Chapter 30
‘How dare you namesake this abomination of a world after us,
Evyen? How dare you.’
– Written correspondence from Tinyrah Kazimyr to Evyen Dieanira
Taryn
Airess stared at him in disbelief, her mouth hanging open.
Taryn watched the betrayal take root within her, her face hardening after the initial shock.
Her entire body stiffened, brows furrowing as she looked at him.
It was a look he never wanted to be on the receiving end of. Taryn’s breath faltered.
It was never meant to come out like this.
Airess’ nostrils flared as she whipped her head to look at Ismene. Her usually polite demeanor was gone and replaced by a brazenness he hadn’t seen from her before. He winced, desperately wishing he could explain himself before things spiraled.
“House Deyanira hasn’t existed for thousands of years,” Airess said. It was a fact that Taryn had always known wasn’t true.
“House Deyanira still exists, along with the other houses: Kazimyr, Moros, Lucien, and Tozya. Each family house and its members are direct descendants of the Gods, and three of those Houses still stand on the other side. In Tevye. Where you both hail from.”
Taryn’s world spun at the reminder of who he truly was. His real name. His origins. He never thought he would hear the word again. Kazimyr. It was a truth he had buried, had ignored, since his grandmother died.
“I don’t understand,” Airess said angrily. “What do you mean where we hail from?”
“You and Tarynon are Tevyen. You were brought over to this side of the world when you were babies, for your own safety. The Tevyen society knew the Prophesied Ones would be born, and they were willing to do anything to stop it from coming into fruition, including killing you both as children.”
Alarms rang in his head. The Prophesied Ones? Now this was news to even Taryn.
“Why would they want us killed?” Airess demanded, her voice rising. Her face reddened, and Taryn felt the energy radiating off her in waves.
“Because it is you who will bring forth The Dawn, unite both halves of the worlds, and make it whole again. The Tevyens don’t want that to happen.
You’d disrupt a power balance there that had been set since Tevye’s creation.
It was better for you both to be sent to our side of the world–The Old World, they call it–and grow up where people believed Tevye was just a legend. ”
“So Rune knows about Tevye?” Airess asked–a question Taryn had also wanted to know the answer to.
His grandmother was the one who made Taryn aware as a small child that he was a Tevyen being, that he was a member of the Kazimyr House.
However, she never once mentioned anything about a prophecy, about uniting the world whole again.
Taryn clenched his fists, diverting his attention to Roznarr.
“Only the small council here in Rune knows. This is not information to be shared with the public. It would cause too much panic. The people are not ready for this truth,” Roz interjected. Taryn outwardly scoffed. The king’s head snapped to him, eyes narrowed.
Who was he to decide what the people were ready for?
There was a palpable tension in the air, an energy radiating off of Roznarr, Airess, and Taryn.
Ismene stayed silent, eyes darting between the three, lips pressed into a thin line.
Taryn could almost taste the power on his tongue, feel it thrumming against his skin, but couldn’t discern who it was coming from.
Ever since they arrived in Rune, Taryn felt his Magick radiating within his body stronger than it ever had.
The Queen Dowager spoke first, breaking the silence. “Perhaps we should give our new guests some time to process this information. They have traveled a long way to get here. Besides, we have a ball to prepare for. The Salamoon is only a few days away.”
“Of course,” Roz said icily, dropping Taryn’s gaze.
Taryn smirked, smug in the fact that Roz was the first to break eye contact.
King or not, Taryn would assert his dominance–especially after scenting the interest wafting off the male when he kissed Airess’ hand.
It bothered him more than he cared to admit, and he couldn’t deny the protectiveness he felt over Airess.
Taryn knew Airess had no idea about the unspoken power struggle going on between the two.
The Fae’s enhanced senses brought up another layer of emotion that an Elve could not comprehend.
Ismene nodded in agreement and stood, flattening her hands against her clothing. “We will… give you some time to process. I will send someone to retrieve you both for our first lesson, once you’ve settled in, of course.”
