Page 32 of Of War and Realms

“Where is she?”

“I’ll go get her, love.” Em leans in to grab my hand, giving it the gentlest touch of his lips. He turns to leave the room, glancing at me once more before he’s out of sight.

“I don’t think he truly believes you’re here,” Cas’s voice cracks. I take his hand and press his palm to my cheek, closing my eyes at the soothing warmth. “We almost lost you, Nell. I felt—your heart—it slowed…” A sob leaves him, causing my bottom lip to tremble. I cannot believe I considered the other option for even a moment.

I’m just so tired.

My nose crinkles when I take a deep breath; the scent of dried blood mixed with a bad concoction of herbs is intense. It almost feels like there’s something rotting in the dark corners of this small room. Gross.

“Your parents are waiting outside.” Cyran adjusts herself, straightening in a way that tells me she’s going to leave the room. I nod and thank her, attempting to conjure a smile when Calix comes to stand at my side.

“You okay, Nell?” he whispers, scrunching his fists before dropping them to his sides.

Am I okay?

I look down at my body. The black leather pants still hug my legs, though they’re significantly more dirty and cut at the top, exposing my low abdomen. I’m not sure what they did with my shirt, though given the urgency of what happened, I assume it’s shredded somewhere. I’m sitting in a black bra, with splatters of red and black peppered across my skin.

But that’s not the most disturbing part. No, it’s the scar that travels from my sternum to my pelvic region. An actual scar. I reach to touch the raised skin, wincing at the tenderness. This will most certainly be a souvenir from the arrow. I wonder if there’s a round scar on my back?

“I guess I’m as okay as I can be.” I meet the tired eyes of my best friend. “Do we know who shot the arrow?” He looks at the floor and fidgets with his fingers.

“Yes. The male killed himself before we could reach him, but there was a note stuck to his jacket.”

I wait for several seconds for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. “Well? What is it?” I snap harshly, immediately feeling remorseful about my tone. Calix opens the button on his front pocket, reaching in to grab a worn piece of paper. He hands it to me and my blood freezes.

I’ll see you soon, my sweet.

I read the message a dozen times before crumpling the paper roughly, as if it’s the one to blame for everything that’s happening. I run a hand through my matted hair, glancing up when Emrys and Ivana enter the room.

The witch looks…sick. Her normally bright, crimson eyes are now the color of a muted blush. Her pale skin has a gray-ish tint, and her features are weathered. Tired.

“I am relieved to see you awake, Anellah. I was quite worried you wouldn’t make it after the obsidian had spread so far.” I narrow my eyes and bite my lip.

“What was the cost?”

“What?” She bristles, not at all fooling me. I raise a brow, not responding to the ridiculous question. After a moment she sighs, clasping her hands in front of her. “The price was low, barely anything at all. It is nothing you need to worry yourself with.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Ivana. You basically brought me back from the dead.” She shakes her head, my eyes widening at the dismissal. “I was on the other side! I know how close to death I was—I spoke to it! If unblocking my memories required a piece of my soul, what could have possibly been the cost of cheating death?”

The witch is silent for minutes before resolve settles on her face. “The fates spoke to me as well.” I sit straighter at that; did it offer her a choice, too? “The cost was high, but it agreed to bear most of the burden.”

“What does that mean?”

“It did not tell me what would be required on its end,” she murmurs, appearing significantly more tired than she was a few minutes ago.

“But it took most of the burden. What did it require of you?” I do not care if I’m being pushy, I want to know what someone else sacrificed just to give me more time.

I need to know.

“Anellah, it is not imp—”

“It’s important to me! Tell me.”

She breathes deeply, closing her eyes before answering. “The cost was my immortality. I will age as a mortal does.” Her voice quivers, but she clears her throat to cover the sound.

“What?” The word barely leaves my lips. She gave up her life. For me? “Why would you agree to that? I—I don’t know what to say.”

She shuffles to my side, grabbing my hand. “You say nothing. I made the choice not only for you, but for the entire realm. If you are not here to aid in the fight, all will be lost; that much I know. I have lived for hundreds of years and—selfishly—this is my way of trying to repay the damage Imogen has done.

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