Page 44 of The Last Guardian

His raspy voice broke the silence. “Please close the door behind you, my dear.”

The old wooden door, clobbered by time and salt, creaked against my skin as I pushed it.

Arystan mumbled something to himself as he prepared the table, putting books away, before gesturing for me to take a seat opposite him. His soft azure gaze stared at me.

“I am sure you have many inquiries,” he said, with a gentle smile playing on his lips, “and I will do my best to address each one of them.”

A muddled mix of thoughts swirled in my head. I tried to speak, but no words came out.

Arystan spread an old map with creaking edges on the table, with large lands and territories representing the Northern Continent, Perygan, and the Southern Continent, Keraneeth.

In the center of the Myrherian Sea—the one we needed to cross to reach Keraneeth—stood Myrh and a dark, thick line marking the border the High Mages had created.

“First thing to know about Keraneeth is the land,” Arystan said with his raspy voice. “Keraneeth had six separate kingdoms before: Nythra, Shavaar, Evadrith, Vaelar, Pyrth, and Eldrandyr. For a little less than two centuries, Evadrith took power over Nythra and Shavaar, forming the Evarim Empire. But the Elves…”

I blinked.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I puffed in disbelief.

Arystan looked at me. “I was saying that the Elves…”

Did he take me for an idiot?

“Is this a joke?” I asked bitterly as I stood up from my seat, crossing my arms. “Elves are nothing but myths and stories we tell children to help them sleep!”

A silence fell. My pounding heart rang in my ears as I met Arystan’s gaze.

Sympathy and desolation crossed his face as Arystan said softly. ”I’m afraid it is not, dear one. I apologize if this is a surprise to you, but it’s the truth…” He stopped, looking at my chest before adding, “Your Highness, please calm down. Your heartbeat is so loud that it sounds like a drum in my ears.”

I froze.

“You—” My fingers found the charm around my neck instinctively. “You can hear my heart?”

“Don’t make that face,” Arystan replied, touching the back of his ear, “It’s a survival instinct. A long time ago, Humans had this sense developed as well. It disappears over time, but…”

“Because you’re not human?” I scoffed.

“Of course not.” Arystan smiled. “Wizards aren’t human. Like the Elves …”

The room spun around me. My head⁠—

Hells, what was happening? How could he not be human?

I had never seen a wizard in my life, obviously. But in Uncle Marlon’s book, they were mentioned a few times. They came from the northern land, from Zurah. That was all that was said… The rest of the chapter about them had been torn from the book. I never thought they could be an entire species.

Arystan spoke again, his voice low and bitter. “Edoris concealed much from the Peryganith, and this is the tip of the iceberg, I’m afraid.”

Arystan stared at me, his expression filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite pinpoint—perhaps it was sadness, or perhaps it was anger.

Fear rippled inside my skin.

Perhaps the Great Council had good reason for keeping us away from Keraneeth after all… From what I remembered of history class—or at least, what I was supposed to learn—the Keraneethians were more savage than we were. They attacked our cities, used their dark magic against us, and murdered our children. Because they weren’t Humans?

If that was true… Because now, everything I had always believed in was all a lie, apparently.

What Arystan was saying, it could be a lie, too. Or could it be the truth?

“Other species…” I murmured, more to myself, observing the map as if it contained all the answers I was searching for.