Page 102 of To No End

I had learned by now not to question him, and the second I bit into it, Saryn pulled out a blade and ran it across my hand. I yanked my hand back in anger, clutching it to my chest.

“What was that for?” I exclaimed.

“Place your hand on that door handle, the bloody one.”

He did not explain further. I lifted my hand to the doorknob, feeling my blood coat it as I gave it a good twist. The door swung open soundlessly.

Saryn shook his head in disbelief. “Figures.”

He stepped into the small chamber, ushering me to follow him.

“What is this?” I questioned, looking around at the dark, tiny room consisting of a small study desk, a chair, and shelves ofbooks and tomes that looked like they hadn’t ever seen the light of day. They were covered in cobwebs and dust; I wasn’t entirely sure of the last time anyone had stepped foot in here, given the state of the room.

“This is a room with a door that only you can open, thanks to the blood bond you just made with it. Even though you can grant me entry, that does not make the items within accessible to me.”

He demonstrated by reaching out to grab a book from the shelf only to wince and quickly release it, as if the book had burned him.

After seeing that, I was not the least bit inclined to try it myself.

“Grab one of them,” Saryn directed me impatiently.

I reached my hand out tentatively, ready to pull my hand away the instant I encountered any pain, but as my fingers grazed the dusty books, I felt nothing. I slid one from the shelf and set it down on the small writing desk.

“Cress, only you can open that door, and only you can open these books. Think of it as a double layer of security. However, if you tried to leave the room with them, I’m almost certain you would not be able to.”

Confused and missing his implication, I questioned, “Why would I be the only one that can access these?”

Saryn sighed.

“There was one of you in our Order before. She’s gone now. But I would see her coming and going from this room nightly, a room none of us could access but her. Likely an enchantment created by someone long ago. Perhaps during the earliest days of Basdie. We hope that in every Offering there will be at least one of you, but that in itself comes with its own risks and dangers. It often skips a few generations, and for many bloodlines, it has died out completely. If I’m being honest, I would not have pegged you as one of them.”

Enough of this monologue. “As one ofwhat?” I asked with annoyance.

“As a Dark Wielder.”

Saryn’s response was monotone and matter-of-fact. The words sent shivers down my spine.

“What is a Dark Wielder?” I questioned, nerves clinging to the words.

“They are Fae who can control dark abilities. It goes beyond simple magic like illusions and manipulations. Dark Wielders don’t even need weapons—they are one.”

“No, no…I’m not anything like that,” I argued.

“Varro told the team what happened. You did that, albeit unknowingly, but it was you who produced enough energy and power to create a blast radius that took out numerous enemies all at once.”

My mind raced, thinking about how Varro had described it last night, and the vivid memories that had rushed back. But I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to be a Dark Wielder. It sounded scary and awful, and I just wanted to be as good as my team.

“What if I don’t want this? I’ll find a way to control it and won’t let it ever happen again,” I said, begging Saryn to give me a reprieve from any obligation to explore this further.

We could just pretend he never showed me the room, never told me anything at all.

“You don’t have a choice, Cress. You just became our strongest asset. Which means you’re our biggest advantage. Well, I should say ‘will become,’ because right now you don’t even know what you’re capable of. But youwillfind out.”

“I don’t want to be different. I want to train with the group.”

The sound of my pleas shocked me. All of this time, I’d only ever wanted to be special and excel, find a way to keep up with my peers. And here I was, finally being told I was unique, rare, one in a few generations, and I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

“I am not a Dark Wielder, but I will do my best to help guide you and train you. But only you can put in the work here in this room, where generations of Dark Wielders from the Order documented everything they could about their abilities.”

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