Page 80 of Vardaesia
As Alex dressed, she shared how her night had unfolded and admitted to not having confronted her friends until that morning. Surprisingly, Zaylin didn’t judge her for her cowardice, but merely nodded with acceptance.
“You seem distracted,” Alex commented, having expected more of a stinging remark. “Is everything all right?”
Zaylin appeared surprised by Alex’s concern. At first, it seemed as if she wasn’t going to answer, but then, with a heavy exhale, she said, “Today is your last test.”
Nerves bounced around in Alex’s stomach at the reminder, but when the Tia Auran said no more, she prompted, “And?”
“And,” Zaylin said, “one way or another, today you—and I—will learn whether my people are to join you in battle.”
Unable to hold her silver eyes, Alex looked down and said, “You don’t want us to succeed today, do you?”
“I fear what will happen if you do,” Zaylin admitted quietly. But then, even quieter, she added, “I also fear what will happen if you don’t.”
Alex looked up sharply at that, but Zaylin continued, “If I seem distracted, it’s because I find myself torn. I want my people to remain safe, yet I’m uncertain whether the best way for that to happen is if we fight with you or leave you to your fate.” She pulled in a breath. “Before learning of Vae’varka being in Aven’s possession and how he’s been practisingTu’eh Tendaran Orvas, I didn’t truly understand the threat of what you face. Now, however…”
She trailed off, not needing to finish.
Alex didn’t know what to say. She had come to Tia Auras to seek aid from the immortals in the hope that they would carry out the words of the prophecy, and everything she had so far done was in an effort to prove worthy of their help. But that didn’t mean she failed to empathise with Zaylin’s concerns.
“Today will decide for us,” Alex said softly. “If we pass the final Gate, you said yourself that Saefii will honour our agreement.”
Zaylin’s eyes flashed with an unreadable light, and Alex paused to see if she would say something. But the Tia Auran remained silent, so Alex continued, “And if we fail, then we’ll still have an answer.”
And my whole world will be doomed, Alex added to herself.
Not allowing that thought to take root, she finished, “Either way, we’ll know by the end of the day. So take your own advice from yesterday and don’t think ahead—just focus on the now.”
Zaylin held Alex’s eyes for a long moment before she finally nodded. “You’re right.”
With efficient strides, the Tia Auran moved to the bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out Niyx’s letter and passing it to Alex.
“For luck,” Zaylin said.
Heartened by her consideration, Alex tucked it into the tight waistband of her leathery pants.
“And I believe this is yours, too,” Zaylin said, withdrawing the Myrox necklace from her black robe, having apparently recovered it from the empress.
Looking at the silvery metal forming the elegant archer’s bow with its perfectly drawn arrow, Alex shook her head and raised her eyes to meet Zaylin’s. “You keep it.”
Zaylin started. “You’re… giving this to me?”
“That necklace ended up in my possession after I did something no one else had managed to do before,” Alex said, recalling how Hunter had claimed she was the first person to ever recover the target in his Stealth and Subterfuge class tryouts. It hadn’t mattered that Alex hadn’t actuallywantedto try out, nor had she purposefully been searching for any kind of target. But nevertheless, she had succeeded where others had failed, accidentally or not.
Continuing with her reasoning, she said, “Hopefully the same will be true today. And if it’s not,”—she shrugged, trying to make the gesture look casual despite the nerves scratching under her skin—“then at least you’ll have something to remember me by.”
She couldn’t read the expression on Zaylin’s face, couldn’t tell if her offer was appreciated or despised.
Suddenly recalling Saefii’s words about Myrox being the mark of the Tia Aurans’ sworn enemy, Alex quickly backpedalled, fearing she may have unintentionally offendedZaylin. “I mean, you don’t have to keep it if you don’t want. I just thought—”
“Thank you, Alex,” Zaylin cut in softly, raising her hands to secure the chain around the back of her neck. The glow of the silver stood out starkly against the dark of her skin, making the Myrox seem more alive than usual. “I consider your gift a great honour and shall wear it with pride.”
Alex swallowed at the emotion she heard in Zaylin’s voice, realising that what she had just offered the Tia Auran meant perhaps more than she understood.
Just as she moved to leave her room and meet up with her friends to beparronedto the stadium one final time, Zaylin called out her name.
Pausing at the threshold of the doorway, Alex looked back at the Tia Auran.
“For what it’s worth,” Zaylin whispered, touching the charm at her neck, “I do hope you succeed today.”
