by Sara Ella
And kill.
“I see you have come a long way since your wooden sword training days,” he rasps, stretching his neck. “What do you want with Isabeau anyway?”
“She possesses an item I require.”
“Ha. And what makes you so sure she will give it to you?”
My grip on the hilt tightens. I press just enough to draw a trickle of blood. “She is in the business of trading, is she not? I have a hunch she will be more than willing to exchange what I seek for her servant boy.”
Gage winces.
I’ve cut his ego. Good.
“You will need to trade more than me to procure what you desire.” His head turns half an inch and my blade slices, blood oozing onto its edge. Hands clenched and biceps bulging against their restraints, he says, “Might I ask what is important enough for you to enlist the help of a lowly traitor?”
If I was not being extremely gracious tonight, I might give him another gash for sarcasm alone. I lift the sword away and wipe the blood onto his pant leg. “I am in search of a bottle.”
Gage breathes easier now. “A bottle, huh? Just a bottle? I don’t buy it. If you want me to take you to Isabeau, I’m afraid specificity is required.”
“I need a bottle fashioned from mirrorglass.” I shove my sword in its sheath and lean over him, my face directly above his. Even if Isabeau doesn’t possess the item, if she is on good terms with the so-called Fairy Queen, the Troll will have a way to obtain it. “Do we have a deal?”
“Why, yes,” Gage hisses. “I suppose we do.”
TWENTY-SIX
No One Else
Long after Ky finishes playing, after his fingers slip from the ivories and fold between his knees, we remain silent. Eye contact? Nonexistent. Tension? Thicker than Reggie’s triple-layer fudge cake. The echo of Ky’s song in my head is the only sound. Haunting me. Raising more questions in my ready-to-explode brain. One stands out among the rest.
How is it possible we are this close? This fast?
My relationship with Joshua developed over a period of three years. But a couple weeks with Ky and we shared the rarest of kisses. I know a Kiss of Infinity stems from somewhere deep inside, from feelings you may not be aware you possess. Still, it seemed crazy.
Until now.
It’s as if our paths were meant to cross, our lips destined to meet. I questioned it before, but we must have something deeper. How else could he write a song melodizing my soul?
Is it possible we’ve met before?
Ky rubs his hands together, rests them on his thighs. If he listened to my thoughts just now, he gives nothing away. He remains cool. Collected. Quiet.
Not like himself at all.
I wish I could know what’s on his mind.
“You can.”
Blush. Could you try not to read every thought I think, please?
He shrugs. “Sorry. It was my connection to you while we were apart. I’ll try to refrain now that we’re together.”
Together. The word stirs something inside me. We’re close enough so when either of us makes the slightest shift, our arms brush. The electricity—our electricity—is undeniable. I should move away. Stand on the other side of the room. Recoil from the treacherous touch.
Treacherous because it awakens something that has been asleep since he left. Something missing between Joshua and me.
Ky . . . my fingers twiddle . . . that song . . . I tuck my hair behind my ears . . . You’ve been playing it for me. Haven’t you?
“I’d hoped you heard it.” He closes his right hand into a fist, taps it against his knee. “I wanted you to, though I couldn’t be sure.”
I angle to face him. My knee knocks his. He continues to study his lap as I think, I did. I heard every note.
He glances up. Stares at the sheet music before him. “I’d always wondered what kept the Void inside me from spreading after what Tiernan did to me.” He speaks without preface, as if he knows what I came to ask.
Duh. Of course he knows. He can read my mind.
“When I discovered David and I shared the Verity, I knew that had to be it. The Verity had to be what kept me from turning Soulless before. But it was more than that too. My desire not to turn Soulless was strong enough to fight the darkness within. You see, each of us who are Called, I wager we all hold a piece of the Verity—a piece of the goodness that stems from the light empowering our Callings.
