Chapter 8
The sound of a skiff's engine suddenly cut through the heavy silence. I tensed, my hand going to my dagger.
"That's Jask," Zoya said, peering through a crack in the wall.
Relief washed through me as I helped Cypher to his feet. The skiff appeared above us as we moved the blockade aside and headed back outside. Jask was at the helm with Kora leaning over the side, her face tight with worry. When she spotted us, her expression transformed into pure relief.
"You're alive!" she called as Jask maneuvered the vessel closer to our hiding spot.
"Barely," I shouted back, helping Cypher as Zoya cleared a path.
We emerged into the eerie purple-green light of Nytheris. Jask brought the skiff down close enough for us to climb aboard. Kora practically yanked me up, wrapping me in a fierce hug that made my bruised ribs protest.
"I thought you were dead," she whispered.
"Not yet," I said, helping Vic pull Cypher aboard. "How are the others?"
"Safe and waiting at the Reliquarium," Jask replied, already lifting us away from the island as Zoya scrambled aboard. "We found a safe docking point at the top of the main tower."
Cypher leaned heavily against the side of the skiff, his face pale. "Any trouble?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Jask said, his eyes lingering on Cypher's bandaged shoulder. "Knives took down one of the krell. The rest scattered after that."
As we ascended through the shattered realm, the Reliquarium came into full view.
It was even more magnificent up close—a sprawling structure of pale blue stone and golden crystal that somehow remained mostly intact despite the devastation around it.
The central tower rose highest, its spire reaching toward a sky that no longer existed.
"It's beautiful," I murmured.
Cypher's eyes met mine, and I saw centuries of loss reflected there. "It was home."
We docked at a platform near the top of the main tower where Knives and Tor stood guard, crossbows ready. The relief on their faces when they saw us was staggering.
"Thought you'd gotten yourself killed, Captain," Knives said, helping Vic with Cypher.
"Not today," Cypher replied, straightening. "Where's the entrance?"
Tor pointed to a wide archway that led into the tower. "Through there. We've secured the immediate area, but we haven't gone deeper."
"Good. Let's move," Cypher said, suddenly urgent. "The sooner we find the codex, the sooner we can leave this place."
The tunnel beyond the archway was lined with luminescent crystal that emitted a soft blue glow, providing just enough light to navigate by. It sloped gently downward, leading us into the heart of the tower. Click emerged from my pocket, scurrying up to my shoulder for a better view.
"You okay?" Kora whispered, falling into step beside me.
"I've been better," I admitted, touching the matted blood in my hair. "Cypher took a Scather bite meant for me."
Her eyebrows shot up. "The captain did that?"
I nodded, not wanting to share Cypher's secret without his permission. "There's more, but it'll have to wait."
The tunnel opened into a vast circular chamber with multiple corridors branching off in different directions. The walls were covered in intricate carvings in a language I couldn't read.
"The wards begin here," Cypher said. Our voices echoed through the chamber, bouncing all around us. "Stay close."
He approached the nearest corridor, which was shrouded in a faint shimmer of energy. As he stepped toward it, the shimmer intensified, swirling around him like mist. For a moment, I thought it might reject him, but then the energy parted, creating a clear path.
"It recognizes you," I said softly.
He nodded once, his expression unreadable. "Blood wards. They're keyed to the royal family." He gestured for us to follow. "Stay within arm's reach of me. The wards will let you pass if you're with me."
Kora gave me a loaded look, and I just shook my head. Later. I'd explain it all later.
We moved through the corridor, the magic thick enough that I could taste it.
Each time we encountered a new ward, Cypher would pause, allowing the magic to recognize him before proceeding.
Some wards manifested as walls of light, others as swirling mists or patterns of energy that danced across the floor.
With each barrier we passed, I felt the weight of Nytherian history pressing in on us. These defenses had stood for thirty years since the collapse, protecting whatever lay beyond from looters and time itself.
Finally, after what felt like hours of navigating an increasingly complex maze of corridors, we emerged into a wide hallway that ended in a massive bronze door. Intricate patterns were etched into its surface, and it looked incredibly thick and heavy.
