Page 11 of The Immortal Covenant

Malorg looked away first, dropping Sarilian’s hand and shuffling back. For the first time since Sarilian had met him, he appeared uncertain. “So, what now?”

Sarilian glanced toward the border. With Malorg’s darkvision enchantment, he had to squint against the bright light. His respect for what Malorg had endured coming to his aid ratcheted up another notch. “My companions will be looking for me soon, if they aren’t already.”

He gave Malorg a smile laced with regret, feeling like there was so much more he wished to say but didn’t have the words for. At least, he’d managed to satisfy some of his curiosity…and with any luck, restored some of Malorg’s hope in the process. That alone would have made this trip worth it.

“Then, I guess this is goodbye,” Malorg said.

Neither of them moved. Sarilian chuckled breathlessly to release some of the awkward tension buzzing between them. “Well, it was good to see you again, Malorg.” He made one final survey of the Dusklands, doing his best to memorize the entrancing play of overlapping patterns. “Thank you for opening my eyes. I hope that I—”

“Do you want to see more?” Malorg blurted.

Sarilian paused, raising a brow as his pulse quickened. “What, uh, what do you mean?”

Malorg shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “If you return, I can show you more of the Dusklands…if you want.”

Excitement buzzed through Sarilian at the thought of exploring more of this strange realm…and the equally strange Infernal that had drawn him here.“Yes!”He cleared his throat, grateful his bronzed Celestial skin couldn’t blush. “I mean, that sounds lovely. I have to finish my current patrol, and then I have a scheduled gate incursion, but I could meet you here in two days?”

Malorg shrugged again, though Sarilian didn’t miss the subtle curl of his lips along the edges.

Sarilian returned the smile uncertainly. “All right, then. Until we…” He trailed off as Malorg dispersed into a bundle of shadows that flitted across the ground, almost too swift for his gaze to track. In the blink of an eye, the Infernal was gone, vanishing deeper into the forest. “…meet again,” he finished, shaking his head.

He turned toward the border. As he crossed into the Dawnlands, however, all he could think of was Malorg’s reluctant smile and the icy press of his palm. Sarilian might be an Immortal, but two days suddenly seemed like an eternity.

five

Malorg

Malorg scowled as hepaced beneath the darkened boughs where he’d left Sarilian two days prior. His sanity had to be fraying—that was the only explanation for this rampant idiocy.

Bad enough he’d dedicated all those weeks to scouring this region of the Dusklands. He’d told himself it was because voidspawn would be more prevalent along the border. In reality, however, he’d been keeping an eye out for a particularly annoying Celestial who’d lodged himself in Malorg’s mind like a splinter he couldn’t pry loose.

Months had passed since he’d rescued Sarilian from that pack of voidspawn. There’d been no guarantee the Celestial would even remember him, let alone come searching.

And yet, all of a sudden there Sarilian had been, his dawnflame dimmed in the shadows of the Dusklands but the essence of his soul no less bright for it. Sarilian had proved precisely as intriguing—and infuriating—as Malorg remembered. Perhapsthat’s why Malorg had been foolish enough to invite him on a Dark-cursed tour of the Dusklands.

The entire situation was laughable. Malorg had spentcenturiescontemplating the futile nature of their existence. He’d gone over the Covenant from every angle, and no matter how he examined it, he saw no solution. Celestials and Infernals would suffer to protect undeserving mortals from the Void until one day, their efforts weren’t enough, and everything vanished anyway. Why not skip the middle part and move straight to the inevitable conclusion?

Perhaps together, we’ll find a way to do the impossible.

Somehow, Sarilian had brought Malorg’s carefully cultivated indifference crashing down with that one sentence and a smile. And for what? For a hope not grounded in any observable facts or reality? Sarilian could preach all he wanted about finding another method to combat the Void—that didn’t mean that one existed. The Celestial was still young. He hadn’t witnessed the harsh truth as Malorg had. Give him a few centuries of ceaseless combat, and he’d learn soon enough.

Of course, Sarilian’s overzealous optimism hadn’t been the only thing that appealed to Malorg. There’d been something altogether more visceral as well—a connection he couldn’t explain.

Together. Malorg clenched and unclenched his fist, a dagger winking in and out of existence. Sarilian had said they would search for a solutiontogether. As though they were a team rather than two Immortals from opposing factions who barely knew one another.

He’s not going to show up.

Malorg shoved the thought aside even as a tiny part of him wanted it to be true. If Sarilian ghosted him, he’d be able to put this ridiculousness behind him and move on—return to hisunending quest to find a fight hewouldn’twalk away from.Just like Uryqh.

Leaves rustled behind him, and Malorg spun to find Sarilian stumbling half-blind through the forest. “Merciful Light, is that you, Malorg? I swear, it’s even darker now than it was before.”

Relief eased muscles Malorg hadn’t realized he’d tensed. “You’re here.”

Sarilian cocked his head. “Of course, I am. I said I would be.”

Malorg snorted as he approached. “What a quintessentially Celestial reply.”

Sarilian raised one arm, then the other, making a show of examining them even though they must have been barely visible to him in the darkness. “Yep. That checks out.”

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