Chapter 33 #2
“Don’t be long,” he said at last. The words were gentle, but his eyes were not. “The night isn’t over yet.”
I mustered a smile, keeping my tone light. “Then keep it waiting for me.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth and back again.
“Narya,” he murmured, so low it sounded like a plea." He paused, letting my name hang between us, then repeated softly, "Don't be long."
I swallowed the ache in my throat and forced another smile.
“I won’t,” I managed. My voice broke on the word. “Don’t let the night end without me.”
His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist one last time before he let go.
"It ends when you return," he said.
Walking away from the man I was fated to—and about to betray—was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But somehow, I kept walking.
The dancers spun again. Music roared back to life. The crowd laughed, oblivious to the sound of my heart shattering.
I didn’t look back. If I saw his face again, I would stay, and if I stayed…
The realm itself would burn.
* * *
The corridor beyond the feast was quiet again when I made my way to the skinning chamber. It was empty now too. Empty, except for her.
èllia stood at the center of the room, her red cloak drawn tight around her, the torch in her hand gilding her hair in golden strands.
“This way,” she said, moving to the far side of the room.
A small archway I hadn’t seen before was hidden there, covered by a drape of hanging dried herbs and roots. I followed her through it, my pulse drumming in my throat. Beyond the arch was a narrow passage that led outside.
I paused at the threshold. One more step, and there would be no going back.
I took a deep breath, and followed Ellia. The cold air nipped at my cheek as we stepped out onto a path that winded through the trees. The light from èllia'§s torch lit the way. I recognised the trail immediately. It was the one that led to the moonwillow tree. The one where Daigen had…
I shut my eyes, trying to drown him out. His face, his voice, his hands. They were already agonising.
“Over here,” èllia whispered.
I opened my eyes again. The moonwillow waited for us, glowing faintly in the clearing. Its bark shimmered pearlescence in the light. Beneath its roots, a soft blue light pulsed steadily, like the tree itself was breathing.
èllia stepped forward and lifted her hand. Her palm hovered just above the heart of the tree.
“Are you sure?” she whispered, her voice so quiet I barely heard it over the wind.
I had to be. Ultherion wanted me, for whatever sick reason, and Daigen would rather see the realm burn than hand me over to him for the night. I had to do this.
I gave a single nod. There were nods that meant yes, and nods that meant goodbye. Mine meant both.
èllia pressed her hand to the bark.
The tree responded instantly.
Sapphire light erupted from the point of contact, veins of magic splitting outward across the trunk and branches. The roots glowed around us as the portal bloomed into an oval frame. Silver fire licked the edges of it, and a rush of cold air breathed into my face.
I thought of Daigen’s warmth, of the weight of his hand at my back, the way his eyes softened when he said my name. My fingers found the crystal at my throat, its surface warm against my skin. It pulsed once, hard enough to hurt, as if it, too, was torn between staying and letting go.
“Wait,” èllia whispered. For the first time, her voice wavered. “Perhaps there’s another way.”
I wanted to believe her, but there wasn't. For whatever sick reason, Ultherion wanted me, and I couldn't let Daigen burn the realm down to prevent it.
“There isn’t,” I said, hating the truth of it. “Tell Daigen I...”
The words caught in my throat.
Loved him. Chose him. Would have burned the world for him if the world were only ours.
The portal opened before I could finish. Silver light surged from the tree and pulled me in.
The clearing vanished behind me. Heat seared through my body, cold threaded in my bones. Up became down and down a mouth of stars.
I felt the scars on my back tingle and burn, as if they were being ripped open.
I was weightless, then nothing at all.
Magic roared in my ears and bells tolled from somewhere within.
Until it was over and there was only silence.
Cold bit my lungs as I hit the ground, the impact driving the air from me. White marble grazed my palms and the sickly sweet smell of moonflowers invaded my senses.
When I lifted my head, the portal was already closing, its light drawing in until only the pale shimmer of runes still glowing on the walls remained. A single silver leaf drifted through the air and landed beside me, its light fading as the magic vanished.
"Hello again, petal."
The air thinned around me, and my lungs refused to pull it in.
The voice that lived in my nightmares was now standing right behind me, breathing down my neck. A voice that haunted every waking moment.
I tried to turn, reaching for my knife.
A hand seized my wrist before the blade licked the air.
“And so,” Gravyn sneered, “the petal came to wilt at my feet.”
His fingers slid into my hair and twisted until my scalp burned.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even scream.
His mouth was so close that words brushed my ear.
“I wonder how long it will take to break you this time, Narya.”