7. Lora
Lora
Two days had crawled by since our meeting with the Queen and her council, and still no moon master had been assigned to Erion. Nor was there any word about the sun wielder they’d claimed to send for. We’d been shown to luxurious rooms, then seemingly forgotten.
Erion had practically glowed when he first stepped into his chambers, running rough fingers along the silk curtains and polished furniture. But the luxury only twisted the bitterness in my chest. How could the Queen and nobles indulge in such wealth while people starved in the streets below?
When I couldn’t stand the perfumed stillness anymore, I dragged Erion out of the palace, into the bustling city.
A marketplace sprawled before us, stalls packed with food and goods. Whispers about the Dual Wielder were everywhere.
“…our new hope, can you imagine…”
“…the Dual Wielder…”
“…he’ll seal the rift…”
The Queen had likely orchestrated the rumors as they echoed her own words about Erion.
He tugged the collar of my father’s borrowed coat higher, ducking his chin like the fabric might swallow him whole. Brown strands tumbled across his forehead like a veil he tried to hide behind.
Two women in fine cloaks stopped near a fruit vendor, their voices carrying over the noise.
“Apparently, he’s our savior.” The taller one plucked a plum from the display, turning it in her gloved hands. “They say he’ll close the rift.”
Her companion snorted. “Preposterous. What we really need is someone to wipe out the sodden fools who opened it in the first place.”
“You mean wipe out the entire Sun Kingdom?”
“Why not?” The woman hissed. “It’s a rotten limb. The only way to keep rot from spreading is cutting it off.”
A smirk tugged at my mouth. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
The taller woman hummed. “Maybe the Dual Wielder will do exactly that? Maybe wiping out the Sun Kingdom is what’s needed to seal the rift?”
The other woman chuckled. “By the deep, I hope so.”
Erion hunched lower. I dragged him into a quieter alleyway, away from the gossip.
He kicked a pebble across the cobblestones. “I guess you’ll be heading home soon.”
My heart squeezed at the vulnerability in those hazel eyes. What a cruel fate, to remember nothing, yet carry the hopes of the entire Queendom on his shoulders. I wanted to brush those brown locks back and tell him everything would be all right.
Queen Elavara was probably only using him as a symbol for desperate people to pin their hopes on.
I wasn’t buying all that silt-waste about him being destined to seal the rift.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was meant for something more.
Maybe those women at the market had a point.
What if he was the leverage we needed to wipe out the Sun Kingdom?
If I could only help him harness the raw potential humming beneath his skin, there was no telling what he might achieve.
I gestured for him to follow. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“To find a moon seer. I need to send word to my father and sister that I won’t be home for a while.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You won’t?”
“You asked me to be your teacher, remember? I’m afraid you’re stuck with me a while longer.”
A faint smile curved his lips. “But the council said they’ll assign a moon master as my teacher.”
I huffed. “I doubt anyone will care if you receive some extra training on the side. Besides, this mission matters more than anything else in the world.”
His brow furrowed. “This mission?”
Drowning stars, I shouldn’t have called him that.
But it was too late to take it back. I just had to own it.
“Yes, Erion. Helping you is my mission. This is larger than any of us, and I’ll do whatever it takes.
I’ll be your teacher, your protector, your personal bodyguard. Unless… you don’t want me—”
He stepped closer, cutting me off. “I want you.” His voice came out breathy. “I mean—I’d be honored to have you by my side.”
His gaze pulled me in, those hazel depths burning with emotion, making my pulse skip.
“Good,” I said, my voice a notch too bright. I eased back half a step, searching for something to cut through the tension. “You should know, as your personal bodyguard, I reserve the right to throw you over my shoulder and run.”
He chuckled, warm and low. “You?” His gaze swept over me. “I’m fairly certain I outweigh you by a considerable amount.”
I tilted my head, studying the tower of a man before me. “Fair point. Maybe I’ll stick to dragging you out by your sleeve instead. Like this.” I caught his sleeve and tugged. “Come on, let’s find a moon seer.”
After returning to the palace, we wandered the many corridors on our way back to our rooms. As we passed windows overlooking the training area, Erion stopped to watch the master wielders’ fluid movements.