“When David sent me away, I began to construct my theory. I knew my connection to you would serve the same purpose—the Void is subject to the Verity, for it possesses the soul the Verity loves most. But what would it mean if our souls were bound? Before, I only held half the Verity and a very small portion of the Void. Now the Verity as a whole is bound to half the Void. It’s tethered, you see. And not by just anything, no. The Void and the Verity are now joined by a Kiss of Infinity.” He faces me. “What does this mean?”
The question is rhetorical. He carries an answer but that’s beside the point. Because the answer he seeks is mine. My mind wanders to day and night, night and day. How the Void covered half the Second in shadows under Crowe’s rule. The way the Verity is the essence of everything light and good.
The Void and the Verity were balanced, I think. The Verity is like the day, the Void like the night. Always existent, but never coexistent. I watch his face for confirmation I’m on track. But he gives nothing away so I go on. But now that’s changed.
Jaw pulsing, he nods. “The Void cares a great deal for the Verity.” There’s a sadness in his gaze. Because he isn’t the only vessel of the Void. Joshua cares for me too—loves me—and he won’t give me up without a fight.
This should make me happy, to know the boy I loved for so long returns my affection. But the knowledge only adds to my anguish. I don’t come away from this without hurting someone. It doesn’t matter who I choose. Because either way someone gets left behind.
“Em,” Ky whispers, drawing me back to the now. “Does the Verity love the Void? Not the part held by David, but the part it is tethered to? Not a love born out of pity or one stemming from obligation. I’m talking real and true love. A love that would exist even if the Void and the Verity weren’t involved.”
My lips part out of habit, though it’s my thoughts that say, I . . . I’m not sure. My eyelashes descend. Chest heaves.
Ky shifts beside me. When I open my eyes he’s gathering the sheet music off the piano. It swishes between his fingers as he rises. “The only way to stop what’s happening is to find a way to keep the Void from taking over the Verity—from dousing its light.” Stepping from the space between the bench and piano, he turns to me. “And to do this we must go back to the origins of light and darkness.” He lowers the fallboard over the keys.
The origins. Yes. Exactly. I guess great minds think alike. Then again, Ky and I have always been in sync for some reason. Even when we fought we had a rhythm, an easiness Joshua and I never shared. I stand and gaze at him from across the length of the bench. Watching. Waiting.
“I have a theory.” Though his voice hurries in excitement, his eyes communicate exhaustion. Has he slept at all tonight? The purple crescents beneath his eyes, along with the slight sag of his shoulders, suggest he hasn’t slept in days. “From what I’ve found, the Verity has always existed, but the Void . . .” He pauses, as if considering his words. “The Void is another story.”
If the Void hasn’t always existed, then someone—or something—created it. But who? What?
“That’s what we have to figure out,” Ky says. “And I need your help.”
What can I do? I’m useless without—
“Stop it, Em. I won’t hear you think such things anymore. You are far from useless. In fact, you are the only one who can help. Because if the Thresholds drain, only you can get us through to the next Reflection.”
I shake my head. Not true. I can only mirror walk to places I’ve been.
“Our souls are one now, remember?” He winks. “If I’ve been there, you�
��ve been there.”
Could he be right? With the song inside, could I be of some use after all?
“Not of some use. Vital.” He skirts the bench, closing the space between us with each new syllable. “I need you, Em. Can’t you see?”
This is more like the Ky I know. Forward. Tenacious. I back against the wall. The blanket around my shoulders falls, pools around my ankles and feet. I press my palms to the sleek wood. The swoosh of the ocean beyond the circular window next to my head echoes my shifting emotions.
Like a wolf on the prowl Ky advances, raw hunger in his eyes. But I’m not afraid of him.
I’m afraid of myself, of these strange sensations awakening the closer, closer, closer he comes.
“And you need me too.” He stops toe to toe with me, leans in, braces against the wall with his arms on either side of my head. “I know you. You’ve missed me.”
It’s impossible to think. Again.
“Come with me to the Fourth Reflection.” His breath is hot on my face. “I’ve already spoken with Countess Ambrose. She’s expecting us. Expecting you. Together we can fix this.”
