“IT looks like this puzzle is yours to decipher, Lady Thalia. You’ll need to interpret the images if you wish to unlock the passage.”
The stone tablet displayed three symbols: a nine-tailed fox, an empress’s crown, and an illustration of an infant. Only three images, yet they demanded a single answer.
Thalia traced each carving with her fingertips, and suddenly a mirage shimmered before her eyes.
A woman appeared regal and serene, with an infant in her arms. The boy giggled as he tugged gently at his mother’s hair. Thalia could not hear their voices, yet she clearly saw the woman’s lips form one word.
“Haji.”
“Lady Thalia!”
Kayne gripped her shoulders, snapping her out of the vision. “You froze, Milady. Your eyes turned completely white as if you were possessed.”
“Did I?” she murmur
