Page 32 of Crown of Wrath

I’ve heard the story told so many times, but I’d never heard it told just like that. I’d never felt so in it. I knew how it ended, but now… Now I wonder if that’s the actual end. Bog recognizes the lack of an ending sooner than I do. “But why, Sandor? Why did Lysara kill Eldrin? Now she doesn’t have Seren or Eldrin.”

And Da grins at Bog. “Are you so sure? She became the Goddess of Death. Where does the Goddess of Death rule?” He pauses for a moment as understanding rolls through us all. He nods and confirms what we’d realized. “Exactly. She rules over the Realm of Death. It’s where Seren lives. Eldrin, on the other hand, is a god and never had a soul, so he disappeared into the void forever. To this day, Lysara is the Queen of the Dead, and at her side is the soul of Seren Talys, her consort. Yet, her soul still mourns Eldrin. It was tied to him, and she will forever feel a loss at her husband’s death even if she hates him. Once you’ve bound yourself, there is no way out of the loss.”

A happy ending? A sad ending? It’s hard to tell. Maybe that’s the truth of all stories based on fact. There is no such thing as a story with a truly happy ending. There are always costs and losses. The best you can hope for is as much happiness and as little sadness as possible.

I smile at my Da as he walks toward me, and I try to remember that. At least I have these moments. I get to see my Da’s face again. I get to have Cole and the villagers of Aerwyn. I get to breathe the beautiful forest air and be enraptured by a wonderful story.

Because one day, not too far in the future, I may not be able to say the same.

Chapter 16

Maeve is growing up human. Her father will show her love. She will see it on the faces of Blackgrove. I need you to show her strength. I need you to be the one who shows her what it means to be Immortal. I’m sorry.

~Brenna Morvyn, letters to Vesta

Maeve

I dangle my feet in the river and grin at Cole, who’s sitting next to me with a fishing pole in his hands. Today is another simple day. No training. No fighting. No thinking about the end of the world or his father or what’s going to happen when Darian and Lee get information out of Casimir. We’re just doing some lazy fishing on a cold autumn afternoon while Da whittles a little box out of a fallen branch.

The water is frigid, but Cole’s always warm, and I run my leg along his. He gives me a grin, and things feel so right. “It’s almost like these past four months haven’t happened,” he says as he pushes his shoulder against mine.

“Not true. When we were here last, you were an ass, and I was barely more than human.”

He laughs, shaking his head and looking down at the ripples in the water, distorting his reflection. “That’s fair. I was an ass, but there were reasons. I guess you understand that now.”

I do. Beneath the laughter, pain lingers—unhealed and raw. It clings to both of us, shaping the unspoken distance between who we are now and who we once were. The red crystal is slowly climbing the obsidian tower of his mind, but it’s far from complete. Cole still hesitates to let me see him fully, to see the vulnerability I know hides behind the mask. He is healing, though. We both are.

It’s a slow process, but it’s worth it.He’sworth it. It’s just going to take some time. It’s too bad that time is something we have very little of. I’ve already spent too many days doing nothing, and I know Gethin isn’t just standing around.

I’m enjoying my time with my Da and Cole being lazy, but truthfully, I don’t know what else there is to do. We need to understand what Gethin’s long-term plans are before we can make our own. Right now, we need to focus on being defensive. Just like when we were fighting the Nothing, a single mistake means we die. Not someone else. Not a handful of our thousands of soldiers. No, if we make a mistake, our entire resistance dies with us.

The thought is more than a little terrifying, and I’m glad that Cole is with me. I couldn’t do this on my own. How’d he spend almost thirty years playing the part of the Shade with no one to lean on?

“What do you think?” Da asks before blowing the shaved wood off his creation. It’s a tiny box made of raw pine. Not big enough to hold anything more than a piece of jewelry, it doesn’t seem very useful. Yet, he’s smiling as he looks down at it. I don’t understand until I see it.

A tiny star that’s been carved inside it at the bottom.

“A little star hidden in the dark,” he says with a sly smile and hands it to me. Nothing else. That’s all he says before he walks away, back toward the trees. He hums that same song of power as he walks with his hands in his pockets. I glance at Cole again, but he shrugs.

We’ve both tried to figure out where we’ve heard that song before, but neither of us can remember. All Da can tell us about it is, “I don’t know. It’s just always stuck in my head.” Cole and I can’t even seem to remember the tune until we hear it. It’s infuriating.

Duncan the gnome runs up to Da, clutching a wide, flat piece of broken bough. “This would make a good bowl,” he says hurriedly, his voice brimming with excitement. He bounces on his heels as he speaks, clearly delighted to receive what feels like special attention from Da. They’re both whittlers, but Duncan’s skill far surpasses my father’s.

I glance down at the box in my hands. It’s rough. The edges are uneven and carved with the clumsy strokes of someone who’s never truly mastered the craft. The walls are warped and uneven, and the lid barely fits, no matter how hard I wedge it on. Even then, it wobbles precariously. Yet, it’s the first thing anyone has made for me since Hazel’s painting all those years ago.

My heart swells at the thought. My Da made me a little box. I have no idea what I’d put inside it, but I’m sure that there’s something that will need a home.

Then Cole’s hand flashes out and grips my wrist tightly, interrupting thoughts and emotions I hadn’t believed possibleuntil a few days ago. “Darian’s calling for us,” he says with pressing concern in his voice. “We need to go.”

My heart’s racing immediately, but a bit of fear wrestles its way inside me as I look at my Da. “We have to leave,” I say loudly enough that Da and Duncan look up from the pine bough. “Cole and I have to go to Stormhaven immediately. We’ll be back as soon as we can, but it could be a few days.” I hand Da the little box and say, “Please keep it safe in the cottage for me.”

Da frowns and stands up from his seat. “You’ll be safe?” he asks as he takes the box back.

I nod to him. “I don’t know what we’ll be doing, but we’ll be as safe as possible.”

He takes a deep breath and clutches my hand. He slowly nods his head, and a tear looks like it’s going to well up in his eyes, but then it’s gone. “You’re a grown woman, and you’re your mother’s daughter. I know you can protect yourself even if I remember you as a little girl, but, Maeve…” He pauses for a moment before saying, “Be careful. I know you’re stronger than I’ll ever be, but you’re still young. You’re dealing with people thousands of years old, and you’re still my Little Star. Be careful. There are some truly terrible people out there. I love you.”

Somehow, it feels like this is goodbye for more than a day or two. “I love you too, Da,” I say, and give him a hug. “We’ll be safe. You be safe, too. Don’t let Bog convince you to do anything too silly. I know from experience that he’ll try.”

---