Page 31 of The Immortal Covenant

First, his rotation on the frontline ran over when the voidspawn emerging from a gate chose to scatter rather than engage the Celestial forces directly. That happened sometimes, though no one knew why. As with most things related to the Void, there might notbea purpose beyond sowing chaos. Regardless, it meant extra shifts hunting them down until their numbers had been culled enough to safely leave the remainder to scouts.

Then, mere hours after returning to Daybreak, Darius requisitioned his aid with some of their latest recruits. Though the Aspect passed it off as mentoring, Sarilian suspected their earlier run-in at the waypoint might have something to do withit. Perhaps Darius figured such duties would remind Sarilian of his own purpose here in the Dawnlands. Or maybe he simply wished to ensure Sarilian was too busy for other pursuits.

Either way, the end result left him several days late escaping to his usual meeting spot with Malorg. He wasn’t certain what he expected to find when he got there—a message, perhaps, or else a way to leave one of his own to apologize.

Instead, he found Malorg himself hunched beneath the dark trees. Even in the dimness, the Infernal looked like he hadn’t had a moment’s rest since they’d last parted. His eyes were wild, his conjured clothes misshapen and frayed. When he saw Sarilian, he lunged at him, clinging to him like a drowning man and clutching him close.

“Thank the Dark, you’re alive! Are you hurt? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Sarilian said. He squirmed in Malorg’s iron grip until the Infernal let him go with a sheepish expression. “Just tired. My field assignment ran late, and then Darius wanted my help around Daybreak.”

Malorg hastily applied the usual darkvision and disguise enchantments, and Sarilian made a show of studying Malorg, arching an eyebrow. “Not as tired asyoulook, though. When did you last return to Twilight to rest?”

“Not since we were supposed to meet. I waited for you, hoping you were running late. And when days passed and you didn’t show up, I…”

Malorg swallowed, his throat working. Sarilian pressed a hand to the Infernal’s cheek. “It’s okay.I’mokay. Like I said, I was busy. This was the soonest I could sneak away. I’m sorry if I made you worry.”

A scowl pursed Malorg’s lips as he stepped back in a momentary blur of shadows. Sarilian immediately missed his cool touch. “Made meworry?I wasn’t just worried—I wasterrified!”

Merciful Light, Sarilian had expected to owe Malorg an apology for missing their past meet-up, but he hadn’t anticipated such a visceral reaction. He tried to keep his tone light as he slowly twirled, holding out his arms. “Well, there’s no need. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Thistime.” The Infernal’s muscles tensed. “But what about the next? Or the next? Every battle you wage is another chance a voidspawn eviscerates you!”

Remembering how that flying void lord had ripped Hilana apart during his first combat months ago, Sarilian suppressed a shiver. “I know the risks. But we’ve been over this, Mal—that is the price we all must pay to uphold our duty to Allaria.”

“Dark take our duty!” Malorg stepped in close, crowding Sarilian until he found himself pressed against a gnarled tree. Its gray bark bristled beneath his fingers.“Dutyis the lie mortals and Immortals alike tell themselves to justify meaningless deaths fought for a meaningless cause! The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”

Anger seared through Sarilian, and he shoved Malorg’s chest. The blow didn’t do any real harm to the Infernal, of course, but it still sent him stumbling a surprised step back, which gave Sarilian space to step away from the tree.

“Just becauseyou’vegiven up doesn’t mean thatIhave!” Sarilian shook his head, frustration stiffening his shoulders. “I’m not an idiot. I heard what Pelorak said in your apartment. I know you blame yourself for whatever happened to end your talks with the Celestials, and I can understand why you’ve lost your will to fight. But how can you care so little about the Covenant—about everyone and everything else?”

“Because the Covenant took everything from me!”Malorg’s wretched scream reverberated through the trees, lodging itself in Sarilian’s soul. He watched in shocked silence as a single tearslid down Malorg’s cheek—the first he’d ever seen the Infernal shed.

