Chapter 33
When Ryn opened her eyes, the corridor was empty and bare. There were no piles of shattered claws and carapaces, no puddles of dark, sticky ichor, no sound but her own breathing.
No Xavi.
Was she still bleeding?
Her eyes slammed shut again as she poked gingerly at her arm and encountered only her torn sleeve. The flesh was whole. Had Xavi healed her before he disappeared?
Or had she dreamed it all?
Dreamed the scuttling feet and the clacking jaws and the unrestrained violence of that assault? The deadly flash of Xavi’s blades and the dance of death that had held back the tide of monsters that had threatened to overwhelm them?
No.
Her torn sleeve was evidence enough. And her memories of Xavi’s horrified cry.
It has been a thousand years or more since I knew hope. And now, I do not know if I can keep walking through this dark world if you die.
Cradled against his shoulder, she’d felt the strength of his desperation and rage. All of it was real. She was sure of it.
But where was he now?
“Xavi?”
The only answer was the echo of her own voice, so Ryn rolled to her feet, wincing as her body reminded her that it was hungry, thirsty, and bruised. But she had to find Xavi, so her injuries could wait.
“Lady Camryn Halivard.”
The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.
“That’s me,” she said, or tried to say, but it came out in a croak through lips drier than a desert.
“A choice lies before you.”
Of course it did. All about choices, these sorts of trials. And never easy ones, but inevitably the kind of choices that would split an ordinary heart in two, with no truly happy ending. There was always a sacrifice to be made.
“Fine. Why don’t you tell me what it is so I can go look for Xavi.”
“Turn around,” the voice said, and with a heavy sigh, Ryn obeyed.
There, on what was once a blank wall, she saw two doorways outlined in gold. The empty air within them was dark and shadowed and showed nothing of what lay beyond.
“Beyond these doors lies the end of this road. The end of the curse or… the beginning of your own story.”
Magical doorways were always trouble. Would it be a riddle? Or something worse?
“Just hurry up and tell me what the trick is,” she muttered. “Because we both know there is one.”
And whatever it was, it would be as painful as possible.
“Do not accuse me, human child.” The voice crackled with power, and the sound reverberated painfully between the walls. “You chose to cross the threshold and attempt to break this curse. You cannot blame me if the cost is more than you were prepared to pay.”
That much was true, and Ryn would willingly admit it. But she also could not have said no, so it wasn’t like there was any point in being upset with herself.
“Go ahead,” she said wearily. “Tell me about this choice. Boast about how clever you are so I can spit in your eye and tell you what you can do with your doorways.”
A moment of silence suggested the fae did not appreciate her impudence, but she was long past caring. All she cared about was knowing whether Xavi was safe.
“To the left,” the fae said coolly, “you will find the chamber where the king lies. Should your chosen path lie through this door, he will awaken and take his fated bride in an eternal soul bond. The curse will be broken and release us all from its power.”
Exactly as Ryn had feared. The only way to break the curse was to form a deep and unbreakable bond with a stranger. A terrifying prospect, and one she’d told Xavi she could not bring herself to accept.
And considering that the fae somehow knew of her friendship with Xavi, she also would know of Ryn’s hesitation. A trap, through and through.
“And to the right, you will find another path. Another way that the curse can be satisfied, should you be bold enough to take it.”
Ryn somehow did not cringe at the anticipation in that disembodied voice. What nightmare had the fae conjured this time?
“The curse, you see, demands a mortal bride. But it does not specify who must be bonded. You may also free yourself from this torment by accepting a true soul bond with another… such as Xaviel ven Arazul.”
Ryn’s eyes burned, and she bit her lip as she fought to hold back a flood of angry tears. She did not want the fae to see. Did not want her to know. But it was impossible to hide completely, as something in her heart cracked and a silent cry of agony reverberated within the hollowness of her chest.
She’d known for some time now what sort of story this was—known that a happy ending was unlikely—and yet she’d dared to harbor some small, secret hope that they could change it.
She’d refused to believe that they could have come this far, fought through so much, only for this tale to end in tragedy, but now the price of that optimism was coming due.
If she chose Xavi, he would never forgive her. If she chose Kel, she would never forgive herself.
At least… At least this meant that Xavi was alive. And as long as he was alive, there was still hope.
Hope that they could outwit and out-bargain this wretched fae. But only if they could trick her into revealing more of the truth about this curse.
