Chapter 65 Elyndra's Devotion
Andreas
Magnus’s memory vanished.
One moment it stood clear, complete, and unguarded; the next, it was gone, leaving only traces I could feel but could not access. It had been a profound memory, dangerous and private, one no one was meant to see.
Magnus had a son.
Cassian Ryven Mirelle Ironhart.
The name carried weight across the Academy. He had earned it, standing taller than the brightest students before him, surpassing expectations from the day he arrived. He had taken Helena’s place at the podium, answering questions others could not, commanding attention without a word. Professors admired him, some with pride, others with a wariness that came from understanding the potential he held. Students whispered about him, some in awe, some in resentment. He had risen faster than anyone had anticipated.
And then he disappeared right before his graduation.
There was no warning, no farewell, no sign that he had left. Rumors spread quickly. Many claimed he had gone to Arcanis to study further at the Lyceum. Others said he had traveled to Lunara, drawn to the Conservatory’s teachings. A few insisted he had abandoned it all, maybe for health reasons, as if brilliance could be discarded like a coat left on a chair.
None knew the truth.
I felt an ache pressing at the back of my head. The Veilbreaker had weakened me, fraying the edges of my mind in ways I had not anticipated.
Magnus had glimpsed it—the Kiln, the boy.
I destroyed every document, every passage, every whispered trace of Kilmarnock when I first discovered it. That knowledge could not exist anywhere else. Only in my mind, locked in the deepest, most disciplined layers, did the memory of its location survive, guarded by wards older than any kingdom.
It was fortunate that Magnus had not witnessed me drawing the map I had entrusted to Serafina. A single glance could have destroyed years of careful planning.
But Magnus had seen enough already. He had glimpsed the tunnels, the undercroft, the marble still gleaming through the grime. Finding Kilmarnock would not take him long—but the wards would block any attempt to enter.
“Ryven!” Magnus spat, his voice cutting across the rooftop. Surprise broke through the arrogance he usually carried with him. His gray eyes widened as he turned, disbelief etched across his face. “What are you doing here?”
Ryven’s presence shattered the connection. The green threads that flared from the Veilbreaker recoiled violently, twisting and writhing before disappearing entirely. Relief surged through me, flooding my mind with a warmth that dulled the ache in the back of my head. The bindings that coiled around me and Elyndra weakened, shimmered, and finally dissolved. I rose from the position I had been forced into, legs unsteady but holding.
I glanced at Ryven. He had grown into the man I had once imagined he would become, yet the boy I remembered—the bright, confident boy—was still there, just beneath the surface. His skin was bronzed from the sun. Muscles had filled out his frame, and every movement carried a quiet assurance, a confidence earned through experience.
He wore a brown cloak over a simple green tunic and trousers, boots scuffed and well-traveled. Every detail spoke of practicality and purpose. But my eyes caught something more—a small brass insignia—a leaf—fastened to his cloak.
It took a moment to register. A rebel.
That single symbol told me more than words ever could. He had chosen a side. He had made his declaration.
Ryven had changed. He was no longer the boy I had once known.
“That is forbidden, Magnus,” Ryven’s voice cut through the lingering residue of the Veilbreaker, calm yet absolute. “For the very reason you cannot control it. The Veilbreaker binds both the target and the caster. It forces thoughts where they should flow freely. The price is your mind—your sanity. Every mind that yields unwillingly leaves a mark on your soul.”
“You dare interrupt me, Ryven,” Magnus hissed, anger sharpening his words. “I was on the verge of finding the boy—”
“What boy?” Ryven’s voice rose, his blue eyes narrowing. “I thought you were only after the girl.” He paused, letting the words sink in. “Do not tell me you need another to bend to your will, as you have with so many before. You have violated countless children, Magnus. Including me. I will not allow it again.”
The air on the rooftop seemed to tighten as father and son locked eyes, fury and contempt radiating from both.
I lifted my gaze to the Warden’s tower. A figure stood at the highest window, watching us.
Time to leave.
I stepped back, careful not to get caught between them, stumbling slightly. Ryven was instantly at my side, hands out to steady me.
“Professor Thorne, are you alright?” he asked, concern clear in his voice.
“Stay back,” I warned, raising a hand. “The Veilbreaker leaves marks. I can’t risk it reaching you.”
