19. Darkness Is Coming
CHAPTER 19
Darkness Is Coming
Melinda Mayweather
I can barely breathe. The implications of what she's saying... Hawke will die without me? The thought is both terrifying and exhilarating, a twisted knot of emotions that threatens to unravel me completely.
“How?” I ask. “How is that possible?’
The revelation that I carry a piece of Hawke's soul sends a shockwave through my entire being. A part of me is elated, thrilled at the idea of being so intimately connected to him. But another part, the part that has lived with the curse of my magic for so long, is terrified. How can I be Hawke's savior when I'm the one who brings destruction to everyone I love? I can’t be both the hero and the villain.
Kellan's body is tense, his muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap. He steps forward, placing himself between me and Nimue, a living shield against the Siren's presence. "You speak in riddles, Nimue. Say the truth as you know it," he demands, his voice a low growl.
Note to self. Never get on Kellan’s bad side. I lean to the right, peering around his massive body.
Nimue meets his gaze unflinchingly, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Exactly what I said, Kellan. Hawke and Melinda are bound by a force greater than either of them can comprehend. They are meant to be together, and without her, he will succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume him."
My breath catches in my throat, and my heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst from my chest. An icy shock races down my spine, my skin prickling with a mix of fear and disbelief. My stomach churns, a knot of anxiety tightening as Nimue's words sink in.
“What darkness?” he asks the question hanging on the tip of my lips.
“A piece of his soul has been missing for over five hundred years. You can only survive broken like that for so long,” Nimue answers, her tone solemn.
"What happens to someone who's missing a piece of their soul?" I ask, my voice trembling.
Nimue's gaze softens as she looks at me. "It's like a wound that never heals. Over time, it festers, eating away at the person from the inside out. They become a shell of who they once were, consumed by a darkness that can never be chased away.”
My chest clenches at the thought of Hawke enduring such pain, such emptiness. "And me being with him... it can stop that from happening?"
"Your presence, your connection, it's like a balm to his wounded soul," Nimue explains. "You are the missing piece, Melinda. Without you, the darkness will continue to grow until it devours him completely. He’ll go feral."
I grip the blanket tighter around my shoulders. The weight of Nimue's words settles heavy on my chest. I want to be with Hawke, to feel the warmth of his touch and the comfort of his presence. But the fear of my magic, of the harm it could cause–will cause–is a constant shadow looming over me. Can I really be the one to save him, when I'm so afraid of destroying him?
"I don't know if I can do this," I whisper, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. "My magick… it's dangerous. I don't want to hurt him."
Kellan's voice cuts through my tumultuous thoughts. "Whatever plans you had for Melinda, they're not happening. She's under my protection now, and I won't let you use her for your own ends."
"Use her?" Nimue scoffs, her expression full of indignation. "I'm trying to save her, to save all of us. The rebellion's methods may be unconventional, but our goal is to restore balance to the realms."
"At what cost?" Kellan counters, his voice rising. "You're meddling with forces beyond your control, Nimue. The risks are too great."
Nimue leans back, her expression unreadable. "I’m merely aligning the stars, Kellan. A guide to help them find their way."
"Find their way to what?" Kellan snarls, his frustration evident in the tight set of his shoulders.
"To each other, of course. The World Tree is in pain Kellan. Sick. Our magick is broken. She’s the first step. They are the first step to putting everything back the way it should be. Opening the Earth door. Restoring the Tree. Fixing the soul mate magick."
The World Tree is sick. Magick is broken. Could that be why my magick is dangerous? I’m distracted from my frantic thoughts by Kellan and Nimue’s continued arguing.
"And if we fail?" Kellan asks, his voice grave. "If your rebellion's plans go awry, the consequences could be catastrophic."
"The consequences of doing nothing are far worse," Nimue argues. "The longer we wait, the more the realms will suffer. Melinda and Hawke are our best hope."
“It’s not that simple, Nimue.”
My heart skips a beat at her words. “Why? What are you talking about? Kellan move, please.” My bodyguard huffs but does as I ask and moves a step to the left. “Answer my question,” I demand a little louder.
She looks right at me, her eyes hard. “The piece you’re carrying of Hawke’s soul inside you makes you his soulmate. Without my visions, there’s no way to be sure, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. You need to bond to him.”