They all filed out the door, one by one. The Queen Dowager was last, her gaze lingering on Airess briefly before turning to leave.
Slowly, Airess turned to Taryn. Their eyes met, and the color drained from her face.
She shook her head slightly, as if denying the possibility that he had lied.
Shame coursed through him, a cold feeling that traveled down his entire body.
He knew how it looked. How it sounded. Taryn could only hope she would understand after he explained himself.
Of course, Taryn had suspected over the course of their travels what Airess could be. When she exploded the caravan, Taryn had his confirmation. Even though he had only heard about the power through his grandmother’s stories, Taryn knew she was Lightborne–a power only a Tevyen could have.
As for himself… he knew all along what his real name was.
That he was a Tevyen Fae, Stormborne from another land.
It was why he could control all the elements that made up a storm: water, wind, and lightning.
It was why he had made sure to keep his abilities a secret when he grew up here, because there was no one else like him in Rune.
“How did you–” Airess began, then stopped herself. She inhaled and sat up straight, regaining her composure. “Is it true? Did you know this about yourself? About me?”
Taryn’s throat closed up, the air around him suddenly heavy. “Airess, I need you to know that I would have eventually–”
She let out a bitter scoff and withdrew, leaning away from him.
Taryn’s heart pounded at the display–at what she must be feeling right now.
He was the only one left in Airess’ life.
He knew she felt the sting of his withheld information on a deeper level, however new their relationship was.
Because they were all each other had, and now he had tarnished her trust.
Gods, I’m an idiot.
Taryn swallowed and forced his voice to come out steady.
“I learned about my true name from my grandmother. She told me the stories about Tevye, about the remaining God Houses that exist on the other side. You have to understand, I was taught to always keep my abilities a secret. I was always careful to only wield water when I lived here, to appear as I were only Waterborne to the other Fae. I didn’t know about you until the caravan.
I assumed you were a Tevyen being after that…
encounter, but I had no idea that you belonged to a sacred House. ”
Airess searched his face, as if trying to sense an untruth. She clasped her hands together, and looked away.
“Did you know about this–this prophecy?”
“No,” Taryn confirmed. “That is news to me. Though, I’m not sure I believe it.”
Airess pushed up from her chair abruptly, the harsh scraping of the chair legs causing Taryn to flinch.
“I don’t understand,” she said, pacing. “I mean, this is almost laughable. Why is it that everyone in my life is okay with lying to me?” Her voice cracked, and Taryn shot to his feet immediately and seized her wrist. She spun around, the lines between her brows heavily creased as she looked at his hand.
“Listen to me. I would never lie to you,” he said, eyes pleading. “You have to understand.”
Slowly, Airess lifted her gaze to his. Her eyes gleamed–not with anger, but hurt.
“You knew your name this entire time, knew the truth about my lineage, and didn’t think to tell me?
I showed you my home, Taryn. You let me believe–” pain etched itself across her features.
She stepped back, Taryn’s hand falling limp next to his side.
Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke, “My–my father. Ismene said Haeleth isn’t my real name. So who’s–” Airess shook her head, as if the motion would dispel the truth. “How can it be true? Who is my father? Who really was my mother?”
Taryn’s heart cracked. He finally realized the weight of what she was going through. It was more than him withholding information. It was the fact that everything about her life was a lie.
“Airess,” Taryn whispered. He stepped closer, but this time she didn’t back away. He grabbed one of her hands and caressed her jaw with the other, tilting her head so she would look up at him.
“I should have told you the truth. I just didn’t know how to tell you. I–I wasn’t thinking about your family or what that would mean for you. Please, I’m an idiot. I’ve made a mistake. I am so sorry.”
Airess studied him before closing her eyes and breathing out. She grabbed his wrist, the one caressing her chin, and let her hold linger. He was grateful for her touch, it was the only thing keeping him from trembling with fear. Fear that she would never speak to him again, that she would leave.