End the Void? It’s all I’ve wanted—hoped for—since this whole mess started.
“Yes,” Ky says. “No more darkness. Only light.”
The idea makes my head swim. I’ve searched for this answer, but to discover I’m not crazy? That Ky believes it’s possible too? My heart grows a gazillion times lighter. He doesn’t blame me for the burden he carries. Instead he believes in me, in my strengths and abilities.
Lyrics from a Wicked song plead to burst from my lips.
“What is this feeling, so sudden and new?”
Except the feeling is far from loathing. Gulp.
Ky’s forehead meets mine.
Double gulp.
He grazes his hand down my left arm, mingles our fingers.
I close my eyes, but I don’t release his hand.
He kisses my right temple. Places three kisses along the length of my jaw.
My breaths release in gasps. My pulse is a drum line.
He pulls back just far enough so our gazes find each other again. “We belong together, Em. Maybe you aren’t sure now, but I know.”
How can you know?
Ky smiles then. So genuine. Pure. “I know because I know.” He exhales.
My lips part. His breath tastes of peppermint. Why couldn’t he have morning breath? It would make the task of keeping my mouth to myself much less daunting.
“I’ll make a deal with you.”
I arch my eyebrows.
He squeezes my hand, releases it, then paces to the other side of the space and back. “Stay with me. Help me save the Reflections. When we’re done, if you wish to return to him, I’ll let you go.”
I wait. One breath. Two. When he doesn’t continue I think, That’s not a deal. That’s a request.
“Sorry.” He nears again, fingertips tracing the lengths of my bare arms. “It’s difficult to think about anything but kissing you at the moment.”
And now I’m blushing. Please don’t let him notice. I’m so confused.
“For now,” he says, ignoring the former half of my thought. His hands cup my face. “Soon all will be clear.” And then he withdraws.
And something inside me breaks.
Crud. This is so not good.
“Will you come?”
My stomach churns, whether from the slightly rocking ship or the feelings of betraying Joshua, I can’t tell. Yes, I’ll come.
He crosses to the window beside me, grins into his reflection. “Good. We sail for the Fourth at dawn.”
If I stay, one thing has to be clear.
He turns his regard on me. Folds his arms.
If I come, you will keep your distance. No trying to sway my decision or cloud my judgment. This is about the Reflections. The Callings. No more hand holding. No more brooding looks. I lower my gaze to his lips and snap my eyes shut. And definitely no kissing.
Ky laughs. He actually laughs. “Oh, there will be kissing. But it’s not I who will be kissing you.”
Eyes open. Brows pucker.
“You’re going to kiss me, Ember. And when you do, it’s going to be because you’ve finally admitted to yourself you’re in love with me. Not because a Kiss of Infinity tells you to. Not because the Void split and half of it entered me. Because even without those things, in the end, it will still be me.”
A little sure of yourself, aren’t you? I can’t help but crack a smile, enjoy this easy banter between us. I’ve missed this. Missed him.
“Haven’t you learned by now?” He elbows me. “I am always right.”
Hardly. I roll my eyes. I’m getting used to him hearing my silent dialogue. I almost like it.
He winks. “We’ll see, Em. We’ll see.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Joshua
Move.” I sit atop my steed Champion, reins clenched in one hand and my sword’s hilt fisted in the other. I press my blade’s tip into Gage’s back, nudging him forward. It’s been this way an entire day, and I’ve had about enough of his dithering.
But Gage continues through the brush with the same apathetic pace as usual. It’s a wonder he can even walk. The Physic on staff at the castle did what he could, but Gage’s wound was infected, and without the healing touch of a Physic, or my Ever blood, Gage should not have survived.
Suspicion escalates. Perhaps this Fairy Queen Isabeau spoke of does exist. And if so, has she granted Gage a wish? Enhanced healing of some sort?
He jerks against the rope binding his wrists. “Perhaps if you didn’t insist on treating me like a slave, I’d be able to take you to our destination in a timelier manner.”
