Page 36 of A World of Ruins

Arlayna nods solemnly, her gaze drifting to the floor. ‘We have brought over what you asked for.’

I perk up despite the atmosphere of the room. ‘A Galgr?’

‘Yes. She was hard to capture, but—’ She clears her throat. ‘We kept her hidden from the sun.’

‘Thank you—’

‘We should warn you, though,’ she cuts me off. ‘Despite a Galgr’s ability to restore memories, we don’t know to what extent Aurum has messed with Darius’s mind. This isn’t just about remembering, Nara. You mentioned he believes he has lived a different life. This could make things worse.’

‘And you should also know that Aurum’s intentions are not to just take over kingdoms.’

The male voice startles me into snapping my head up at Aeron, now standing at the edge of my settee. He was so stealthy in coming over that I had not even heard him.

‘During his visit to Olcar a few weeks ago, he spoke to Thallan about why he needed to return to the Isle of Elements.’ He looks at Arlayna and lingering passion ripples from their pores and I wonder if anyone else has discovered their connection. ‘He is slowly decaying.’

My brows scrunch into a frown as Aeron’s hazel eyes meet mine.

‘I believe the consequence of what the Isle gave him were that his youth would be taken away,’ he says. ‘It won’t kill him, but one day, sooner or later, he will look like death itself.’

My vision goes in and out of focus, and I glance down at my hands like that will help me regain control. If Aurum returns to the Isle of Elements, I am certain the world will suffer gravely, more so than it is right now.

‘Why did you not inform me of this?’ Arlayna sounds betrayed.

Aeron whispers, ‘I did not wish to worry you, princess.’

It goes quiet until I manage to push out a breath from my lungs and drag my gaze back up to Aeron. ‘Then why didn’t he go back?’

‘I’m not sure.’ His nostrils flare as he thinks about it. ‘I believe he is waiting for something – something that doesn’t just involve reversing his decaying looks.’

That puts a bitter taste in my mouth, but at least now I know. It means I am prepared to face Aurum again. ‘Thank you, Aeron.’ A tight-lipped smile. ‘For telling me this.’

With his hands clasped behind his back, he bows his head at me, but the doors suddenly burst open and I jump from my seat, already sensing something is wrong.

Freya has her arms out wide as she holds on to the wooden double doors. All she manages to say is ‘Nara,’ before I sprint out of the chamber without saying a word to Arlayna, Faye or Aeron.

I rush down to the prison cells, my heart beating louder than the stomps of my feet against the ground.

I skid to a halt outside Darius’s cell and go completely still.

He’s curled up on the floor, sweat glistening on his brow as he clenches the sides of his head. And through chafing gasps, he mutters, ‘Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three—’

Freya finally reaches the cells, her ringlets tousled from running.

She throws me the keys and I yell, ‘What happened?’ as I burst through the cell door and throw myself on the floor in front of Darius.

‘He—’ Freya stumbles on her words, panicked. ‘He was fine, but then—I—I felt this pain come from him and—’

‘. . . forty-four, forty-five, forty-six—’ Darius continues counting, and dread stabs at my stomach, seeing him in this state.

‘Go get Gus.’ I look over my shoulder, and when Freya doesn’t budge, I shout, ‘Now!’

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Darius never stops counting.

Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine . . .It goes on as if it is all his mind will allow.

When part of his shirt rides up, I notice a mark on the left side of his abdomen that I haven’t seen before. A symbol darker than the tone of his flesh, of two straight lines and an arrowhead going across as if pointing to . . . north?

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