He gestured at a woman conjuring sheets of ice. “That’s just like what you did the other day. And there—” He pointed to another wielder manipulating shadows to conceal himself. “You can do that too, but faster.”
Heat crept up my neck. “You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m serious.” His gaze found mine, warm and sincere. “You’re just as good as them.”
I scoffed, glancing away, but pride bloomed in my chest. Below, a moon master twirled water into elaborate spirals and floating orbs, the droplets catching sunlight like scattered diamonds. Beautiful, but useless.
“Half those techniques wouldn’t last a heartbeat against a monster,” I muttered. “Too much flourish, not enough function. You don’t survive in Blightlands by making your attacks pretty.”
Erion’s lips quirked. “Maybe they’re not expecting to fight monsters.”
Annoyance prickled at me as we turned down a narrow hallway, heading for our chambers. “The way Blightlands keeps growing, they should.”
As we rounded the corner, I frowned at the unfamiliar hallway. Erion slowed, his confused gaze flicking from wall to wall. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
An open doorway ahead led us onto a small balcony, and a soft gasp escaped me.
Books. More than I’d seen in my entire life. Shelf after shelf lined the walls, weighed down with tomes, some thick as my forearm. The scent of old parchment and leather hung heavy in the air.
Long tables stretched across the center of the chamber. Scholars in deep blue robes bent over open texts, fingers trailing across pages. Some took notes, the scratch of quill on parchment faint but distinct. Sunlight streamed through towering windows, dust motes dancing in the golden beams.
Narrow steps descended from one side of the balcony to the floor below. No doors were visible along the walls. The main entrance had to be beneath us.
A woman’s voice drifted from directly below, soft and bright. “Not a single mention?”
The Queen.
Erion’s wide eyes snapped to me. I pressed a finger to my lips and leaned over the carved railing.
Beside the Queen, the Grand Moon Master dipped her chin, clutching her staff. “Nothing yet, Your Highness. But rest assured, if any of our historical records mention anything resembling dual powers, my scholars will find it.”
I grabbed Erion’s sleeve and pulled him behind the curtains before someone spotted us.
Footsteps approached below, and the Spymaster’s raspy voice drifted up. “My Queen. I’ve received word from the sun wielder. She refuses to come.”
“Refuses?” The Queen’s voice pitched higher in disbelief.
“Stubbornly so, Your Majesty. Claims she has important tasks to tend to at home.”
Unease prickled beneath my skin. What could be more important than answering the Queen’s summons? The traitor was probably busy relaying important information back to the Sun Kingdom.
The Grand Moon Master huffed. “Refusing a direct order from the Queen. Who does this woman think she is?”
“She’s from the Sun Kingdom,” the Spymaster rasped. “What do you expect?”
My jaw clenched. How would Erion master his sun powers if the sun wielder refused to come? He huddled closer to my side, clutching my arm. I could practically feel his dread.
The Queen’s voice rose above the hall’s murmur. “Don’t we have other sun wielders available? If memory serves, we’ve offered sanctuary in exchange for intel to more than one.”
“We’ve had others, but they’ve all suffered tragic ends when their identities were exposed to nearby moonfolk. Caldera is the last one. We’ve kept her identity secret from her entire town, even her closest friends.”
The Queen’s voice took on a biting edge. “Fine. If she won’t come to us, we’ll have to send the Dual Wielder to her.”
Erion’s eyes snapped to me.
I leaned close, keeping my voice low. “Let’s hope she lives nearby.”
“Your Majesty,” the Spymaster rasped, “Caldera lives in Brookfalls, near the western border. It will take weeks to travel there.”
Wincing, I avoided Erion’s gaze.
“And what about his moon training?” the Grand Moon Master hissed.
“Assign a moon master to join him on the journey,” the Queen replied, her voice calm.
“You expect me to find a master willing to travel for weeks to the furthest reaches of the land?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Make the arrangements.”
Footsteps echoed below as the guards’ heavy boots struck stone. The Queen was leaving.
My stomach squirmed at the thought of journeying even further away from home. And to someone who might refuse us at her doorstep, no less. I’d rather trust a drunk river guide through clogging silt than a sun wielder.
But I’d already made my promise to help Erion, and I’d follow him to the far edge of the world if that’s what it took.