Chapter 15
FINN
Something is wrong.
I don’t need to open my eyes to know something is off. It’s an innate sense. The lingering warmth of my night with the Queen turns to ice. The contented bliss of finally tasting her vanishes. All there is the putrid scent of death and freezing wind. Her delicate warmth is missing from my side.
Forcing my lids open with a groan, I confirm what my body already knows.
Arden is gone. Her absence rouses me from drowsiness.
My beast roars behind its cage as we take in the space on the grass beside me, bearing her body’s small indentation. I can taste her along my tongue and feel her warm skin against my palms. Arden’s cries of pleasure replay in my mind.
The memories feel like faint dreams.
I had wished to give her pretty cunt the same attention this morning before we set off towards death, but my Queen had other ideas. Unease raises my hackles. The creature inside me paces, more restless than ever.
The clearing is too quiet. In her absence, the sounds of life have followed wherever she went.
Dread curdles my stomach. The Queen didn't just slink off for alone time before we faced the Void.
She is gone, leaving behind the phantom impression of her body and small velvet bag. The soft material glimmers in the morning rays. Atop it is a piece of parchment adorned with elegant, sprawling script.
My hands tremble as I lift the note.
Dearest Finn,
You have fulfilled the terms of our arrangement and discovered a way to kill the Void. I will not allow it to claim anyone else, nor will I ask you to forsake your humanity in order to defeat it. I’m sorry I couldn’t face you, and even more sorry that we didn’t have longer together.
Be happy, Finn.
Yours always, Arden.
I'd growl if I didn't see what glittered inside the bag. On instinct, I know what it is.
Her note had said enough. The pale orb is made of starlight like the fairy portal had been. It swirls like a whirlpool, luring me into its hazy depths. A soft ringing goes off in my ears.
This is it. My chance to be free.
The beast is quiet for once, as if knowing his end is near. All I have to do is say the words, and I'll be sent back to my life of adventure and plundering as a true human. I can return to Castaway's Landing and reunite with my crew, who have no doubt noticed my absence.
I can reclaim my riches in a game of cards and lose myself in the Silk Pillow.
It’s what I’ve hunted for all my life and it’s meaningless now. Forsaking my magic and returning to the human realm means saying goodbye to Arden forever.
Arden. My beautiful, fierce, loving Fairy Queen.
How will I go on without her shy smiles and curious eyes? Can I really return to a cruel world knowing such beauty and kindness exist? I felt her soul against mine last night.
She is mine.
Arden is noble—selfless—willing to face the Void all alone so it doesn't claim me. I can't abandon her. Not when she's lost everyone else.
More than that, I can't leave her because—
Godsdammit it all, I've wasted enough time. I made my decision long ago. Despite the lies I tried to convince myself of, I’ve been hers since the moment we met. Her servant, her protector, her lover, more if she'd let me. I'm not abandoning her.
Not when my infernal magic is the only thing that can save her.
Arden's beautiful face swirls to the top of the fairy wish. The kindness in her green eyes burns me alive. I've watched how she cares for the smallest subjects in her kingdom. I’ve benefitted from her kind heart.
The Fairy Queen could've had me killed for kidnapping her when we first met. Instead, she showed me compassion—understanding—even if it meant forsaking her own life.
I made a promise to save her realm, and I'm not going to leave her when she needs me the most.
Humanity is overrated anyway.
With Arden by my side, I have no doubt she can help me tame the beast. He wants her almost as much as I do. She controls him better than I ever could.
The fairy wish wasn't the cure to my curse. It was Arden.
Who could be hurt and suffering in the Void's clutches if I don't hurry.
I have no idea when she set off, and each moment I waste, she could be in pain. My beast snarls, ready to attack with fangs and claws whoever dares to touch her.
Gripping the orb, it pounds like a heart between my palms.
I inhale deeply, savoring the faint scent of grass and blooming roses. Death clings to the air. I will blight it from this realm today.
Too many have fallen into the darkness's clutches, and I will be damned if Arden becomes the Void's latest victim. Her goodness can’t be slain.
I will give my last breath defending her.
Staring into the star-flecked surface, I bid a silent farewell to my crew. To Gree. He would understand my choice. All he ever wanted was for me to be happy.
Finally, I say goodbye to the man I was—the mask I've worn all this time. I feel it slip away as golden light floods the clearing.
My beast grins with all its teeth as I destroy the carefully constructed cage I've kept him in. A warm breeze kicks up, lifting my magic into the air.
I raise the fairy wish towards the weak rays of the sun.
"I wish to be strong enough to save Arden and her realm."
The orb shakes between my palms. A soft green glow emits from it. Arden's lovely face disappears into a torrent of racing stars. My heart pounds against my ribs as the fairy wish glows with intensity.
For a moment, there is only silence, then everything explodes.
The orb shatters into a barrage of flying stars. The clearing is awash in silver and gold. Raw, primal magic surrounds me and shreds at my flesh like a thousand knives. The last tendrils of my humanity burn away by fairy magic.
In the clearing, surrounded by death, I’m reborn in golden fire.