Chapter 57
I bit back a cry of alarm as my stomach dropped, the wind whipping at my hair and face. Azure’s great wings beat behind her, putting on a burst of speed. The muscles of her body moved with each powerful thrust, and I felt my body slipping from the jolting movements.
Just when I thought I would topple off her back, she angled herself to the left. Gravity brought me back down. She leveled out, wings stretched wide, and my stomach settled.
In a few moments, we had crossed the Noxen Forest. A horrified gasp escaped me at the sight that greeted us.
What had once been a bustling village was nothing more than a heap of rubble.
Smashed buildings. Leveled forests. Cracked concrete.
With the shadow storm gone, I could now see it all in terrible clarity.
Tree branches and debris stretched on for miles, mingled with the broken remains of the buildings that had once stood here.
Tears stung my eyes, but as I surveyed the devastation, I realized it made a strange spiral shape. Rings of ash stretched wider and wider, expanding from the center outward as if marking where the storm had spread.
And in the center of the circles lay a motionless figure, her eyes closed and her chestnut hair fanned out behind her .
“ Sybelle !” I roared. My body was desperate to get to Sybelle, to hold her in my arms once again.
Azure arced wide, then landed a few feet away from where Sybelle lay. I climbed off the dragon’s back within seconds and rushed to my wife’s side.
Even before I reached her, I knew she wasn’t breathing.
I sensed Tislora’s crow form landing behind me, and she shifted to her fae form.
“Lor!” I bellowed as I crouched beside Sybelle, cradling her against my chest. Her face was smeared with dirt and bruises.
Bloody cuts and scrapes lined her neck and arms. It looked like the storm had completely battered her.
“Lor, can you—can you do something?” I lifted Sybelle’s body, bringing my ear to her chest.
There it was. The faintest of heartbeats.
But Tislora did not move.
I glared at her over my shoulder. “What are you doing? Help her!”
Her face paled, and she shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, Varius. But… she is too far gone.”
“She is not gone ,” I growled.
“No, she is not,” Azure agreed. “I can still sense her. Her fae blood is keeping her alive. But she is fading. You must do something, Fae King.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I hissed, my eyes burning as I stared at Sybelle. There had to be something. Something I could do to bring her back.
If Sybelle were here, what would she say?
Books, I thought at once. Sybelle would consult all the books in the library, searching for a method of healing. Ancient rituals, archaic spells, healing stones…
Stones. Stones!
I turned to Azure, whose somber gaze was fixed on Sybelle. Those magnificent blue eyes were moist with unshed tears. “Is there a gemstone that Sybelle used? Something that could bring someone back from the brink of death?”
Azure blinked slowly, as if reluctant to tear her gaze away from her beloved human. After a moment, she said, “Yes. The moonstone. It would be in her pouch. I believe she had it somewhere on her person.”
With shaking hands, I fumbled with her bodice and skirts, searching for hidden pockets. There was nothing but her jeweled dagger strapped to her thigh. Gritting my teeth, I gingerly pressed my hand to her chest, then faltered. There was something lumpy there.
Cringing at this invasion of her privacy, I tugged on the neckline of her dress, peering down to see if anything was hidden there.
Yes. There was a small blue pouch tucked between her breasts.
“Only you, Sybelle,” I muttered in annoyance, trying to tenderly extract the pouch without fondling her.
In ordinary circumstances, this would have felt highly inappropriate, never mind that I was her husband. She was unconscious—dying, even.
She would forgive me for this. In fact, I had no doubt she would tease me mercilessly for it later. I looked forward to it. Just the idea of that smirk on her lips made my heart lift.
She’ll be all right, I told myself. She will rise and taunt you, and you will see that smile again. You will see the way her eyes shine with curiosity and wonder. She will not die today.
When the pouch slid free, I tugged on the strings and overturned the contents on the ground. “Which one is it?” I asked, my gaze roving over the stones. They were of varying shades and colors, and I had no idea what a moonstone looked like.
“It is white and orb-like.”
I found it nestled between two blue gems. As soon as my fingers wrapped around it, my blood hummed with awareness. I gasped, then dropped the stone. The humming stopped, and my body instantly felt cold.
My eyes met Azure’s. “What was that?”
“You know what it was,” she said.
Swallowing hard, I grasped the stone again. The air pulsed with energy, and power sizzled along my skin.
“Mother of Shade,” Tislora whispered, drawing closer. “Even I can sense it. What magic is this, Varius?”
My mouth went dry, and my stomach roiled with unease. I had never felt anything like this before. It was certainly not my magic.
My gaze slid to Sybelle’s. “It’s hers. It’s her power.”
“That’s not possible.” Tislora’s voice was full of doubt.
“How else can I communicate through the amber stone? How do you explain the shadows she conjured?” I turned to look at Tislora, whose eyes were wide. “We are sharing magic, Lor. It’s the only explanation.”
Her brows knitted together as she considered this. “The marriage bond is strongest when consummated,” she mused. “I would also wager she is the only human bride who fell in love with her husband.”
“And whose husband fell in love with her in turn,” I whispered, gazing at Sybelle once more. “Azure, what do I do to heal her?”
“I have only seen her use it a handful of times,” said the dragon. “She held it in her hand, then pressed it to the one who was wounded. Then, somehow, their injuries were healed.”
I nodded. “All right.” I kept the amber stone clutched firmly in one hand, feeling a sense of comfort knowing Azure was nearby if anything went wrong. With my free hand, I clutched the moonstone tightly, then pressed it against Sybelle’s chest.
“Please,” I whispered, my eyes cramming shut. “ Please , gods, bring her back to me. Do not take her from me.”
Power crackled in the air like lightning, and Tislora yelped from behind me. I held perfectly still, keeping the stone against Sybelle’s body and trying not to think about how cold she felt.
