Ana and Lin hovered in front of the Gate of El’ae, grasping each other’s hand. The Aewyn—formerly Tognir— behind them stared ahead, their auras alight with wonder.
Ana’s heart raced, and she gulped it back down into her chest. Just beyond the archway, navy waters shot through with silver moonlight waited.
And yet, Ana’s heart seized with fear. What would they find? Who would they be, once they passed through into the Aewyn kingdom? Would the Aewyn even accept them? Did they still exist?
“You’ve done it,” Ron whispered behind them, finally breaking the awed silence. His aura blazed with golden joy though he was still in the midst of his transformation from Tognir to Aewyn.
Lin beamed. Ana smiled, too. It was the first time she’d seen her people’s faces clearly in such a long time. Even the dim moonlight afforded more of a glow than they’d been accustomed to, and she relished the glee coursing through the auras of all the Aewyn, and practically shining from their upturned eyes and open mouths.
“Sir.” Lin addressed Ron. “I think you should go first. Into the kingdom,” he added at Ron’s puzzled expression.
“Nonsense.” Ron pushed Lin forward, then Ana. “You led us here. You lead us in.”
Ana looked at Lin, at the humble joy in his bright blue eyes, and the confidence in his shoulders. She loved him even more now—not because of where they were, on the doorstep of their destiny, but because of where they had come from. By all rights, they shouldn’t have made it this far. The Eye of the Rogue had almost succeeded in killing them all, only a league away from the Aewyn kingdom. But they’d won—miraculously, gloriously, won.
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And Lin was still here, still leading them, so much more than a humble scholar and reader of scrolls.
His gaze met hers, and he squeezed her hand.
“Are you ready?”
Ana nodded. She wished she could bottle this moment up and savor it forever. But it was time. They were still cold, still tired, their eyes still strained in the dim moonlight. They needed rest and shelter. They needed their home.
Together, they moved toward the gilded gateway. Lin held up his glowstone, but it was useless. Their stones had all but gone out just before they saw the gray moonlight down the corridor a few moments ago. He let go of Ana’s hand and swam up to touch the intricate lettering adorning the gate, eyes squinted against the glare coming from the kingdom beyond.
“It’s a bit hard to make out,” he said. “I’ll have to feel it out with my hands.”
A split second later, Lin recoiled from the gate, his aura exploding sickly green.
Ana rushed to him. “Are you alright?”
Lin shook his hand as the pain receded. “Yes. There must be a Song guarding this gate. But without being able to read it—or feel it— I’m not sure how we’ll get past it.”
He sighed, then ran his hand through his dark hair and chuckled. “I suspected it might not be so easy to actually get inside the kingdom once we finally found it.”
Ana snorted. “Of course not. Nothing is ever easy.”
But Lin didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes focused on a point just beyond the gate.
Ana looked, too. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the moonlight.
“Do you see it?” Lin whispered, his voice guarded.
She shook her head, just barely. Bits of coral and rock were strewn about the gate and the moss-covered path leading into the kingdom.
Then something shifted, and her eyes darted to it. There—a flash of moonlight on stone, a rock moved out of place.
Or was it a rock at all?
Then coral, rock, and shells all trembled into motion, growing taller, gaining form. Ana backed away from the gate, sure she couldn’t believe what her eyes were telling her.
The form took on an Aewyn shape, and Ana’s mouth fell open. Its hand held an algae-covered spear. Its violet eyes were hidden under a helmet of stone.
“It’s a disguise. An Aewyn guard.” Lin pulled her away from the gate. The other Aewyn followed suit, backing down the tunnel.
“Who disturbs the Forbidden gate?” echoed a voice, loud and fearsome in their minds.