I stared at Remiel, certain he had to hear my heart pounding, and then he laughed.

"It's only a rumor. My father said the Shadow King would never confirm or deny it, but he suspected it was not true. It certainly made others think twice before provoking him, though."

His black cloak swirled around his lithe body as he turned back to the drawings. Half faint from the struggle it took to breathe again, I followed him, eyes narrowed into points as I glared at him. It would have taken no effort to lead with that bit of information when he told the story, but he wanted to get a rise out of me. If I wasn't worried about harming something in the temple, I might have thrown a snowball at his head.

For old time's sake.

The last drawing on the wall depicted a flame and shadow standing on either side of two young girls. I immediately recognized Mara, but if not for the dark hair and lavender eyes, I might not have seen myself in the youngest. Her face was too round, and her expression too unburdened. I had no memory of ever being her.

Tracing my finger over her chin, I asked, "But how did my father touch my mother and not die?"

"Likely a soul bond." My ears pricked at the return of the flat note to his voice.

"A soul bond?" Why did that sound familiar? Was it a memory of something from before, or perhaps something I'd heard in passing?

Remiel tensed. We walked alongside one another down a narrow corridor. Here there were no drawings or lights other than the glow in the walls, but ahead of us, I could see an open round space.

"Remy?" I prodded.

"Soul bonds or soul bound...It's a term we used in Araphel to describe the connection between two elves destined to be together. Not just in their present life, but in all the ones before and after. They'll find each other in every world. In the old tongue, it is called hyrat ti coleo.

"Two sides of the same coin..."

He nodded. "It's old and powerful magic, and to hurt your soul bound would be akin to hurting yourself."

The hair on my arms lifted, and a shiver went through me. What a marvelous thought that someone out in the world could be a perfect match for me. Then again, perhaps it wasn't such a good thing. Not long ago, I might have thought Tievel was my soul bound, but now that I saw the darkness lurking inside of him, I wondered what that would say about me if it were true.

"What are you thinking?" Remiel asked, almost hesitantly.

"Tievel–"

"Never mind. I don't want to know." He cut me off harshly.

"Is this... is this about the kiss?" Calling it a kiss was putting it mildly.

"The kiss?" He shrugged. "I haven't even thought about it."

Whatever reply I might have mustered in response to his blatant lie crumbled on the tip of my tongue as we stepped into the atrium at the end of the hall. Remiel stumbled and dropped to his knees, tears shining on his cheeks as he surveyed the space before us.

Where all of Araphel outside of the temple had been ash and destruction, this place was pristine. Trees of all types grew around the far edges of the atrium. A few had trunks so wide I did not think Remiel and I could stand on either side of it and touch our fingers to the other's. Their branches arched overhead, reaching all the way to the other side of the room, and in some places, it looked like they grew into another tree.

Interspersed among the giants were smaller varieties with slender trunks and branches and leaves that gleamed silver in the moonlight streaming in through the hole in the roof. A brook with turquoise water cut through the very center of the space, and I spied fish swimming along the white sandy bottom.

"How?" I asked, bending over to press my nose into the center of a moonrose.

I had loved stopping to smell them in the Queen's gardens in Edresh. They were a source of comfort. I thought they were native to Edresh, but seeing them here, I wondered if I had loved them so much because the smell reached beyond whatever magic took my memories. They reminded me of home.

"Remiel?" He had not moved. "Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth and made some sort of unintelligible sound. Almost like a groan. Licking his lips and swallowing hard, he tried again. "I never thought to see Araphel like this again. It reminds me of spring nights back home. It even smells like it."

"What magic could preserve this place against the fires?"

"I don't know, but right now I don't care. I could stay here forever."

We looked at one another then, and he smiled at me for the first time in days. A burst of warmth spread through my chest, and I hoped he didn't see the tremble in the smile I returned. Along the way, Remiel had become as dear to me as Astreia, and the distance that had come between us since that first night here had worn on me.

That smile gave me hope. A flutter went through my stomach when he winked as he rose to his feet. I pressed my hand to my middle and turned away. Whatever attraction I had toward him needed to be put aside to protect our friendship. I'd rather have him as my friend than lose him all together.

