Starwalker | The Alura Trilogy, Book 2 [She-Ra 2018] ✔️

44 | Gemstone of Labyrinths

The sorcerer interacts with the lunar fabric in the air. This, and the moondust within a person, communicate with one another. A sorcerer will draw in the air with moondust they have absorbed – then Tesseract will recognize the message and manipulate the fifth dimension accordingly. This method is used to cast all manners of spells.

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Having placed Princess Glimmer in her crib, Nell spotted Micah's form entering the nursery. The look in his friend's eye was clear: we need to talk.

Nell bit his tongue; he'd heard that Micah ran into Alura at the ball. Sickness wove through his stomach as he followed the young king into Angella's office, which rested a short ways away.

Finally, Micah spoke. "Angella went to bed."

"She needs the rest. Is there a more serious matter to discuss?"

"There was no attack at the Snows. She was just...there."

"Why didn't they chase her out?"

Micah lowered his eyes, shaking his head. "My guess is the queen didn't want to cause a stir. That, or...this Alliance really is on the brink of collapse."

"We have helped her," Nell said. "The bulk of Alwyn's supplies go to the Snows. Micah, there's something more you're not telling me." The words were ridiculous – Nell kept his share of secrets from the king – but he couldn't tell him what was on his mind. The cost was too high...

You know Micah won't do that to you. You're making excuses. He ignored the whisper as his friend sat at Angella's desk. Though Micah was only twenty-five, the youth in his system had been drained prematurely, leaving behind a worried husk.

Finally, Micah spoke. "I miss her." Nell pulled a chair over near Micah's as the younger man continued. "She's awful, Nell. So cruel...but I miss her. But what right do I have to care? It was my fault she ended up that way."

Nell sighed, his own conflicted feelings causing friction. On the one hand, he wanted to see Shadow Weaver stuck in a prison for a long, long time. But on the other, speaking to her was his last chance to apologize. How could Nell express this to Micah, when he still hadn't come to terms with his own desire for redemption?

Finally, he decided on a consolation. "It's okay to care about her," he said softly. "She doesn't stop being a person just because of her mistakes. Believe me...I know."

Micah cast his eyes toward Nell. "You keep making comments like that. What do you mean? I don't know anything about your life before the Rebellion."

Nell's chest tightened. Try. You have to try.

"My father tried to kill me."

Micah's eyes widened. "What?"

"He didn't know that he was close," Nell said, his body alight with phantom pain. "There was something wrong with his brain. A Delvalian hit my dad on the head with a brick, and he almost died."