The water beneath their boat suddenly hardened, not to ice but to stone. The vessel lurched, now sitting atop a circular platform of gray rock that had moments before been open sea. The sudden stillness sent all of them staggering.
"Behold the power of true Veil Speech," Marius said, addressing Osa directly. "Words that reshape reality. Words that transform. Not the parlor tricks your professor teaches."
"Petrification is a perversion of Veil Speech," Professor Nyala said sharply. "You trap essence rather than communicate with it."
"I improve it," Marius countered. "Make it permanent. Unchanging." His black lips curled. "Unlike loyalty, which seems rather... fluid."
Saguna exchanged glances with Radji, whose earth shield had instinctively expanded to anchor their suddenly stranded boat. A plan formed between them without words—Saguna shifted his fire to create a distraction while Radji prepared to break apart the stone beneath them, hopefully returning it to water.
But Marius noticed. "Ah, the fire-child thinks himself clever." He spoke another word, this one sharp as breaking glass.
Saguna's fire shield shattered, the flames extinguishing in midair. He gasped, feeling as if something had been torn from him—not permanently, but painfully.
"Your sister was more talented," Marius said casually. "She at least provided a challenge."
The words hit Saguna like a physical blow. "You knew Sahara?"
Something changed in Marius's expression—a flicker of something almost human. "I knew all the fire-marked. They burn so bright, drawing attention across the Veil." He tilted his head, studying Saguna with new interest. "But you already know she's not dead, don't you? You've heard her whispers."
"How do you know that?" Saguna demanded.
"Because I hear them too." Marius tapped his temple with one gray finger. "All the trapped ones. All the lost ones. They whisper endlessly, begging for release."
Professor Nyala stepped forward. "What do you want, Marius? You didn't come merely to taunt my students."
The corrupted Speaker returned his attention to her. "I came to deliver a message. From the other side." His voice changed, deepening, taking on that unsettling echo once more. "The Breathless One knows of your journey. It has prepared a welcome in Teluk Jati. The village remembers the Walker-child who left. It will not embrace his return."
"If you serve the Breathless One now, you're further gone than I feared," Professor Nyala said, with genuine sorrow in her voice.
"I serve no one," Marius snapped, the water around him churning with his anger. "I merely recognize the inevitable. The Veil will fall. Those who position themselves correctly will survive what follows." His gaze returned to Osa. "Some might even thrive."
"Not interested," Osa repeated, more firmly this time. His water shield expanded, growing spikes like ice formations.
Marius shrugged. "You will be. When you see what awaits in Teluk Jati. When you understand what walking the middle path has cost your precious professor. Ask her about the last Triumvirate, children. Ask her what happened to them."
Professor Nyala's face had gone pale. "Enough, Marius."
"More than enough," he agreed. "I've delivered my message. Consider your course carefully, Triumvirate. Especially you, Speaker-child. Your path is not as fixed as they would have you believe." He began to sink back into the water. "We will meet again. In Teluk Jati. Where it began."
As his head disappeared beneath the surface, one last utterance rippled across the water: "Where it will end."
The moment he vanished, the stone beneath their boat reverted to water with a lurch that sent them all sprawling across the deck. The wind returned immediately, filling their sail with an almost angry force.
"Who was that?" Saguna demanded, pushing himself upright.
Professor Nyala stared at the spot where Marius had stood, her expression unreadable. "A former student. One who chose power over wisdom. One who found other teachers beyond the Veil."
"He knew my sister," Saguna pressed.
"He knows of her," Professor Nyala corrected. "The corrupted can sense those trapped between worlds. They feed on their essence, their desperation."
Osa looked shaken, his usual confidence diminished. "Why was he so interested in me specifically?"
Professor Nyala hesitated before answering. "Because the Speaker's role is pivotal. You can communicate across the Veil without crossing it. That makes you valuable... and a target." She turned to check their heading, adjusting the tiller. "He will try to turn you, to tempt you with shortcuts to power. All of you must be vigilant against his influence."
"He mentioned the last Triumvirate," Radji said, his analytical mind latching onto the detail. "What did happen to them?"
A shadow passed over Professor Nyala's face. "That is a discussion for another time. For now, we must prepare. Marius Gall's appearance confirms my fears—Teluk Jati is already compromised. The welcome we receive will not be friendly."
"We have six hours," Saguna said, remembering Radji's calculation. "What can we do in that time?"
"Learn to combine your elements," Professor Nyala replied. "Separately, you were easily disrupted by Marius's speech. Together, you might have withstood him." She gestured for them to reform the triangle. "Your opponent has shown his hand early—a mistake we can exploit. Now you know what you face."
As they took their positions once more, Saguna felt the whispers returning, but different this time. Not Sahara's voice, but something else—a warning, perhaps, or a lament. Whatever awaited them in Teluk Jati, it knew they were coming. The question was: were they ready?
The jasper stone pulsed against his chest, warmer now. Ready or not, they were out of time. His childhood home beckoned, and with it, the answers he had sought for twelve long years.
Six hours to Teluk Jati. Six hours until he faced the place where he had lost Sahara.
Six hours until he took the first real step toward getting her back.