Cypher approached it slowly, his injured shoulder seemingly forgotten. He placed his palm against the door, and the patterns flared brightly, tracing lines of light across the bronze surface. With a low groan, the door began to swing inward.
"By the void," Kora whispered beside me as the room beyond was revealed.
It was vast, far larger than seemed possible given the dimensions of the tower from outside.
Treasures filled every available space. Ancient artifacts sat on pedestals of crystal and stone.
Scrolls and tomes lined shelves that reached to the ceiling.
Strange devices of unknown purpose glittered with metals and glass.
Golden statues and jeweled weapons caught the light.
Vic immediately moved toward a collection of devices near the center of the room, his eyes wide with wonder. "These are incredible," he breathed, carefully lifting a spherical object that began to glow at his touch. "Some of these technologies were thought to be just legends."
But Cypher wasn't looking at any of the obvious treasures. His gaze was fixed on a smaller doorway at the far end of the chamber. Without a word, he started toward it, and I found myself following.
The smaller room beyond was simple compared to the opulence of the main vault. A single table of white marble stood in the center, upon which rested two boxes—one of gold, one of dark wood inlaid with silver.
Cypher approached slowly, as if in a dream. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the golden box.
"I was here once, as a child. My father brought me and my sister to teach us about our legacy."
He opened the golden box, revealing a book bound in leather that shimmered with embedded crystal dust. The codex.
It was smaller than I'd expected, no larger than the ledger my father had used to track his accounts, maybe several hundred pages at most. Something so small, yet powerful enough that Gideon would pay a fortune to possess it.
Next to it, in the wooden box that Cypher opened, lay a thin circlet of black metal. It looked deceptively simple, but as Cypher lifted it, runes etched into its surface began to glow with an inner fire.
"The crown of Calvaris,” he said, holding it reverently. "Worn by every ruler of Nytheris since the first portal was opened."
He turned and held it out to me. "Hold this for a moment while I inspect the codex."
I hesitated, then reached for it. "Are you sure? If it's meant for royalty—"
"Just take it," he said quickly.
My fingers closed around the metal, and the world disappeared.
White light engulfed me. When it disappeared, I found myself still in the archive room, but everything had changed. The room was lit by crystal lamps that burned with steady blue fire. And I wasn't alone.
Two men stood near the marble table, engaged in intense conversation. Their backs were to me, but I could see they were dressed in elegant robes embroidered with the same symbols I'd seen on the wards.
I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. The two men stood there, deep in conversation, and I realized with a shock that I was witnessing something impossible.
The younger of the two men turned slightly, and I saw his profile.
He had the same severe features, the same proud nose, the same dark hair as Cypher.
But his eyes were bright blue instead of copper.
This had to be Cypher's father. And the older man beside him, with silver threading through his dark hair but the same regal bearing, must be his grandfather. I was somehow seeing into the past, witnessing a moment from before the collapse.
I tried to speak, to move closer, but I was frozen in place, like a ghost observing but unable to interact.
I couldn't hear their words, though their lips moved urgently, hands gesturing with increasing agitation.
Whatever they were discussing, it was serious.
The older man's face was grave, while the younger paced with barely contained agitation.
Then, as if sensing my presence, both men suddenly stopped. Their heads turned in perfect unison, and they looked directly at me. Their blue eyes widened.
The room exploded into white light, and I was violently thrust back into my own time.
I staggered backward, the crown falling from my fingers. Strong hands caught me before I could collapse. Cypher's arms wrapped around my waist, steadying me as my vision swam.
"What happened?" His voice was very far away. “Scavenger, are you alright?"
I blinked, trying to focus on his face. "Your father," I gasped. "And your grandfather. They were here, in this room, talking. They looked just like you. They saw me, Cypher. They looked right at me."
"That's impossible…”
"Could it be some sort of memory, maybe?"
Cypher frowned deeply. "My father and grandfather both died in the collapse. They stayed behind to help others escape. They'd hoped for me and my sister, Runa, to make it out safely. She was older, meant to be the next ruler. She would have known what to do."
I reached up without thinking, placing my palm against his cheek. "You must have survived for a reason."