The Prince's Secret

Theo could have clung to Zenith forever, reveling in the weight of his familiar's body, but the cold water was rapidly draining his strength. Though he kicked as hard as he could, his movements only grew more sluggish.

Zenith's grip tightened, but there was only so much he could do. By now, Theo could barely feel his own limbs.

Then he heard a quiet splash from behind and felt the water ripple. A low voice spoke. "Grab on."

Zenith kicked his legs, driving both of them forward. The next thing Theo knew, armored hands hooked under his armpits and pulled him up. He whined a protest when his hands slipped away from Zenith, only to cut off in a gasp when he spilled over the side of the skiff.

Before he could catch his breath, the skiff lurched violently. Dripping water everywhere, Zenith climbed aboard.

Victor scooted aside to give him room. Theo gratefully sprawled beside Zenith, both of them panting.

Zenith's breathing evened out sooner than Theo's. Lifting himself to his knees, he placed a hand on Theo's shoulder and helped him up as well.

The hand pressed down, pushing Theo close to his side, but some dim part of Theo had the sense Zenith wasn't really paying attention to him. As his heartbeat calmed down, he looked up and followed Zenith's gaze.

The knight was staring straight at Darian. She was on her knees, sweat matting her hair, but she stared back at Zenith without wavering.

"Sir Zenith," she said, slow and careful. "Welcome back."

"My liege." Though Zenith's voice came out hoarse, there was no mistaking the taut edge behind every word. "What...what happened?"

Darian swallowed, her throat visibly bobbing, and her brows drew close together. The sight sent an unpleasant jolt through Theo's heart; he couldn't remember ever seeing her so hesitant.

When she spoke, her voice was subdued. "Your core was almost destroyed. I brought you back."

Zenith stiffened, his grip tightening on Theo's shoulder. When his armored fingers dug into skin, it took all of Theo's effort not to cry out.

He knew Zenith didn't mean to hurt him – and the way Zenith's hand trembled made it clear he was struggling more than anyone else.

Of course, Theo wanted to understand the whole situation himself. Even as his heart raced, he didn't tear his eyes away from Darian.

"How?" Zenith couldn't seem to stop a tremble from creeping into his voice. "My liege, I – if I am not mistaken, I saw you...that was wizardry."

Darian's jaw tightened. Then she took in a deep breath and lowered her head in a solemn nod.

"You'd be correct."

"But – how?" Zenith's voice shook harder. "How do you – how are you able to – "

Right. Now that Zenith was back, Theo couldn't deny what he'd just seen. Darian – a Tielan – casting wizardry. And though he hadn't recognized the spell, he could tell it was just as intricate as his own dream-diagrams.

Darian let out another deep breath, this one shuddering through her entire body. As she swept back the hair from her forehead, it struck Theo just how old and tired she seemed to be. Almost as if she had lived for centuries.

"I suppose...the cat's out of the bag now." A shaky laugh. "Yes, I am able to perform wizardry. Because I am a seraphim."

"A seraphim?" Theo blurted. For an exhilarating moment, he felt the darkness close around him again, heard that name rippling through his memories. Sarieva.

But when Darian's gaze landed on him, he snapped back to the real world. She blinked as if she'd noticed him for the first time, then nodded slowly.

"I was taught wizardry by my mother. You see, all wizardry ultimately comes from seraphim."

Theo's Levia shuddered. Before he could examine it, Zenith demanded, "What do you mean?"

"I...." Darian briefly dropped her gaze. When she looked back up, her eyes were hard with a familiar resolve. Yet somehow, it seemed colder than Theo had ever seen it.

"Seraphim are the ones who originally developed wizardry. How humans learned it, I don't know. Perhaps they were taught by rogue seraphim who traveled to Earth. All I know are the spells my mother passed down to me, to be used only as a last resort."

Her eyes darted to Zenith. "And that includes healing your core, Sir Zenith. It's something only I have the power to do, as the seraphim who infused my Levia into you in the first place."