I met Elyndra’s eyes. She gave a short nod, ready to move.
I needed a distraction.
“You know, Ryven,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low, “what you should be concerned with is your mother. Ask Magnus. Ask him about a student named Euphemia Mason.”
“Why you—” Magnus began, but I did not hear the rest of it.
Elyndra moved first.
Without hesitation, she grabbed my arm and pulled sharply, dragging me toward her before pressing the orb at her neck. The rooftop, Magnus, Ryven, and the scent of decay vanished in an instant.
Moments later, we stood on the polished bow of a ship at the Aetherion docks. The sea extended in every direction, waves dark and restless, catching the pale glow of the moon. Far off, the blue spires of the Emperor’s palace caught faint traces of light, standing stark against the night sky.
Salt and brine filled the air. We were far from Magnus’s reach, though a faint echo of the Veilbreaker lingered, a subtle pressure that refused to fade from my mind.
“The water will shield us from Magnus,” Elyndra said, guiding me across the deck. Sailors slept quietly in hammocks slung between posts, unaware of the magic that had brought us aboard. “You need an elixir to strengthen your mind. It is vulnerable now. When you sleep, when the mind is most calm, he may try to enter again.”
“Whose ship is this?” I asked, taking a deep breath of the sharp sea air. I focused on keeping calm, reminding myself that Lio was safe, secured within the Kiln’s Emberborn wards and guarded by layers of magic even I could not bypass.
I was allowed entry only because Lio was in my arms.
“Mine,” Elyndra replied. “And several others as well. Immortality has served me, though the years have left their mark. I waited for Magnus to request a favor, though I could have restored my youth on my own. I needed his magic only as a link. Magic always creates a bond, even when people forget it exists.” She led me down the wooden stairs toward a private cabin at the stern and opened the door. “Sit.”
I sank into the chair, grateful for the rest. The ache in my head returned, pressing insistently against my temples. Elyndra moved to a chest beside the bed and began removing amber vials. She poured the liquids into a cup, mixing them carefully before placing it into my hands.
“The Elixir of Lucidity,” she said. “It was made for those whose minds were broken by the Veilbreaker during the Arcanis Rebellion. Drink it. It will ease the pain in your head.”
I sipped, and a slow lightness spread through my skull. The pressure eased, though I was still aware of its presence.
“So,” she said, sitting across from me, tapping her foot against the floor, “what now?”
“I need to return to the forest ridge along the southern border of Ashwood Forest, where the river begins,” I said. “That is where the dragon binder must start her journey if she wants to reunite with her brother.”
“And the boy?” Elyndra asked, her tone steady but sharp. “Where have you hidden him, Andreas?”
I hesitated. Trust could not be given lightly. “Somewhere only the dragon binder can find. The wards allow only an Emberborn, a Celestial, to enter.”
Suddenly, I felt lightheaded. My hands fell to my sides, and the cup tipped, spilling the liquid onto the floor.
“Elyndra, what have you done?” I asked before my mouth went slack.
She stepped forward, placing a blanket over me.
“I have waited over a millennium for the dragon to awaken,” she said. “I met him when he and Elias came to Arcanis seeking an Emberborn blacksmith. I was young. He was extraordinary. We spent one night together, and I fell hopelessly in love. He promised he would return, and I have kept him to that promise. This is why I use forbidden magic to preserve my life.”
I stared, understanding dawning at last. The man with Serafina was the dragon. He could shift seamlessly between human and beast.
And Elyndra’s devotion to him was absolute. She had waited centuries for this, and nothing would sway her from it.
“I will help the dragon binder find her brother,” she continued. “While you, my old friend, will journey to the Kingdom of Arcanis. Look for Cedric, the Sightless Seer. He has knowledge regarding the Sword of Elias and the Lost Continent.”
She pressed a brief kiss to my forehead. “Do not worry. I will take care of the dragon binder until your return.”
With a twirl and a touch to the orb around her neck, she vanished.
I remained in the chair, listening to the waves hitting the hull, my mind struggling to process everything.
Magnus. Ryven. Lio. Serafina. Elyndra. The dragon.
Plans, secrets, and paths converging in ways I could not yet follow.
Damn it.
The ache in my head flared again, but it was bearable. At least for the moment, Magnus could not reach me.
Besides, there were other priorities.
I needed to get off this ship.