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Chapter Sixteen

“Are you insane?” my father asked.

My mother had already started to tell the staff which items to pack and the trunks were piling up. To speed things up, Ellas offered to help, and Aras did as well. It was the perfect time to tell my parents about the mating. In particular, to explain why I hadn't told my mate. My father's reaction to that explanation was fair.

“Father, Ensarena's Eye could save us,” I said. “It can give me the power to decimate a Dragon army. I need Aras to help me attain it.”

“And you don't think he will do all in his power to help you after he discovers who he is?” my mother asked. “You're not thinking straight, Son. He's a good man. He fought for you.”

I started to waver. She was right. Aras would be even more inclined to help once he knew that we were mates.

No, he won't, the Eye said. You know I don't lie to you, Lyrandir. I have seen it. You will not claim me if you tell Aras that he's your mate. It's not that he won't want to do all in his power to help you. Something else impedes him. Something I can't see. And if I can't see it, it must be magical.

Magical?

That's my assumption. It doesn't matter. I see the result and it's not in your favor. Once you tell Aras you love him, it all takes a turn against you. You tell him he's your mate next, and then you lose me. To be completely honest, I didn't want to tell you that I have limitations, but now I find that I must confess the whole truth. So, there it is. I am not all-seeing. I can't warn you of every misstep along the way. But what I do see is accurate. I swear it. You cannot tell Aras that he's your mate.

Damn it all!

“Lyrandir!” my father shouted.

I blinked and refocused on him. “Sorry, Father.”

“What is going on with you?” My father drew close and peered into my face.

“I'm just distracted by the prospect of war.”

“No. It's more than that. You looked as if you were arguing with yourself. Tell me.”

I sighed. “You will truly think I'm mad.”

“I am your father. Whatever I think, I will stand beside you.”

“Thank you, Father. I've missed you. And you, Mother. It's been hard to rule alone.”

“Son, I told you this would be a perilous road to walk.” He laid a hand on my shoulder, his dark eyes going sympathetic. “But I'm proud of you for undertaking the journey.”

Neither of my parents had my hair coloring. It was rare in our dread. My father and mother were both brunettes. But my eyes were nearly identical to my mother's. And her eyes narrowed at me.

“Tell us, Lyrandir,” my mother commanded.

There's something about a mother's command. It was impossible for me to ignore.

“A voice started speaking to me the day I met Aras,” I confessed.

“A voice?” My father's hand fell away. “Son—”

“I warned you that you would think I've gone mad. But please, just hear me out. The voice told me she was the consciousness of a powerful relic. Ensarena's Eye.”

My mother gasped.

My father and I spun to look at her.

“The Eye,” she whispered. “No, that's not possible. That's a legend. A story. It doesn't exist.”

“That's what I thought too,” I said.

“It's speaking to our son,” my father said. “What is it, Jaclene? Why has its existence spooked you?”

“It's . . .” She shook her head. “I don't know a lot about Ensarena's Eye. I just remember a story my grandmother once told me.” Her expression went worried. “A story about a king who nearly burned all of Serai.”

He was not strong enough to wield me, the Eye said.

“The Eye says that the king wasn't strong enough to use her,” I repeated. “She has chosen me for many reasons. But I only need her for one—to give me the power to quell an uprising.”

“She's speaking to you right now?” my father asked.

“Yes, and I know she's real, not a figment of my mind. Several things have convinced me. First, she started speaking to me the day Aras offered to obtain her for me. Next, she knew when Aras's ship was attacked by pirates and informed me that she'd been stolen before he told me of the theft. She has also foretold events. She warned me last night, but I didn't listen to her because I didn't trust her. I should have. She was right.”

“Is that one of the amulet's powers, Jaclene?” my father asked her.

“I don't know.” My mother stared at me.

“She says that she's a piece of the Goddess,” I said. “A piece of Ensarena's Fire Magic. It's strong enough to incinerate Dragons. But she's also an eye, with the ability to see the past, present, and future.”

“Dear Goddess,” my father whispered.

Yes, precisely, the Eye drawled.

I clenched my jaws and sought patience. “You know me. I did not accept her lightly. I tested the voice. I worried about my sanity. But I believe she is real and speaks the truth. She warned me from the beginning that I would need her to stop a Dragon war. And now, here we are.”

“And this voice has told you to keep your mating a secret from your mate?” my father asked.

“Yes. She says that if I do, I will not attain her.”

“Her,” my mother repeated. “You've given it a gender?”

“It speaks with a woman's voice. I assume it's because she's a part of the Goddess.”

“Oh.” My mother looked at my father.

“I didn't want to tell you,” I muttered. “I knew this would be your reaction.”

“We believe you, Son,” my father said. “We are just unsure about this entity you are conversing with.”

Entity, the Eye huffed. That sounds a little rude.

It's not rude. You are an entity—a being with no physical body.

Oh. All right then. I mean, you could call the Eye a body, but I suppose that's a stretch.

“That's fine, “ I said aloud. “You don't have to trust her, but I do. And she says you need to come back to Renris with me.”

“We're already packing,” my mother said. “We'll go with you.”

My father put his arm around her shoulders. “And we will be there to watch over you, Son. If this relic tries to play with your mind, we will stop it.”

“Thank you, Father.”

My parents came to me and drew me into a hug.

“You have never been alone, Son,” my mother said. “Even when we weren't physically with you, we have stood beside you.”

“We will stand with you until our dying breath,” my father added.

I prayed to the Dragon Gods that my father hadn't tempted them, or fate, or any other gods with that declaration.

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