CHAPTER 31
Frankie
“Still nothing?” Brynn calls, while I lower my sword. “I was sure yesterday’s face-plant into the gravel would have shaken the light loose.”
“Ha, ha. Hilarious.” I say, tightening my grip. My shoulders ache, my palms are raw, but it’s my pride that hurts the most.
“Maybe if you stop strangling it,” she says. “The light isn’t prey. You invite it, you don’t choke it.” She flicks her sword upright, the steel catching a glint of gold as she stands in the center of the ring. The large shards of glass surrounding us are humming with her magic.
What I wouldn’t give to choke her right now.
Not long enough to hurt her, just enough to make me feel better.
A week of drills and I can only summon a small spark, definitely not enough to feed my sword.
And now that she won’t let me wear my necklace, I can’t even do that.
Of course she was able to remove it with just a simple flick of her wrist… dang falkyrie magic!
“All right, Frankie. Again. Anchor your stance. Picture the light running up your arm into the blade, like a sunrise climbing the horizon.”
I do as she says and squeeze my eyes shut. The hilt feels heavy beneath my palms. Inhaling slowly, I imagine smoke dissipating around me, giving way to a white light. Warmth flows up my arms, and my hand begins to tingle. The first flicker of light stirs in my chest.
But the dark stirs with it. It presses down the light, curling up from the same place.
I try forcing it down, holding it under the surface long enough for the light to grow, but it only drags the other with it.
The two twist together, impossible to separate.
The light thins. The dark swells. I shove them both back, locking them down before either one breaks loose.
“This is useless. I can’t let go enough to call my light. I still think you should let me practice with my necklace on, at least for a little while.”
“That necklace is a crutch and we’re running out of time. You need to focus.”
I can’t argue with that. The portal has gotten much more dangerous over the past few days. Scouts keep returning with the same bad news. The darkness is spreading, and more deadly creatures are roaming the realm.
And Jess…she’s getting worse. She and Graven are staying in the infirmary wing of the castle. The healers confirmed whatever poison is running through her veins is somehow tied to the portal. Each time it surges, she doubles over in pain. Not even Graven can take it away.
Zarreth stops pacing and moves toward me. He’s been wound up all week, barely blinking, barely breathing, eyes always locked on me. Even the falkyrie learned to stay away, fewer and fewer showing up to train as the days passed.
“This should be good. The thick-skulled demon thinks he knows more about light magic than we do,” Brynn says, sheathing her sword.
Zarreth shoots her a sharp look. “I know my mate. That’s all I need.”
The edge is gone the second his eyes find mine, softening when his hand rests on my stomach.
“Just let it all go. I know you worry the darkness will spill out if you do, but you have to trust yourself. Find your light, the one that makes you, you. The one that will never go away because it’s who you are.
Nothing will change that. Not even your own darkness. ”
“Okay,” I nod, letting my eyes slide shut.
I picture the tenderness on Zarreth’s face when I told him about the twins.
The way he was about to break in the best way possible.
Images of him chasing little toddlers through the yard flash through my mind.
Their laughter spills through the air when he stomps toward them, growling like a ridiculous monster.
Heat pools under my ribs, climbs into my shoulders, and down my arms. I open my eyes. A faint golden shimmer trickles up the sword’s groove, like sunrise breaking through fog. I did it!
Zarreth doesn’t let me sheath my sword before he picks me up and spins me around. “I knew it!”
Brynn smiles. “Well, look at that. You’ll be ready for the portal in no time!”
“We don’t need to think about the portal right now,” Zarreth snaps, setting me on my feet.
I cross my arms, my eyes flicking to his. “What do you mean we don’t need to be thinking about the portal? That’s what all of this is for.”
“The portal isn’t going anywhere.” His gaze lands on my stomach. “It can wait for a more appropriate time.”
“This is the appropriate time. It’s the only time.
Jess is dying…or changing.” I’ve been trying to cut him some slack for being so overprotective.
I know it’s the mating bond making him so much more possessive now that…
well, now that the future is different. But he’s out of his mind if he thinks I’m going to wait to stabilize the portal.
His hand rubs over my stomach. “She’s not the only one who’s changing.”
I lean in, keeping my voice low. “You act like there’s another choice.
Do you really think I want to do this? Risk the life we’ve barely had the chance to start?
It’s the only way. I will not give up on Jess, and I won’t be responsible for the fall of two realms. I will not be the Realm Eater!
This is my fate. I can’t avoid it. I’ll do it with or without you. ”
His nostrils flare as his hand wraps around my braid. Keeping my face tilted toward his, he lowers his voice. “Don’t think for one moment that I would let you face this alone.”
I hold his glare with one of my own. “Then quit acting like you’re going to stop me.”
He releases my hair, bringing his hand to my cheek. His touch is tender now, but his expression tells me he’s not going to drop the subject for long.
“Hey, firefly?” Kara calls from the building adjacent to us, breaking the tension. Thank God! “I could use your help planning the best strategy to corral the beasts.”
I try not to giggle at the nickname, not wanting to worsen his bad mood. “I’m surprised you need help from a thick-skulled demon!” he calls back.
Kara shrugs a shoulder. “We may not trust your kind, but I’m no fool. Your fire abilities—and your experience as a commander—are very useful.”
I sigh, relieved when he makes his way to the building, thankful Kara found a way to distract him. Maybe I can actually get some training done.
It’s not long before I spot their silhouettes in the window, both bent over a map. Kara doesn’t seem the least bit concerned with his overbearing attitude, and I think he secretly enjoys mapping out a defense. He’s in his element, thank God.
I spend the rest of the afternoon trying to summon my light magic without making Brynn’s eyes bleed. She insists it doesn’t bother her, urging me to keep going even though she tenses up every time smoke crawls up my arms. I almost feel bad, but she’s the one who won’t let me wear the light rock.
By the time we’re done, I’ve managed to light up my sword two times. Of course, that was only after killing every crystal flower around me. Not exactly the kind of growth I was hoping for, but it’s still progress.