Page 102 of Lore of the Tides

“Forward it is,” she said and stepped onward, her gaze unwavering.

“To pass,” the creature rumbled, its voice echoing through the cavern, “you must answer my riddle.”

“We seekAuroradel, the Book of Sunbeams,” she declared, “to restore balance to our world.”

The creature’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. “Pretty words, little witch, but you will not find what you seek unless you can answer my riddle.”

“How many chances do I get?”

“One.”

That wasn’t very many. Lore wasn’t even good at riddles! “What about my friends here? Do they each get a chance?”

The creature blinked eyes of unfathomable depths. “Only the one who seeksAuroradelmay answer. Only the one who seeksAuroradelmay pass through.”

Lore squared her shoulders, preparing to get on with it, when Finndryl pulled her aside. “Lore, what do you know about this being? A reverie?”

“This is the first time I’m hearing about them.”

“This creature is ancient and rare. I’ve only known one person who has ever even seen one... and lived to tell the tale.”

“Oh, lovely. Wait, what happened?”

“My aunt Caia, my father’s sister, was determined to make a name for herself—she wanted to be a legend. So Caia and her closest friend went searching for a pawa, a creature similar to this one—only if you answer its riddle correctly will it gift you one of its many ears. With one of its ears, you will be able to hear people’s darkest secrets and greatest desires.”

Lore’s throat went dry. “What happened to your aunt Caia, Finn?”

“She answered the riddle wrong, so the creature ate her. It grew two more ears that day.”

“I thought you said she lived to tell the tale!”

“Her friend is the one who lived to tell my father how his youngest sister died.”

Lore felt queasy. “I see. So what you’re saying is, if I answer this wrong... I won’t just get turned away. The creature gets to eat me?”

“Yes. That is the bargain you make when you deal with reveries.”

“Maybe we should turn back. There could be another way. We haven’t even looked!” Hazen whispered.

Lore shook her head. “There is no other way.” Without the grimoire, there was no way to save her people. There was no way to fix all the wrongs in their lives.This was the only way.

“Hazen is right. Lore, it is one thing to solve a puzzle; it is another thing to risk beingeaten. Even with my new magic, even with a thousand swords, I would not be able to defeat this creature and save you.”

Lore closed her eyes. This felt impossible, though she knew thatimpossiblewasn’t enough to stop her from trying.

And then a thought struck her. Was this whyAuroradelhad spoken to her in riddle form? Was it preparing her for this moment? If she could not solve its riddle, then she would not be ready. But she had, she had solved it. And here she was.

“And I would not want you to risk trying. Who else will tell my story?” She leaned up and pressed her forehead to his, breathing in his spiced scent. “I need you to trust me. Nothing in this world will stop me from reachingAuroradel.”

“Come back to me, Lore.” His voice was gruff, thick with emotion. “I am no writer; I can’t tell our story without you.”

Lore laughed, somehow, even though she was scared shitless right now. “Just as well. Nobody would read it if you wrote it. It wouldn’t be funny at all.”

His answering chuckle filled her with warmth. “I would write the facts and nothing more. Imagine how terrible it would be.”

“It would put anyone to sleep who even dared read the first page. I’llhaveto come back to help you.”

“Exactly. I want to write our story, as we live it—together.”

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