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Kelaros gestures at the shifting landscape. “Hard to say, but I’d guess I’ve been trapped in this lovely prison for weeks, bored out of my mind.” He gives me a slow once-over. “Though it’s gotten much more interesting since you arrived.”
My sithean stone flares, moonlight pulsing faster, and the tattoo on my palm burns with a warning I can’t quite read. “Why should I believe a word you say?”
“You shouldn’t.” He circles me, never getting too close. “Trust is a luxury here.”
I turn with him, not about to let him slip behind me.
“That stone at your wrist is sithean, right?” He edges closer. “A darkling bound to a Silver fae. You were sent here to search for someone.”
“Prince Elionn,” I say, seeing no point in lying. “Have you seen him?”
Emotion flickers across Kelaros’s face, gone before I can pin it down. “The Silver Prince? Here? How extraordinary.”
“Cut the crap.” I take a step closer, and the crystal floor cracks under my boot. “Tell me what you know.”
Kelaros considers the fractures. “Interesting.”
He moves away from me, trailing his fingers along the crystal wall. “I was investigating the rift for my king. The lost libraries here hoard secrets older than any living sithe.”
“And it trapped you,” I finish.
“Indeed. It is stingy with its secrets and lonely after centuries, so it keeps what it catches.” His smile is all teeth. “I suggest we become best friends.”
“No thank you. I don’t like people enough to have friends.” The stone pulses in my grasp, and I move away from Kelaros to follow the trail. “Enjoy your stay.”
Not taking the hint, he dogs my steps. “Can you comprehend what kind of knowledge this place holds?”
I ignore him.
“The kind that keeps sithes from turning to crystal.”
My pulse jumps. That’s what Elionn was after, too. “The blight.”
Kelaros studies me, his interest sharpening. “You are familiar with it?”
I frown at him. “It’s common knowledge. It’s everywhere.”
He stiffens. “You don’t say.”
“Sure it’s only been weeks since you got stuck here?” When he remains quiet, I push, “What have you found?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. Not yet. The court guards its secrets.” He motions toward my sithean stone. “But maybe with your connection, we’ll have better luck.”
The floor beneath his feet loses solidity, slowing his steps. It appears the court doesn’t like him any more than I do.
“We?” I snort. “I don’t even know you.”
He quickens his steps to compensate for the pull on his feet. “And yet, here we are. Two lost souls in a dying realm.”
“Not lost.”
He ignores me to continue. “I’ve been searching for weeks with no way out. Then you show up, Silver magic on your wrist and the court making friends with you.” His eyes narrow. “What’s your secret?”
“Maybe the court understands I’m not interested in stealing its secrets. Unlike you.” The stone pulses harder, tugging me toward a new opening in the crystal wall.
Away from Kelaros.
“Your compass wants you to go.” He takes a step to stand in my path. “But before you do, consider how two searchers might succeed where one fails.”