Air rushes from my lungs like I’ve been sucker-punched. Bond? How? Is it a magick spell? The words echo in my mind, a tantalizing promise wrapped in a layer of fear. I've always believed that I was cursed, that my magic made me unworthy of love. But if what Nimue says is true, then maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for me after all. I don’t see how, but I’m willing to be convinced.
“They are mates. It’s quite obvious when they are together.” Kellan rolls his neck and stares at the Siren Queen. He reminds me of a snake coiling and preparing to strike. “How did you know about Melinda? How did you find her on Earth?”
“The rebellion is so much bigger than those puffed up–”
“Peacocks?” Kellan offers, surprising me with the amused tone of voice.
“Yes. Peacocks. Whatever.” She throws up her hands. “The whole point is that we’ve been working for centuries to locate the missing shards. I believe the soul mate magick was broken when the shards didn’t return to the Knights as promised.”
Kellan’s shaking his head, but she keeps going.
“After everything that happened with the Queen. The High Council locked the Earth door. It’s just been one thing after another making the situation worse. Melinda is the first step to fixing everything. I’m sure of it. That's why we led her to the door.”
Led me to the door? I shake my head. My mother had the map. This woman didn’t do anything. I’ve never seen her before in my life.I fist my hands in the quilt and continue listening to Kellan and Nimue talk like they’ve mostly forgotten I’m here.
“You didn’t answer my questions. How did you find Melinda?” Kellan sounds like he’s growling again.
“We have networks of people on Earth helping us identify people who are looking for Avalon.”
“That seems very vague.”
“You’re quite infuriating, Kellan of Gilat. It worked, didn’t it. Melinda is here. She’s Hawke’s mate.” Nimue curls her top lip into a snarl all her own.
“My mother was the one that searched for Avalon. Not me,” I say, interrupting their snapping.
“No. We placed the map in your mother’s journal after she passed away to test you. And you traveled halfway across the world to follow that map. And when you and Hawke simultaneously touched the portal door, Yggsdrasil was able to allow you to communicate.”
Wait. What? I want her to explain more, but before I can ask, the maids start shouting outside the door to my chambers. A moment later the door bursts open, and Hawke walks in, his presence filling the room like a tangible force. His eyes lock with mine, and for a moment, the world falls away, leaving only the two of us in a bubble of perfect understanding.
Kellan’s cold and unyielding voice shatters the perfect moment. "The Council would call your interference on Earth treason, Nimue.”
“It’s not like I’m trying to free the evil Queen, you big oaf. I’m trying to save the universe.”
Hawke's gaze snaps from mine to Nimue’s. "You’re working with the rebellion. It is treason.”
The accusation hangs in the air like an unexploded bombshell.
My mind is still reeling from everything else Nimue admitted to… I don’t know anything about a rebellion, other than what Kellan has already mentioned. But carrying a piece of Hawke’s soul? The Queen of the Sirens leading me to the map my mother had found? Me being the only one able to save Hawke? It’s all crazy. It can’t be true. My magick is deadly, especially to those I care about.
“Not with the rebellion. More alongside it,” Nimue answers Hawke, rolling her eyes like it’s nothing. “We need to fix what was broken.” Nimue lifts her hand and points to me. “And she’s where we start.” Nimue steps back into the bathtub. “I’ll see you both at the Changing of the Guard tomorrow night. Stay close to each other. Stay away from the High Council. Your lives depend on it.” And then she sinks into the bathwater. Gone.
“Nimue, no! Dammit.” Hawke growls, hands on the sides of the tub, staring down at his reflection in the absolutely still water.
A soft knock at the door draws my attention. Elen speaks from the other side. “Master Kellan.”
“Yes,” he answers, his tone gruff.
Elen opens the door and pops her head inside. “You said to keep you apprised of the council’s movements. The two Fae High Councilmen, Julius Darkwood and Damien Larkspur are walking the grounds together with their personal guard.”
Kellan nods. “Thank you. We have eyes on them still?”
She nods.
“Why are you watching Darkwood?” Hawke asks.
“Because he wants you to marry his daughter. If he knew that the woman in the cloak was yours and not Ares. Melinda would be in even more danger.”
Married to his daughter?
I meet Hawke’s gaze and see the truth in his saddened eyes. It’s true. What Kellan said is true and the hope in my heart shatters like a glass ornament on a tile floor.