Chapter 28 #2
“My father. Sometimes, he—” She paused, wrapping her arms around herself. I had the sudden urge to pull her into me and hold her in my own arms.
Maren gave a shake of her head. “I was the reason he would leave my mom and siblings alone. When I’m not there…” A single tear escaped the corner of her eye.
I didn’t even hesitate. My thumb caught the tear, brushing it away from her cheek.
Glistening gray eyes snapped up to mine.
I left my hand there, cupping her face. Try as I might, I couldn’t get my hand to fall.
I couldn’t tell if it was my imagination or not, but it felt like she leaned farther into the touch.
I dared a step closer. “I’m sorry.” The words slipped through my lips like butter. Why was I suddenly able to apologize to her when it had my voice choking a few minutes before? If she was surprised at the words, she didn’t show it, keeping her gaze on the ground.
Maren sniffled, and the sound cracked something in my stone heart—something that had been dead for centuries.
What is this human doing to me?
“That’s why I need to get home, Rhydian,” she pleaded. “They need me.”
I didn’t understand much about humans, especially this one, but this I could understand. Wasn’t I just thinking a few days ago that I would do anything to save Nico from my fate? He didn’t deserve it. Neither did Maren’s family.
Though she didn’t deserve it either.
If the curse was ever broken, maybe I’d pay Maren’s father a visit. I could take care of her problem like I took care of the man who’d tried to kidnap her.
No one would ever know.
Would she want that? At the moment, with her skin touching mine, I felt like giving her anything she wanted. It was a strange feeling, but not an unpleasant one.
An unfamiliar pang of regret snapped through me. I had taken her away from her family. They needed her, and because of me, who knew what they were facing now?
The portal to her world flickered in my mind. The curse was supposed to forbid a human from leaving Avalea, but could I try anyway? If my magic cooperated long enough, I could attempt to send her home. I didn’t know if it would work—I’d never tried before.
But if I did, then I would doom all of Eroth.
Maren might have been doing foreign things to my insides, but I was a stonehearted Fae at the core. As nice as these strange feelings were, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice breaking the curse so that she could go home to her family.
Maybe that made me a monster.
But didn’t desperation make monsters of us all?
The reminder sobered me, and my hand fell from her cheek. “Rest up. We’ll begin the next task at moon rise.”
Without another word, I spun, heart strangely aching, and headed to the other side of the castle. I’d have to tell Nico to check on her and bring her some food, make sure she had enough clothing to stay warm. Inside might be warmer than outside, but only just.
When I arrived at the room that held the Magmara, I was unsurprised to find Nico waiting for me.
“I saw you coming through the gate,” he explained. “Figured this is the first place you’d come.” My life was tied to that last petal that could fall at any moment. He couldn’t blame me for coming straight here.
“How was your trip?” A knowing look lit his eyes. “I see she survived.”
An unwelcome shudder went through me as the memory of facing the Lavawraith flashed through my mind.
I unlocked the door, and he followed me inside.
My legs felt like they each weighed thousands of pounds as I stalked to the Magmara, seeing if the last petal was any closer to falling.
When there appeared to be no change, the tension in my muscles eased—just a little.
When I turned to face Nico, he laughed at whatever look was on my face. “I take it the trip wasn’t uneventful then, like you expected.”
I snorted. “It was the furthest thing from uneventful, Nico. First, the Scorching Rivers somehow got past my magic, and we nearly died. It devoured our tent and most of our supplies. I barely got her out of there in time. Then she almost died from cold exposure. I was forced to drag her into a cave and hold her in my arms to get some warmth into her.”
“Right, forced.” Nico’s sneaky smile had me rolling my eyes.
“Yes, forced.”
Nico chuckled, but then sobered as he asked, “Your magic failed? How?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. One second, there was a barrier around our camp, and the next, I woke up to find our tent on fire and the lava creeping through the fabric.”
Nico’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Does that mean—”
“I don’t know.”
There were several questions he could have been asking, and I didn’t have answers to any of them. All I knew was my magic was growing weaker by the day, the Magmara closer and closer to dropping its last petal.
Soon, it would be too late. A sudden hopelessness filled me so completely my knees nearly gave out beneath me.
There was no way that Maren would fall for me in whatever short time the flower had left.
Our journey to Mount Kharos may have done wonders for her trust in me, but I wasn’t cocky enough to think it had caused feelings to spring up.
The image of Maren leaning her face into my hand flashed through my mind. Or had it? I shoved it from my mind, refusing to let hope get the better of me.
It was as hopeless as the second task. Nothing would grow here.
Not anymore.
I sighed, my hand tousling my hair. “After Maren got the relic, a Lavawraith attacked us. If I hadn’t made it to her in time, she would have died.”
Nico’s wide eyes were like a child’s, fascinated by monsters. Sometimes, it was easy to forget just how young he was.
“The Lavawraiths exist? I thought they were all dead.”
“As did I.”
“How did you stop it?”
I quickly recounted the tale of the monster attacking Maren, my magic somehow saving us when it shouldn’t have been able to.
