Sol Ascension: CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ROMANTASY SERIAL | An Adult Sapphic Fantasy Romance about a Huntress with a duty, an Heiress with a calling, and a Kingdom that may not be what it seems. Welcome to the Kingdom of Navia.

Author’s Note: If you’re new to the story, you can start here for TW’s, an in-depth intro, glossary, & complete chapter list. This is 18+ adult fiction.

3 WEEKS UNTIL THE DAY OF FYRE’S LIGHT

The females tug and prod and pin hair until not a coil is out of place. I protested against having my hair out—it’s a lot of upkeep, and something about being a prisoner and having tangled, dry hair just makes me feel like I should choose a struggle.

“Put her in the Black one with the long sleeves.”

“No—I dont want to wear Black.” Not here—not when there’s the possibility of seeing her again.

“And I want to be out there storm chasing with my friends, but I’m here stuck with a face-eating princess with more hair on her head than god—”

I don't even know what to say to that.

“I’m hungry—” The Seer leaves me there with the painfully kind seamstress and hairdressers.

“Finiq!—I’m starving, she doesnt leave this room.” Their voice trails off as they casually leave mid conversation.

The opulent chaos of the decor in here screams Veshlyn. It is a small mercy not to be back in her chambers. The females chat around me. Gossiping about what seems like normal, everyday things. All of this feels strange because it feels normal. They never mention Ekco, and I know Vesh has something to do with that.

By the time I’m dressed, the sun is starting to make its descent. I stand in front of the mirror as the ladies pack up their things. One of them, an elder vaelith, stops to grip my hand and whispers, “For the love and memory of Queen Lyrea.”

She smiles and gently touches my face before tapping three fingers to her head and chest. She walks off before I have a chance to question what the abyss just happened.

A little shocked and caught off guard, I face the mirror again. The dress is simple but effective. The structured shoulders and the high slit complements the way it hugs all my soft full curves. My hair fans out around my head in perfect curls.

The scent of the orange creamy stuff they put in it smells like her… It’s the earthy part of her scent I could never place…

I hate that I find it comforting. It eases my stomach a bit. I would shove my face in it or ram it up my nose if it would make this aching in my gut go away.

Vesh reappears, finishing a bowl of something that would smell appetizing to me under different circumstances.

“You’re a vision—you should thank me,” They say around a full mouth. “No seriously Finiq, are you losing your mind?”

“You look stunning.” The guard’s green eyes meet mine with an openness I don't deserve.

My hand goes to my locket. “Let’s get whatever humiliating plan you have in store for me over with…” I grumble, afraid to admit that a small part of me wonders what’s next for the day. I’m not ready to go back to that room.

The Seer leads me and Finiq to a dim and narrow dead end. I laugh self-deprecatingly. “I’m ridiculous for falling for this.” I hike the skirt of the dress up around my thigh, raising my fists. My body singing with a muscle memory that’s not entirely mine.

“Has she finally surrendered to madness?”

“Veshlyn, look around—” Finiq rebukes them.

“Ah—” They raise their hands “We are not going to hurt you in this dark wet tunnel with one way in or out.”

I don’t relax my stance.

Veshlyn smirks, and I swear there’s something like respect glittering behind their eyes. “You are a snare indeed. It’s too bad you already belong to another—”

“Behave Veshlyn—” Finiq’s voice is a warning

Vesh walks over to a jagged wall, placing their hand into it where I can not see. “Why don't you focus on keeping your pretty little eyes to yourself in there—you never know who we might run into and I’d hate to make a scene…” A look I can’t decipher passes between them. Finiq doesn't respond, but his jaw is clenched; it’s the most emotion I’ve seen him show all day.

Air whooshes around us as a large slab of stone slides free.

My feet are moving of their own accord as I walk past the two drifters and into the large arid space. Not even the temples of the Eshari are this vast—this beautiful.

The seer walks up beside me, giving me a moment to take in the sheer scale and design of this place. There are row after row of books and tomes—levels and layers of perfectly carved stone—statues and fountains… I’ve never seen anything like it. And it’s full—full of vaelith glittering with ina etched skin.

The sound of younglings’ voices fills the air around us—they’re laughing to the lilt of musical instruments I have no name for. My eyes sting at the sound of so many small voices. How is this possible—why would they steal when they have this?

Veshlyn finally ushers me in further. “Welcome to the Archives of Bahari Ridge.”

“What are you?” There’s no way they are drifters… I take a step back but collide into a Finiq-sized wall. I didn't even hear him step around me.

“Not your so-called Drifters…” Finiq laughs low.

“Then what? What is this place?” I can't stop my heart from racing even as the Seer holds out their hand.

“Come and see…”

The invitation hangs in the crisp open air. I blink my eyes several times to be sure I am truly awake. I could go back to that room. I could curse at them for dragging me here, knowing that if they're showing me something like this there is truly no chance that they would ever let me escape…

The sound of Veshlyn’s voice fills my mind.

Once you see what this place truly is, you’ll find that you already have…

We don't have anything like this in Navia. There’s only the temple. That’s where we are given knowledge by the eshari priestesses.

The realization hits me—truth is its own kind of freedom…

The seer and the guard may have brought me to the one place that could save me. Maybe I can find something here about this thing haunting my dreams and whirling inside me…

I place my hand in Veshlyn’s with Finiq at my back. I know it still might be a cage when I step into it—but it’s a cage with many doors.

I just have to find the right one.

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