Two Eyes Cenote rekhyt

Toula assured him Lilitu would be freed of Akashingo’s clutches—what he had yet to figure out, though, was why she had been there in the first place.

His daughter had come at a time before Toula reigned supreme, though, and given her gentle nature and naivety on certain matters, the Mayfair knew this would be a dead end. And, perhaps it best remain that way… Lilitu was nowhere to be found now—he could only hope she was somewhere with her sister, and the two were safe and happy.

Instead, the girl remained captivated by the existence of another kingdom—long fallen, now, he gathered, after his original and life-changing journey across the mountain with Wren and Germanicus.

If he had never been told of what Akashingo had done to Silvertongue—of what Germanicus had done—would Silvertongue still have had a place for him in her heart?

Would it have mattered, when Wren and Eshe had both carved themselves in a place among the now broken two?

He swallowed, but it felt dry.

“Reneian Empire. A kingdom in a beautiful valley in the mountains. To an outsider, it appeared to be the perfect home for all who sought it. My wife was a queen among them, alongside another. She was… Caring. Gentle. Playful, and full of life and love. You remind me of her, actually.” He paused—only realizing now how terribly accurate that was. The brightness of her eyes—the kindness that emanated from her. It was as if Toula was Ibis reincarnated.

He could feel the bile rise in the back of his throat. No wonder there was something about her that held him here, for the moment. That stirred him to trust her. “She wasn’t aware of the politics that happened beneath her reign—the scheming that happened in the forest shadows. I took her and my two children away from there—as far as I could take them.”

He paused, his eyes sharp upon her. His shoulders sagging in the weight of the moment—unburdening secrets. “And now she’s dead. And Lilitu is missing. And my name is not Taltos—a guise given to shield and protect a friend who had been placed under your father’s… servitude while I tried to find my daughter.”