Page 111 of Goddess of Light

I look at the Magician. “And it won’t hurt you?”

He shakes his head. “This is my evolution. I am progressing to the next level.”

And that’s when I think of Lovia. Fuck, it’s going to hurt the hell out of her, isn’t it? From the downward tilt of a shooting star on his face, I know he’s thinking that too.

“None of us start out perfect,” the Magician says. “We are all learning to become the things we need to become. This is our evolution, Hanna. This is the progression of the realm, of theafterlife. Sacrifice is often necessary when the change is for the best.”

“Are you ready to become something again for the greater good?” my mother asks me.

I take in a deep breath and square my shoulders. “Absolutely.” I pause. “Wait. What am I becoming?”

“You, Hanna,” she says with a gentle smile. “You are becoming you.”

CHAPTER 41

DEATH

The gardensof Shadow’s End are a place of shattered grandeur—cracked stone paths winding between overgrown hedges and thorny roses as black as coal. The castle looms behind us, its spires like claws against the murky sky, while the dead earth beneath my boots hums faintly, as if holding its breath. I feel it waiting—something ancient and powerful, gathering just beyond the veil.

Hanna stands near the dry fountain at the center of it all, brow furrowed, looking beautifully deep in thought. The glow of her power is dim, flickering like the last light of a dying star. She’s about to give everything she has left to “Uno Reverse” Oblivion, and bring back the lost. To some the cost would be too high. She will no longer be the powerful Goddess of the Sun—she is sacrificing that part of herself, and for what?

For us.

For love.

For her humanity.

Still, she remains the Queen of Tuonela, and the Goddess of the Dead, and if you ask me that’s pretty badass.

The Magician stands opposite her, cloaked in starlight, calm and unreadable as always. The air crackles faintly around him, a sense of inevitability hanging heavy. He has told us what must be done, that he will take Oblivion’s place, that he alone can judge who returns and who remains behind. Without him, none of this works.

I don’t want him to make this sacrifice. He essentially will cease to be as we know him. But I know it is the only way.

“You don’t have to do this,” I say quietly, though the words feel hollow even as they leave my mouth.

The Magician turns his head slightly, the galaxies in his eyes swirling as he meets my gaze. “I do,” he replies simply, his voice calm. “You know I do. I know I do. The tapestry doesn’t lie, and this isn’t the end.”

He steps toward Lovia, who stands at the edge of the group, arms tightly crossed as though holding herself together by sheer will. Her face is a mask of pain, anger, disbelief at the idea of losing him.

“This just isn’t fair,” Lovia says suddenly, her voice cracking. “Why does it have to be this way?”

“Don’t you want your brother back? Rasmus? Tapio?” he asks calmly.

“Yes but…so let Hanna do her thing and bring them back and we’ll figure out what to do with Louhi and?—”

“That’s not an option, Lovia,” I say, raising my hand and cutting her off. “Defeating them took everything out of us. We can’t go through that again, especially since there will be no real defeat. We’ll never be rid of them.”

She sighs, broken. She’ll have to come to terms with it. If this works, if we can get everyone back, then it’s worth everything, including the Magician. Besides, he is the one making this choice. It’s his and his alone.

“You knew, didn’t you?” she says, shaking her head at him. “All along. Every damn thing you said, every riddle—this is what you were preparing for.” She takes a step closer toward him, fists clenched. “And you didn’ttellme.”

The Magician’s stars dim. “Would it have changed anything?”

She falters, her jaw working as tears spill down her face. “Yes. No—I don’t know. You—” Her voice breaks, and she turns away.

The Magician reaches out, hesitant, as if he wants to touch her but doesn’t dare. “It’s because of you, Loviatar, that I can do this,” he says gently. “You gave me a heart.”

Her shoulders shake, but she doesn’t respond.

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