Chapter 375: Connected
"Don’t look at me like that, Maeve. I honestly don’t know what to do. I need to know why Maurice said thank you." Theo pleads.
"Why? Why does it matter so much?" Maeve asks, genuinely not understanding.
"If he knows I am not Thea, would the first thing he says not be to ask where she is? Does he not care about her?" Theo replies.
"Hmm. That is a fair point." Maeve is almost as invested now as Theo is. "Maybe he is thanking you for making sure Arthur is still alive?"
"Maybe." Theo sighs and plops back down on the edge of the bed. "But I need to know. I am so tired of pretending, Maeve. I thought I had made peace with it, but Maurice’s thank you is bothering me more than it should."
"I can see that. I am sorry, Theo."
"Oh!" Theo suddenly sits up. "Have I told you I found writing in Caelthorn?" He opens the drawer of the bedside table and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
"Writing in Caelthorn? What do you mean?" Maeve takes the paper and looks at it. "What is this?"
"That is Caelthorn writing. Not writing about Caelthorn. It is the language that we mages used, right up until I died. Those exact letters." Theo then tells her how and where he found them.
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Where is Thea?
That thought has not left him. If he follows it too far, he knows he will go crazy. He will grab the current Thea by the shoulders and demand to know where his daughter is and why Aldriana, or whoever she actually is, is wearing her face.
But he cannot ignore what Aldriana has done either. She pulled Julian out of a mutated dungeon. She saved Liam. As a member of Rhaenas, she has saved both of his sons.
And Leila.
Aldriana saved Leila from her own grief and her own mind.
No one but Maurice sees it clearly. How much lighter Leila has become since Thea changed. Thea can take care of herself now. She has grown closer to Leila. Easier to talk to, easier to be around. Leila does not even notice the shift in herself. She spends less time worrying about Thea and more time taking care of her own health, her own happiness.
For Maurice, that is what matters most.
I should have found the time to talk to her. To hear it from her directly. Why she is doing what she is doing. And where Thea is.
Maurice sighs and reaches his office. He pushes the door open and steps inside.
"Thea, I hope you are okay, sweetheart. I miss you."
He closes the door behind him with a soft click.
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"Elder Loujt, are you really leaving?" Sonia asks.
Elder Loujt nods. "Yes, Your Highness. And it would be best if you came with me and returned to Vaelin." He says firmly.
Sonia pouts. "Why? I like it here." She mutters.
Elder Loujt smiles, but it does not reach his eyes. "I know you do, Your Highness. But this is not the right place for you. You need to continue your studies. You left without permission. And for the past few days, you have done nothing but sightsee and wander around Solarys."
He pauses.
"It is time for you to return." He says, leaving no room for negotiation.
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"Congratulations, Captain." Alicia pauses and corrects herself with a grin. "Wait, no. It is Chief now. Congratulations, Chief Chambers." She extends her hand.
"Chief Lutherford..." Chief Chambers replies.
"Hey, I am no longer Chief. Call me Alicia." She shakes his hand warmly.
"Chi... Ms. Alicia." Lt. Kerr and Lt. Cole are both looking at her with tears threatening to spill.
"Oh, come on. You are all adults. And I am not going far. I am still here. Call me anytime." She pats each of their shoulders in turn.
"Chief!" Someone calls out, and both Alicia and Chief Chambers turn toward the voice at the same time. Alicia lets out a faint laugh. I am no longer their Chief, and yet I still turn when I hear it.
"Chief Chambers, these reports just came in. They are urgent, sir." The DEU officer hands over the files.
Chief Chambers takes them and glances at Alicia apologetically.
"Do not mind me. Go ahead. All of you, back to work. I will be fine. We will talk later." Alicia grins.
All four DEU officers give her one last apologetic look before turning away.
"What are the latest numbers on the missing persons?"
"How long ago did this happen?"
"Chief, we have four teams standing by..."