I poke his back again. Champion whinnies. “I seem to remember you doing the same thing to Eliyana during our journey to Wichgreen Village.”
He glances back at me and leers. “And I seem to remember you supporting that decision. In fact, wasn’t it Kyaphus who stood against it?” One eyebrow arcs.
I grunt under my breath. My hands clench the reins and hilt tighter.
Gage’s upper lip curls. “Thought so,” he says before facing forward again.
Shame falls over me like an axed tree as I shift in the saddle. I’ve made mistakes, yes. Too many to count. Too many to make up for, if I’m being honest. But I’m right for her. She needs me. Kyaphus may have won the battle for her heart.
But the war’s victory belongs to me.
“Here we are.” Gage stops.
I sheathe my sword and dismount. Then I slap Champion’s rear, and he trots off in search of water and sustenance. No need to tether him to a tree. He always returns when I need him.
Taking my spot beside Gage, I place a firm hand on his shoulder to assure him a sleeping weapon does not mean I’m going soft. Pireem Mountain stands before us, five times the height of New York’s Empire State Building. Maples a brownstone deep create a ring around the mountain’s base. High above, jagged rocks and narrow paths reside, but legend says a treasure awaits at the top for any man brave enough to venture there.
I’ve not met any such man. I do know this is the only place in all the Second where the Oden Lily grows—a rare red flower and the key ingredient in the painkiller Illusoden. What other secrets might Pireem hold?
I widen my stance, digging my boots into the sandy earth. “This is where Isabeau’s been hiding? The Guardians searched here. They uncovered nothing.”
“Because they didn’t investigate enough.” With a slanting glance he adds, “Perhaps you need a new Commander. Your men are slacking.” Bitterness coats his words, and I have to wonder if he misses being a Guardian. He was one of the best. A shame his talent went to waste.
“Where to then?”
“The Mines.”
Maple Mine entrances are stationed every fifty feet or so around the mountain’s perimeter. Thorny brambles block the way to the nearest one, forcing me to hack at them with my sword. Every swoosh and slice dulls the blade, and I
make note to sharpen it at the earliest opportunity. When the path to the entrance is wide enough, I gesture for Gage to go ahead.
Silence settles the deeper we journey. The tunnel slopes downward, but even so the air is breathable due to the shafts above. Once we’re well within the mine, the outside light a pin in the distance behind us, my eyes begin to adjust. On either side of us the ends of tree trunks and roots border the walls. The Mine Fairies are busy at work, extracting maple syrup from each tree. The illumination provided by their fluttering wings leaves no need to draw a flashlight.
As Gage continues on, I remain aware of our surroundings and the directions we take. Right, left, left, left, right. The Mines are set up as a grid, not too far removed from the subway system of New York. It makes things easier, at least. A grid, I can navigate. Lines and squares, corners and angles. It’s El I’m having trouble with these days. She’s unpredictable, a scribbled mess with no starting point and no end.
Hour by hour the gap between us widens, and not just physically. It’s as if the longer we’re apart, the greater the distance grows. Is she with my brother now? What will he say? The more time they spend together, the more I become the bad guy in all of this. But in the end it changes nothing. According to Rafaj, one sip of the Unbinding Elixir will reverse everything.
Let’s hope he’s not wrong.
It wasn’t too long ago we traveled through the southernmost mines on our return to Haven Island. I suppose I should’ve noticed the warning signs then. If anyone is to blame for the closeness El and Kyaphus share, it’s me. I pushed him on her, insisted he take on the role as her Guardian. I never dreamed they’d fall for one another. Then again, she hasn’t truly fallen for him. Her heart is confused. Misled.
I must make this right.
We take another right.
Gage freezes. I halt beside him, fingers twiddling over my weapon’s hilt. “A dead end?” Frustration brews. “I thought you knew your way.”
“Tell me, are your men so dimwitted they wouldn’t think to check for façades?” He snorts and then walks forward, through the mine wall, disappearing from view.
