Page 50 of When the Moon Met the Sun

I heard Teagan shush her little sister, then cleared her throat. “I think what Margo is trying to say is, does this mean you’re finally ready to train with us?”

I took a sip of water, then nodded. “Definitely.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you had zirilium in the first place?” Ezra asked, though his voice carried a tone of genuine curiosity, no sense of foul play.

At his question, I gently set my fork down. I felt Robyn shift his leg closer to mine until our legs touched, and I knew he was offering me silent encouragement. I used the feeling to ground myself, and took a deep breath.

“From the moment my father realized I could wield, he kept me hidden away. I was kept out of the public’s eye, and didn’t even have my own set of servants or guards. He wanted to keep my abilities a secret, because he wanted Dimitri, my twin, to be crowned his heir. The only other person who knew was my best friend,” I explained, keeping my eyes downcast.

“Why didn’t you tell anybody your zirilium was getting backed up? This morning could have been avoided all together,” Quinn stated, her voice holding an edge to it.

“I’m not used to depending on other people or working in a group. I’ve always had to handle things on my own, and I thought I could handle this, too,” I sighed. “But this morning was a turning point for me. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Stars, you’re complicated.” Quinn said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Good try. Now tell us therealreason.”

I snapped my head up and gaped at her, taken aback at her bluntness, but a small part of me knew she was right.

“Quinn,” Rayven, of all people, said her name as a warning. But Quinn didn’t break eye contact with me, waiting for an answer.

I realized then that she was challenging me. And I refused to keep hiding.

“I’ve hurt people in the past with my zirilium, and I was worried if I let it out, I might hurt one of you. I realize now that was a flawed way of thinking, but the pain was so intense at the time, I wasn’t thinking rationally.” I paused, looking around the table now instead of solely at Quinn. “I apologize for putting you all in danger.”

The table was quiet for a moment, but all eyes were on me. Then, in a quiet voice I heard Margo asked, “Who got hurt?”

In an instant, Robyn jumped in. “You don’t have to answer that—" he started, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“It’s alright, Robyn. Things have to change, starting now.”

I slowly got to my feet, and I could feel the emotions welling up in my chest as I thought back. Guilt, sadness, and grief choked me, but I swallowed it down and looked around the table once again as I spoke, making sure to meet everybody in the eye.

“When I was young, even younger than Margo, I-I… had an accident.” I took a deep breath. “My zirilium had just recently surfaced, and I was practicing in secret with my mother. Father discovered us, and things got heated fast and… in a freak accident, I mistakenly took my own mother’s life with my abilities.” I said the last part with less confidence than before, tears threatening to well in my eyes, but I rapidly blinked them away.

I cleared my throat as the table was shocked into silence, and I continued. “In my memory, I only recall a bright blue light when I touched my mother that day. I always thought I had used lightning to kill her, but after this morning, I wonder if maybe it had been fire, instead. Though, I suppose I’ll never know. After that day, Father had me start trying different elixirs until we found one he settled on. I didn’t know what it was in the beginning, I just knew I felt weaker. Now I know they were nullifying anything about me that was Southern, anything like my mother.”

I saw Quinn glance at my right eye, and hoped she realized I meant that change, too, was hidden until recently.

I stood there after I finished speaking for what felt like ages, before Rayven finally met my eyes. He suddenly stood up, placed a fist over his heart, and said, “I wield shadows, and I vow to help train you in the ways of shadow zirilium, my queen.”

I gasped at the sudden act of faith, especially from him. He was generally very quiet, and not somebody I’d spent much time with. I nodded my head slightly in his direction, a silent thanks. He dipped his head in an act of respect.

Teagan stood up next, following Rayven’s lead, placing a fist over her heart. “I wield earth and plants, and I vow to help train you in the ways of earth and plant zirilium, my queen.”

Chess shot up out of his chair, fist over his chest. “I wield plants, and I vow to help, too, my queen!”

A smile broke out across my face, and I couldn’t believe what was unraveling before me.

Robyn stood up next to me, following suit. “I wield crystal, earth, plants, and fire, and I vow to help train you in the ways of all of the above, but especially fire,my wife.”

I gasped at his last words, at his claim in that moment. I couldn’t help but notice the way he looked around the table, clearly proud of the people he called his closest friends. His Valwain.

There was a beat of silence before Quinn’s chair scraped against the wooden floor as she stood. She slowly raised her fist to her heart. “I wield fire and crystal, and I command armies. I vow to help train you in the ways of crystals and war, my queen.” She looked around, then met my gaze. “Don’t make me regret this.”

I dipped my head to her slightly, a show of respect and acknowledgement.

Ezra and Margo hopped out of their chairs, placing their fists over their hearts, and vowed to help in any way they possibly could.

Finally, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Tears welled in my eyes, and I looked at each of them with awe.

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