Chapter 54
THALRIC
The castle is silent when we return.
Dust drifts through the air like ash from a dying fire. Every corridor is quiet as we walk through the hallways, past guards, servants, and nobles all stilled in the same endless enchanted sleep. The only sound is the echo of our steps against marble.
When we reach her door, I push it open. Inside, the air smells faintly of lavender and honeysuckle—her delicate scent that I would know anywhere.
Aurora lies in the bed, bathed in silver moonlight spilling through the window. Her long brown hair is fanned around her like a halo, her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks, and her lips are slightly parted in a small ‘o.’
The sight of her so still breaks something inside me all over again. I glance down at the green gemstone glowing in my palm, praying it will work.
Ryllen stands beside me, his expression pained. “Thalric, please. Wait. There has to be another way. Something we haven’t thought of.”
“There isn’t.” I turn the stone in my hand, studying it carefully. “Even if there was, we don’t have time.” I hold up the witch’s gemstone. “How do I use this? What must I do?”
“You must hold it while you offer the trade—your life for hers,” he replies soberly. “The magic in the stone will read your intent, and it should activate the power of the stone.”
“Thank you.” I glance at him, seeing not a rival anymore but a friend—a brother-in-arms. “I need you to do something for me.”
He swallows. “Anything.”
“Watch over her when I’m gone.”
“Of course.”
I hold out my arm. He hesitates for a heartbeat, then clasps it firmly, the old warrior’s grip—forearm to forearm, strength to strength.
“It’s been an honor to know you… to fight by your side,” he says solemnly.
“And I’m sorry that it has come to this.
The world will seem less without you in it, my friend. ”
“Thank you.” I squeeze his arm once. “You are an honorable male, Prince Ryllen, and I am glad to have called you my friend.”
He huffs a small laugh that sounds too close to a sob. “I’ll take care of her, Thalric. I swear it.”
“I know you will.”
He releases me slowly and steps back.
I kneel beside her bed, the boards creaking under my knees. My hands tremble as I brush a lock of hair from her face. “You are etched in my heart… carved deep into my very soul.”
I curl my fingers around the gemstone. Closing my eyes, I speak the words aloud. “My life for hers.”
The crystal flares, heat licking up my arm as magic hums in the air. I lean down and my voice breaks as I whisper into her ear. “When I turn to stone, know that I will carry your name in every piece of me. Come back to me, my cherished one.”
Gently, I press my lips to hers.
The crystal burns like the fire in my palm, light flooding through the room in a brilliant burst of gold and green.
Her soft gasp breaks the silence. My heart stops as her eyelids flutter and open. Her honey-brown eyes meet mine and a beautiful smile curves her lips. “Thalric?”
The sound of my name on her lips destroys me, and I laugh as I lift her from the bed and gather her into my arms, hugging her tight. “Thank the gods you’re awake.”
Aurora traces her delicate fingers along my brow, staring at me in wonder. “You came back to me.”
“Always,” I whisper.
A dull and heavy ache starts in my feet, working its way up my legs. I shift and wince slightly as pain shoots through my body.
Her eyes flash with concern. “Are you alright?” Auri starts to look down, but I cup her chin, tipping her face back up to mine. I can already feel my lower extremities hardening and I don’t want to waste a single moment. I want the last thing I see to be her lovely face.
“I’m fine,” I reassure her. “You’re what matters.”
She smiles again, soft and radiant, and for a heartbeat, everything else falls away. There’s only her, alive and warm in my arms.
Heaviness crawls up my body, the faint crackle of stone spreading like frost beneath my skin. The gemstone slips from my hands, landing on the floor with a soft chime.
I do my best to ignore the agonizing pain as a feeling of weight—cold, and certain, and final—moves through me.
I don’t look down. I can’t because Auri’s eyes are bright and full of life. She’s smiling through tears, whispering my name like it’s a prayer.
I could tell her. I could warn her. But not yet.
Not while she’s looking at me with love so fierce it could light the stars.
The stone creeps higher as I tuck her closer, burying my face in her hair, breathing her in one last time. “You are my heart.” My voice cracks as I whisper against her skin. “I love you, my savryl.”