The words spun through Theo's mind, meaning nothing yet everything at the same time. Seraphim originally developed wizardry. It all made a terrible kind of sense, although until now he'd never wondered about where wizardry came from. He'd just assumed it was something humans had invented themselves.

Instead...instead...all this time, Darian had been able to do it?

"Why did you keep it a secret?" Theo started when Zenith let go of his shoulder. The knight leaned forward, hands curled into trembling fists in his lap. "Why, my liege?"

He sounded so desperate, even wounded. Everything in Theo wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't make himself move.

"Sir Zenith," Darian said, quieter than ever. "It's as I said...this power is a last resort. My mother made me vow not to rely on it, and I've always done my best to honor her wish. I...before I am a seraphim, I'm a Tielan just like you. Like all of my crew. I want to fight alongside you with the abilities I developed out of my own effort, not lord over you with some secret seraphim powers."

Zenith's shoulders shook even harder. "Does anyone else know?"

"Only Magistrate Guntar," Darian said. "Understand, Sir Zenith, I kept this secret for a reason. If it hadn't been to save you, I'd have been perfectly happy never casting a spell in my life. I have no intention of ever doing it again. Nothing has changed. I'm still the same Prince Darian, and I'm still going to fight alongside my crew as a fellow Tielan."

Her voice hardened as she spoke, gaining a familiar confidence. Looking at her, chin lifted and eyes glittering, Theo could have almost believed that she was the same person who'd so boldly asked him to join her all those months ago.

And just like she said, she was still that person. Right? Even if she'd been keeping such a huge secret this entire time....

But Zenith didn't seem satisfied. Setting his jaw, he said, "When we went to Earth...does that mean you never intended to find a wizard?"

Theo's heart flipped. Even Darian flinched like she hadn't expected the question, before mastering herself with a deep breath.

"I'm still a Tielan. I can still contract with a wizard. Although I will admit...my main goal when coming to Earth was to find a wizard for you, Sir Zenith. And we succeeded in that."

Her eyes slid over to Theo, making him jolt. They were still hard, but a strange sadness glimmered in their depths, reminding him uncannily of the Star of Miriel's Levia.

"I see." Zenith dropped his gaze to his lap. "So that's why you weren't concerned about returning to Earth, even if you hadn't found a wizard. Because your mission had already succeeded."

"That's right," Darian said solemnly. For a moment, her throat convulsed and her lips trembled, before she burst out, "Sir Zenith, listen, I – "

"My liege." Straightening his shoulders, Zenith looked back at her. "I understand. You needn't explain any further. I trust your judgment, and I always will."

His voice held no emotion at all, and that sent a dim terror spiraling through Theo. Before he could stop himself, he grabbed Zenith's arm. Zenith turned toward him as if he'd only just noticed Theo, blinking as if coming out of a trance.

"It's – it's okay, right?" Theo made himself say. "You're back. That's what matters."

Zenith's eyes widened. "Theo."

Darian glanced from him to Theo, then – almost reluctantly – over at Victor. He started, and Theo's chest tightened. While Darian hadn't wanted to reveal her secret to him and Zenith, at least they were people she trusted. If she'd had a choice about it, she most certainly would never have let Victor know.

"Could I ask," she said slowly, "you all to keep this secret? I understand it's a lot to ask...particularly of you." Again, she glared at Victor. "But I would still like to. Because as I said, I don't want this to change anything. I did what I had to, and that's it."

She set her jaw, but Theo had the sense this wasn't her usual effortless confidence. That she was trying her hardest to stay in control.

He didn't know what to think himself. Even if Darian's reasons made perfect sense, that didn't change the fact that she'd been lying all along.

Still, she had saved Zenith's life. That was one truth Theo couldn't deny.

So squeezing Zenith's arm tight, he met Darian's gaze. "Don't worry. I will."

Zenith nodded next, followed by Victor. With a sigh, Darian sagged against the side of the skiff like she had shaken off a heavy burden.

A matching relief fluttered through Theo, but it didn't last for long. Like it or not, no matter what Darian had said, he knew things would never go back to being the same. The pale Levia trembling across his contract, still hazy with doubt, made it more than clear.