by Shae Ford
“This is the Veil,” Fate said when he asked. She hobbled to the wall’s edge and brushed her cane against it. The shapes stirred beneath her touch like the wind across a curtain. “A realm of chaos and strife, where all the desires of men war against their faults. It is an imperfect, desolate, and unjust span of time. All those who cross its shores in triumph have truly earned their eternal rest.”
Something about Fate’s toothless smirk made Kael uneasy. He remembered what Death had said — that Fate was angry with him for destroying her plans, that the torment he suffered in the barren lands was nothing compared to what awaited him in the realm beyond.
Now he stood inside that very realm … and when Fate spoke again, he knew he should’ve listened.
“I’ve waited a long while for this day. I tried to cast for Kyleigh’s life several times before, knowing that you would follow. But the future was always against me. This time, though,” she turned, and her bottomless stare scraped across him, “this time, the die landed in my favor. Her soul slipped beyond the Veil … and you followed. I’ve got you, now.”
Kyleigh’s arm clamped across his chest and the dragon snarled in warning.
But Kael wasn’t the least bit afraid. “Torture me however you like. Just make it quick, will you?” He wrapped his hands around Kyleigh’s arm. “I don’t want to waste another moment of our time.”
Fate cackled, leaning all the more heavily against her cane — as if the force of her mirth might very well knock her over. “Oh, my brother was right about you! You truly are Kael the Fool. What I had planned isn’t as simple as having your heart sliced out. No,” her dark eyes slid over to Kyleigh, “I was going to throw your love into the river and make you watch while she drowned … over and over again, for all e —”
Fury tore Kael into a sprint. He charged for Fate, his fist raised to put a dent through he middle of her face. But she stopped him with a wave of her hand.
His body fell as if he’d been kicked in the middle. His back struck the ground hard. Kyleigh and the dragon gathered him up again before he could stand and held him in a vice.
“You’re in my realm now, Forsaken One,” Fate hissed. The die clinked between her fingers as she watched him. “The more you vex me, the worse it gets.”
“If you hurt her —”
“You’ll do nothing. You’ll stand there like a root and watch. Don’t test me,” she added with a glare.
She stepped forward, and Kael held on tightly to Kyleigh’s arm. He wasn’t going to let her go. He wouldn’t let Fate harm her. He would do whatever had to be done, no matter how it stung him.
So he took a deep breath and whispered: “Please.”
Fate stopped. Countless more wrinkles popped up across her forehead as she raised her brows. “What was that?”
“Please don’t hurt Kyleigh.”
“Are you … begging me, defiant one? The one who laughs at Fate? Who’s cheated Death? Clever of you to force my brother’s hand, by the way,” she added with a smirk. “There aren’t many men who’d brave his sword a second time — let alone brave it seven.”
“I’d do it all again —”
“No, Kael,” the dragon said sharply.
Kyleigh looked to Fate. “I don’t want to lose him. But if it means he won’t be hurt, I’ll follow you to the river.”
“No, I’d rather die a thousand times —!”
“So would I!” the dragon roared over the top of him. “You’ve already done more for me than I could ever —”
“Enough.” Fate sealed their lips with a second wave of her hand. She regarded them for a moment with an inscrutable look. “Usually, souls beg me not to die. I’ve never come across a group of spirits fighting over the first to be drowned. No one’s dying today.”
Kael couldn’t believe it. Even when Fate released him, all he could think to say was: “You aren’t angry with me?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m thrilled. But though you certainly ruined all of the little things I had planned, you saved the thing that mattered most — a reckoning a thousand years in the making.” Fate’s lips twisted around her next words, as if it pained her to speak them: “When you had the chance to slay my King, you didn’t. I watched you stand over him with your sword drawn, helpless to stop its fall. The last threads of my great plan lay tattered beneath your foot. But … you never cut them. You spared his life —”
“Wait a moment — Devin?” Kael said, his head spinning. “Devin is your King?”
