CHAPTER 176: THE ENVELOPE

Ariston

I didn’t want to talk about Rael. Not yet. Not the way he left. Not the way he looked back for half a second like he might stay. Not the way my heart tore apart like a child all over again. I clenched my jaw and gave a nod.

After a beat, Drakkar said, "So... your father never took you to his kind?" I looked at him, "You once told me there was a village with people like you."

I stared at the floor, tracing the faint pattern in the stone with my eyes. "No."

There was another silence. I broke it before he could press more.

"I did ask him," I said, quietly. "About this village he told me about. His people. He said he’d take me there one day."

I let out a dry laugh that didn’t sound like one.

"That day never came though..."

***

Draegon

The rain hadn’t stopped since last night.

It beat against the tall arched windows of my study like impatient fingers drumming on glass. The clouds outside still hung low and heavy, casting a gray pallor over everything—the walls, the floor, even the fire burning low in the hearth.

I stood by my desk, unmoving, staring blankly at the reports spread before me. Pages and pages of tactical placements, patrol rotations, and troop updates. None of them brought any clarity. None of them brought her back.

A sudden knock interrupted the silence.

"Enter," I said sharply, already straightening.

The door creaked open, and Draken stepped inside, his dark hair still damp from the drizzle. Right behind him, Vesper followed—quieter, more subdued than usual.

My eyes narrowed. "Did you find anything?"

Draken’s face was grim as he shook his head. "The soldiers have found no trace. No scent, no tracks. Whoever this man is who took her is clearly very skilled." He paused, "Plus, the rain made his escape easier, it left no scent behind."

My hands clenched at my sides, fury bubbling just beneath the surface.

"But—" he continued, reaching into his coat.

He pulled out a sealed envelope, its parchment slick from the moisture in the air, and handed it to me.

"This arrived shortly after Drakkar and Ariston returned to the palace," he said. "No sender. Just this."

I took it wordlessly, my eyes already scanning the seal.

No crest. Just wax. Smooth and blank.

The hearth behind me cracked faintly as I broke the seal and unfolded the parchment inside. The ink was black. Thick. Still wet around the edges.

And as I read, my frown deepened.

"What is it?" Vesper asked from behind me, but I didn’t answer right away.

The message wasn’t long. It wasn’t detailed.

It was just enough.

Just enough to make the storm outside feel colder. Just enough to stir something darker than rage inside me.

"You’ll have to get the Queen yourself."

***

Aelin

I swallowed the iron tang in my mouth and rasped, "What do you mean by that?"

He looked at me, eyes scanning me and my injuries. Perhaps he looked a little impressed how I was still alright even though I had lost so much blood.

Frankly, I was astonished too. But then again, I didn’t have ordinary blood in me.

He nodded and then said, softly, "You can come in contact with the Solwyn people... can’t you?"

!!!

I froze. My blood might have stopped moving altogether.

"What...?" I whispered. "How do you know that?" I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion.

Rael glanced around briefly to make sure no one else was listening, then leaned in closer. "I’ve spent years looking into it," he murmured. "Tracking signs, reading records no one remembers existed. And then I found you." His voice tightened. "I risked everything to get you here."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You brought me here to die."

His mouth twisted, a grim half-smile. "Reagen was going to do that anyway," he said flatly. "The only difference was when. It might’ve taken him longer. Might’ve even been more brutal. You think you wouldn’t have followed him eventually? He’s your brother."

"I never would have trusted him." My voice was sharper now, even if it shook. "I never would’ve followed him." I’ve been afraid of Reagen since I was a kid.

If we were talking about a few months ago. I would have followed him.

But not now

I wasn’t scared of him anymore... I realized that today and that was quite something for me too. But my answer was sure. I would never have followed him.

Rael gave a small nod. "Fair. But this isn’t the time for that argument."

He looked at the blood-stained ground around me. At the broken people chained to the outer circles. Then back at me.

"The point is... the gate will open," he said. "You need to stop it."

I coughed, the motion sending another lance of pain through me. "I can’t do it alone." I said, "Not in this condition." I looked down at my bleeding chest, "I can’t even stop this."

"You can," He said, "Your mind is restricting you. You are supposed to be the strongest."

"What?" I looked at him in confusion, "And how am I supposed to stop this gate from opening. The ritual is ready."

He raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, something sparked behind his crimson eyes.

"You’re misunderstanding," he said. "I’m not talking about this gate."

I stared at him, breath catching.

Rael’s voice dropped lower. "I’m talking about all of them."

???

My vision blurred again, this time not from pain, but from the weight of his words.

He continued. "Reagen is just the beginning. There will be more—more people like him. People who crave power. People who can drink the black milk and survive. And the Abyss..." He looked out at the trees beyond the ritual site. "The Abyss corrupts all it touches. Slowly, thoroughly. And if the gates continue to open... this world will fall into chaos."

His eyes flicked back to mine, intense and unwavering.

"You’re the only one I’ve seen... who hurts it."

I couldn’t speak. I could barely think.

"I don’t know why," he said. "I don’t know how. But you can push it back. And that makes you the only one who has a chance of stopping what’s coming."

I sat there in the circle of blood, broken and barely breathing.

I stared at him, trying to understand him

"Did you," I started, "Bring me here so that I would understand who was behind this all?"

"I brought you here to end things," He whispered, then pointed at his mind, tapping at it, "There’s a limit to how much one can withstand." He brought his hand down, "Eventually anyone who had come in contact with it, will corrupt."