Page 102 of Magic Forsaken

That hit me where it hurt, because he was right. Just one innocent life was enough. Enough to risk everything.

“I don’t want to have to hurt anyone,” he continued soberly. “And I will do everything in my power not to. But make no mistake, I will act if you do not. And I feel far less sympathy for the wealthy and influential who are gathered tonight, eating and drinking and flaunting their power while they murmur self-righteous platitudes about helping the powerless.”

I flinched. Was that what was happening? Had I been blinded to the real purpose of the Symposium because I wanted to be? Because Callum was attractive and his money even more so?

“There’s not enough time.” I muttered the words through frozen lips. The signing was scheduled for ten the next morning. That left barely more than fourteen hours to come up with a plan to prevent it. And to do so without hurting anyone I cared about.Because no matter what I might think of their laws, I didn’t want any of them to die. Not even Talia.

“What if I can’t do this? What if there’s no way to stop it?”

“We will find a way,” Blake said flatly. “I would prefer to do it without violence or injury, but Iwillprotect the people under my care.” His tone softened. “And that could be you as well, Raine. We would welcome you, no matter what happens. We are a family now—you, and I, and everyone else who escaped. The only ones who can understand each other. Who can sympathize with what we’ve been through, and what we were forced to do to survive.”

It should have come as an enormous relief—to know that there was an entire community out there of people like us. People who would understand our story. People who could support each other and help one another to heal from past trauma.

But oddly, I was even more relieved that Blake didn’t seem to know about Kes, Logan, and Ari, because… something still didn’t feel right. Something was nagging me, like a single discordant note in a song that was meant to be happy. It remained just out of reach, tantalizing me with the promise that I could figure out the puzzle if I only had this one piece…

But Blake was waiting, and I didn’t think he would take a flat no for an answer.

“I’ll think about it,” I told him, and managed not to wince at the disappointment that flashed across his face.

Even if I didn’t love his methods, I could understand his frustration. We wanted the same things, and a part of me longed for exactly what he was offering. And yet, I wasn’t sure I could bear the price he was asking me to pay.

Over the last two weeks, I’d found a family of sorts. People who I believed genuinely cared about us. Kira treated me like a friend. Faris was helping Logan with his magic. Angelicahandled Ari with firm kindness instead of shock at her strange ability. And Callum… he’d promised to protect us. Had proven he was so much more than his reputation.

Did I side with them and hope that these tentative friendships would protect us when the truth came to light?

Or did I side with the ones who’d suffered alongside me? Victims of the most heinous injustices, who had no one else to stand up for them?

No matter what choice I made, I was going to have to hurt someone, and despite the tremendous weight I’d carried for so long, this one felt like it might just crush me.

“Don’t think too long, Raine.” Blake’s tone was a warning. “We don’t have the luxury of waffling or self-pity. This is too important. And if you do not take action… know that I will. And you’ve seen what kind of power my people are capable of.”

Indeed, I had, and for a moment, I felt that statement as a threat. “They tried to kill me,” I retorted, feeling a little startled as it occurred to me that all of those attacks must have come from people like me. Had Elayara truly been that successful in her efforts? In all the years I was in that facility, I’d met only four others. One was dead, and two of them were waiting for me back at the hostel.

“On the contrary,” Blake corrected. “They did everything in their power to keep everyone alive. They were only hoping to scare the dragon into abandoning his plan. We just never counted on you being there with him.”

They hadn’t counted on me saving Callum from the fae magic, or on me being in the car when he was trapped. So when Callum proved too stubborn and too difficult to scare, they’d tried to frighten the other delegates. And when they failed there too, they’d turned to me—the wild card. With a power no one truly understood and access to the highest levels of security.

And they’d cornered me—forcing me to make a decision that was going to tear me apart. No matter what I chose, this chapter of my life was going to end with a betrayal.

Did I betray the people who’d given me a home and a job—given mehopefor the first time in years—but who I had no choice but to lie to for the rest of my life?

Or did I betray the people who had suffered alongside me, who understood everything I’d been through and who fought the same fight for freedom? People who would be rejected by humans and Idrians alike if they knew of our existence.

Whatever I chose would have consequences for so many, not least among them Logan, Ari, and Kes. I owed it to them to ask their opinion before I acted. Before I set our future on a path with no way out.

“I will make a decision,” I said firmly, “but I need time. If you truly want my help, give me tonight. I’ll have an answer in the morning.”

Blake’s expression softened a little, but remained resolute. “You understand the stakes now,” he said. “I’m confident you will come to the right decision for everyone.”

For everyone…

There was no right decision for everyone. If I refused to betray Callum, Blake and his people would take matters into their own hands, and with their own freedom on the line, they would not be holding back. People would be hurt.

And if I did as Blake asked? If I acted on behalf of Elayara’s victims? I would be plunging a knife into the backs of the only people who had ever tried to help me.

“And Raine…”

I looked up.

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