Zapharos sighed as if speaking to a particularly frustrating child.
You and Alice are not like the others. You are more than the marks on your skin, more than the bond that ties you together. His presence pulsed against mine, deep and unstoppable. My frustration reached new heights when I realized there was nothing I could do to get him out of my head.
Did you not wonder why you felt no pain when the marks appeared? Why you could be apart from her when the others could not?
I had wondered. More than once. It hadn’t made sense.
The other Space Guardians had been shackled by their mating marks, unable to stray more than a few feet from their fated mates without agony tearing through them—at least according to Lord Protector Garth. But Alice and I? We could be separated. Or at least we could before. I wasn't sure I could ever leave her sight again now that I had surrendered to our love.
Still, our marks didn’t bind us the same way.
Because…
Because your souls have reincarnated together more times than you could ever imagine,Zapharos answered the question in my mind before I could even voice it. Shudders of revulsion pulsed through me. If I could have laid my hands on the bastard, I would have broken his neck. It was the worst intrusion of my life.No, I admitted,that honor still belongs to the Ohrurs, but Zapharos is a very close second.
You and Alice don't fear loss because your souls know each other too well. You trust without needing proof. You find each other, always. In every life. In every version of existence.
I didn't want to like his words, but somehow, they comforted me. Still, I snarled, "Get out of my head," careful not to wake Alice.
You are as close to the Arkhevari as a mortal can be.Zapharos’ voice deepened inside my head,and that's why you must listen.
"To what?" I bit out.
To her.
Her? Alice!
When the time comes, you must listen to her and trust her, as you have always done. She will know what to do. She has always known.
More ripples moved up and down my spine. "I will not have her in danger."
You will always be in danger if the Ohrurs have not been held accountable. You. Her. All of them.
The urge to argue with him welled up from the pit of my gut, but I forced it back down. He wasn't going to get out of my head until he said what he came here to say.
I'm glad you're finally realizing that, he chuckled. I wanted to punch him more with every passing tick. I would agree to whatever he had to say, just to get rid of him, and then… yeah, then what?
You can try.
Frygging bastard, my jaw tightened.
There is something you must do on Darlam, Xyrek. His presence pressed against me again, a flood of knowledge just out of reach.You are the key. You and Alice both. But you must find Shade's Vale.
"Shade's Vale?" My frown deepened. Why would Zapharos want me to find the one place on Darlam where the damned dwelled? Or had dwelled. I was sure they were as dead as all the others.
It was a place for Darlams who never found their Soulweb mates. For Darlams who fell in love with each other without the protection of mating marks. A place I had briefly considered seeking out with Allisaahn before our mating marks finally showed.
Darlam was never just a world. It was a cradle—a beginning. The Arkhevari left something behind, something only you can unlock.
I shook my head. "That doesn’t tell me anything."
No, Zapharos admitted,but you will understand when the time comes. When you stand on the shattered ground of your ancestors, when the truth is laid bare before you… you will know.
I growled in frustration, but Zapharos was already fading. His presence withdrew, retreating like the tide. The bastard had given me nothing but more riddles to solve.
"Tell me what I'm looking for; tell me what happened," I cried.
Be ready, Xyrek, his final words echoed in my mind.The balance must be restored; you will be my most valuable tool.
