Page 148 of A Trial of Two Worlds
A hoot and nod of its head was a clear sign.
“All right,” I said, rising to my feet. “Lead the way.”
The owl flew into the endless darkening sky above. The setting sun cast an array of pink and gold that made it difficult to turn away. Stark swooped over my head and circled me from above before diving past my shoulder and flying toward the river.
I didn’t feel like I was walking; it was more like I was gliding, drifting across the land toward the soothing sound of the flowing river. The air had a sweetness to it, my steps felt weightless, and there was no trace of the nightmares, fears, or pain that once haunted me.
I felt at peace.
As we continued forward, the former champion as my guide, we approached a small cluster of boulders resting on the edge of the riverbed. The white fog around the bank began to clear, and I could see the outline of someone sitting along the water’s edge.
“Hello, Skylar.”
I skidded to a halt and gasped. My eyes widened as tears of joy flowed wildly down my cheeks. “J-Julia?” I clutched my chest, desperate to hear her voice again.
The fog parted as the darkened curls and tawny freckled face of my aunt came into view. “Julia!” I screamed, running as fast as my feet could carry me to her open arms.
I scooped Julia up off her feet, spinning her around and clutching her tight to my chest.The smell of warm spices from our kitchen in Solace filled my senses asshe clutched onto my waist, laughing as I twirled. When I stopped, Julia cupped my face, kissing my cheeks and brow as I openly cried in her arms.
“There, there, love,” Julia said softly. “Everything is going to be all right.”
“No, no, it’s not, Julia,” I cried as memories of my last moments flashed inside my mind. The memory of Daxton’s mournful cry and the looks of dread on Shaw and Castor’s faces. Gods, I’d hurt them. Lied and deceived them. But I didn’t have any other choice. They would have tried to stop me.
“Come here,” Julia said as she grasped my wrist. “I want to show you something.” Her gentle touch guided me toward the river. “Place your hand in the water and take a drink. There are things you need to know.”
“What is this?”
“It’s the waters of the great crossing, Sky.”
I looked across the divide, realizing that this was the crossing to the afterlife. “Is it true that… that those who cross and are burdened by their sinful actions in their life sink to the bottom of the endless river and never reach peace?”
“Yes,” Julia said somberly. “You’ve met one of these beings. I believe you made a bargain with it.”
I stilled, swallowing heavily.
“But that’s not what I wish to talk about,” my aunt said as she knelt. “This water also holds memories, and you must see all that has happened to lead you here before you continue.”
I hesitated.
“Don’t worry.” Julia chuckled as she cupped her hands and drank from the churning water. “You’re already dead. What else could go wrong?”
Her playful wink relaxed me as I huffed a laugh.
“That’s true,” I replied, following her lead.
I cupped the cold water and gently brought it to my lips. As the liquid trickled past my tongue, I saw it all—the truth about the memories stolen, Minaeve’s scheme to infiltrate and destroy the inner Kingdom.Theirplan.
I coughed as I leaned forward. My mind raced with everything I had learned, “Minaeve… Minaeve and Istar, the human king’s lead mage, are—”
“Twins,” Julia said with a furrowed brow, “their unique bond links them together despite time or distance. Minaeve can siphon magic and lifespans, and, in return, Istar holds the ability to boost the magic of those around him, similar to the Heart. They’ve been working in unison since the humans first arrived in Valdor. Plotting and planning the demise of our world to take it for themselves.”
That was how they survived all this time.
“But… But why?” I asked.
“Power,” Julia answered plainly. “They were born with only a fraction of what they believed they deserved and sought more.”
“They killed their parents,” I heaved, sitting backward along the riverbank. “And, and a dragon—”
