Page 68 of The Immortal Covenant

He’d come close to overcoming Pelorak’s magic in his apartment, briefly managing to raise his fist before Pelorak reasserted his control. Maintaining the enchantment must require Pelorak’s entire focus. He could see the strain on the Aspect’s face now, his muscles taut from exertion despite his mocking grin. Maybe all Sarilian needed to break free was a little push.

Roaring a wordless battlecry, Malorg charged. Pelorak’s eyes widened. Clearly, he hadn’t expected such a show of defiance. He recovered quickly, duskflame lashing out to envelop Malorg in the familiar curse. Malorg jerked to a halt as he lost control over his body, muffling a scream at the tiny needles piercing his flesh.

Pelorak shook his head and smirked. “You really ought to know better by now, old friend. I always—”

A golden spear impaled Pelorak’s shoulder. Dawnflame and duskflame erupted from the wound in a darkened inferno as he screamed and staggered back.

The curse gripping Malorg vanished as Pelorak’s concentration snapped. He stumbled and turned to see Sarilian panting as if he’d just run a marathon. Their eyes met ashe lowered his arm, Sarilian’s grim expression splitting into a radiant grin.

Off to the side, Pelorak roared. Malorg glanced over to see the Aspect rip the dawnflame spear from his shoulder and toss it aside. The wound it left trailed wisps of black duskflame. Behind Pelorak, the blinding light Sarilian had conjured in the antechamber continued to fade.

Out of time to think or discuss, Malorg raced to Sarilian, gripped his hand, and sent them sinking into the shadows. They flitted down the spine-like stairs of the Dusk Citadel and streamed into the boulevard beyond.

Passing Infernals stopped to stare but otherwise gave them a wide berth. They wouldn’t offer any help…but nor would they interfere. Malorg had never been so grateful for his people’s callous selfishness.

He navigated the city streets as quickly as he could, but he couldfeelPelorak’s guards gaining on them, along with the Aspect of Ambition himself. Even at full strength, Malorg had struggled to keep up with Pelorak during their brief duel. Now, weakened and bearing a passenger, he had no hope of outrunning him.

Sudden light pierced their shadowy form, streaming over them and almost causing Malorg to lose his focus.Eternal Dark, what’s happening?

As the light sank into the cloak of darkness enveloping them and their movement quickened, he understood. Once again, Sarilian had woven dawnflame with his duskflame into something new—something stronger.

It gave them the edge they needed to shake Pelorak and his goons, but not for long.Long enough to flee the city?Perhaps. But then what?

Pelorak would pursue them to the farthest reaches of the outskirts. Crossing the border to the Dawnlands might buy thema reprieve, but Pelorak’s taunts bore a seed of truth: the Dawn Council would turn them over in a heartbeat if it meant easing tensions with the Infernals. Nowhere he and Sarilian went would be safe.

Not within the Immortal Realm.

Switching directions, Malorg steered them along a series of winding alleyways. He’d traversed this route countless times over the centuries, though all but twice he’d been alone.

As he canceled his duskwalking and deposited them before a bare alley wall, he remembered the last time he’d brought Sarilian here. Sarilian had walked away, choosing his mission to protect Allaria over a future together. Much had changed since then, but that didn’t stop a tight knot of fear from gnawing at Malorg’s gut. Would Sarilian make the same choice again?

He turned to Sarilian, but whatever he was going to say died on his lips when Sarilian silenced him with a kiss. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of peace before Sarilian pulled back.

“You don’t need to ask.” Sarilian took Malorg’s hand. “I already made my choice by coming here.”

Swallowing, Malorg turned to the wall. “There’s no guarantee this will work. So far as any Immortal knows, it isn’t possible to return to the Mortal Realm in the flesh.”

“Then, I guess we’ll have to be the first.” Sarilian squared his shoulders, his expression firming. “Besides, unlike those other Immortals, we won’t be returning alone. We are DarknessandLight, united in harmony as they should have been from the start. I only hope that one day, our two peoples will reach that same realization.”

Recalling their brief encounter with Qurth and Hiliaj on the dungeon steps, Malorg gave a small smile. “I think that someday they just might. Here.” He sent duskflame flowing through their linked hands to imbue Sarilian’s flesh. “Darkness and Light, right?”

Sarilian fixed him with a lopsided grin that did an admirable job masking his obvious nervousness. “Right.”

With a brief squeeze of Malorg’s hand, he returned the favor. Malorg shifted uncomfortably at the unfamiliar warmth of the dawnflame coursing through his veins.

This sort of direct infusion had kept Sarilian safe once before, bolstering his natural healing after their battle with the gliding voidspawn in the forest. Malorg only hoped it would be enough to protect them from the rift now.

Sarilian took a deep breath and faced the wall. “I’m ready.”

There was so much more Malorg wished he could say, so much more he wanted to do to demonstrate the depths of his devotion. But with Pelorak bearing down on them, he settled for a nod and stepped forward, raising his free hand and pressing it against the wall.

A shudder raced through the dark stone as an azure tear rippled open along its length. Malorg studied the rift to the Shroud separating this realm from the mortal world, where their souls had originated.

He’d imagined this moment so many times, yet in most of those musings he’d been giving up.Thiswasn’t giving up. This was taking a leap of faith.

“See you on the other side,” Sarilian said, his molten eyes blazing with a love as bright as any sun.

Shoving down all his doubts and fears, Malorg focused on the warm fingers gripping his own—on the unbridled love that filled his heart and the impossible hope Sarilian had gifted him. No matter what happened now, Sarilian had been right: they had accomplished the impossible.

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