Fates and Thrones

Passage

The next morning, Aleesia was perched in Solisdr's lap, her head tilted back in laughter at something Jax had said. Veyrun sat beside them, his hand resting casually on her shoulder, as if it had always belonged there. The three of them seemed so in sync, their laughter creating a world of their own, sealed off from everything else.

I lingered on the stairs, peering through the gaps in the railing. A small, reluctant smile tugged at my lips. She looked happy, truly happy, for the first time in ages. Freer, lighter. That should have been enough. Should have been.

But deep down, a familiar ache stirred, sharp and insistent. She's finding her happiness, but why does it feel like she's leaving me behind?

My nails dug into my palms, the sharp sting grounding me just enough to stop the spiral. Breathe. In and out. One step at a time. I reminded myself of what to do, though it felt like a flimsy defense against the growing weight in my chest. This was good for her. She deserved this.

Still, the thought crept in, no matter how hard I tried to push it away: She doesn't need me anymore.

Step by step, I made my way down the stairs, though it felt like my body was moving on autopilot. My mind was too tangled in shadows to notice Maiden waiting for me at the bottom.

"I hope you're not always this tardy, Ajita," she said, her voice crisp and precise. "It's hardly a trait befitting someone in your position."

I blinked, startled out of my haze. "Sorry, Maiden," I mumbled, my gaze fixed somewhere beyond her. "I'll do better next time. I just... overslept."

"AJ! You're awake!" Aleesia's voice rang out, brighter than the sunlight pouring in through the windows. The sound jolted me, and I looked up just in time to see her launching herself at me.

"Al—wait! You're going to—" I barely managed to catch her as she threw herself into my arms. "Gods, Al, you're lucky I looked up. You could've fallen."

Her laughter was as carefree as her leap. "They'd get over it," she said, tossing a glance over her shoulder at her trio.

I followed her gaze, noting the sharp, territorial glint in their eyes. "I'm not so sure about that," I murmured, holding her closer despite the slight tension in my chest.

"They'll survive," Aleesia said with a grin. She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, her gaze warm and unguarded. "We've been waiting for you all morning, AJ."

Her cheeriness, so genuine and unrestrained, worked its way through the cracks in my heart. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't leaving me behind after all. Maybe her light could reach me, too.

But her next words sent a jolt of unease down my spine. "AJ, we have to go home, but I don't know how we're going to make it in time."

She was right. We only had a day left to make the journey, but the math didn't add up. Without our horses, lost in the woods when Jax forgot to tie them up, our two-day trek would take at least three. Panic churned in my chest. We'd never make it.

"Worry not, Princess." Veyrun's voice rang out, calm and self-assured, as he rose from his spot. His steps echoed against the stone walls as he approached. "Maiden has a way that will save us time."

"Us?" Aleesia turned to him, still in my arms, her brows furrowing. "Are you joining Ajita and me?"

"Of course, Princess," he replied with a smile that seemed both teasing and sincere. "This test was the easiest of all, and, well... we've taken a liking to you." He winked, his left eye closing in an almost conspiratorial gesture before turning to Maiden. "Whenever you're ready."

Maiden stepped forward; her sharp gaze fixed on the empty space in front of her. The air felt heavy, crackling with a strange, charged energy that set my nerves on edge. She lifted her hands palms up, her fingers trembling ever so slightly.

"Mother," she murmured, her voice low and steady. It wasn't a call but a connection, a thread pulled taut between them, vibrating with tension. "I need you."

For a moment, there was nothing; only silence and the weight of anticipation pressing down on us all. Then, faintly at first, the air shifted. It shimmered, like heat rising off sunbaked stone, and a second presence filled the space. Though Mother wasn't physically there, I felt her arrival as surely as if she'd stepped into the room.

"Ajita, Aleesia," Maiden said without looking back. "Do not speak. Do not move. This requires absolute focus."

Aleesia grabbed my hand, her fingers cold and tight against mine. I wasn't sure if I was trying to steady her or myself as the room grew darker, the light seeming to twist and curl toward Maiden's outstretched hands.

Her voice changed. Deeper, resonant, layered as if two voices were speaking in perfect harmony. I realized with a jolt that it wasn't just her anymore. Mother's voice was there too, carried through Maiden like a haunting echo.

"This is not a simple task," Maiden said. Or was it Mother? "But for this, we are united."

The air thickened further, and a faint glow began to form between Maiden's hands, swirling in shades of gold and silver. The colors bled outward, stretching and twisting like threads being woven into fabric. Every flicker of light seemed to pull at her, beads of sweat forming on her brow as her shoulders sagged under the strain.

Aleesia gasped softly beside me as the glow condensed into a blinding point of light, expanding outward in a pulse. A doorway began to take shape—jagged at first, as though torn from the very fabric of reality, before smoothing into a perfect, shimmering oval. Through it, I glimpsed a landscape unlike anything I'd ever seen—dark, twisted, yet somehow beckoning.

The connection between Maiden and Mother pulsed visibly now, like a taut string of energy running from Maiden's heart to the glowing portal. Maiden's hands trembled, and her knees buckled slightly, but she didn't falter.

"Go," she whispered, her voice cracking under the strain. "Before it closes."