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“Because on the journey to get there, you learn things you don’t know you need to know, but you do.”

“You can’t know everything in all of these books by way of reading. Someone told you.”

“Three hundred years is a long time, Ember.” His tone is tight, his expression carved in sharp lines. “I could waste fifty of those and still have too much time on my hands.” He grabs a breadstick, as if ending the topic.

Three hundred years is a long time, I think, and as Overseer, I wonder at how secluded that has made him, how lonely, and I find myself more curious about him than ever. “Where is your family?”

“That’s a complicated question.”

My brow furrows at the evasive answer. “Does that mean it’s none of my business?”

His reply is no reply, at least not at first. He studies me for eternal beats, and I almost hear the clang of a clock announcing the top of the hour before he finally speaks. “Much like you, I was taken away from them at a young age.”

I blink in surprise. “Why?”

“Crystal Seers are a rare breed, to be trained and protected. I was sent to an elder in the Nephilim Mountains, where I was trained and educated.”

“Who is this elder?”

“Joseph is the most ancient Crystal Seer alive, a warrior who fought a battle in the underworld and survived.”

“Do you see your parents now?”

“My mother was killed by a demon the eve of my coming of age.”

“Oh my God. How?”

“It’s more about why. She was a Seer Sensory.”

“Like Ariella?”

“Yes, but my mother was more gifted than Ariella or any other Seer Sensory. And unlike the seclusion and safety of Elysium, The Kingdom of Nephilim is exposed to attacks. That’s why we have an army we call the Gilded.”

“Why are we safe here, but not there?”

“During the great war of Nephilim, there was damage done to borders, regions thrust into dark magic that cannot be spellcast into protection.”

I’ve just finished reading about this portion of Nephilim history, and with great interest. When the Fallen were cast to live amongst mankind, there was a great war and battle for control. It raged only twenty human years before distraction allowed the demons to run free, and a choice between peace and destruction was forced upon the Nephilim. They chose peace, and the first king sat on the Nephilim throne. “If the borders are damaged, why not come here?”

“The lands gifted to the Overseers are small, far too small for the kingdom. A bit like islands off the coast of a bigger region.”

“I see. And so, these warriors protect the kingdom.” It’s not a question, but me working through the history in my mind.

Still, he confirms. “Yes. They’re our warrior class, highly elite fighters.”

I circle back to him. “Your mother…”

“She was stabbed to death at the front door of my parents’ home.”

I swallow the anguish I feel for him, that he must still feel at random moments of his life. “Did you find out who did it?”

“No one knows who was responsible, but soon after, our king and queen were attacked. The queen didn’t survive. The king was gravely injured but eventually recovered. The speculation was that the attack came from the king’s inner circle.”

He waves a hand across the table, and our food disappears, steaming hot coffees in its place, and I barely notice. “But no one was caught for that, either?”

“No,” he says, “and despite the time that has passed, there’s always been a fear of a traitor from inside playing a long game.”

“Can’t another Seer Sensory flush them out?”