Swiping angrily at his cheek, Malorg bowed his head and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. When he spoke, his voice sounded as jagged as shards of glass.

“His name was Uryqh. He arrived in the Immortal Realm about the same time Pelorak and I did. The three of us were friends. We trained together, fought together—at least, until Pelorak’s schemes took him off the battlefield and into Twilight’s back halls. Like you, we swore to make a difference. To do our duty and defeat the Void. Pelorak and I both had our eyes on Dusk Council seats, but Uryqh preferred to live in the moment—to find joy even where no one else would have. With Pelorak occupied, the two of us became…close.”

Malorg gave a shuddering breath. Though faint jealousy flickered through Sarilian at the thought of the Infernal with someone else, he easily muffled it beneath his overwhelming sympathy. He longed to comfort Malorg but remained rooted to the spot, worried any interruption might bring Malorg’s tale to a premature end. Eventually, Malorg continued.

“As you know, I grew weary of our eternal stalemate against the Void. With Pelorak’s connections as the newly appointed Aspect of Ambition, I convinced the Infernals to appeal to your people. The Celestials agreed. When it became clear the discussions were going nowhere, I proposed a joint exercise, both sides uniting to fend off an unusually large void gate about to open in the Dawnlands. I thought it would be the perfect demonstration of the potential benefits of cooperation. Uryqh accompanied me.”

After the profound reaction Pelorak’s casual mention of theBlistering Fieldshad elicited in Malorg,Sarilian could guess what happened next. He felt poised on the edge of a cliff, about to fall. Unable to hold back any longer, he stepped forward andgrasped Malorg’s hand. To his relief, Malorg didn’t pull away. His fingers squeezed Sarilian’s in a vice-like grip.

“The battle began well enough. The Celestials held the line while the Infernals targeted the stronger voidspawn or any that attempted to slip past. Then, the void god arrived.” Malorg’s fingers trailed to the scar bisecting the left half of his face. “Everything devolved into chaos after that. Panic gripped both sides. Even weakened duskflame daggers proved deadly to a wounded Celestial low on dawnflame, and Celestial fireballs burned voidspawn and Infernals alike in haphazard conflagrations. Uryqh and I were dueling the void god when fire meant for it engulfed us. I was spared the worst of the blast and managed to slay the void god, but Uryqh…”

Sarilian didn’t know what to say. Whatcouldhe say when faced with the lost look in Malorg’s wide, haunted eyes? He pulled Malorg close and held him, running fingers lightly down his back. Malorg’s body shook in Sarilian’s arms as he silently wept.

“I used to yearn for oblivion,” Malorg murmured. His voice came out rough, still choked by sorrow. Sarilian shuddered, surprised by the soft brush of Malorg’s lips up his neck and along the edge of his jaw. “Until I met you, and you reminded me what it was like to live. If I have to watch you share Uryqh’s fate, I’m not certain how much of me would be left.”

“You won’t.” Sarilian gripped the back of Malorg’s neck and raised his head so he could press a tender kiss to those tantalizing lips. “I promise.”

They both knew it was an oath Sarilian couldn’t possibly keep. Until the Covenant ended, they would always be at risk. Sarilian couldn’t guarantee his own safety any more than he could guarantee Malorg’s, and vice versa.

Nevertheless, Malorg didn’t call him on his lie, tugging him into another desperate embrace. Then, he stepped back andoffered a hand. Sarilian took it, enjoying the swooping sensation as they melted into shadows that flitted across the forest floor. He’d spent enough time in the Dusklands by now that he’d begun to feel almost comfortable there. In some ways, it was more a home to him than the Dawnlands. Here, he had Malorg.

Sarilian expected Malorg to duskwalk them to his apartment as he usually did. Instead, he deposited them in a narrow alley. Blinking as he looked around, it took Sarilian a moment to place where they were. When he did, he furrowed his brow, a tight knot of anxiety forming in his gut.

“Why did you bring us here?”

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