“And before you ask, I have no idea how my magic was able to do that. I haven’t been able to use such magic in decades.”
“Do you think it has something to do with Maren?”
“She’s a human, Nico, not a Fae. She doesn’t have magic, and she definitely didn’t cause mine to strengthen. It was probably adrenaline. My desperation to save us forced my magic to submit, that’s all.”
Or at least, that was all I could think of since I really had no idea how I’d done what I had.
Nico’s mouth twisted to the side, clearly skeptical, but he didn’t question me further.
“So, now what?” he asked instead.
“I told Maren we’d begin the next task at moon rise.”
“So soon?”
“I’m running out of time, and we can’t afford to waste any more. The next task I gave her will likely take a long time, and I’m hoping in that time she may start to fall for me.”
“Why don’t you just tell her how to really break the curse?”
“Don’t you remember what happened to the others?” I asked him, anger coating my words.
Once upon a time, Nico used to cower beneath my anger, but now he challenged me instead. Fear no longer entered his eyes, and he didn’t back down, even though any Fae in their right mind wouldn’t question the Prince of Eroth.
That was why I felt it in every cell of my being when he said, “I do remember. Do you?”
It was like a punch to the face, and I flinched, unable to hold it back. Of course I remembered.
One does not kill and forget.
“The truth isn’t an option, Nico, so drop it.”
“I’m just saying—”
“I know what you’re saying, and I want you to drop it.
The hope of Maren breaking the curse was very small to begin with.
She despises me. I tore her away from her home, her life, and brought her to a place where she will inevitably die.
She’s not going to fall in love with me, especially if I tell her about the others. ”
Nico’s expression fell, his shoulders drooping, perhaps finally understanding that there would be no breaking the curse. Yes, there was something different about Maren. I would be humble enough to admit that. But it wasn’t enough.
She wasn’t enough. Not for this.
“I like her.” Nico’s soft voice ripped through my thoughts, and a pang squeezed my heart.
I couldn’t let him get more attached, as much as it hurt me to crush his spirit. “Well, you shouldn’t. You know how this will end, Nico.”
Nico didn’t cry very often, even for being such a young Fae, but I didn’t miss the shine of tears filling his eyes. I’d never been one for physical affection, but I couldn’t stop myself from pulling him into my arms, trying to comfort him after just destroying his hope for something better.
His little arms wrapped around my waist, and he sniffled into my stomach.
“I want you to promise me something,” I said after a few moments.
His head moved up and down as he nodded.
“Before the last petal falls, before Eroth falls, before I—” The words caught in my throat, as if it were just now hitting me that my death was swiftly closing in. I fought against the panic shoving bile up my throat, clearing it so I could get the words out.
“Before the end, I want you to promise me something.” Nico’s head tilted back to look at me.
“I want you to leave Eroth. Its fate is not yours. Go to Siris or Aeros. You’re still young enough.
Hopefully they’ll accept you without judgement for being a Dark Fae.
” I swallowed back the tears inexplicably filling my eyes, making my throat tight.
Why am I crying? I’m a prince!
Nico pulled away from me, outrage replacing his own tears. “What? No—”
“I need you safe—”
“Rhydian, I’m not leaving—”
“Nico.”
The poor boy was trembling, his hands in fists at his sides.
I sighed, drawing in a steadying breath, hating that I had to do this to him.
“Nico, I couldn’t bear it if you found the same fate as the others did. I couldn’t stand the thought of you bearing the same fate as mine. You don’t deserve the curse. You don’t deserve what’s coming.” Though it was a lie, I added, “Perhaps you’ll be reunited with your parents.”
He tried to hide it, but I saw the burst of hope that flickered over his face.
“Promise me that you’ll leave when the time comes. I need to know that you will survive, that you’ll be safe.”
Nico hesitated, his eyes moving back and forth over my face. “I don’t want to leave you.”
I pulled him back into my arms to hide the tears that were now sliding down my face.
Nico had been like a little brother to me.
He’d been all I’d had for years. I despised the thought of sending him away, but I hated the thought of him dying for me even more.
He was the closest thing I had to family, and I would not see him suffer any longer because of me.
“I know,” I said, trying to hide my sniffle. “But this is for the best. You deserve to live, Nico. I need you to live.”
I lost track of how much time had passed while we stood there, but eventually Nico wiped at his nose and pulled away from me.
“Okay, Rhydian. When the time comes, I will leave.”
Relief swelled like a crashing wave, consuming me, but I only let it linger for a few moments before I nodded, pulling myself together.
“Good.” I cleared the remaining emotion from my throat. “Now, go check on Maren. Make sure she has enough warm clothes, and bring her as much food as you can carry. She needs it.”
Nico nodded eagerly and raced to the door, his feet padding against the cold tile.
He stopped, looking back at me. “Rhydian?”
“Yes?”
“I know you don’t think she’ll break the curse. I know you think it’s hopeless. But I’m still hoping.”
Before I could respond, he left my chambers, leaving me stunned.
Me too, Nico. Me too.