“I do need a little more information before I can choose,” she said conversationally, fighting to keep her voice steady and cool. “If I choose Kel, what happens to Xavi? And if I choose Xavi, what happens to Kel?”
“That will no longer be within your power to determine,” the fae replied.
“I don’t care. I still want to know.”
The ground surged beneath her feet—an uneasy rumbling that betrayed the enchantress’s rage. “Do you never cease to ask questions?”
“No, actually,” Ryn retorted. “Not ever. It’s part of my charm, I’m afraid.”
“And what if I said that whoever you do not choose will die? Why should it matter to you? Why should you not be willing to sacrifice, given all that you stand to gain?”
Because no gain mattered when it came at the cost of a life. Not even the potential for future happiness with the person she loved. Not when she could only have that future by choosing to sacrifice his closest friend and brother…
Oh.
Oh no.
The truth struck her like a lightning bolt in the darkness—a moment of utmost honesty from the depths of her weary soul. She’d recognized the danger, told herself it was impossible, and moved on. But too late.
The person she loved?
Of all the wretched revelations to have in the middle of a vengeful fae enchantress’s magical labyrinth full of monsters.
Foolish or not, impossible or not… she’d gone and fallen in love with a cursed immortal warrior of legend, and a doomed one at that.
She couldn’t have imagined a more ridiculous fate for herself if she’d tried.
“It matters,” Ryn said at last, “because both their lives are important to me. But you already knew that, didn’t you? So why don’t you stop trying to lead me around by the nose. Tell me more about all the ways you’re planning to torture me with this choice.”
Quiet laughter coiled around her, like the slithering of a ghostly serpent. “So you do know the truth.”
Ryn raised an eyebrow at the empty corridor.
“You weren’t trying very hard to conceal it.
Your ‘trials’ made it very obvious you were more interested in toying with our emotions than proving me a fit bride for a king.
” She snorted indelicately. “A giant snake? Honestly? What kind of queen goes around slaying snakes?”
The ground beneath her feet trembled once more, so violently that Ryn stumbled and barely kept from falling.
“The kind who is powerful enough to stand at his side,” the fae snapped, with a surprising amount of anger. “The kind who will not shrink from challenges or pain. Who understands the choices a king will face and is prepared to make sacrifices for his sake.”
Hmm. It seemed she’d found a sore spot. Might as well poke at it a little more.
“Well, that’s certainly not me,” Ryn said with a small, slightly silly laugh.
“I like to be comfortable. And I really don’t have any power to speak of.
Just too much curiosity and a preference for long books and large mugs of tea.
I really don’t understand why this curse chose me in the first place. ”
Laughter echoed through the corridors and reverberated against Ryn’s ears. “Oh, my poor, sad child. The curse did not choose you. Do you think anyone would choose you if they had another option?”
And for the first time in her life, Ryn was thankful for the hubris and prejudice of Ronal Chomley, because they enabled her to hear those words without flinching and see the shape of what was lurking underneath.
The curse did not choose her.
As much as that stung, it also carried a surge of exhilaration because it offered a clue. An opening. A chance to finally get the answers they needed.
“You’re lying,” she said firmly. “And here I always thought that the fae could not lie.”
More laughter answered her. “Would it make you feel better to believe you were lied to? I am sorry to disappoint you, but no. I have not lied, nor do I break my promises. Not if I wish to keep my power. Misled you, most certainly. That, sweet human child, is how the game is played. But I have told no untruths.”
Suspicion confirmed. So if she assumed that the fae was indeed telling the truth, and the curse had not chosen Ryn, what had it done?
The enchantress had said Ryn possessed “potential.” Something the other brides lacked—presumably magic.
But the fae had also said she’d never spoken to a human before. In fact, when she cursed Kel, she’d had no way of knowing humans even existed, so when her curse specified a mortal bride…
Oh, good heavens. They’d been looking in the wrong direction all this time.
At the time of the curse, Xavi’s people, the Lycori, were immortal.
But the fae were not. Long-lived, certainly, but not immortal.
She’d cursed him to await a fae bride. And that was not all.
The curse was never meant to last so long…
He refused me, as prideful men often do… Cast me aside, and so I cursed him for his hardness of heart.
Open his eyes… help him see…
Show him the value of the often overlooked…