Page 78 of The Shattered Rite
No, young one. You are far from crazy. What you have faced has killed lesser-folk. Our bond gives you strength and your blood gives you an edge, but you are doing far better than even I could have hoped.
She let her head fall back against the stone, exhaling softly. “See, now that just makes me more nervous.”
Why?
“Because if this is me doing well, I hate to think what failing looks like.”
A pause. And then, dry as a winter wind:You would not still be standing.
Eliryn let out something like a laugh—a sharp, breathless sound. “Valid.”
She closed her eyes, breathing in slowly through her nose. Her fingers curled reflexively at her sides. Her knuckles ached from how long she’d gripped her sword.
“And you’re sure Malric is not part of the trials?”
I am not sure what role he plays. There are many things at work within Castle Othren.A pause, then more softly:But in that moment… he was not feeling malice. Not toward you.
She pressed a hand to her sternum, over the pendant. Her palm felt clammy against the warm metal.
“Then why do I feel like I’ve just made a mistake somehow?”
Because he, like you, has gone unnoticed for so long. And that commonality intrigues you both.
“I didn’t want to be intriguing.”
Your heartbeat said otherwise.
Eliryn blinked, frowning. “…Did you just make a joke?”
A beat of silence.I am capable of humor.
“That wasn’t humor. That was unsettling.”
And you’re awfully reckless for a girl who can barely see,Vaeronth replied, wry and fond.
She smirked despite herself, brushing damp hair from her face. “Fair enough.”
She let herself slide down the wall until she was sitting, sword resting across her lap. The weight of it felt unfamiliar now. Everything did.
“He unnerves me.”
There’s lessons to be learned in all things.
She let out a shaky laugh. “If I live long enough to learn them.”
We will.
The certainty in Vaeronth’s voice made her chest tighten. She didn’t believe it—not fully. But for now, she let herself borrow his faith.
For a time, they sat in silence, dragon and rider. Just breathing. Just listening.
But peace, like all things in the maze, was not built to last.
As she pushed herself upright and rounded the next corner, the quiet began to stretch unnaturally. No sound of stone beneath her leathered feet. No echoes. No distant shouts or monster roars.
It was still.
Too still.