Alicia catches fragments of the conversation and deliberately stops herself from leaning in.
"Okay, Ali. You are not their Chief anymore. Let them handle it. You are a Rhaenas now." She glances down at her Resya watch and smiles.
"I am going back to my apartment and packing up. From today, I officially live with Rhaenas." She steps out of the DEU office with a spring in her step.
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"Are you saying that Altheon and Caelthorn are somehow connected?" Maeve asks, disbelief clear in her voice.
Theo nods. "They have to be. Otherwise, how did Caelthorn’s written language end up here?"
"Maybe you are not the only Caelthorn native who has crossed over?" Maeve starts brainstorming.
"Whatever the case, these writings are proof that the two worlds are connected." Theo concludes.
"What do the letters say?" Maeve traces them lightly with her finger.
"Magnus Monfort. The Dark Archmage." Theo says it slowly.
Maeve’s head snaps toward him. "Did you say Magnus Monfort? Magnus Monfort, the Dark Archmage? You actually said that?" She asks urgently.
Theo nods. "Yes. Why?"
"The Custodians have several manuscripts that reference Magnus, the Dark Archmage, but they never once mentioned his last name." Maeve’s excitement is barely contained.
"Does this mean Liam has a magus as his ancestor?" She continues.
"Actually, I have been meaning to ask. Why do you say magus?" Theo finally lets the question out. "Why that word specifically?"
Maeve shrugs. "Honestly, I do not know. That is just how I was taught."
She quickly circles back. "Theo, this really says Magnus Monfort? You are certain?"
"Yes. In Caelthorn language, yes."
"Do you mind if I take a picture of it?" Maeve asks.
Theo shakes his head. "Not at all. Linus has this displayed as a decoration in his kitchen. It is not a secret."
Maeve nods and pulls out her phone, taking several shots from different angles. She checks the results while talking.
"I want to show these to Victor. I want to see if we have any ancient manuscripts I can compare them against."
"Why does that matter?" Theo asks.
Maeve looks at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, why does it matter? Of course it matters. One, it is proof that your world and mine are connected. Two, do you not want to know the history of how they are connected? Understanding that is important for moving forward."
Theo shrugs. "If you say so."
Maeve frowns. Why does Theo not look more excited about this? If our worlds are connected, he might have family here. Should that not mean something to him?
"Alright, I am going to call Victor and arrange to meet him. Are you coming?"
Theo shakes his head. "No. You go ahead."
"Okay then." Maeve leaves the room.
It is not that I am not excited, Maeve. I am. Believe me, I am. But what does it change? Caelthorn is already gone. I could never go home.
Theo sighs.
His phone vibrates. He glances at the screen.
HAWK.
He frowns and picks up. "Hello?"
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Hawk hangs up, glad he had asked for Theo’s number when he had the chance. At the time, all he had wanted was an open line to him. He never thought it would actually come in handy.
"Ethan, I have to step out for a bit. I will catch up with you all later." Hawk heads to his room to change and pulls on his winter coat.
His friends are scattered around the living room, still dazed from Ethan’s news. The Baroness has successfully pushed through all the necessary paperwork. The Hunters and she are now fully licensed to enter any dungeon in Solarys together.
She is already looking for a suitable one, and she has told them to be ready at a moment’s notice.
The moment Hawk heard it, he knew what he had to do. He had pulled out his phone and dialed.
The call was brief. A few minutes. And Theo had agreed to meet him. Hawk had said now, he needed to meet now, and Theo had said yes without hesitation. He is grateful for that.
It is the only thing he could think of on such short notice. After the Baroness dropped her news on them, he and the others had tried everything they could think of to slow the permits down, but without anyone with real influence in Solarys, there was nothing to grab onto.
Several times his mind had drifted toward Rhaenas. But he had not known what to ask, or how to ask it.
Then the Baroness called an hour ago, and Hawk understood he could not keep waiting.
He braced himself and picked up the phone.