Chapter 30
I Didn’t Agree to This, Did I?
ANNA
Iwaited up for Roslyn to come back to the dorm.
She didn’t look surprised when she found me in her dorm. She shut the door behind her and threw her cloak over a chair.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She plopped down next to me.
“No,” she said.
I pressed my lips together as I caught her eye.
She sighed exaggeratedly. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
I could relate to that.
“Ezreal has been in my life for some time,” she said. “I’ve gotten so used to hiding it; it’s like I’m living two lives.”
I slowly turned to her.
Now that I couldn’t relate to.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Roslyn stood, the hi-low rise of her dress fluttering around her as she moved to the window.
She was regal as she looked out the window, her red curls in perfectly messy coils.
Her laced corset over the dress’s off-shoulder and flared sleeves made her look like some warrior princess.
Her life was already different from mine, from what I could see, and I couldn’t imagine what her life was like in the Realm.
Her stature was strong and resilient, as if she’d borne the weight of the world once and survived it and yet, I could sense darkness in her heart.
I don’t know how, but it was there, calling to me like a caged animal.
Her gaze shattered my thoughts when she finally addressed my question.
“I’ve known Ezreal since I was a girl. As I’ve gotten older, it’s become clear we don’t agree on everything.
It’s caused tension of late,” she said, turning to me with a fresh smile glowing across her face.
“But forget that. I had a feeling you and Blake were an item but I had no idea how intense it was! There was such energy in the theater tonight!”
I looked away, embarrassed, unsure how to put my feelings for Blake into words.
“It was all pretty sudden,” I muttered.
“Well,” she said, crossing the room to organize the items on her vanity. “I can tell he is smitten with you. And that is not a trait from the Blake that I know. It is refreshing to see.”
“Roslyn,” I asked, my voice hushed. “Why are the Aurkai here? Why go to all of this trouble to train new mages from this world?”
She cast a curious glance as she folded some of her clothes. “That’s a complicated question. Have you learned the theory that mages once crossed into this world long ago yet?”
I nodded. “Yes, or possibly humans crossed into your world. Either way, at some point mages returned to this world vastly different from humans. Those same genetics lie dormant in some humans from ancestral lines of mages who have crossed into this world over time. Commander Everson said, ‘It is Nightfall’s mission to awaken and teach those they determine are safely capable,’ but I don’t understand why.
The Aurkai are more powerful than any Adept here will ever be.
What exactly are you looking for? It’s quite the operation to train up some mediocre mages. Especially for a Prince.”
Roslyn stopped folding and looked at me. “You heard, then? It was Melanie, wasn’t it?”
I raised an eyebrow. Did it matter at this point? It was a huge detail to keep from someone.
Roslyn sighed. She sat in her vanity chair, facing me, back straight and hands clasped in her lap. “You’re right. We’re not doing it out of kindness. Our world is in trouble. We’re searching for a way to save our home. We hope that one of you will be able to help us, that one of you holds the key.”
I didn’t move as I tried to follow what she was saying. Their world was in trouble?
“What kind of trouble?” I asked. “I don’t understand. And why would you think one of us could help you?”
Roslyn stood up, her posture rigid. “We’re not supposed to talk about this, so don’t repeat it.
It is believed that only powerful mages have been able to cross into this world throughout time.
It is not an easy journey. So yes, while bloodlines may be diluted over time—centuries, or millennia—the gene that sets a mage apart from a human, if passed on, is never diminished.
It is for this reason that we hold out hope of finding someone who might help us.
This is why we have the selection process.
If an Adept proves their worth and is deemed capable of surviving the journey, they will be granted permission to enter the Realm. ”
“What do you mean by ‘survive’ it?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Roslyn frowned. “Like with the tasks to enter Nightfall, entering the Realm is an ever-greater test of one’s own fortitude and stamina.
Any hints of weakness in body, mind, or soul, and a mage could be lost in the void forever.
The portal you saw when Malakai and Melanie took you contains the rift by harnessing powerful everi.
It has been reinforced by mages throughout the centuries.
Mages who have lived their whole lives on Earth are more fragile and most will not be able to sustain the journey.
However, for mages who are selected, the time spent in Nightfall and by engaging with the Aurkai is a slow process that strengthens the body as it adapts.
Over time, those mages may survive the journey to the Realm, but there is still considerable risk. ”
Discomfort had set into my muscles and my body was stiff as I struggled to get my words out.
“What is happening to your world?” I asked.
Roslyn’s lashes lowered, deep concern swirling in the crescent of her irises.
“It is collapsing into oblivion.”
“What?”
Roslyn paced, her energy becoming erratic and her words spoken so fast I could hardly understand her.
“Something happened over a thousand years ago. No one is sure what caused it, but our lands were ripped away from the rest of our world. An entire city was lost, and many died in the conflict that led to this. Ever since that, our lands have been cursed, and now, we are running out of time to return our home safely to the world it was ripped away from.”
I was struggling to process anything as Roslyn’s everi was encroaching around me, her panic seeping into my mind.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “How are you running out of—”
“I’ve already told you too much,” she said. “You have not been selected. You may never have to worry about this, Anna.”
“But you and Blake,” I said. “This is your home.”
Roslyn smiled sadly. “We are doing everything we can. It’s even brought warring kingdoms together, for now, at least. Let's discuss this further later. We should probably both get to sleep.”
I took a deep breath.
“Yeah,” I said. “Sure. Goodnight, Ros.”
I went to my room and readied myself for bed, my mind numb and aching. Roslyn’s fear never left me.