Page 8 of Fading Sun

At first, they’re faint—almost drowned out by the waterfall’s roar. But as Blaze walks ahead, they grow louder, more insistent.

He doesn’t trust you, the wind murmurs, its voice a cold breath against my ear. He never will.

I shiver, trying to push the whispers away, to blink them out of my mind.

You’re not here, I think to the wind, although I can’t bring myself to move forward. You’re not real.

He’s going to leave you, the wind continues, and while I don’t think it’s real, it feels real. He’s going to take the quill and disappear. He won’t help Amber. He doesn’t care about her. He doesn’t even know her. And he certainly won’t help you. Why would he, after what you did to him?

I try to shut it out, to put one foot in front of the other and focus on the path ahead. But the wind’s wrapping around my thoughts, pulling me in directions I don’t want to go, digging deeper into my mind with every step I take.

Kill him, it whispers, and as I watch Blaze’s back as he walks ahead of me, I realize how easy it could be. Take the quill for yourself. It’s the only way to be sure. The only way to keep him from betraying you. It’s the only way you can save yourself—and the people you love—from the darkness that’s already starting to destroy his soul.

Morgan

I almost reach for my dagger.

Instead, I clench my hand into the tightest fist possible—so tight that my fingernails draw blood from my palm.

This isn’t real, I remind myself. It’s just a side effect from the spell Blaze cast on me.

That is what’s happening here, right? Because it’s the same thing he told me happened with his mom after he used his magic on her to try turning her into a witch. It’s why she lost herself to the voices telling her to hurt him.

He’ll betray you, the wind hisses, ignoring my internal pleas for it to stop. He doesn’t need you anymore. He’s got the quill. What do you think he’s going to do when you’re back in the mortal realm? He’ll leave you behind, and you’ll have no one. Absolutely no one.

Its words hit a place so hollow that it hurts. Because my parents are dead. My sisters didn’t believe me when I told them they needed to stop trying to raise Ambrogio. They didn’t support me and come with me to fight the shadow souls.

They abandoned me.

I’m alone.

If I kill Blaze, I’ll be even more alone.

So, I take a deep breath and tighten my fist, drawing more blood, fighting the wind’s pull.

Eventually, Blaze glances back at me, his expression cold. “Are you coming or not?” he snaps, and I flinch at the harshness in his voice, releasing the fist I’d been holding.

“Yes.” I steady my breath, pushing the wind’s whispers into the depths of my mind. “Let’s go.”

Maybe they’ll stop when we get to the human realm.

I hope they do. But I doubt they will.

I push forward anyway.

The walk to the waterfall is hilly and lush, its mist dampening my face. But as I get closer, its spray soaks through my clothes, the cold making my teeth chatter.

I stop at the rocky crevasse in front of the fall, my fire magic anxiously flickering inside me. We’ll have to jump over the gap to get through. And while it’s narrow, there’s no way of knowing how deep the water inside it goes.

At least the rocks behind the waterfall shimmer, confirming this is, in fact, a portal.

Blaze turns back to me. “You okay?” he asks, his eyes softening for the first time in hours.

I swallow, trying to calm my magic and use it to create warmth against the cold. It’s easier to do when he’s looking at me like this.

“I’ll manage,” I tell him, forcing a small smile.

He steps closer, so I can hear him over the roaring falls. “It’s a quick jump,” he says, although from the doubt flickering in his eyes, I have a feeling his fire magic is as unhappy about this as mine is. “We can go together.”

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