Chapter 32 #3
“Because that is not how ruling works here,” she says.
“The throne always passes to the most powerful Donovan of the time. Sometimes Fate raises a younger one who outshines the current ruler, and the elder steps aside. Sometimes a ruler dies in power. Sometimes one abdicates, knowing they have given all they can. In my case, it was simple: I ruled during a time of peace, and when I felt my work was done, Fate pressed me to step aside. So I did. The line shifted to another branch—the one that became Elin’s, and now yours. ”
My head spins. She ruled. She stepped aside.
She’s lived all this time. Her gaze sweeps the group as she continues.
“Since then, I have remained, guiding rulers who came after me, teaching what I knew. However, when Elin fled, when they killed Leander and an imposter replaced him, I knew they were hunting Donovans. I sent as many as I could into safe realms. Some I never found. Some are still missing, their magic gone from my senses. Others… were slaughtered. And I knew I would be hunted as well.”
“So I came here. I found this ancient cave and made it my own. I spun an Illusion that I was an elder named Elaris who had always been here, as long as memory stretched: silver-white hair, olive skin, an old woman in her stone halls. I hid behind that mask. I became her until even Elaris felt real.”
Selene’s lips press thin, affront shadowing her face. “You mean—you cast an Illusion over my island.”
Nova turns to her, steady. “Yes. But not to harm. I have never denied your people help when they came. If they sought guidance, I gave it. If they sought healing, I offered it. The lie was the mask, not the service. I lived up to the elder they believed me to be.”
Selene studies her for a long moment, then nods stiffly, as if she can accept that.
Nova looks back at me. “Since then, I have waited. Alone. Watching the Threads, waiting for them to weave into the vision. And now they have. My part is simple: to teach you. To help you refine your magic, open portals, and prepare for what Fate will demand of you. Even I do not know all that may be. But I know this: you can hate me if you like, Metra. That is fine. I accept your anger. But this—” her hand sweeps the chamber “—this is why I remained. This is my part to play.”
The silence stretches so long I almost wonder if anyone will dare speak again. Finally, Lowan does. “So, no one knows who you really are anymore?” His voice is low, steady. “Not even Calidora? Everyone believes you’re Elaris?”
Nova inclines her head. “Yes. When Calidora rose to power beside the King—though I still do not know the how or why—I knew she must be dangerous. She is Donovan, but who would allow their kin to be hunted and purged? I was careful to vanish from sight, to weave an Illusion strong enough that no one suspected the truth. Not even her.”
I press my lips together. My anger hasn’t vanished, but I can’t deny that it makes sense.
If Nova had revealed herself too soon, it wouldn’t only have been her life at risk.
Selene’s island could’ve burned under the weight of that secret.
The thought unsettles me, but also stirs something like reluctant admiration.
She has lived alone, hidden, carrying this deception, all for the chance that we might someday be ready.
I nod stiffly. “So…what now? How do we begin? I still feel like my mother has answers—answers you don’t have. Things she saw firsthand.”
Nova’s gaze softens. “I agree. There are questions only Elin can answer. I am as eager to speak with her as you are. She may help me piece together the gaps I could not fill myself.”
“Then what’s the plan? Do you know how to find her?”
“No. But I can teach you to find her.” She folds her hands in her lap.
“The night you were pulled through a portal, I felt it. I tried to track the exact place it tore open, but it closed too quickly. Now that I know your story, I understand. That portal wasn’t opened intentionally—Fate ripped it open.
Your Thread to Lowan was so strong that it dragged you straight from the mortal realm into the Veynar lands.
And then the portal sealed as swiftly as it had appeared. ”
My stomach knots. “That’s why you kept asking me about my life in the mortal realm. You were trying to pinpoint where it happened. But I told you everything—so why not go then?”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “Because it is not that simple. I do not know the extent of Calidora’s power.
For all I know, she also tried to track that rift and left spies where it appeared.
If I had gone, I might have doomed us all—and drawn ruin down upon mortals who know nothing of this war.
And your mother’s magic is still sealed.
She cannot open a portal. If you went to her now, untrained, you could all be trapped.
That is why I’ve waited. I will not throw you into danger unprepared. ”
I clench my fists. “So what—you’re saying I can’t just open the portal and go get her?”
Her voice sharpens. “One of the first rules of portaling: never leave a rift unattended. Anything—or anyone—could wander through. You open it, you pass through, you close it behind you. Always. Do you understand?” I swallow, but nod.
“Good,” she continues. “Which means I will teach you. You will learn to open safely, to close safely. You will learn the rules. And there is something else.” Her gaze sweeps across the others.
“Your companions must be able to understand the languages of other realms. Communication is survival. If you portal into danger, you cannot waste time translating warnings. They must hear and know instantly.”
I glance at my friends—Lowan, Arden, Zillah, Remli, and Selene.
My chest tightens. She’s right. Nova’s expression softens again.
“As hard as you have worked—and as quickly as you’ve grasped your magic—I do not believe this will take long.
It depends on you. How hard are you willing to push?
How ready are you to apply yourself? But when I am confident that you can hold a portal steady, then you will go.
You will find your mother. You will bring her back. ”
A breath rushes out of me. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Not quite,” Nova says with the faintest smile. “But you will be. We begin now.”
A flicker of nervous excitement rises in me. “How will we practice? You said Calidora might sense a portal. How do I open one without putting anyone in another realm at risk?”
Her eyes glint knowingly. “There is a realm long dead—a wasteland. Magic drained, life extinguished centuries ago. Nothing grows there. Nothing breathes. If Calidora sensed the rift, she would find only dust. That is where you will practice.”
My heart lurches. A dead realm. A wasteland. But safe.
I nod. “Then show me how.”
Nova draws a breath—
“Wait.” The word slips out before she can press forward. My chest tightens. “If my mother’s magic has been bound this whole time…how did you even know who came through that night? How did you know it wasn’t Calidora or someone else?”
Nova dips her head, acknowledging the question. “I didn’t. Not immediately. What I recognized was the flare of power when your magic returned. It was the same flare I felt the night you were born.”
Her voice is quiet but confident. “So I knew it wasn’t Calidora who had done this.
But beyond that, I didn’t know for certain.
I had only reason to believe it was a friend, not a foe—and someone powerful.
So, I pieced it together. To speculate. To hope the Threads traced back to Elin somehow.
I wasn’t certain until you arrived and filled in the gaps yourself. ”
The fire in me stirs—not just the flame, but a strange mix of anger, wonder, and something like belonging. She had felt me, even then, even at the very beginning.