Page 87 of A Cage of Crystal

Panic laced her throat as she realized what he was saying; she was expected to marry Terynnow. To become queennow.

She shook her head. “I was never meant to rule, Dimi. I am here to helpyou. To reclaim your birthright and establish your legacy. I never intended…”

She couldn’t finish. How could she admit that she’d seen her role as a temporary one?

Dimetreus’ brows knitted into a furrow. “Are you not happy here, Aveline?” When she gave no answer—for what could she even say in such a frazzled state?—he spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. “I know you could have abandoned me at Centerpointe Rock, but you didn’t. That was selfless of you. Should you reject the burden I’m placing upon your head, I won’t blame you. Never could I begrudge you a life of freedom if that is what you want.”

Cora’s chest expanded with a light feeling. He was giving her permission…to say no. To reject her birthright and leave Khero to…

To what? To ruin? To be conquered by King Verdian? With his brothers’ positions, it would be easy to accomplish. Was that something Cora could live with? To end the Caelan line just to shrug off the burden of the throne and run free in the woods?

It was selfish to even consider such a thing. She was stronger than fear. Stronger than the weight of a crown.

Dimetreus spoke again. “Whatever you choose, I will support you. But I must make one request—consider love, Aveline. Don’t shy away from it if that is what makes you hesitate. You and I have lost much in our lives. Our parents. Linette. But I promise you, love is worth it, even if you lose it in the end.”

Cora’s mind went to Teryn, to the curse that still stood between them—between the future of her kingdom—should she fail to break it. Everything was happening too fast, too soon, and her heart was struggling to keep up with it.

Regardless of the racing in her heart, the nausea shredding her stomach, she knew what had to be done.

It was time to tell Teryn the truth.

36

When Teryn returned to consciousness, it was to the sound of Cora’s voice. It was distant, soft, barely brushing against the edges of his awareness. Yet the sound of it called him from nothingness, and when his surroundings took shape, they weren’t the bright light of the crystal or even Emylia’s temple bedroom illusion. Instead, he found himself before a door. The door inside his bedroom at Ridine Castle.

Cora’s voice echoed from the other side, along with a rumbling knock.

“Teryn, are you there? It’s Cora.”

Teryn’s consciousness sharpened. He connected to his breath, his pulse, the hammering of his heart. The events he last recalled—Morkai tricking Dimetreus into attacking him—surfaced in his mind, but he anchored his focus with the sound of Cora’s voice. He was pulled to the melody of her tone, the sensation so strong, he felt it could draw his ethera straight through the door. But as he tried to take a step through the physical matter, he felt a much stronger pull against his back. Glancing behind him, he saw his body resting in his bed. This was as far as his tether to the crystal would let him go.

“Teryn, please. We need to talk.”

He whirled back toward the door. Everything inside him begged to answer, but he knew his voice wouldn’t travel to reach her. Not from whatever plane of existence his ethera was on. So he pressed his palm to the door, felt the resistance hum. She knocked again, and the vibration rang through him like ripples on smooth water.

“Are you there?”

“I’m here,” he said, his voice hollow against the resonance of hers. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t hear him. He was there. He was there and he’d fix this.

She knocked once more, and he welcomed the reverberation like a caress.

Gods, this was as close as he could get to touching her. To being beside her.

He stayed like that for several long moments, even after he realized she’d left.

“You projected yourself outside the crystal on your own this time,” Emylia said, suddenly beside him.

“It was Cora’s voice that brought me here.”

She released a heavy sigh. “You shouldn’t have overexerted your ethera, Highness. It’s dangerous to wait until your ethera forces you to rest.”

He turned away from the door to face her with narrowed eyes. “Why?”

“Your ethera requires rest and recovery, just like a human body does.”

“I know that, but why is it so dangerous for me to be forced to rest after overexertion? What haven’t you been telling me?”

She nibbled her bottom lip before answering. “Being forced to rest abruptly severs your connection to your vitale, the same way fear or panic does.”

---