Fate smiled wryly. “Yes, the shaman’s son. The last of his mother’s brood, the last of the halfdragons — my last chance to right an egregious wrong. I always regretted the roll of the die that brought the mages into the Wildlands. They will never be as grand a thing as they were before … but with a draega upon the throne, they will heal. No one among men will be fool enough to challenge him,” she added with a laugh. “His rule will stretch as long as his life — a truly eternal crown. And in time, my shamans will have their honor back. All will be as it was before.”
Kael was still trying desperately to make sense of what she’d said when he heard Kyleigh whisper: “That’s brilliant.”
“A great trick, isn’t it?” Fate agreed. “But how unlucky for me that my King’s life crossed paths with the Forsaken One. My sly, meddling brother never lets me have a moment’s peace!”
Kael thought it was rather bold of Fate to accuse someone else of being sly and meddling. But he also thought better of saying it aloud.
After a few moments of cursing under her breath, Fate’s wrinkled fingers twisted about her cane. “Yes, an unlucky thing, that the Forsaken One had a chance to do me a kindness. Now, instead of having the pleasure of torturing his spirit forever, I find myself in his debt. So, what’s it to be, mortal? What gift do you ask of Fate?”
Before he could open his mouth to say it, she rolled her bottomless eyes.
“Yes, yes — you can keep your love. No need to waste your breath. But I can’t have you sitting here at the edge. Your souls must move on. So, would you rather love her in the Veil … or in the woods?”
For Kael, there was only one obvious answer. He turned to face Kyleigh and the dragon. “If we stay here, we’ll never be apart. You’ll never have to suffer the way Dorcha did.”
When he turned to answer Fate, Kyleigh clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Death is an eternity, but life is merely a season,” the dragon said. “You are so young, my love. It would be a tragic thing to have it taken from you.”
Kyleigh nodded. “Yes, and the woods will still be here when our lives end … provided we behave.”
Kael didn’t return her smile. He remembered all too well how the valtas cursed the dragons. He wouldn’t leave her to mourn for hundreds of years after he’d gone.
But before he could say as much, Kyleigh blurted out: “We want to return to the Veil.”
Fate bent her wrinkly head. “All right —”
“No, it isn’t all right! This was supposed to be my choice!” Kael fought his way out from under Kyleigh’s grip and stormed up to Fate. “You can’t let her do this — you can’t just change the rules!”
She cackled in his face. “I’m Fate, mortal! I’ll do whatever I please. Though I can’t cast for your soul, I can always cast for the ones you love. You’d do well to remember that,” she added, when Kael began to argue. Her eyes wandered over to Kyleigh, and her mouth bent in an unsettling grin. “Perhaps I ought to send you a little … reminder.”
Kael’s stomach twisted into a knot. He knew he had no choice. “Fine, we’ll go back to the Veil. I won’t say another word about it. But I’m still furious with you,” he snapped at Kyleigh, who only grinned in return.
Fate threw a frail arm about his waist. “It’ll do you no good to be angry with her — her soul traveled here the right way. She won’t remember any of this … but you will.”
Kael didn’t like her words — and he liked her smirk even less.
But b
efore he had a chance to worry, Fate reached for the Veil. “I’ll hold onto her spirit from this side and make sure she doesn’t slip away. But you must work quickly, mortal,” she added with a glare. “Do not test my patience.”
*******
“No … no.”
Kael pulled himself from the darkness, following along the path of a sobbing voice. For a moment, the world seemed upside down. He had no idea where he was, or which direction his head was turned.
Everything wavered beneath the pressure of sleep. But there was an echo in the back of his mind — words that stung him with their urgent message: Work quickly, mortal.
He blinked the sleep from his eyes, and the shattered room came into focus.
Devin crouched beside him, rocking on his heels. He sobbed thickly into the crook of one arm and reached out with the other. His fingers brushed across Kyleigh’s face — so horribly pale and transfixed by death that for a moment, Kael thought he’d been tricked.
