Page 78 of Tide of Waves and Secrets

Accept what is, be where your feet are, and you’ll find peace, Sir Rowan of Estmere.

At least, after visiting Seren, I knew my path. Or the one I wished to take. There would be a period of upheaval, but change was never easy.

“Come see,” she said as I took her hand.

“Greetings, Rowan,” Aneri said with a knowing smile.

I inclined my head. “Greetings, Aneri. I’m pleased to see you both safe and well.”

“As well as we can be,” she replied, standing by the window. “It is a different experience than most, this Festival of Tides.”

Nerys and I stood beside her, hand in hand, watching as the revelries played out in front of us. On the street below, drinking and merriment, smiling faces and mugs of ale clanging in cheers. But the true spectacle was below them, our cliffside perch at a perfect angle to view the bustling docks off to the right and festivities along the beach below.

“So many sculptures,” I said, watching as onlookers moved from one to the next.

“The winner is chosen by a council, that person honored during the closing ceremonies as the next festival’s chair.”

I winced. “Doesn’t sound like much of a prize.”

Aneri laughed. “The coin that comes with such an honor might sway your thinking.”

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to a newly set fire just along the water’s edge.

“The Tidefire,” Nerys said. “A battle between fire and water as the tide rises. Some years, one is more quickly victorious than the other. At the last festival, the two battled for the entirety of the festivities until the sea reigned supreme.”

Aneri brought a teacup to her lips, sipping, and then said, “It is a symbol of the harmony of the elements. A tradition meant to be more of a visual spectacle than anything, if you ask me.”

“Is it connected to the legend of a fire clan?”

A “harumph” from Aneri told me what she thought of that possibility. “’Tis merely that. A legend.”

“What do you know of it?” Nerys asked. “I’ve found so little in the Archives, and even Seren admits she’s never discovered true evidence of it.”

“Just that, before the Aetherians wielded air, Gyorians the land and Thalassarians, the water, Elydor saw a time of chaos. Of fire. And that the fire-wielders’ flames burned so bright, it consumed not only the land but themselves with it. And that nature rebelled. The tides rose. Storms raged. The ground trembled. Eventually, the fire was smothered, the fire-wielders destroyed.”

“Seren discovered an ancient text once,” Nerys said, her hand resting comfortably on my own, “that suggested the flames were not completely extinguished but hidden as embers scattered across Elydor, waiting to reignite.”

“Rubbish.” Aneri’s teacup clattered as she placed it onto its clam-shaped saucer. “A cautionary tale, reminding the clans of the balance the elements must keep.”

“Given the legend’s warning, the Tidefire’s popularity does surprise me.”

“Warning?” I asked, having never heard of such a thing.

“Seren showed me once, in the text I mentioned. It said, ‘When the fire rises again, the tides alone will not be enough to quell it.’ I asked more than one vaelith who had heard the warning before, but it doesn’t seem to be common knowledge.”

“Interesting,” I said, watching as the Tidefire grew.

“Are you attending the opening ceremony?” Nerys asked. “If so, you will want to be down there soon.”

What I really wanted was time alone with Nerys, but I was not rude enough to ask for it. Aneri, sans her tea, appeared captivated by the scene below us, despite having seen this festival many times. I could see the appeal. As daylight waned, bright white, blue and teal lights that were strung in seemingly every direction began to glow. All along the shoreline, the water’s edge illuminated: some water magic trick, I assumed.

“I am at the future queen’s disposal,” I said, meaning it. “There is much work to be done, but if I am being honest, there’s nothing that I would like more than to watch the festivities here, with you and Aneri.”

Nerys’s crooked smile told me she knew that last part was not quite true. Her eyes searched mine, and I told her, without speaking how much I meant those words. How difficult being away from her, not knowing if she was safe, had been.

“Caelum says the queen has redoubled her efforts since your escape.”

I raised my brows. “Escape. Was I captive then at the palace?”

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