Page 105 of A Cage of Crystal

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The fog flooded the room once again, forming image after image in rapid succession, as if representing the passing of many days. Teryn saw Emylia and Desmond reading in the library, followed by another scene of them sharing a smile from across a long table. Then they were elbowing each other playfully as they walked side by side down the cobblestone street near the inn. Finally, they exchanged a kiss over the desk in Desmond’s bedroom.

Teryn didn’t know why Emylia was showing him this. These seemed like private moments, not ones meant for great revelations. But as he glanced at the woman beside him, he saw the sad smile curling her lips, the hand she held over her heart. Perhaps she wasn’t replaying these intimate memories for Teryn but for herself. Whoever Desmond was—whether he was Morkai himself, or the sorcerer’s son—it was clear Emylia had fallen in love with him.

The memory shifted again. Emylia flung open Desmond’s bedroom door and found him at his desk inspecting a book. He jumped and slammed the tome shut. Emylia frowned as Desmond shoved the book beneath a stack of papers.

“What are you reading?” she asked.

“Nothing but more boring texts,” Desmond said with a wry grin. He ran his hand through his black tresses, revealing a hint of a slightly angled ear. Teryn’s breath caught. Had Morkai had ears like that? Teryn couldn’t recall. It hadn’t been something he’d ever paid attention to. “You, on the other hand, are a far more interesting sight.”

Emylia beamed and rushed to Desmond’s side, taking his face in her hands. He wrapped his arms around her waist as they met in a passionate kiss. When their lips finally parted, Emylia kept her forehead pressed to his. “I found it,” she whispered.

Desmond pulled back. “Found what?”

“I saw it, Des. It’s called El’Ara.”

His silver-blue eyes went wide. “The name of the fae realm? My father’s true home?”

Emylia bounced on the balls of her feet, hardly able to contain her excitement. “Yes.”

He bolted upright to stand. “So you can find it now? Find out how to get there?”

“That’s why I’m here, aren’t I?”

Desmond winked. “I assumed it was because you loved me.”

She perched on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I do, but business first.”

Desmond moved from behind the desk and let Emylia take her place in his chair. Like before, she removed her crystal from around her neck and brought it between her palms. This time, instead of perching at the edge of the bed, Desmond kneeled beside the desk.

Emylia settled into her meditative state. After a few deep breaths, she spoke. “Show me how to enter El’Ara.”

Her eyelids fluttered, eyes darting side to side beneath them. For several long moments, she said nothing. Then, “I’m seeing something.”

Desmond leaned closer to the desk. “What do you see?”

“A…wall. It’s a wall of thread, and it’s surrounding me, blocking everywhere I try to look.”

“Cut the threads.”

“They can’t be cut, but…I think there’s a window. A weakness.”

Desmond’s fingers curled at his sides.

“I’m getting something,” Emylia whispered. “The way in. I see…truth. Someone is speaking from behind this wall of threads.”

“What are they saying?”

She shook her head. “I’m a seer, not an oracle. It’s harder for me to turn images to words, but…no, I see it.”

Another stretch of silence.

“So long as the Veil remains,” Emylia said, each word slow and careful, “the Blood of Darius cannot enter El’Ara.”

Teryn frowned. Who—or what—was the Blood of Darius?

Desmond, however, wasn’t concerned by the name Darius but something else. “The Veil? What is the Veil?”

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