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As for something personal that belongs to Madra? I think I’ve got you covered there, too.”
The plague bags were full of ashes from the sacrifices who were burned in Madra’s honor… but they also contained her hair.
Tal sat on the very edge of the cliff with his legs dangling over the side. He wasn’t touching Zovena, though he must have carried her here and laid her down.
But then we were in the middle of a battle, surrounded by feeders, and for once…” He choked on the word, biting back a strangled sob. “For once, I got to fight on the right side.”
“She was a horrible person,” he said, letting out a cracked bark of laughter. “I found myself laughing at the insanity of it all the time. I do know it was insane,” he said, nodding. “All of it. Imagine…” He squinted, for a moment seeing something I couldn’t see. “Imagine loving Kingfisher. Imagine not being able to stop yourself. And then imagine that he couldn’t give a fuck about you, and he took pleasure in hurting you every opportunity that he got. And then imagine selling your soul to the devil so that you could follow him into hell.” I couldn’t tell if he was laughing or crying now.
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“It wasn’t real. It was a game, and now I feel as though I’ve woken up, and all the sacrifices I made were for nothing. How fucking stupid I was.”
That’s a god sword now? That’s all it took?” I shrugged. “A bit of borrowed quicksilver from my blade. A little bit of magic. An abundance of good intentions.” The former vampire looked lost for words. “And it’s for me?” “Yes, it’s for you.”
What if it doesn’t think I’m worthy?” “You are, Tal.” “But—” “You are.”
A claiming, then. He and the god sword were one.
Tal let out a long, shaky breath, considering the sword. “Tarsarinn,” he said. “It means… redemption.”
Either way, right or wrong, from now on, Tal, you’ll always be fighting with us.” The former Keeper of Secrets to the Blood Court of Sanasroth smiled.
“My name is Carrion,” he said. “Nice to meet you all. I really like your horns.”
“Fisher?” He didn’t answer. Worse, he showed no sign of having heard me at all. Whatever his eyes were seeing, it wasn’t the fireplace or his room at Cahlish. Or me. Wherever he had gone, it was somewhere I could not follow.
“Wake up,” I whispered. “Wake… the fuck… up. Are you seriously going to do this to me? Are you going to leave me here alone, to fix this without you? This—” I huffed, my desperation rising. “This is your fucking realm, Fisher. Your friends. Your people. And you’re just going to disappear and leave it to everyone else to defend them?”
“I’ve changed my mind, watcher! I beg you for my favor. I need you to transport me to the Wicker Wood!”
but then I tasted blood, and I realized it had come from me. I’d screamed so loud that I’d torn my fucking throat open.
“She died screaming. Fisher and the other members of the Lupo Proelia brought down that hateful beast, and Fisher found himself trapped inside its jaws. Merelle came to him there. Her spirit, that is. She bound her soul to that blade, so she would always be with her friends. That’s why he named the sword that. Ni’ Merelle. For Merelle, in Old Fae.”
“The blade, then, as you can discern from the tale, is no simple god sword. It’s made of iron. It houses the echo of a soul that died because of you. It doesn’t matter if Kingfisher lives or dies. You’ll never be able to wield Nimerelle. If the metal doesn’t kill you, then the warrior who lives inside it will.”
The sword slammed into my bare palm, and the Wicker Wood stood still as I closed my hand around the hilt of the mighty Nimerelle. A brief, unpleasant shock wave traveled up my arm, but then it was… gone.
And then, simultaneously, the god sword in my left hand formed a pillar of blazing white… and the god sword in my right erupted with a wall of shadow and smoke.
“I have… a message… for you,” I wheezed. “From… your dead… wife.”
“Names hold meaning in this place. There is no power in this realm or any other that can supersede an order given using someone’s true name. A true name can undo oaths. It can open doors.” I pressed my hand against the dryad’s trunk, and I felt him for the first time. Fisher was in there. And he could hear me. Saeris…
Rise, Khydan Graystar Finvarra, in honor of the name you were given at birth! Rise up and fight!”
