Veldrix was grateful that Everin didn’t try to chase after them. Not that the Emerald Caster could have caught up, but they wanted to be able to listen to what Helen would say to him. Now that Everin had ruined their entire relationship with their sister. Would she be angry at their lies or indifferent to the situation they had put theirself into?

  Part of them had avoided telling her because they had feared the indifference… or worse, the humiliation. At least while Helen was blissfully ignorant, they could pretend they were the noble knight they always aspired to be. They didn’t want to be thanked… but they didn’t want to be told it was all for nothing either.

  They were also afraid of the truth Helen spoke… that they had wanted Everin to save them. It sounded ridiculous at first, but while they sat atop the inn’s roof to look at the flowery view with the abundant water features while listening through the open windows of the room directly below where the pair talked, Veldrix realized that it was probably truer than anything they had told Helen in the last three hundred years.

  Everin’s carefree attitude and bold defiance had quickly drawn Veldrix in. Would they ever get to be as free as this rebellious fox who refused to be told what to do? It was almost intoxicating to be around.

  Veldrix had seen glimpses of that freedom in Helen too. She traveled around with her wife to delve into Labyrinths or ancient ruins looking for lost magical treasures, and would often write to them about it. They could have adventures vicariously through their sister and rest easier knowing she and Aino were happy.

  Everin surprised Vel, however, by challenging everything they had believed in—lovingly threatening to overthrow the royals that Vel had willingly chained theirself to. Somehow making it seem like it was bad for them to be kind. They had lived so long around cruel and greedy nobles and people desiring gemites in general, that the mere thought of being selfish theirself was revolting. They never wanted to take advantage of others like that… but Everin had been right that they didn’t know how to protect theirself from that in turn.

  “He’s cute, even if he is a bit younger and immature than I imagined for you,” Helen said as she sat down on the edge of the roof beside them.

  “I didn’t expect him to say any of that,” they admitted. “I knew he didn’t like my situation… I can admit seeing him get upset on my behalf… Well, it selfishly felt good… but I asked him to be nice to you and told him those things in confidence. I didn’t think he would betray that—”

  “I’m not sure I believe that,” she interrupted. “Of course, I’m not sure I can ever believe anything that comes out of your mouth again, V.”

  They finally turned to look at their sister to see her staring at them thoughtfully, so unlike her usual demeanor. Helen was normally cheerful and insanely energetic, unable to sit still or stop talking for long. Her mind was often on a hundred things at once, which made her great at puzzling out ancient artifacts, but not so great at keeping track of day-to-day things or on topic in a conversation.

  “I’m not going to apologize for the deal I made, if that’s what you’re hoping for,” they replied, unable to read her as much as she was unable to read them. “Even if you hate me for lying about everything being fine, I don’t regret the time I gave you unburdened by Aino’s crazy parents.”

  She frowned at him. “And what about the eternity you just gave me of regret for how blind I was to your lies? Of how I’m sure those royal pricks were laughing at me for it? Of how heartless you made the little rebel believe I was simply because you wanted to play the hero I never asked for?”

  Veldrix felt their shoulders drop as the weight of their failure settled on them. “That was never my intention,” they whispered. “I just… I wanted to protect you… you and all the other gemites in Blomstra. I know you don’t care about those descendants the Cultivator’s clergy made from all of us, but I’ve found my place among them. I take pride in what I’ve helped build with them. I can’t just risk that to confess to you what it all cost me.”

  Helen sighed, resting a hand on theirs. “We’re not little kids anymore, V. I don’t need you to protect me from the world. I need you to believe that I’m on your side. Always. I know I’m not great at the whole ‘being responsible’ thing, but I don’t want you to think I’m so frivolous that I need you to sacrifice yourself so I can be happy. I don’t think the gemites back in Blomstra would want that either… Do you think it makes any of them feel happy to know that the person they admire is hurting because of them? I know I don’t like it.”