Airess pulled away and walked to the railing, turning her back to him. Her shoulders sank as she looked out at the sky. Taryn waited for her to say something. Anything.
Finally, she spoke. “If this is all true, then we have families out there somewhere that want us dead. That threatened our mothers.”
Taryn approached the banister and stood beside her. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to look at him.
“We don’t know if what they were saying is true,” Taryn reasoned. “There could be more they aren’t telling us.”
“You would say that.”
She cut her eyes to him. The anger within them was gone, replaced with an emotion he couldn’t name.
“I know they were telling the truth. I saw it with my Sight.” Then as if realizing something for the first time, her eyes widened. She pivoted to face him.
“If what they say is true, that makes you a prince, Taryn.”
Taryn recoiled at the reminder. It didn’t seem real. Taryn didn’t think he would ever truly accept it unless he saw his supposed House and the land of Tevye for himself. In truth, he hadn’t thought about those words in years–had buried them so deep in his mind he had almost forgotten.
Almost.
He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It sounded insane. “Sweetheart, I am the furthest thing from royalty.”
Airess searched his face. There was still a subtle hurt present, but also a new understanding.
As if learning this information finally gave Airess the permission to be who she was.
Who she was meant to be. She certainly was taking this much better than he had.
Airess almost seemed comfortable–dare he say optimistic about this bomb shell of a revelation.
Taryn’s fingers grazed her hand, feeling the warm tingle spread throughout his entire body. “It all makes sense now,” he whispered, turning his gaze out to the ocean beyond.
“What?”
“That you belong to a sacred house–that you are royalty.”
Airess said nothing for a time. In the corner of his eye, he saw her look up at him. “This changes everything,” she said, then frowned as she looked at her shoes. “And at the same time, it changes nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Somewhere out there, we have a claim to power that was stolen from us. And there’s nothing that can be done about it. Tevye exists in a dimension inaccessible to us.”
Taryn’s brows furrowed as he turned to look down at her. He was surprised to see… disappointment in her eyes.
“Airess, this news doesn't change anything,” Taryn stepped forward and cupped her face. “We made it to Rune. We accomplished our goal. We don’t have to claim that life. We came here to start over.”
“Is that what you have done? Ignored your claim–ignored who you truly are?”
Taryn flinched at her words, hearing them out loud for the first time. That’s when he saw it. He saw something brewing within Airess that he was afraid to accept. To acknowledge. But it was there. The desire to experience more. To be more.
A part of him had always known.
Slowly, he replied, “I have never lived thinking I have a claim to anything. I have been abandoned, orphaned, and left behind as a child to live homeless in the streets. I don’t care if I have a family out there who doesn’t want me. And you shouldn’t either. They are dead to me.”
Airess’ eyes flashed with a hardness, only for a second, before she looked out to the ocean beyond. He studied her features, the way her lips pursed in thought. They way her brows creased, before they softened as she met his gaze.
“You’re right,” she said stiffly as she shifted on her feet.
The energy surrounding them was still tense, so Taryn inhaled and plastered a sarcastic grin on his face. He cupped a hand behind his ear. “Wait, what was that? Did you say I’m right?”
Airess’ lips twitched, as if trying to resist a smile, before her slight laugh broke through. “Don’t get too cocky, Tar.”
“I’m going to need those words in writing.”
“You’re insufferable.”
They stared at one another for a moment before Taryn chuckled and slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“Let’s get out of here. We need to find Ismene.”
Airess looked like she was going to refuse, but then nodded.
As they walked out, he couldn’t help but hear Airess’ words ringing in his mind.
That makes you a prince, Taryn.
And, for one moment, he allowed himself to imagine what his life would have looked like if he had never been taken from his homeland. Would he have been a king? Did he have other family members? Would he have ended up a good person if he was never brought here?
Taryn frowned. He hoped he would never find out.