Page 35 of Under A Veil Of Shadows
“Credula needs you, Cel. And if you don’t do this, you will also be failingherand what remains of the clans.”
Kaya stirred at this, shifting her body just enough to look at them. “You’re going to take it, aren’t you?” She whispered, her throat on the verge of collapse.
Celestia’s eyes darted in her direction, her body going rigid. “Unfortunately, yes.” The princess closed her eyes, the act forcing two large tears to roll down her face and into the fabric underneath her. The golden-haired female turned to her companion again, her face grim as she tightened her hands into fists. “Tell Nedra to come. We’re going to need a healer. I’m not doing this without one.”
Brynnard Joran nodded and bowed at her command before darting out of the room. No sooner than the door closing did Celestia kneel at Kaya’s side once again. “Can you do me a favor?” Kaya asked.
“Of course,” Celestia smiled. “Anything you ask.”
“I arrived here with a ring. I need you to fetch it for me.” Kaya opened her eyes to see Celestia moving to her feet, but before the Siphon could turn away, Kaya reached out and grabbed her wrist. “And I need you to swear that you will not tell a soul what you see whenever I choose to put it on. Do you understand?”
The Siphon blinked, brow twitching together for a fleeting moment before she nodded. “I swear.”
“Good.” Kaya sighed, gritting through the pain as she laid her head back down onto the mattress. Through the burning, through the ache, she slept. She dreamed of hermachna ii’loam.She dreamed of Holiadon and of a boy, a boy with blue eyes and a smile as bright as the stars running towards her—hand in hand with a young girl with soft brown curls and the most striking green eyes she had ever seen.
She smiled in her sleep.
And when she finally awoke, the Dark Bringer was gone, as was the memory of her true name. The pain was gone, too.
Physically, anyway.
For years she held onto that dream she had of those two children—clinging to it as a semblance of hope for a better future. One that she failed to provide.
Epilogue
Ren looked down at the merchant, smiling fondly as he watched him set up his display when his eyes happened to pass over the unboxed merchandise in the cart behind the male. There, sitting on top of a mixture of jewels and other finery, was a ring. He would have recognized it anywhere and the mere fact that it was sitting there, right in front of him after all these years…
His heart dropped.
A simple silver band with a dragon’s breath stone. The sun caught each color in the stone. The blue, the red, and the purple bending in the late-autumnal sun, making it seem as if a fire was burning within. It would have been a magnificent ring on anyone’s finger, but to Ren, it only belonged to one person.
“How much for the ring?” Ren asked.
The merchant turned, following the direction of Ren’s extended finger. “Oh, gods,” he chuckled, “I still need to get that appraised. Some warrior found it out in the lawn at the Elletara estate when he was digging a latrine.”
“Willing to give me an estimate?”
The male stared at him for a moment, the corner of his lip still kicked up with the hint of a smile. “If it’s real, thenthousands.”
Ren gripped at the pouch of circlets at his side, nodding as the male continued to talk about the appraisal process. He tossed the pouch onto the display table. “It’s real.” He didn’t hesitate as he spoke and the old merchant took notice of this sureness with narrowed, observant eyes. “There are fifteen thousands circlets here in this pouch. I’ll take it.” He watched closely as the merchant placed the ring inside of a black velvet box, still cautious as he handed it to the young, kingdom-less king.
“I’m curious as to how you even know what that thing is, boy.”
Ren smirked, giving a small shrug as he tucked the box into his pocket. “It was my mother’s.”
