Page 173 of The Blade in the Ashes
“I know that,”Pasnia sighed.“I believe you when you say my love has been enough for you, but it has been an eternity since the Veil was raised and you last saw your Descendants. No more of them even remain. And Caldrius, as loyal as he has been, is notyours.I know you look at him and see your brother. He is not your blood, my darling. He is not your family. I want that for you. You have far too much love to give than to let it die with me.”
Hyrax released a heaving breath that left his chest quivering. He held his wife as if it were the last time he would be able to.
Maybe it had been.
It hadn’t been long after this that Pasnia had left him to go to the Mortal Realm, determined on giving him dominion over it in her death.
She had... cared for him. Her deathhad been inevitable, and in preparing for it, she had attempted to give her husband everything she thought he wanted.
But there was no lingering desire in the depths of Hyrax’s eyes when he protested he was uninterested in the Mortal Realm. Those words had been true. He really hadn't wanted to claim my world as his own.
So, what had changed?
When Pasnia pulled away, standing and lifting that parchment in her hands once more before extending it towards him, he looked at it for a long moment, jaw working as he considered, before he finally, slowly, took it from her grasp. He took it between his fingertips and clung to it, staring down at the image with a quiet sort of resolve. A million emotions passed over his face, all at once, and yet only one remained even as the others faded.
“A daughter?”he asked.
“Your daughter.”His wife whispered.
Hyrax’s eyes didn’t lift from that paper as he ran a hand over his jaw.“Eckna died recently. There’s great magic in those bones.”
When he lifted his head, his eyes met mine. And even though he couldn’t see me, I could most certainly read the emotion welling in his blue eyes.
Athene’s hand on mine was gentle as she pulled me away, flames sparking around us as this vision faded into the next.
“Do you know the truth now?” she asked.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.
I knew two important truths now.
First, Hyrax hadn’t come to the Mortal Realm because he wanted to force his rule over us. He came because Pasnia had forced it upon him in her dying breath.
And second, Hyrax loved me. That look in his eyes had been a perfect mixture of hope and passion, and an undeniable amount of love. He had created me with love inhis heart.
No matter what evils he had committed—no matter what crimes were in his past or his future—that was a truth I now accepted.
My father loved me.
Blinding licks of white fire erupted around us, burning away the image of Hyrax and Pasnia until we were back in that empty white space between worlds.
Realization clicked so suddenly that I gasped, staring at this strange space with a new sense of wonder.
The Veil.
We were in the Veil.
“What comes next?” I breathed, swatting away the salty tears that rolled down my cheeks.
Athene touched my shoulder gently, her skin on mine a reassurance. “Now, you must face what you fear.”
Blinking my eyes open, I took in the scattered books lingering on the floor and end tables surrounding the overly large bed. I approached one slowly, smiling at the title. A mystery.
The room was lit dimly, with only two or three candles offering flickering light. And even though my heart soared at recognizing the sword casually leaningagainst a worn desk and the crown next to a golden jacket, I frowned at the eerie stillness of the space. An unnatural chill hung in the air, as did a stale stench of illness and encroaching death.
I swallowed against the uncomfortable feeling of premonition settling inside me.
This was truly my greatest fear brought to life.
