Page 166 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

He nods, leading me down the stone path toward the towering buildings. The glass door swivels at our approach, revealing a bright interior.

Arched windows line either side of the entry, but overhead…

My throat tightens and my eyes water as I take in what looks like the night sky as the source of light. Finn explains they’re light bugs that prefer dark spaces, so he made them a home here and they supply the light.

We keep walking down halls, the arches open to the outside in some halls, closed off by glass so clear it looks open in others. We pass Elven families, servants busy with work, a mother humming as she rests in a window rubbing at her swollen belly.

We pass a grand staircase with towering arched windows with swirls of iron. The amount of greenery within and outside makes the space feel alive. Buttery sunlight bounces off the pale stone interior.

I peek into a room as we continue, gawking at the interior. A large white bed sits at the center of a raised platform, the rounded space filled with arches leading to various parts of the room, but it’s the open-air ceiling with vines spilling into the space that catches my attention.

To fall asleep under the stars would be unreal.

Finn pushes open two wooden doors decorated in ornate vines revealing a library that reaches so high I can’t see the top. Stairs circle the room, going higher and higher, opening at each level before ascending.

And books. So many books. Finn continues through the open chamber to the far side, pulling back a curtain of vines revealing a wooden door. He opens it and gestures for me to follow him through.

I do, surprised to find the room filled with ancient tomes and magical items. The space is darker, lit with candles and light from somewhere above, delivering enough to bounce off the pale stone, illuminating the space.

On a table is a scroll with glowing text. It looks like the one Ryker and I found on Ista in the old temple buried beneath the new one. Once again, it’s written in Elvisiah. Though I can read it, speak it, understand it…seeing it is a whole different experience. The script with its whirls and swirls and dots looks more like a piece of art than a text.

Finn leans against the table, his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ve been thinking…” He pauses. “I think you guys should leave Einsmall and come live here. Your magic is connected to the heavens, to the aether, you shouldn’t be living underground. Besides, you should live among your people.”

I swallow thickly. “And Ryker?”

Finn’s lips tilt. “You two are mated. Do you understand what that means?”

I shake my head, feeling stupid. I do understand in the sense that we were chosen by the cosmos for a union that would unite our souls…beyond that, practically, no.

“A Mating Bond is seen as the deepest connection one can have. The way we see it, you’re more than married. Even though you never completed your Ceremony back home or whatever you called it, in the eyes of everyone here, your union is deeper and more profound than anything else there is. There is no separating you two, for you are one.”

The pressure in my lungs has to do with the overwhelming sense of love and appreciation that I can’t contain. For Ryker. For the gods. For creation. Not officially being married to Ry has bugged me more than I’d like to admit. I feel like I’m somehow not his. Not in a way that makes sense to me. But hearing this, it helps that sad part of me spill out.

“Can we have a wedding?” I ask.

A female voice answers before Finn can. “Of course you can. Though is it necessary?”

I turn to find Lady Serathiel, the council member of Knowledge and Truth. I curtsey, unsure of what the proper protocol is.

Finn stays upright and when I stand again, Serathiel’s eyes are glittering with amusement. Dammit. I hate making a fool of myself. I make a mental note to ask him later.

“Well, what a surprise to have the Light Bringer brought to our home.”

Our home? Is Finn married…to her? I check both of their hands, not finding a ring, though I’m not sure what the Elven custom is.

Lady Serathiel laughs. “Oh no, dear. Finn is my son.”

Heat spreads up my neck, covering my cheeks. I had no idea. He never said anything about his mother being a council member. And she looks to be maybe thirty, thirty-five at most.

Finn groans, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Raea, my mother you’ve met. This is her library.”

Serathiel’s eyes bore into me. “Open and available to all of course. We do not hide knowledge nor truth from any who endeavor." She crosses the room, her pale robes dragging behind her. She reaches for an older tome from a high shelf before standing before me again.

She removes her robes, handing them to Finn, who obediently hangs them on a hook like he’s done it hundreds of times before. She’s dressed in casual clothes, an embroidered tunic and trousers. It’s almost shocking. I try not to stare.

Without looking up as she begins flipping through pages, she asks, “To what do we owe the pleasure, Soraea?”

Before I can answer, Finn replies, “I’ve invited Raea to come and live with us. Her friends as well. I think they’ll be much more comfortable here than at the sanctuary.”