"It is nice to know that this place is safe from the fires. It will buy us more time," I rambled, walking about the room and looking for clues. King Brinley said the answer to the Dycidium's location was inside the temple, and it was something only a Deathsinger could find.

"Morana."

I jumped. Remiel had snuck right up behind me. A warm weight settled on my shoulder, and I fought the urge to lean into his touch.

"Oh! Look," I said, pushing back a branch and pointing to a shrine near the back. The trees and flower bushes had concealed it.

For a long second, he kept his hand on my shoulder, and then, with a sigh and a squeeze, he released me. Our footsteps echoed in the quiet space, and a soft breeze, tinged with the scent of ash, rustled the leaves on the trees.

"It's the Old Tongue again," Remiel remarked, bending low to study the long rectangular slab of ravenstone. Bits of dried wax had settled into the crevices of the letters chiseled into the stone. A remnant of a time when worshipers lit a candle as an offering to the gods.

"It's a Song."

Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, I followed the words around the table. I mumbled one aloud, and immediately, a low vibration rumbled in my chest. Shocked, I slapped a hand on the stone to steady myself.

"Morana!" Remiel shouted as an electric jolt shot through me, arching my back and toppling me backward.

"Morana!"

"Mara!" I ran to my sister, my doll tucked under my arm. "What's happening? What is all the noise?"

Thunderous booms and angry shouts had been growing louder since the moon rose. Mother tucked me into bed, and though she told me all was well, I knew it was a lie. Whenever she was upset, a line formed between her brows, and I had never seen it so deep before.

That had been at least two hours ago, and my nanny, Ilia, had shaken me awake, telling me to follow her. She packed a bag while I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, flinching every time one of those booms sounded. Right before we walked out of my room, something crashed into the palace, shaking it so hard dust fell from the ceiling.

"I have her Ilia. Thank you," Mara said, taking my hand in hers. She was always warm to the touch, but this time, her skin was so hot it nearly burned.

"But the queen said–"

"She changed her mind."

"It's okay, Ilia," I said, sensing her hesitance to leave me with my sister. "Mara always makes sure I'm safe."

"Of course. Pardon me, princess. We're all on edge, given the circumstances."

Mara's features softened. At least they were soft for her. "Of course. We never expected this day to come. Not really. Get to the northern entrance. My father has ensured the road from there is clear and safe for evacuation."

When Ilia disappeared around the corner, Mara pulled me along behind her. We were going the opposite direction from the northern entrance, but I didn't question her. It made sense that we would leave another way. But when she opened the door leading into the dungeons below the palace, nerves skittered down my spine.

"I don't like it down there," I said, freezing on the top step.

Mara smiled at me. It didn't reach her eyes. "Come on. You're my big girl, Moranthia. You're not scared of anything. You never are."

What she said was true. Mother often said it would be the death of me. 'A little fear is a good thing, Morana. It keeps you safe. Don't you want to be safe?'

"Why do we need to go down there, though? Will it keep us safe from whatever is happening outside?"

"Morana. Fuck."

Remiel's frantic voice pierced the memory. I wanted to tell him I was fine. That this wasn't like before, and I needed to see this through to the end. I pushed back into the memory, only we had moved forward in time.

"Stop! Mara, it's too much."

I stared at my sister in horror as she pulled the fire from an archway into her body. Mother stood on the other side of the arch, her features and figure distorted, like I was looking at her through water. She banged her hands against an invisible barrier.

"I have to, Mother. It's the only way to stop him. What good will it do to hide you there if he can walk through?"

"Your father will find a way. Estrellum will find a way."

Mara shook her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, turning to steam the moment they spilled onto her cheeks. Sweat dripped down my forehead. It was so hot in this strange room. Nothing but darkness and stone and the fire that my sister consumed.

"Mara, look," I gasped, pointing at her skin. It was blistering. I'd watched her walk through bonfires before and not burn.

"Please," Mother begged.

I reached for my sister without thinking of the consequences. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. It wasn't enough to stop me, and when my fingers closed over her arm, pain like I'd never known ripped through me.

And everything went dark.