Page 75
“And your blood connection to the prince.” Kelaros’s eyes rake over me. “It seems the court cannot quite tell the difference between you two.”
I don’t believe him.
Not entirely.
“For what purpose?”
Kelaros sweeps his arm wide, encompassing the chamber. “Here, at the source of the first court, there may be answers. Or at least power enough to hold back the tide eating away at our realms.”
I step closer to Elionn’s suspended form, positioning myself between him and Kelaros. “And what does this have to do with Prince Elionn?”
“Everything.” Kelaros circles the crystal formation again, his movement predatory. “The Silver Prince came seeking the same answers, but the court found something far more valuable in him.”
The crystal warms underfoot, veins pulsing brighter around me. “Which is?”
“A prince it could bind to its very heart.” Kelaros leans closer, almost reverent now. “Do you understand what that means? He’s become a conduit for its knowledge.”
My attention returns to Elionn’s peaceful face, to the silver of his skin now shot through with threads of opal light. The crystal isn’t just holding him. It’s flowing through him.
“The prince made his choice when he bound himself to this place,” Kelaros continues.
Choice. Right. Because Elionn looks like a man who volunteered to be sealed inside a crystal cocoon.
“Now he’s the only thing keeping it from collapsing.”
Cold dread forms knots in my stomach. “You want to use him.”
“I want to complete what I came here to do.” Kelaros stops circling, his body coiled with tension. “The Silver Prince is the key.”
“At what cost to him?”
“Does it matter? One prince against entire realms?” Kelaros takes a step toward me, and the crystal beneath his foot cracks. “With the power he’s absorbing, we could stabilize the crystal blight, maybe even reverse it.”
“Or you could unleash whatever power the seal was placed to contain.” I plant my feet, fingers tightening around the knife hilt. “There’s a reason the other courts fractured from this place.”
Kelaros’s fingers curl into fists at his sides. “King Nyctarian sanctioned my crossing because he thought the risk worth taking for a chance to find answers.”
“But what happens if we remove Prince Elionn?” I ask, watching the network of light grow more complex by the second.
“We gain access to the Opalwell.” Kelaros leans closer, fervor breaking through his usual restraint. “And power enough to reshape our realms.”
The veins spreading beneath my boots all lead back to this cocoon. I remember what Caelan said about needing to stay behind to keep the Silver Sithe from failing.
Is that what’s happening here? Is Elionn acting as a power source for this dying place?
“What is the Opal Court doing to him?”
Kelaros regards me with grudging respect. “The Opal has been seeking a new King. Others were taken, but none sustained the court for more than hours. Then the Silver Prince arrived.”
“If it needs a King, what makes you think the court will let him go?”
“Because we have someone to offer in his place.” He steps closer, burning with fervor. “A wildling who the court believes to be a prince.”
The sudden interest he takes in my tattooed palm snaps the pieces into place. “That’s why you helped me.”
“The court recognizes you.” Kelaros doesn’t even bother to deny it. “It let you in when it rejected all others. Your blood speaks to it. It’s a small sacrifice for the greater good.”
“Stay back.” I draw my knife and position myself between him and Elionn. “I won’t let you use either of us.”