I knew the name. Knew it like I knew the sky was blue and which way was up. It was a part of me—had
“Did you really think I would be stupid enough to speak my mate’s true name in front of you without protecting him first? You’re out of your addled fucking mind.
“Yes. I undid the magic that binds it. No one can use it against him now. No one will ever control him again.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice broke. “I would try, I promise I would. But it’s too late, Osha. He’s already gone.”
“I don’t care about blasphemy. I care about my fox. Is he still here? Right now. I need to know if he’s already…” Sometimes, words were steep hills, so fucking hard to summit. “If he’s already gone, then I’ll leave him in peace. But if he’s still here…”
“The fox’s soul is still with you. It is currently sitting at your feet. It seems that the beast hasn’t realized that it’s dead yet. It follows you like a little lost shadow. Does that make you feel better?”
“No. It doesn’t make me feel better. But I am hoping it’ll make what I’m about to do easier.”
But if I’m capable of healing myself from awful burns and a hole in my chest, then I can heal a tiny fox.”
“But with the gift you gave to me, I’m betting I can undo it for a moment.”
The world trembled in response, a shock wave rocking the snowy slope, and out of nowhere a grim white dawn broke over the sawtoothed mountain range of Ajun, casting back the dark.
Stargazers, also known as kingfishers,
“And will never be done again,” I added, glancing down at my shield. The Hazrax’s rune hadn’t just faded. It was gone.
head. I’d saved him. I’d done it. But the cost…
“Yes,” he agreed. “You are crazy. You came looking for me. You took on Belikon by yourself and you outsmarted him. And you made a costly sacrifice to save a friend,” he added. “Only a crazy person would have done all of that. But I would have made the same choices, Saeris. So I suppose we’re well suited.”
“It’s a point of pride for the people of Ajun that these gates should always open to you, brother.” Renfis.
“There’s always been a city here,” Fisher said. “Because there’s always been a gate. A portal between this world and another.”
caused chaos and terror throughout Yvelia. Since no one could close the portal, the Knights of Orrithian were created. They were imbued with an old line of magic. Powerful. Six of them stand watch over the gate at all times, channeling their magic into wards that prevent all manner of evil from spilling into this world. They take it in shifts to protect not just Ajun but all of Yvelia.”
He wasn’t Kingfisher anymore. He was Khydan.
The pantheon of undergods and the dragons they breed there call it Diaxis. But personally… I’ve always called it hell.”
“Two thousand yearrrrssss have I lived. Never has a meal walked straight into my mouth,”
Crave just smirked coldly at the female, then ever so slowly crouched down and turned his head so that he was eye-to-eye with Khydan. “I repeat,” he said icily. “Where did you get the sword, pet?”
Crave huffed down his nose, looking at Khydan, a sour smile twisting his mouth. “That sword could end worlds in the right hands. If it’s what I think it is, it is one of the forgotten blades of our ancestors… and you do not have the right to wield it.”
“It’s all right. He does not know how he insults me. He does not know his place. Not yet.” “Oh, I know my place here,” Khydan said. “And I know what’s about to happen.”
Ereth. The Lord of Midnight who had attacked me at the coronation. He’d been a religious leader of sorts. He had told Khydan that he worshipped different gods. Undergods…
“Impossible,” Crave whispered. “You can’t—You aren’t—” The male shook his head, clearly struggling to understand what he was seeing. “Shadow magic doesn’t belong in your realm. Where did you get this power?” “The same place I got the sword,”
“Do you trust me?” he asked. “Yes. Always. Yes.” And for a split second, he smiled the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile. “I love you, Saeris Fane.”
“Who… are you?” Crave choked. “Only… half-gods may wield shadows.” Khydan drew in a deep breath, ignoring the male’s question. “I’ve come for a dragon, as is my right. Summon our father. Tell him I’ve come to make a trade.”
