Phoenix Flame - Sara Holland Page 0,50

then how are you here …” I wave my hands around, vaguely indicating this room, this castle, this world.

Then something Mom used to say all the time floats into my head. Use your words, Maddie.

“I mean, I know Solarians can go anywhere,” I rush to amend. “But why are you in Fiordenkill? Why didn’t you tell me or Mom? She’s in jail. Dad and Marla have been taking care of me since that night …”

Nahteran cracks a tired smile, throwing one leg over the arm of the chair, and my heart aches for the familiarity of it. For all these strange clothes and stranger surroundings, he’s the same kid I remember on the couch in our old living room, biting his lip in concentration—just like Mom used to do when she was focusing on something—as he steered a video game go-cart around a sharp bend. But then the levity evaporates from his face, and his gaze goes distant.

“I remember someone breaking into our house that night,” he says, eyes fixed somewhere beyond me.

I suppress a shiver, wondering if that horrible night is as cemented in his head as it is in mine. I hope not. It stained my life for the next ten years, a black shadow reaching its fingers into everything that came after, and I wasn’t even the one screaming.

“But nothing after that,” he goes on. “Not until I woke up, and I was in Oasis. So my soul must have been—trapped until Cadius traded the silver to the Prince. The Silver Prince was the one who told me what happened. He told me everything. I did the rest of my growing up there, I guess.”

There’s no animosity in his voice. There’s nothing at all. The words are almost robotic, or like someone reading a story they remember from long ago, but don’t feel any particular way about. It makes me uncomfortable. I’ve been carrying so much rage at the soul traders, at the Silver Prince, at everything. I want Nahteran to reflect it back to me. But he doesn’t. I can’t tell what he’s feeling at all.

“Why did the Silver Prince bring you back to Fiordenkill?” I ask. More and more of the puzzle pieces are coming into view, but they don’t make sense together. The edges aren’t lining up. “I mean, from what I’ve seen of the soul trade, it’s silver Cadius wants.” I can’t help but shudder, verbalizing it. “It’s magic and power the Silver Prince wants.”

Nahteran nods, and finally a bit of anger shows itself in the edge of his voice, kindles in his eyes. “That’s true, most of the time,” he says. He looks down at his hands. “I guess the Silver Prince saw more value in a ward who could shapeshift and travel across the worlds. I’m here on his behalf now.”

My stomach clenches. “To do what?”

“To trade Byrn jewels for healing magic.” Nate grins, though it doesn’t reach his eyes. “At least, as far as Winterkill knows. So …” He sketches out a map with his right index finger on his left palm, a slight, idle smile curving his mouth. “Cadius thinks I’m Byrnisian. The other nobles think I’m Fiorden, and only the Silver Prince knows I’m Solarian.”

Suddenly, his face changes right in front of me. His features elongate and sharpen into more Fiorden characteristics for a moment, before fading back to normal.

It’s eerie, and I feel myself shiver. I’m glad to see him joking, but I can’t get over the familiarity he seems to have with the Silver Prince. “The Prince tried to kill me. Several times.”

“I know.” Nahteran raises his eyes to meet mine. “I’m glad he failed. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything before. I couldn’t.” He takes a deep breath. “If the Silver Prince found out, it would have been dangerous for all of us. When he tried to take over Havenfall, he didn’t tell me what he was doing until after you sent him back to Oasis with his tail between his legs.”

Nahteran trails off into a harsh, bitter laugh, then goes on. “Information with the Silver Prince is dispensed on a need-to-know basis. And even if he had told me, I couldn’t afford to let on that we’re related. He would have used us against each other.”

My brother’s voice is even, calm, and that makes my feelings surge higher inside me, so tangled together I can’t identify how I feel except bad. Wrong.

I don’t know what I want him to say, but once