A weighted silence pressed in as the crystal sphere, cool and smooth as a river stone, settled into my palm. “Call Amelia,” I commanded, the words a stark intrusion on the stillness.

A soft, internal luminescence awoke within the crystal, bleeding into the air and coalescing into the shimmering, ethereal form of Amelia. Her voice, laced with an urgency that tightened my chest, reached me first. “Thalia? Is everything alright?”

“We’re fine, Amelia,” I answered, forcing a calm I didn’t feel. “Don’t worry.”

“Oh, thank the stars,” she breathed, relief washing over her translucent features. 

Beside me, Cassius stood as a silent, unmovable statue of shadow and secrets. “We’re going to Coral Bluffs,” I announced, the name tasting like salt and rust on my tongue.

Amelia’s brow furrowed. “Coral Bluffs? Thalia, that’s not a place for a casual visit. It’s a refuge for the desperate and the damned.”

“I know,” I conceded. “But we have reason to believe a banished elf from Aelindoria has made her home there.”

“Banished? For what reason?”

It was Cassius who finally spoke, his voice a low gravel of half-healed wounds. “For the practice of ancient, forbidden magic. She may be the only soul left who can shatter my curse.”

Amelia considered this, her form flickering as if a breeze had passed through her. “I see,” she said, her tone softening with understanding. “Then you must go. But be warned. The folk of Coral Bluffs are territorial and deeply suspicious of outsiders. There is a reason they are left to their isolation. I have faith you will find this elf.”

“We’ll be careful,” I promised, my gaze flicking to Cassius, offering a sliver of a supportive smile before returning to our friend. “How are things at the castle?”

“Quiet, for now,” Amelia reported. “Blair has your father entangled in state matters, and Kaelen has once again departed. You have a window of time.”

“Good,” I admitted, a knot of tension loosening in my shoulders. “I have no idea how long this will take.”

“Take the time you need,” she replied, then a flicker of annoyance crossed her face. “Though, I must confess, Dolion has taken to following me like a persistent shadow. It makes any activity… challenging.”

A laugh escaped me, sharp and sudden. Amelia shot me a look that transcended her ethereal form. “Forgive me,” I said quickly, though the image of the pompous Dolion trailing her was a welcome moment of levity. “You just never seem vexed by anything. I am sorry you have to endure him.” Despite my words, a hot spike of anger shot through me at the thought of him watching her every move.

Her expression softened, a knowing gentleness in her eyes. “Do not waste your worry on me,” she insisted. “I can handle a man like Dolion.”

I sighed, the frustration a familiar weight. “I know you can.” A beat of silence stretched between us. “That’s all for now. We need to leave.”

“Very well,” Amelia’s voice was a warm current. “Thalia, Cassius, may your journey be swift and sure.”

“And you as well, Amelia. Goodbye.”

With a single, solemn nod, her image dissolved, the light collapsing back into the crystal, leaving it cool and inert in my hand once more.

I made the sphere vanish into my dimensional storage with a faint whisper of displaced air and rose, my eyes finding Cassius’s.

“Do you need anything before we depart?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied, a hint of weariness tracing the edges of his voice. “I would like to change, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” I said, already moving toward the door. “I’ll be just outside.”

“Thank you,” he offered, the words accompanied by the ghost of a smile.

I returned it, then stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed until it clicked softly. The cool stone of the wall was a solid presence against my back. Closing my eyes, I let the recent revelations wash over me. King Cassius. A part of me had known, had felt the truth of it in the marrow of my bones, but hearing him finally admit it had shifted the very ground beneath my feet.

My gaze was drawn to a window across the hall. I pushed off the wall and peered out. The sun had begun its slow, golden descent, painting the clouds in hues of apricot and rose. It was a good thing I had spent countless hours poring over maps and sketches of Coral Bluffs. My obsession with cartography might just be what saves us. My fingers found the familiar comfort of my bracelet, toying with the worn charms. Please, let this work. Let her be there.

A quiet sigh escaped my lips as my hand fell back to my side.

The creak of the door pulled me from my thoughts. “I’m ready.”

I turned. Cassius stood framed in the doorway, the light from the hall window sculpting the planes of his face, igniting a new, unfamiliar hope in his brilliant blue eyes. He had tied his jet-black hair back, but a few rebellious strands had already escaped to frame his face. He was a study in black—new boots, trousers secured by a leather belt, and a simple shirt, all worn beneath his ever-present cloak. The silver hilt of his sword was a stark slash against the dark fabric.

He caught me staring. “Elven clothes,” he explained, his voice a low baritone. “Lighter, yet stronger than human make. It offers a little more protection, but in a fight, every little bit matters.”

“It makes sense,” I managed, my own voice a faint echo.

He stepped forward, and the space between us became charged, the air humming with an unspoken energy. He gently placed his cool hand on my forehead. “Are you alright, Thalia? You’re flushed.”

My own hands flew to my cheeks, the sudden heat there a betrayal. “I’m fine.” My mind raced, a frantic scramble for a reason. I don’t feel ill. Why am I blushing? Every nerve ending was alight, hyper-aware of his proximity, of the clean, crisp scent of night air that clung to him. I took a stumbling step back, clearing my throat. “Are… are you ready to go?”

Cassius studied me for a long moment, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes, before he closed the small distance I had created. I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.

“I’m ready when you are,” he murmured, his voice a low, intimate rumble. “As long as you are certain you can picture our destination.”

“I can,” I confirmed, my voice steadier now. “I went through a phase, studying the main towns of every region. I memorized maps, drawings, anything I could find.”

“Good,” he paused. “I do have one more question. What is so wrong with Coral Bluffs?”

“Oh. From what I’ve read, the people are… unwelcoming. To put it mildly. They are fiercely protective of their own and hostile to outsiders.”

“Unfortunate,” he replied simply. He extended his hand. “I am ready.” A reassuring smile touched his lips, warming his face.

My hand found his, his grip firm and cool, a welcome anchor in the swirling vortex of my thoughts. I closed my eyes, focusing my will, pulling forth the images I had committed to memory. The impossible, sapphire blue of an ocean I had only ever seen in paintings. A town clinging to the edge of a windswept cliff like a barnacle to a ship’s hull. The sharp, lonely cry of gulls on the wind.

A shimmering, iridescent tear appeared in the air before us. Together, we stepped through.

Instantly, a cool, damp mist enveloped me, and the sharp, briny tang of salt clung to my skin and clothes.

We had arrived. And deep within me, beneath the fear and the uncertainty, a tiny, dangerous spark of excitement began to glow.