The chamber was plunged into darkness as I gave in to the pain and passed out.
Illaria’s Chamber
I groaned as I pushed myself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. My head throbbed and my mouth was dry as I tried to find some fae magic to heal myself, but it was gone. I didn’t know for how long I had been passed out, and I had to find a way out of the chamber before Andromeda gave the book to Lucian. I had to warn the Elders. I knew Lucian would never pull back his army. Once he had the book, he would attack and the fae would not be able to stop him.
The black cuffs were still on my wrists, cutting off my power. I touched my head and my fingers came back sticky. There was a lot of blood. But there was no time to think about that now.
I reached for my mage magic and was relieved when it responded. Concentrating, I slowly created a ball of light, swirling it around in my fingers. I held up my hand, dimly lighting up the room. I leaned on the wall for support as I slowly stood and looked around.
There had to be a way out of here.
I went over to the massive door and pushed at it, but it did not budge. The chamber was sealed shut. I was trapped. Without my fae powers I would have to find another way to get out of this mess.
I held up the light and inspected the door more closely. The carvings on it were the same on the inside of the chamber as they were on the outside. I ran my fingers over the carved vines and creepers and over the symbol in the middle: the sun and the star, the sigil of Illaria Lightbringer’s house.
The blood on my hands smeared across the door. Inside the carving of the sun within the star was a series of smaller symbols. How had I not noticed this earlier? I traced the lines with my fingers. It looked like an ancient script written within the circle. Where had I seen this before?
I gazed at the symbols, committing them to memory. But as I ran my fingers over the last figure, I stopped, my mind racing. My heartbeat quickened as I went over the markings again, and I smiled. It was a grin, really—I had seen these symbols my whole life.
I removed the Amulet of Auraken from my neck. I looked at it closely and there it was, as clear as day. I held it up to the door, next to the small round sun that lay at the center of Illaria’s symbol.
A perfect match.
The markings on the door were the same as on the Amulet of Auraken. What did Auraken Firedrake have to do with Illaria Lightbringer?
I touched the amulet to the door; it fit into the grooves of the symbol as if it were meant to be. The amulet started to glow, and my blood that I’d smeared on the door flowed through the ancient stone script like veins, swirling through Illaria’s symbol. I watched, mesmerized, as the door lit up and the Amulet of Auraken shimmered in the center of Illaria’s star.
I took a step back. What was happening?
Behind me a voice spoke. “Finally, you have come, Aurora Shadowbreaker. I have been expecting you.”
I jumped in fright. The voice was unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. But this was not the deep male voice that had helped me before. This voice was soft and kind, the voice of a woman. It was not the Alkana, but the power in that gentle voice made the magic within me hum and vibrate as if in answer to some secret call.
I turned around slowly, and my blood turned to ice.
Standing in the center of the massive chamber was the specter of a beautiful High Fae lady. Light touched her alabaster skin from the inside, and she shimmered like a mirage in a desert of darkness. A silver crown studded with pearls rested atop her hair, a gleaming stream of darkest ebony. Her eyes were the color of emeralds, and her silver robes and pointed ears gave away her lineage. But her face! I gasped; it was like looking in a mirror. And I knew instinctively who she was.
“Illaria Lightbringer,” I whispered. She looked exactly like me, or rather I looked exactly like her.
The specter gave a slight nod.
“But you’re dead, how can you be here?”
The ancient queen smiled. “The immortal fae never die unless killed by specific weapons. We simply leave this world for a better one. On occasion we can return when needed for a greater purpose.”
“But how can you speak to me? Are you real?”
Illaria laughed. “Yes, I am real, as real as I can be. The magic I preserved in this chamber permits me to speak to you through the veils between the worlds. For thousands of years I have waited for the chosen one to open the chamber.” She paused, taking a step closer. “You, Aurora Shadowbreaker, are the last heir to the Ancient Fae house of Eos-Eirendil.”
My hands trembled—I had to hold them together to stop them from shaking.
“How can I be your heir? My grandmother, Izadora, never mentioned she was descended from you.”
“That’s because she is not descended from me, and neither is your mother. Only you are.”
“How is that possible?”
The ancient queen’s eyes swirled with magic as she spoke. “Auraken Firedrake was my son,” Illaria Lightbringer explained. “The first fae-mage ever to be born in Avalonia.”
My eyes widened at the implications. “But that would make you . . .” I trailed off.
“Your great-grandmother on your father’s side,” said Illaria, smiling. “Many times removed, I might add.”
“But why did you keep this a secret for so long?”
The specter took