  Veldrix raised a brow at that and couldn’t help but ask, “You admire me?”

  She rolled her eyes at them. “Not as much after finding out from that Radiant ball of fur below us that you’re a habitual liar and that I’ve been a terrible sister.”

  “It’s not your fault—”

  “Oh, I’m well aware,” she interjected with a glare, but smiled a moment later. “Which is why you’re going to make it up to me now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, what I told your little boy-toy wasn’t a lie. I’m going to make sure Aino’s parents never lay a finger on you again—”

  “Helen, you can’t—”

  “I’m not going to let you end up like Alder,” she softly stated but the firmness in her voice left no room for argument.

  Veldrix fell silent at the memory of their older brother. The very first gemite and malachite. He had died long ago and had taken his own life from falling into a depression fueled by bitterness and lack of purpose that the rest of the gemite siblings refused to fall into in turn.

  “I’ve found my purpose. I don’t struggle with the fact I’m Shiny either,” they pointed out.

  “Alder was always jealous of us for that,” she whispered the truth they were both painfully aware of. Alder was the first of them all, and belonged to the half of the group of siblings that hadn’t been born with the Shiny Talent. “But that wasn’t the only reason for what he did. He was tired of the darkness he had found himself in… the hole he had dug himself into through his own mental spiral and inactions. I won’t let you suffer and sacrifice so much that you lose the will to live like he did.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “I like to believe I’m more resilient than that…”

  “You are,” she replied with a firm nod. “The fact you’ve lasted this long already and it wasn’t until that mouthy fox tattled on you shows how much more resilient you are than Alder ever was.”

  “You know that you can call him Everin, right? I don’t think he’d mind if you’re already plotting the downfall of a nation together.”

  “Is it too invasive of a question to ask if his mouth is as unrelenting in bed as it is in an argument?”

  “Are you seriously asking me that?” they asked in surprise, suddenly wondering if it had been a terrible mistake to introduce him to Helen.

  “You know I can’t stop the places my curious mind wanders to.”

  “I know we were raised to share, but I’m drawing the line at Everin.”

  Helen snickered. “Well, let me know if you get bored of him or vice versa.”

  “Rude,” they replied, but it was hard to deny that fear hadn’t also crossed their mind. Everin’s life was almost a tenth the length of theirs yet was already more exciting in their opinion.

  After a few moments of silence, Vel finally asked, “So, are you going to help with the actual quest we were sent here for, or do you hate me so much now that you’ll refuse?”

  She sighed again, tilting her head as she looked at them with an assessing gaze before saying, “I don’t hate you, V. You’re my obnoxiously stoic twin, remember?”

  They smiled at the jab, but she continued with a more somber tone. “But I need to know that going forward we’ll be working together from a place of honesty. If I can’t trust anything you say, then I’m going to start being equally obnoxious with second-guessing everything. I know you meant good, but being truthful means more to me than being kind.”

  Veldrix huffed a soft laugh, shaking their head at the slight hypocrisy as they managed to tease, “Should I tell Aino about that debt to that shady alchemist you tried hiding from her then? You know, if we’re being completely honest now…”

  “Don’t make me have to drown you in this Labyrinth,” she quipped back with a flat look that made Veldrix chuckle but bow their head in acquiescence.

  “So only honesty between you and me… I might be able to live with that.”

  “And with the cute fox that is so obviously in love with you.”

  Veldrix snorted. “I’m not so sure. You know how NRE messes with one’s perception of love.”

  “I get the New Relationship Energy is strong right now, but I heard how he talked about you and saw the way it hurt him to see you hurt. I’m calling it love ‘cause I got no other word for what I saw, V.” She paused and pointedly added, “And the fact that you brought him to meet me and let him speak to both of us like that makes me think the feeling is mutual.”

  Veldrix fell silent, not sure what to say to that.

  “Only honesty between us,” she reminded them.

  “I don’t know…” they admitted. “I think… I think I’m afraid to fall in love with him.”

