Page 164 of Salt in the Seas
Aeliana smiled at the image. “It wasn’t difficult to guess that much. You’re the only one who hasn’t talked about what you saw in theSeer’s Sanctuary. I thought you would have been at peace after putting your mother to rest. But if anything, you’re more agitated.” She pulled out the clamshell and flicked it open, eyeing the gemstone with its myriad colors. It remained both a mystery and a reminder that she couldn’t possibly save everyone. “None of us came away from that encounter with the Seer unchanged.”
“No, we did not.” He leaned over and ran a finger over the gemstone. “My mother had one of these around her neck. I never saw her without it, but I never knew its significance.”
“It was a gift from the Sayhleens—before we went to Lady Merinnia. Gellen kept it from me, but when he gave me the starbridges, he also gave this back. He didn’t have time to explain it.”
“Don’t lose it, then. I can’t imagine we’ll go back, but if we do…” He snapped the shell shut and closed her fingers around it before letting his moody gaze settle on something distant across the waves.
“What did the Seer show you?” she probed.
“A bit of my past. I hope some of my future.” His smile turned wistful. “Come to the stern with me and I’ll tell you. Let’s see what you make of it.”
CHAPTER 63
Aeliana and Veldensettled at the stern of the ship, away from prying eyes and ears. He leaned over the water and inhaled deeply. Aeliana copied him, breathing in the salty scent. It was one of the few things that made her feel like memories of the home she’d had with her parents still sat dormant inside her.
“When Sylmar found me,” Velden said, “I was recovering from being a bitter and broken man.”
She scoffed her disbelief, and he held up both webbed palms.
“No, no. Believe me, I was. I had just learned to let a lot of it go in order to move on and be intentional with my choices when he showed up. Even though Sylmar has the unusual gift of being able to hold on to bitterness,” he added dryly, “he pushed me to channel my lingering anger into something productive.”
“What were you bitter about?” she asked, even though the evidence of it stared back at her from his palm.
“I never expected to find a bondmate. Not many women were interested when they realized my heritage. The fear of bearing a child with such oddities kept most from considering me a viable option.”
Aeliana bit her lip, thinking about the charming young man Velden must have been, and how deeply prejudices had to run in order to override that.
“Sariah was the exception. And that was all it took. I didn’t needdozens of women fawning after me, not like Ludo. When it’s the right woman, one is enough. Except her father didn’t approve.” His jaw tightened, and he rubbed at his eyes as if shoving away the anger he’d once held on to. “I’m no longer sure what’s true and what’s a lie, not after Lady Merinnia’s visions. But whether he cut out her bond or convinced her to do it, our bond was broken.”
“Then what happened?” Aeliana asked softly.
Velden tucked his hands in his trouser pockets. “They say when a bondmate dies, you feel their death with them.”
Aeliana shuddered, glancing at Iris, whose face still seemed haunted.
“According to her father, Sariah died giving birth to our child.” His jaw tightened with the admission. “He claims I killed her.”
“No.” The ship dipped, and Aeliana’s stomach churned with it. “Even if the first half of that’s true?—”
“I know.” Velden let out a strangled laugh. “But the funny thing is that I’m not even sure the first part is true. Lady Merinnia showed me so much of my past. It stirred up the same old frustrations, but she showed me other things too. Things I hadn’t thought possible.”
“Like what?”
“She showed me Sariah holding a child. Not even an infant newly born, but a toddler by the sea.”
Aeliana stilled, the gravity of his revelation hitting her with more force than when the wind had been knocked out of her when she’d fallen to the deck. “You’re going to find him?”
“Her,” Velden said. “It was a girl. The Seer showed me Sariah raising a beautiful little girl. One who could hold her breath underwater for at least an hour.” A smile slowly grew on his face, his eyes alight with wonder. “One who earned her starlock at the tender age of twelve. One who grew into a young woman who was rumored to be a green-eyed goddess. One who men were drawn to like a siren but feared, because her affinity for water was so great. She could best any of them in the progeny schools with her magic.”
“She sounds like someone Sylmar would have recruited if she existed,” Aeliana said slowly, not wanting to diminish Velden’s hope butfeeling certain that if anyone knew of this girl’s existence, it would be Sylmar.
“I thought the same,” Velden said eagerly, “which is why I went to him first. He said he’d heard of her but that she kept to herself. That she would never take a side in any war or disagreement. That going after her would be like chasing the wind and asking it to fuel our army. Sylmar is attracted to power, but he’s also one who goes for the sure thing. He takes risks when they’re the only options, not right from the start.”
She frowned and glanced across the ship at the man who’d taken her under his wing, who’d been a mentor who taught with tough love. She’d hated him at times. And she still suspected the scars on his soul ran far deeper than the ones on his skin. Scars that might eventually affect his ability to make good decisions if they hadn’t already. What would he do when they returned to her mother with no clear answer? She feared he’d side with Emeris and suggest the only way to defeat Mayvus was by taking them both down.
As if he sensed the direction of her thoughts, Sylmar’s scowl deepened, and he shuffled below deck while leaning heavily on his staff.
“I wasn’t a sure bet,” Aeliana pointed out to Velden. “And he went after me.”