“Come back to me, Sybelle,” I breathed, my voice ragged. “Be my wife. My queen. My everything. Please. ”
My chest felt as if it were splitting in two, like a jagged blade had carved straight through my rib cage.
I could not lose her. To lose her would be to lose my very soul.
Heat blossomed from my hand, and the moonstone began to vibrate against my skin. From beneath me, Sybelle’s form trembled. Warmth spread from her chest, and I felt her start to move.
Holy gods. It was working. The stone was healing her.
My eyes flew open, my breaths sharp and painful as I dared to hope, dared to believe she had been healed.
“Sybelle?” My voice cracked, and a tear traced down my cheek.
She inhaled, a small wrinkle forming between her eyebrows.
Her chest rose and fell, and then she coughed, the sound wet and hoarse.
Blood dribbled from her lips, and I quickly leaned her forward so she wouldn’t choke on it.
Her matted hair fell, shielding her face like a curtain.
I carefully drew it back, tucking it behind her ears.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she squinted, her incoherent gaze taking in Azure, Tislora, and me as we crowded around her.
“What—What happened?” she rasped. She sounded as if she hadn’t spoken in days.
“By the gods,” I sobbed before crushing her against my chest. Her frail hands clutched at my arms, bringing me closer.
Her shoulders shook, and I couldn’t tell if it was from laughter or tears.
“You’re alive. You’re here. Mother of Shade, you’re here .
” Fresh tears flowed down my face, and I couldn’t will them to stop.
The devastation of almost losing her was still so fresh, so potent, that it hung over me like a dark cloud.
I buried my face in her shoulder, clinging to her, afraid if I released her that the god of death would snatch her away from me.
“Varius,” she murmured, her fingers digging into my arm.
I sniffed, realizing I was soaking her bodice with my snot and tears, then drew back to offer her an apologetic smile. “Forgive me, dannahla . You scared me half to death.”
Her eyes warmed, and she pressed her palm to my cheek, catching my tears with her fingers. “It’s all right. I’m here.” Her mouth puckered in a slight frown. “But… I don’t know how. I thought the curse could only be broken by my death.”
“What were the exact words of the curse?” Tislora asked.
Sybelle’s eyes grew distant as she no doubt recalled the words from her notes. “ Until one of my kind gives up her life for yours… ”
“It did not mention death at all?” Tislora prodded.
Sybelle hesitated, then shook her head. “No.”
Tislora’s thin lips curved into a satisfied smile. “That clever bitch.”
I snorted, then shot her a look that was half amusement, half irritation.
“You did give up your life, Sybelle,” Tislora said. “You had every intention of dying when you jumped into the storm. Your sacrifice was valid because you did not expect to return. But Jessinda never stated you had to die.”
My gaze cut to hers, my face slackening in shock. “So it’s true? The curse is broken?”
Tislora spread her arms. “Do you see the Necro Shadows anywhere?”
I glanced around. While it was utterly wasted and as grim as a graveyard, there wasn’t a single shadow in sight.
The moon was high in the sky, bathing the ruined village in pale light.
The faint Umbra Mist that surrounded the castle still lingered nearby, but it was feeble compared to the thick, roiling Necro Shadows, which were nowhere to be found .
They were gone. Well and truly gone .
My heart lurched in my chest. “I—can you—Lor, can you shift?” My voice was weak because, once again, I did not dare to hope. Sybelle’s survival was already a miracle I did not deserve. But for my people to be freed, too? It was too much. It couldn’t possibly be true.
Tislora closed her eyes, and a flash of white light engulfed her.
When it faded, she stood before me in her seelie form.
Her wings had vanished, and she had shrunk a few inches.
Her charcoal skin had lightened and warmed to a deep mahogany.
She still wore her signature black robes, but her claws had shrunk to dulled fingernails, and her once-silver eyes were a muted gray.
Only her pointed fae ears gave away her true nature.
“ Stones ,” Sybelle breathed, her eyes wide as she took in Tislora’s new form. “You look so… ordinary.”
Tislora wrinkled her nose, glancing over herself. “You’re right. This is terrible.” Another flash of white light, and her unseelie form returned, wings and all. She sighed with contentment, her wings stretching wide behind her. “That’s better.”
I chuckled, then found Sybelle looking at me, that spark of curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “What about you?”
“I am content sitting here and holding you, dannahla .”
She arched an eyebrow. “What if I asked you to show me? I want to know all the forms my husband can take.” The dark and sensuous look in her eye made me growl with desire.
Tislora made a retching sound. “Spare me.”
Azure uttered a soft rumbling noise, the sound suspiciously like laughter.
I carefully eased Sybelle off my lap, ensuring she could sit up on her own before I edged away from her. When she looked at me in confusion, I explained, “I don’t know if the transition will hurt you.”
She nodded, biting on her lower lip in anticipation. I closed my eyes and held my breath, searching within myself for that long-lost magic. It had seemed easy for Tislora, but she was accustomed to shifting to her crow form. She knew what the transformative magic felt like.
I did not. Never in my life had I shifted to a seelie form. Would my body even know how to do it?
As I dug deep within the well of power in my chest, I sensed a new presence. A gleaming white light beckoned me forward, and I grasped for it, reaching further and further into the recesses of my mind.
As soon as I made contact, the light exploded around me, and I felt my body shift.
My skin stretched and shrank. My wings folded inward, disappearing into my shoulder blades.
Pain split through me, so reminiscent of the curse’s transformation that I almost cried out for Sybelle to take cover. I did not want to hurt her.
I hunched over with a groan, prepared to crouch on all fours and endure the pain like I had every full moon.
But, all too suddenly, it stopped. The white light faded.
And Sybelle gasped.