Page 103 of A Petal in the Crown

A sudden gust of wind blew, whipping Lea's hair around her face, and a memory danced through her mind—her mother, Adelaide, speaking as she hung a wreath of moonflowers above her bed.Wait until they’re ready, Wildflower. Picked by the right person with the right intentions, at the right time, the flowers from these seeds can stop death himself.

Lea sucked in a sharp breath, Thomas's voice replacing her mother's as the image in her mind shifted to the locket in the hilt of her sword.I want you to place a moonflower there, when you learn how to harvest it. Because I know you’re going to do it one day, Lea. You’re going to cure the Lonely Death and find a way to stop your husband-to-be's father from destroying our kingdom.

Blood racing, she let go of the sword with one hand, using the other to keep the blade inside Alaric’s chest. Her fingers tingled as she pulled a moonflower from her pocket and popped open the locket. Alaric threw his head back, laughing. Howling and cackling as he gripped the sword harder, fighting against her. Blood pooled around his teeth, his eyes and veins still black.

"Iam death," Lea growled, shutting the moonflower inside the locket and snapping it closed. The sword glowed white, but remained cold in Lea’s hand, and Alaric's eyes went wide, his laughter replaced by a sudden gasp for air.

The black of his veins spread, thickening and branching out until his entire body was as dark as the night sky, and bit by bit, he began to crumble, his body turning to ash just as she had seen the moonflower petals do hundreds of times before.

With a flash of silver-blue light and a gust of wind, Alaric was gone, nothing remaining but black, dead earth, and her sword plunged into the bloody ground where his wicked heart had last beat. The fire blinked out with the flash of light. The rain stopped, and the sounds of battle in the distance faded away into nothing but a soft breeze.

Lea scrambled over to Eudora, her hands hovering over her body as she tried to heal her. She reached out to Lea, blood bubbling from her mouth as she pressed a scroll into her hand.

"Tell him”—gasp—“it was the only way." Eudora coughed, more blood spattering on Lea's face, but she didn't even blink.

"You knew. The whole time, this was your plan?" Lea asked, tears pricking the back of her eyes.

Eudora nodded. "To speak it aloud... is to change the fates. Tell him—" Blood gurgled again from her mouth, her breathing pausing for several seconds before she managed to take another short, raspy inhale.

"I'll tell him, I promise," Lea said, squeezing Eudora’s hands and pressing them to her lips.

A howl sounded in the distance, then more, coming closer and closer as the fenrir sang out a melody of grief and sorrow. Lea turned toward the sound to see Gray only feet away, his mouth open and his chest heaving, covered in blood from head to toe. His sword was gripped in his shaking hands, and behind knelt Evangeline, a hand pressed to her heart and tears streaming from her scarred eyes.

An old, gray Fenrir raced past them, lowering its head to nuzzle Eudora's cheek.

"Hello, old friend," Eudora said to the beast, her eyes growing heavy. "Thank you," she whispered, a small smile gracing her lips before her breath stilled completely and her eyes went dark.

The fenrir howled at the eclipse, and suddenly Gray was at Lea's side, his shadows caressing every inch of her body, his hands cupping her cheeks as he forced her gaze away from Eudora's body and to his eyes.

"You did it," he whispered, his voice gruff and thick with emotion. He crushed his lips to hers, and the dam holding back her own pain broke. A sob wrenched from her throat as she kissed him back, collapsing into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"Shhhhh," he soothed. "We're okay, Little Flower. Everything’s okay."

"Because of her..." Lea finally tore her gaze from Gray, lifting a hand and closing Eudora's eyes forever, breathing a silent prayer to the gods.

Maythe gods hold her in the light of day and serenity of night. May the magic of the wind carry her, the kiss of rain cleanse her, and the promise of eternity soothe her weary soul, until beyond the veil we follow.

Chapter 69

Emma

Emma had promised herself that she would never kill. She hadn’t thought herself capable of it, but it turned out she was wrong. She fought with Thomas at her side for what felt like hours, soldier after soldier falling to their invisible attacks. She realized about halfway through their fighting that she wasn’t seeing the spirits of the soldiers they were killing. Wasn’t seeing any spirits at all. Except, of course, for Thomas. But there was no time to think about why that was. Only enough time to hope, for just a moment,that maybe it meant there was a way to save him.

They didn’t speak as they fought, their breaths heavy and their limbs tired. Emma avoided looking at where her body lay, Thomas still on top of her, protecting her with his body even in death. That image would be burned into her mind for the rest of her life.

A bright flash of light lit up the sky, and suddenly, Emma’s vision went black.

Emma awoke to a bright light and a crushing pressure across her rib cage, the weight of Thomas's death as heavy on her body as it was on her soul. She knew before even opening her eyes that he was really gone. She couldn’t sense his emotions. Couldn’t feel even a speck of life within him.

As gently as she could, she rolled out from beneath him, flipping him over and cradling his face.

"Come back. Please," she whispered, grabbing a petal and pushing it between his lips. Emma knew it was futile. But it didn’t matter. She had to try.

Holding her breath, she waited. Ten seconds. Twenty. But he didn’t stir. He was gone.

Gone. Emma’s heart beat harder as she twisted around, jumping to her feet to search for his spirit. She should be able to see him, shouldn’t she? She could see the dead. Thomas could stay here. Remain on Earth. So where was he?

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