Page 57 of Crown of Wrath

I’ve known how it happened. The Nothing took him, just as it's taken so many others from me. I know the where and the when, but I’ve never seen it. Not like this.

I steel myself, swallowing the rising dread. There’s no way to stop what’s coming—I can’t change it—but I can watch. I force myself to endure it.

The stillness outside the cottage is suffocating. In the memory, I glance at Cole, the same sharp fear flashing in his eyes as in mine. Then, in an instant, I’m rushing through the door. The Nothing is everywhere.

Mist roils around the edges of the forest, creeping like some malevolent tide. My pulse hammers in my ears as I see myself standing there, frozen. There’s so much terror in my eyes—because even then, I knew. Deep down, I knew what I was about to find.

The Nothing is merciless. Ruthless. It doesn’t hesitate. It doesn’t falter. Everything I love, every piece of my life worth holding on to, has been consumed by it.

Yet now, standing here, something clicks in my mind. Through all the memories I’ve relived, I’ve noticed something strange. After all these years, no one else speaks about the Nothingsweeping through their villages. There are stories of Riverside, yes, but not much else. King Aric never asked for help to battle it.

But for me, it’s everywhere. It's personal. It’s always been personal.

Why?

The thought claws its way to the surface as I watch myself sprint toward my Da. Terror floods me as I see him standing on the edge of the mist, a serene smile softening his features.

He’s not looking at me or Cole. His gaze is fixed on something inside the mist, his eyes glowing with a quiet joy. It’s not the blank, mindless stare of someone who’s lost their mind. It’s deliberate.

He steps forward.

I want to scream at myself to stop him, to do something, but there's nothing to do. Then the realization hits-he’s not being pulled. He’s choosing to walk into the Nothing.

Why?

Then I hear it.

A low hum reverberates through the mist, faint and almost imperceptible. It’s rhythmic, steady. Familiar. I heard it that day when I tried to save the boy. The same hum surrounded me as I fought to reach him. But where else? Where else have I heard it?

My memory-self tries to find Da, tearing through the mist, raising pillars of stone in desperation. My Earth senses search for any sign of him, of anyone, but the Nothing swallows every effort.

And then it stops me.

There's a scream. It’s the last thing I hear before the memory pulls away, leaving me gasping in the void of my mind. The ache in my chest is unbearable, but it’s the questions that linger, clawing at me with relentless persistence.

Why did my Da walk willingly into the mist? What was that sound? And why does it feel like the Nothing is chasing me and Cole, targeting us and hunting the people I love?

There are no answers. Only the terrible hum echoing in my mind.

So many questions that surprisingly seem more important than the fact that I just watched my Da walk into the Nothing. Why did none of that occur to me when it first happened?

Because fear and pain and loss were all I could focus on.Because I’ve been so consumed by them that I haven’t been able to seeanythingclearly. I’ve missed so many things.

I’ve lost so many people. Shadows crawl across the ground, rising and becoming the people that I’ve cared about. Hundreds of them. Some of the people from Blackgrove. All the Immortals from Aerwyn. Hazel. Da.

Like spirts of the past, they watch me. Except there are other people appearing as well. Cole, Darian, and Lee come into view. Vesta. Nevan. Lorcan and Fiona. Mari. Not everyone I’ve known has been taken from me.

“What’s the difference? Why are some gone and others aren’t?” I whisper the words to no one as I think. Instead of resting to let my heart accept the pain, I sit down to think. There are connections here that I need to understand before I can leave this place. I can’t rush through this. I’ve rushed through everything since that fateful day when Cole forced me into the world of Immortals. Now I need to take my time and really understand what has happened.

No more surprises.

I take a deep breath and sit down on a stone to stare at the last few burned down trees. Before I do that, I remind myself of the most important thing: I will be home soon. It won’t be in Aerwyn, and it won’t be in Blackgrove. But it will be with Cole. He made a vow, and I believe him. For the briefest of moments,I forget about healing myself and just send a message to him through the bond.

Soon.

Interlude 3

CasimirCyruswasbarelyfour hundred years old when he claimed the Throne of Flames after his mother returned to the void.

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