Page 38 of Veinblood
“We knew we had to act quickly. Nowhere in Meridian would have been safe.” She pauses. “We initially thought we could take you to somewhere across the Great Beyond. But the Authority was committing unprecedented resources to recapturing you, and we couldn’t risk being caught with you. In the end, we decided to send you somewhere they could never follow.”
“So you chose another world entirely.” Sacha’s voice is soft.
“Yes. Kalliss had discovered ancient writings about traveling to other worlds beneath Blackvault, just before it was taken by the Authority. The ritual required all four elements working together, but it required a vessel that could contain the powers without being destroyed. He believedyouwere the vessel spoken of in the writings he’d found. We needed to anchor your spirit, preventing you from being lost between dimensions. Meren provided that, Vorith created the pathways between worlds.”
“And you?”
“I held the connection open to guide you safely across. But when you went through, somehow you pulled me with you, and the way back sealed behind us.”
She didn’t die. She didn't choose exile. She was pulled here by the same magic that brought me across. Stranded in a world that wasn’t hers, watching over me while everything she’d ever known stayed locked away in Meridian.
How many nights did she lie awake missing her real life? How many times did she look at me and think about what saving me had cost her?
“What happened to the others?”
Her composure cracks. “They held the ritual from Meridian's side. When the pathway closed, the backlash killed them. All three. I felt them die through our connection.”
The silence that follows is heavy. Three masters gave their lives to save me. A fourth was stranded in a world not her own.
“I'm sorry,” I whisper.
“It wasn’t your fault, Elowen.” Her voice softens. “We all knew the potential cost of what we were doing.” She wipes her eyes. “We believed you were worth any price, including our deaths.”
“And you stayed with me all that time?”
“The crossing left me near Chicago with no understanding of this world. It took months to learn the language and customs. Then I had to find you. Luckily, my power could track the anchor we used to keep you safe. When I discovered you'd been placed in the foster system, I knew I had to find a way to stay close.”
“So you got a job at the children's home.”
“It took nearly a year to get the credentials I needed. By then you were almost four.” Her voice grows soft. “I made sure you were safe, that you had what you needed. But I couldn't risktelling you the truth.” Nyassa looks between us. “But how did you end up together? I've been watching Elowen her whole life. Did something happen in Meridian that drew you here, my Lord?”
“After Sereven betrayed me at Thornreave, and they took me to the tower in Sunfire Dunes, there was a small amount of time where I could still access my powers. Using blood, shadows and Voidcraft, I cast a summoning spell, searching for someone who could break my binding. It reached across dimensions and found her.”
Nyassa's eyes widen. “But the crossing was sealed. How could she possibly?—”
“It pulled me through to Meridian,” I say.
I explain quickly about how I was walking home one second and in the Sunfire Dunes the next, finding the tower and Sacha, and breaking the binding that held him inside. Sacha takes over, bringing her up to date on everything that has happened since, but he doesn’t mention the relationship that’s built between us. When he reaches the confrontation at Thornspire and how we were thrown back to Chicago, understanding dawns in her eyes.
“You're trapped here.”
“Hopefully not.” Sacha’s voice is firm. “We need to return. Do you know of a way?”
Nyassa is quiet for a long moment, her fingers working at the fabric of her skirt while she gathers her thoughts. “You have to understand. The original ritual killed three of us. Attempting it in reverse, without four Veinblood lines …” She shakes her head slowly. “I don't even know if it's possible.”
“But it might be?” I press.
“The underlying principles should be reversible, in theory. But the risks …”
“Setting aside the risks, do you think it’s possible?” Sacha’s voice holds the crisp note of authority I’ve heard before during discussions in Stonehaven.
“It would be difficult.” She looks at Sacha. “You're not just anyone. You're the Vareth’el. Your power might be able to anchor the ritual in ways mine alone cannot. But even so, with just the two of us…”
“Three of us,” I say quietly.
Nyassa looks at me. “I don't understand.”
“I have powers now. They manifested when I returned to Meridian.”
