Page 32 of Ecliptic

“I hope you can wear it again one day,” I said, knowing what it was like not to own anything from your old life but wishing you had one thing of value to hold on to.

Rowen offered me a small smile. “Me too. Though I would much rather have you than any possession,” he said softly. “Maybe one day I can take you to the ruins of Viltarran. Show you where my mother raised me.”

“I would love that,” I replied with a sincere smile.

Suddenly, our eyes snapped forward as the prison guards came into view, their imposing stances doing little to help my nerves.

Dyani had wanted Rowen banished from the village, and I worried this was her plan to get us both kicked out. Was her friendly demeanor at the training grounds a distraction? Was she earning my trust now, only to stab me in the back later?

We approached Minroe and another guard, their stern faces offering nothing. It felt like my heart was beating out of my chest as we stepped within their line of sight. Even if I had to use the excuse we’d planned for being here, I doubted they would believe it.

But without a word, the guards parted, letting us pass with a nod.

Rowen and I let out a shared breath of relief.

Dyani had told the truth.

I’d never seen the Wyn prison, much less knew they had one. Over the last few days, I’d convinced myself I’d find a suffering man in a cold, dark dungeon, but when we rounded the wall, and the cell came into view, I halted, my eyes widening.

Despite the entwined branches forming a prison around him and the two armed guards, it looked like the prisoner was basking in paradise. The sun and ever-glowing stars cast their radiant beams upon his face, illuminating his features with a serene glow. He looked peaceful, idly rolling a flower stem between his fingertips.

As if sensing my presence, his eyes snapped to mine.

“You,” I seethed as I charged the wooden bars, Rowen following in my footsteps.

The prisonersmiled.Actually grinned at me as if we were friends.

“How?” I demanded.

“Well, hello to you, too, Keira,” said a voice I’d only ever heard in agony and torment, but now, it sounded light, happy. Free. “It’s nice to meet you. Officially.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve met before,” I replied to the man with onyx-black hair, angular eyes, and a square jaw. “When you violated my mind, remember? How did you even get out of the crevice, much less back into your body?” I asked the stranger who’d once lain beside me in the hospital. Who I’d met again in the crevice when he’d tried to possess my body with his astrally torn soul. “How the hell did you get here, Maddock?”

“Keira, is this . . .” Rowen’s voice cut through the tense silence, and the prisoner’s gaze shot to my soul flame. A fleeting expression flashed in the depths of his eyes before returning to me.

“Madds.”

“What?”

“I prefer to go by Madds,” he stated matter-of-factly, lounging in the comfort of his well-lit cell. “‘Maddock’ always felt a bit too stuffy. Father loved it, though.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck!” I screamed at the man who I’d caught sunbathing in one of the most pleasant cells I’d ever seen.

Rowen bristled beside me in a shockwave of fury. “This is the man from the crevice?”

“It is,” I seethed through a clenched jaw. I’d pictured this man paying for his violent crimes in the crevice with Erovos and Demil. Seeing him here, twirling flowers and smiling, sent my mind thrashing like a wild bull. There were no chains or irons, only twisted branches fashioned into a small yet comfortable prison; the space was furnished with a simple wooden chair, bed, and desk. The view was open and refreshing, giving him a clear panorama of the Sillarial Peaks.

I didn’t need to see this.

“Keira,” he said as I turned to leave. “Please don’t go. Let me explain.” He charged the wooden bars and grabbed me. I shot a glare at his fingers wrapped around my arm, and a surge of disgust boiled up inside me. Yet, after months of no physical contact, his touch felt . . . warm.

Rowen charged the prisoner and yanked his hand off me. “Touch her again and you will no longer have hands,” he snarled, exposing the peaks of his canines. “If you weren’t Nepta’s prisoner, you would already be dead.”

“Ow! Jeez. Yeah, you must be the boyfriend,” Maddock said as he shook out his wrist. “Got it. No touchy.”

“How can you touch me when no one else can?” I asked with a putrid taste in my mouth. I hated asking him anything, but my curiosity outweighed my pride.

Maddock’s eyes flashed to Rowen. “You can’t touch her?”

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