Page 266 of The Ascended
I tucked the vial into a hidden pocket in my gown, grateful for her foresight. "Thank you. For everything."
Lyralei smiled, backing away. "Soon. I will see you soon."
With a final, gentle touch to my cheek, she swept from the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my reflection—a stranger dressed as a goddess, preparing to become somethingother.
Hours later,I emerged onto one of the castle's upper terraces, where Xül stood waiting. The sight of him stole my breath. He was dressed in rich fabrics of deep crimson and gold, with the crest of his domain stitched into the upper left corner of his coat. His braids were pulled back, emphasizing the perfect angles of his face, and a golden crown sat upon his head. It was the first time I'd ever seen him wear one.
Marx shot me a knowing look before turning to Aelix, engaging him in conversation.
"Nervous?" Xül asked, his voice low.
"Terrified," I admitted. With anyone else, I might have maintained the facade of strength I'd worn like armor these past months. But not with him. Never with him, not anymore.
"Good," he said, surprising me. "Fear keeps you sharp. Keeps you alive."
"Is that official princely advice?" I asked, my voice lightly mocking. "Fear is good?"
"Its necessary," he corrected, his eyes scanning the horizon. "But don't let it control you. Channel it."
"Into what?"
His gaze returned to mine, burning with an intensity that made me shiver. "Into power. Into survival." His fingers brushed against mine, the touch sending electricity up my arm. "I have plans for you, Thais Morvaren, that require you to be very much alive for a very long time."
"Plans?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You know how I feel about being told what to do."
The smile that spread across his face was blinding. "Oh, I'm counting on it, starling. Your defiance is half the fun." His eyes darkened as they raked over me, lingering on my lips. "The other half isn't suitable for public discussion."
Tension sparked and settled low in my core. Before I could respond, the air began to shimmer, a portal beginning to form.
"Saved by divine intervention," I murmured, earning a low chuckle from him.
"Merely delayed," he corrected, his voice a silken threat of the most delicious kind. "We have eternity, after all."
"Sundralis," Aelix murmured.
The portal stabilized, revealing a glimpse of what lay beyond—blinding brightness, soaring architecture, a domain of pure daylight. Sundralis, the heart of the divine realm, Olinthar's dominion.
My father's kingdom.
Xül stepped forward, his posture rigid with barely contained tension. He held out his hand to me, palm up. An offering, not a command.
"Ready?" he asked.
I looked around one last time at the domain that had been my prison, my training ground, and eventually, something like home. The black sand beaches visible in the distance. The crimson sky. The castle of nightmares that had witnessed so much of my transformation.
I placed my hand in Xül's, his skin warm against mine. "Together," I said, the word a promise.
His fingers closed around mine with fierce possessiveness. "Always."
Together, we stepped toward the portal, Marx and Aelix close behind. The golden light of Sundralis reached out to engulf us, pulling us into blinding day.
My last thought before the transition took me was of Thatcher, waiting somewhere in that kingdom of light.
I'm coming, I sent through our bond, hoping he could feel me approaching.
And with Xül's hand still firmly clasping mine, the golden light swallowed us whole.
Chapter 62
