Page 10 of Fading Sun

“Let’s find the train station,” he says, back to business—and back to hating me. “We need to get to Zurich and catch a flight back to New York.”

“Right. Of course,” I say, and I reach into my pack for my phone, praying it’ll work.

We turned our phones off in the mystical realm, since there was no point in draining our battery when we weren’t getting any service. Hopefully, it’ll still have some juice left in it, and will have dried as quickly as my clothing.

Much to my relief, the screen powers on.

I open my message thread with Amber.

There are a lot of texts from her, asking where I am and what’s going on.

I got what we need, I type. Heading to the airport now—will be back tomorrow.

I press send.

“Found the station,” Blaze says. He’s also on his phone, studying a map. “It’s not far. Let’s go.”

With our packs, we look like two backpackers on a trip through Europe. No one pays us much attention as we board the train and find seats in the back.

Blaze sits by the window, focused on the passing scenery, his jaw set, his eyes hard.

I sit across from him in silence, wanting to say something to break the tension between us. But what could possibly help right now?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And so, I lean my head back, close my eyes, and miraculously get some much-needed rest.

I’m going to need it for whatever’s coming next.

Amber

Damien hangs up, and a text buzzes through.

Morgan.

I got what we need. Heading to the airport now—will be back tomorrow.

“What?” Cassandra asks, and I relay the message to her.

“Good,” she says when I’m done. “We can’t afford for you to keep being a liability.”

I flinch back and inhale sharply, her words stinging my lungs.

But when I look at her, all I see is pain in her eyes.

She blames me for Yannick’s death. She won’t say it, but I can see it. And really, she’s right. Being a shadow soul beacon makes me a liability to the entire clan. The sooner this potion is out of my body, the better.

Especially since I’m more than ready to have the full force of my magic back. And then, once I do, I’ll never feel weak, helpless, or like a liability ever again.

The token hums in my pocket, and an urge to reach for it for reassurance flows through me.

I almost do.

But I stop myself.

Because I refuse to rely on a gift from the Shadow Lord.

From Astrophel.

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