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"What is Malvolio?" I ask.
"The Underworld," she eyes me skeptically. "The Midorians didn't teach you about our history, did they?"
I feel my cheeks heat and I shamefully shake my head.
"How unfortunate. They did you such a disservice."
"Did Enver Sol visit Malvolio?" Eris asks, and I know she's doing her part to alleviate tension.
Sylvane's focus turns to Eris. "Yes, he visited once. He, and a small delegation from Orabelle, attempted to speak with Drogon about the mortal realm. Enver knew the demon king would never forgive or forget the defeat his ancestors suffered one thousand years prior, but he had to see for himself what the underworld was capable of, should Drogon wage war. What he found terrified him."
"What was it?" I lean forward.
"An army unlike anything he had ever seen before," she says. "Your father, General Naziri, and my brother, Eiran, spent the next year going to each kingdom in attempts to unite them."
That name rings a bell and I suddenly remember Atlas telling me outside of Draaksten about General Naziri and my father being at odds during the Great War. After he was broken out of the camp prison, he led his sand wielders and dragons on one final assault before disappearing.
"My father knew General Naziri?"
Her eyes brighten that I recognize his name and she nods. "Alem Naziri and my brother were Enver's most trusted counsel and his oldest friends."
That explains why Enver fought so hard to have General Naziri freed. They were friends.
"What happened once they visited the kingdoms?" Eris asks, propelling the story forward.
"My brother advised the united kingdoms post lookouts, spies if you will, near the portal to the underworld. The moment Drogon marched his unholy army through, Enver was alerted. It was outside the mountains of Durne, that Drogon unleashed hell upon the mortal realm."
She inhales deeply, clearly reliving memories she had buried years ago. "I was there. I fought alongside my kin against Drogon's forces. It's where Corvex received his scar. We hit those evil creatures with everything we had, even though we were outnumbered. For months, we battled, and each time we thought we'd gained ground, Drogon would gain reinforcements. In the fifth month of war, I watched my aunt die. Losing her was more than I could bear, and I became violently ill to the point I couldn't leave my bed for days. Enver was so worried he had a Bavan Healer brought in to examine me. That's when we discovered we were expecting you."
Her eyes meet mine and she offers a warm smile. "Your father and I had secretly eloped before the Great War. If we were to face the destruction of the mortal realm, we pledged to fight it as man and wife."
"What happened once you discovered you were having Shaye?" Eris leans forward, rooting her elbows to her knees, fully hooked to every word my mother says.
"I made the hardest choice of my entire life," she whispers. "I agreed to leave the front and return to Elowen. It's what Enver begged of me, and I could not deny him anything. Mind you" – she chuckles, her eyes teary – "Enver and I spent an entire week arguing about it, because I didn't want to abandon him. He reminded me I wasn't the first female sent home for falling pregnant and I wasn't deserting him or our allies, I was giving our unborn child a fighting chance of surviving. Never before had there been a child born of both Frost Elf and Celestial blood. You had to be protected, no matter the cost."
"Did anyone know?" I find myself asking, curious.
"Other than Alem and Eiran, we kept my condition between us, but when I prepared to leave, my father discovered I was with child after marrying Enver in secret. He was furious and my brother had to physically restrain him from attacking me," she admits. "But for the first time in my life, I didn't care what he thought. I was blessed with a child – a feat not common amongst Frost Elves. And not just any child – a Celestial's child."
I'm not surprised the Frost King was angry. His views on keeping the Basilius line strong and pure is well-known. "Did my father ever meet me?" I press, not sure which way I hope she answers.
A sadness overtakes her features, and she slowly shakes her head. "No. He never got to meet you, but he was so happy you were coming." She takes a second to gather her thoughts before saying, "He made the ultimate sacrifice, not just for you and me, but for the Six Kingdoms. With the armies of the mortal realm on the brink of defeat, Enver pushed himself to the point of death, using his Transcendent state. Along with Alem Naziri's sand dragons, and Eiran leading the Frost Elves, they made their final stand and destroyed the creatures Drogon commanded. Banishing his demons back to Malvolio, your father sealed them inside and shattered their portal. Enver was well aware the portals shared a connection, and his portal would fizzle from existence within a few days' time. So, he made his way to the portal to Orabelle and smashed it from the inside."
"Why didn't he stay?" I ask, teary eyed. "Why did he leave us?"
"Enver is the Father of Light. Orabelle not only strengthens him, but it also sustains him. Whether or not he destroyed the portals, he would have had to split his time with us and his true home. He was well aware minions of Drogon could have survived the Great War and if they escaped being sealed in the portal, they would come for him. His blood is the only key to unlocking their master."
"But I also have his blood." It's the first time I am feeling anger toward Enver Sol. "He left me here to face his enemies?"
"He left you here because I asked him to." Tears well in her eyes and it makes my heart still. "Call it selfish, but I couldn't lose both of you forever." She takes a moment to gather herself before pushing forward. "My brother, Eiran, died during their final stand and Alem Naziri flew into the desert and disappeared. My kin were dead, my only friends gone, and Enver was going to do what was necessary to keep the realm safe. All I asked in return was to keep my daughter."
"How…" I'm not sure how she's going to feel about this question, but I need to know the truth. "How did you lose me?"
"I didn't lose you, Aure – I mean, Shaye." She huffs an exasperated breath, before continuing, "You were stolen from me."
"Will you tell me what happened?"
Her eyes glaze over, and for a moment I think I might have pressed too hard, asking her to relive a trauma I couldn't imagine bearing, but she says, "You were three months old. I hadn't left your side for the entirety of your short life, but once I was cleared to ride again, I reluctantly went to Fendruil to visit Corvex. I'd received reports of his growing depression and restlessness with my absence and knew he needed my attention, so I went for a late-night ride. It was far too cold to bring you, although I wanted to. You were heavily guarded by four of my most trusted soldiers and were under the supervision of my lady-in-waiting. You were safe, and you were protected. At least, that's what I thought.
