper in the wind. Alora pictured him there, standing beside the trees. Even though it was devastatingly obvious that hewasn’t truly there, she still felt something like calming flutters rest on her heart.

Why hadn’t I just stayed?

‘Please, be careful.’She saw herself walking away. Why did she walk away?

A choked whimper escaped her lips. “I … I don’t know if he’s alive.” Alora wiped another tear and pushed herself up onto her feet. That was enough weakness. Time to shove it away, bury it deep until she could find him again. Shewouldfind him again. “Thank you Eldacar. This was very nice. I’m going to take this book back to my tent and read for a while, if that’s okay?” She smiled at him, a real smile, as tears still threatened to fall.

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