Then all at once, she woke with a gasp.
“Hold on!” Kael cried, nearly choking on his heart. “Hold on, Kyleigh!”
His hands shook as he placed them against her wounds. There were tears across her innards, through every layer of her muscle and flesh. She shook badly as the pain seized her limbs. Kael nearly lost his grip a few times, but he fought to hold on. He wasn’t going to lose her again.
They were the most agonizing moments of his life. Each second that slid through the glass carried with it the weight of everything — every cord of his heart, spread out and bound across the grains of time. Every breath that passed between them had the power to tear the Kingdom from its roots. And if he was even a moment too slow, they would.
By the time Kael had sealed the last bit of her skin together, Kyleigh stopped moving. He was afraid to look up at her, afraid of what he might see. He clung to this final moment of uncertainty with the knowledge that it might very well be his last chance to feel hope. Once he looked up, all of the light could leave his world forever.
But that didn’t happen.
Kyleigh’s chest rose with a shuddering breath. Her hand ran up his arm, grasped him around the neck — and the next thing Kael knew, he’d been dragged to the ground.
She kissed him savagely, laughing at the fall of his tears. “Don’t cry, you silly whisperer. You haven’t lost me, yet.”
But he had lost her. He’d lost her for a thousand years, while Death gouged his heart inside the barren lands. It was only by the mercy of Fate that he held her now.
And though he might wish to, Kael would never forget it.
They stayed tangled for a few moments more — Kyleigh smothering him with kisses while he tried desperately to hold on. A slight cough finally reminded them that they weren’t alone.
“Are you all right, Devin?” Kyleigh said as Kael helped her to her feet.
He nodded, and his face turned red as his stark blue eyes flicked between them. “I suppose this must be your mate?”
He smiled at her nod — and that’s when Kael realized just how badly wounded Devin was. There were little punctures across his shoulders and above his brows. When he turned, he saw there were a number of shallow cuts down his back. The burn lines that split his face and the scales across his chest belonged to Daybreak.
And Kael immediately felt guilty for it. “Come here, and I’ll seal you up.”
“It’s all right,” Kyleigh said when he hesitated. “Kael doesn’t bite often.”
After an uncertain moment, Devin smiled. “You’re joking.”
“Yes, and more often than not,” Kael said, shooting her a look.
It didn’t take him long to patch up Devin. No sooner had he sealed the last gash than a voice boomed from the door:
“Stop, Forsaken One! Don’t hurt him!”
Kael jumped. Harbinger shrilled as Kyleigh tore him from his sheath.
An old mage hobbled through the shattered doorway. His stare was deep and his gray beard stretched almost to his middle. But it was the men on either side of him that caught Kael’s attention.
“Oh, for mercy’s sake,” he managed to grumble — just before Eveningwing slammed into his chest.
“Kael!” The halfhawk wrapped his arms and legs about him, grinning to either ear.
Jonathan joined in — crushing them both to a mash. “Oh come on, mate! You know you’ve missed us.”
Kael hadn’t missed them that much. But before he could say it, there was a loud clattering sound at the doorway, followed by some thumping steps — and then another thick set of arms lifted them all off their feet. “Oh, this is almost as good as the last time!”
“No it isn’t,” Kael grunted into his chest. “In fact, neither time was good.”
Declan dropped them suddenly, spilling them into a pile. He snatched Kael up before the world stopped spinning and fixed him with a gaping look.
His eyes were more than a little bloodshot, and the giant’s breath reeked of what smelled suspiciously like pirate grog. “Did you not hear the good news, wee rat?”
“How could he have heard it? We have only just found him!” Nadine called from the doorway.
An army of mots spilled in behind her. Several of them rushed forward to grab at a large chunk of wood that’d fallen just inside the room. When they flipped it over, a familiar voice cried out in relief:
“Well, it’s about time! If that giant tosses me again, I’ll —”
“Is that you, Knotter?”
