Page 101 of One Last Promise
“If NantuwasNoxlin, as your scriptures suggest, my kind removed Anwar from our history to protect themselves.Lustre knew the real reason Nantu made the Noxlin go to war against them.This is all aboutlove.Nantu was cast out by her race for loving a Dylin, and Anwar betrayed her.Nantu took revenge againstbothraces for their treatment of her.Somehow, she made them turn against each other.Your kind’s hatred of Nantu is because Solaceknewthe truth and tried to explain it in his version of events.Lustrelied!She lied about everything.Making Dylin out to be pure and good.Anwar and Lustre are the reason we are at war.He tricked the moon goddess and damned us all!”Had my race been deceitful all along?That bloodline ran throughmyveins, and it disgusted me.
“Alora, you can’t be sure of that.”
“Why is there no record of Anwar then?”I looked through the pages again, but it was all starting to make sense.Light and dark worked together at the beginning.The images in the Noxlin books were ofpeace.“All my race does islie!We know this!I think you’ve been right all along.Before the Battle of False Promise therewaspeace in Afterlight.”
Darce was going to say something, but an image in the book caught his eye.“Is that part of Specter Isle?”He turned the book to get a closer look and studied it.“What is that symbol above it?”It was hard to make out.The round image was faded, but he was right.It did look like a part of Spector Isle.
“I’m not sure, but we better get the book back before Uri feels a pull on his spell.”Darce nodded, and within seconds he disappeared, taking the book with him.
I was so angry that he had taken the book back alone, that I was pacing the room when he returned a minute later.
“You selfish prick!How dare you do that alone!What if someone saw you?”I yelled, storming across the room to hit his chest.“You fuckingasshole!”Darce let me lash out at him, and once my body slumped, he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.
“It’s been a long night.Let’s get some rest,” he cooed into my hair before lifting me up in his arms.“It’s nice to see how much you worry for me, though, Starshine.”That smug grin was on his face again, but I didn’t have the energy to fight with him.
We learned so much information tonight.Having Darce’s suspicions confirmed was the breakthrough we needed.Knowing there had been peace in Afterlight gave us hope.Hope for the future.Hope for a world where Dylin and Noxlin could love each other freely.
In almost a thousand years, I hadn’t confessed my true feelings out loud.Of course both of us suspected what we felt, butsayingit made our situation real...and our situation was going to becatastrophic.
Darce knew more than he was letting on about our outcome.Nisha’s vision about one of us dying to bring peace to Afterlight still played on my mind.There was truth behind it.A truth he couldn’t hide from me.
My Noxlin prince wasselfless.I could see it deep in those tortured eyes each time I brought the subject up.I wasn’t the one who was going to lose their life.Darce would never allow it.What he didn’t know was that when it came to him, I was selfless, too.
If someone had to give up their life, it was going to beme!
Chapter Thirty three
“They haven’t suspecteda thing then?”Darce asked, helping me up as we climbed one of the great mountains in Eallarim.It was the first day of my week here, and he apparently had a surprise for me.
“No.Uri hasn’t warded the library or done anything out of the ordinary.Nell even inquired about wanting to study a few pages of the book to help with the blessing rituals, and he agreed.”
“You’re mighty seer, tricked by a Noxlin,” Darce huffed, lifting me up onto the ledge he was standing on.“We have to keep really still and quiet,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.“Bathin can be a little shy with creatures he doesn’t know.”
“Bathin?”I questioned as the loud beating of wings sounded in the distance.The mist around the mountain made it difficult to see, but as an enormous shadow of two feathered wings came into view, I backed a step closer into Darce’s chest.
A giant bird, the colour of the darkest midnight, ruffled its feathers before tucking its wings away.Then it turned its head to bow at us.
