As Fallon spoke, Trynne had felt a few buds of hope bloom inside her, but his last comment caught her completely off guard.
“What do you mean, where we are going?”
He stuffed the medallion back into his pocket. “The passage to this other world is here in Brythonica. In the grove. For some reason, Trynne, you are immune to the hetaera’s magic. You and those who are near you. Your father was also immune, which is why I think he’s still alive. I can’t do this alone, Trynne. I need your help.”
Fallon’s gaze was intense and serious. “I’ve been trying to solve this puzzle for a long time. I had all the clues, and the nightshade finally enticed Morwenna to put the final pieces in place. Morwenna stole your father’s ring. She learned about it from a story in an ancient book called The Hidden Vulgate. It is a book of magic she found in the poisoner school in Pisan. It tells the story of Owain, the man who married the Lady of the Fountain. That story spoke of a pathway to another world—the world the original King Andrew was taken to when he was mortally wounded by his bastard son.” He rubbed his chin. “If we don’t stop Morwenna, that story will repeat itself, Trynne. The king will die. But we can stop her together.
Please.”
Her heart welled with gratitude for him. But she also realized that if she left Brythonica, there would be no one to maintain the wards that protected the duchy from drowning. She had been trusted to safeguard her people. But she had also sworn an oath to herself to save her father. What was the right choice?
Fallon straightened and shrugged his shoulders, looking at Staeli. “Well, Captain? What do you think? Have I made this all up?
You know,” he said with raw emotion in his voice, “that I would give my life for hers. That I would never let anyone hurt her or harm her family. Not knowingly. I’ve kept silent to preserve the secret. Only my sister knew. If she were here, she would vouch for what I’ve done.”
Staeli’s brow was furrowed with suspicion. “And you know what I’d do to you if you ever did harm her.”
“I do, Captain. And I would deserve it.” He turned his attention to her. “I told you before, Trynne, that I might do things that seem suspicious. At least you know why now.” He let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
“What about Gahalatine?” Trynne asked, looking at his face.
Fallon nodded. “There is something about the oak tree in the grove that causes memories to be lost. Both your father and Gahalatine were brought there. I don’t understand that part, but we may need to chop it down in order to restore their memories.” He paused. “Sunilik has already left for Chandigarl.”
The news was not unexpected, but it gave her another pang of unease.
“When he arrives,” Fallon continued, “there will likely be war between our realms again. Not now, but in the future. Only Gahalatine can stop the war. If we go and rescue your father, we can return and heal them both. The Tay al-Ard is much faster than a ship.
We could arrive in Chandigarl before Sunilik does.”
“My mind is still reeling, Fallon,” Trynne said, shaking her head.
“But what you said makes sense. I feel like I’ve been walking blindfolded in a room and have kept stumbling over chairs.”
“We all have,” Fallon replied with a sardonic chuckle. “All except Morwenna. She was not always evil, Trynne. Her plan was not to destroy us, but to put her father back on the throne. She was ambitious for it. And her magic provided her a way to accomplish it.
But Severn’s death changed her. She was not accustomed to defeat, to setbacks, to being thwarted. She embraced the hetaera magic to get more power—and it ruined her.” He stared at Trynne fiercely.
“She must be stopped.”
Trynne let out a sigh. “How are we going to find my father once we pass over to this other world? Fallon, the Tay al-Ard only works if you’ve been somewhere before.”
“I know,” he said. “It can help us get back to the portal after we’ve found him. But it won’t help us find him. This will.”
He was wearing a pack beneath his cloak and slung it off one of his shoulders. It was full and heavy, ready for a long journey. She saw a dagger strapped to it, along with a bedroll. He undid the ties and pulled out the bedroll. Then, fishing through the contents, he withdrew a metal chest with a rounded lid and a handle.
It was the Wizr set.
Trynne’s eyes widened. “But Rucrius destroyed it!”
Fallon gave her a smirk. “So we all thought,” he said. “But one thing I’ve learned about Morwenna is that she has a gift for forgery.