“Ah! Lady Kyleigh! Thank the stars you’re here,” Knotter moaned. “Take me back to my gate. I don’t think I’ll last another moment in the hands of that brutish oaf.”
Declan didn’t look at all concerned about having been called an oaf. He grabbed Kael hard by the shoulders and said: “We’re going to be married! That wee mote has finally come to her senses. Look at her,” Declan added, spinning him around, “look at how she smiles at me, will you?”
Nadine was smiling — but only because she seemed completely unable to stop herself. “You are drunk,” she muttered, waving a hand at him.
“Yeh? Well, I’ll just have to say it again when my head’s cleared up,” he said back.
While everyone clustered around to congratulate them, the old mage went after Devin. He was so incredibly frail that Kael thought he might break, when Devin grabbed him by the arm. But he didn’t.
“Are you well, child?”
“I’m fine, Argon. I’m happy to see you again,” Devin added with a grin — one that made him look at once less monstrous.
Kyleigh stared at them, her mouth agape. Harbinger hung loosely in her hand for a moment. But all at once, she swung it up at Argon’s face. “You … I know you.”
He nodded, tucking his hands into his sleeves. “The last time we met, I believe I sent you to do something for me … something very —”
“Important.” She spoke as if the word was some sort of accusation. Her hand twisted tighter about her sword. “You hexed me, didn’t you? You made me forget Kael’s name. You stopped me from killing Crevan. I could’ve ended all this years ago —!”
“No,” Argon said calmly. “No, child. Had you killed Crevan that day, you still would’ve been run out of Midlan for your crimes. Another King would’ve assumed the throne — one not so easily maddened by your tricks. In order for our plans to work, we needed a weak-minded King behind these walls.”
Kyleigh glared at him. “Who’s we?”
Argon didn’t reply. His eyes slid over to Kael, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of another dark, bottomless gaze.
He thought he might’ve figured out exactly who we was.
“Devin? Why don’t we visit your garden? I know you’ve missed it terribly. I’m sure Kyleigh will be happy to go with you,” Argon said lightly, when the boy hesitated.
Devin turned his eyes upon her, and she sighed beneath his look. “All right, then. But this isn’t over. You’ve got plenty to answer for,” Kyleigh said severely.
“Yes, we’
ll be right behind you,” Argon called as they strode away.
Though Devin towered over Kyleigh, he walked a pace behind her — hands clasped against his chest. His pointed ears bent to catch her every word. The mots waved to them as they passed, and Devin smiled uncertainly.
Kyleigh grabbed him around the wrist. “Move your hand back and forth — no, open it up! Don’t go waving your fists at people, or they’ll think you haven’t got fingers.”
Under her instructions, Devin wound up hailing the mots with a grimace and a panicked, spread-fingered wave. It looked as if he was trying to sling hot coals off his hand — and Kyleigh lost her grip.
She stumbled out into the hallway, laughing like a madwoman.
Devin hurried after her. “Are you all right? Did I do something wrong?”
“I don’t know! What in blazes were you even doing?”
“He has a child’s heart,” Argon murmured as he watched them go. “Devin will be more a caretaker than a King, which I think suits the Wildlands rather well.”
Kael wasn’t so sure. He knew the sort of greed that’d consumed the King’s rulers. “What if someone comes after him? What if they try to take the throne?”
“Then it won’t be Devin they meet — it’ll be Dorcha. And I daresay he’ll staunch any battle before it begins.”
“The wildmen aren’t going to be pleased,” Kael said, and just the thought of the argument ahead made him groan.
“True … but I’m sure you’ll think of something. In my experience, these things have a way of working themselves out.” Argon regarded him with a deep-pitted stare. “You have the look of a man who’s seen the one I serve.”
“Yes, though I wish I hadn’t.”
“And you know what it is you’ve done?”
“Well enough,” Kael muttered, though he didn’t much care about what he’d done: he was just glad to have it all finally ended.