  She snorted a laugh. “I think that means it’s already too late, little sib.”

  Dazien stared at the blank sheet of parchment sitting on the small table in front of him. Phoenix and Uriel had decided to go with the twins to look for a new place to stay now that they were all together again. He had explained his original plan of renting one of the vacant lots he knew existed in the upper residential areas and utilizing Uriel’s [Fortress of Servitude] rather than an expensive inn room. Aside from saving Bits, they would also gain the additional benefits the fortress itself offered them.

  Instead of going with them to look for a spot, however, he had told them he needed some time alone to write some letters. This first one was to Patricia and he was having difficulty putting his thoughts into words.

  When he had told Uriel what had happened to him, it had been slightly cathartic to let go of some of that burden. Trusting his partner to shoulder his ordeal much as he had over the years after learning about Uriel’s own past.

  Now, however, it felt daunting to put on paper. Like somehow writing it in ink made it more real than it had been before.

  He knew that was ridiculous when he had the thought. Writing it down or not wouldn’t change it in any way. Still… How could he explain to his aunt what had happened? What would she do by simply knowing? How much detail should he actually include? Was it enough to simply explain he was captured by Lukas Lumeris who was working for the Sanguine Banquet and left to die when Captain Clisson found out what happened? Would she want to know how they tortured him or exactly how much information they managed to rip from his lips?

  Did he want her to know?

  He still hated the way she had treated Uriel and manipulated those around her to serve her own agenda, but he also clearly understood her motivations behind those actions now. She chose her family’s safety above all else, and that included him now, but could he trust her with knowing what had happened?

  Professional was the tone he decided to go with. Be clear and concise with the pertinent and relevant information. Keep all of his emotions completely out of it. It was important that she knew he was alive and safe now, the overview of events that had occurred, and that Captain Clisson could not be trusted if she ever returned to Tulimeir’s port. The fact that he had a soul scar where Valtessa had bitten him and that he had trouble falling asleep now were irrelevant details.

  The letter he planned to write after the one to Patricia was even harder, not because he didn’t know what exactly to write but because he knew he would need to lie in it. This one was meant for Jennica.

  He had promised to write to her when he arrived in Serenydi, and he was already late based on their original plans. Phoenix had mentioned writing to both Everin and Pati beforehand about him missing, but he wasn’t sure if that news had spread at all. How could he reassure the girl who had dreaded losing him to monsters when that was exactly what had almost happened? If he wanted to reassure her, there was not a chance in the Abyss that he could be honest.

  Hey Sprig,

  I know I’m late in writing. I’m sorry if I worried you, but everything is okay. I ended up taking a little unexpected detour on our trip and just now got to a place with a messenger available.

  I hope you had a fun time at the temple with everyone for Winter’s Break. I have my own gift for you sent with this letter, just don’t brag about it to the others. I wouldn’t want Priestess Yua confiscating it from you by claiming I’m sowing discord among the kids.

  Be good and stay safe, I’ll be back in Tulimeir before you know it.

  Your King,

  Dazien

  He hated the feeling of lying even by omission, but he didn’t know what else to say to her. She didn’t need to be even more worried than she already was. With a sigh, he conjured his [Armory] to do one last thing before meeting back up with the others.

  Going to the dilapidated couch he had secretly kept, he pulled out the scrapbook of information that he and Paul had been working on together. Going to a few of the pages of details he had written about Serenydi specifically, he double-checked the list of names of important people he needed to be aware of.

  The name Emrys had struck a familiar chord when he had finally heard it during their story swapping session, but he couldn’t exactly place who he knew it belonged to. Here it was though, written plainly for him, and he sighed.

  Grabbing the letter from Paul to Queen Emilia that he had also tucked in there for safe keeping, he prepared to go talk with his party before presenting themselves and the letter to the royals. He debated about keeping it a secret, but the last thing he needed was for Phoenix to yell at him in front of the people they were needing to impress.