Page 201 of Ash and Feather

But he wasn’t done.

The feral glimmer in his eyes returned, and he threw himself at me so quickly, I didn’t have time to consider a counterattack.

I flung myself backward, trying to get out of his reach only to realize I had nowhere to go; the edge of the plateau was somehow right behind me, and this side was much steeper than the one I’d climbed up.

He took aim at my legs, preparing to cut my balance further away from me—

An arrow of pure flame struck his face first, knocking him backward and setting the collar of his shirt and part of his hair alight. He hit the ground and rolled to put the fire out.

I hadn’t summoned that fire.

Dravyn landed a moment later, positioning himself between me and Andrel.

I reached for the ring he’d given me. My world again seemed to slow, the battles all around me growing silent, distant.

The idea that had struck me earlier grew bolder.

But all I saw for a moment was Dravyn.

The god who had carried me from my old life months ago, into one I never could have imagined. The god who had protected me. Challenged me. Chose me.

Fought for me until the very end.

I wished I had more time to tell him how much I loved him. How much I hoped what I was about to do would somehow heal him, too. How he was so convinced he couldn’t be redeemed after the mistakes he’d made, yet he had saved me in more ways than I could possibly explain. He’d given me fire, and wings, andreminded me that I had strength enough to save myself—and to save others.

I had strength enough to do what I needed to do now.

But there was no time to tell him all of these things.

No time to do anything except put more space between myself and Andrel, racing to the other end of the high platform I’d chosen, putting myself in position, all while thinking words I hoped would reach Dravyn—

Trust me.

I felt his eyes on me.

He’d paused his pursuit of Andrel long enough to fix a stare in my direction. His expression was torn, his response frantic in my mind,What are you doing?

I turned away from him.

What came next would be easier if I didn’t have to see his face while I did it.

As I balanced Antaeum in my hands, the God of the Shade’s instructions overtook my thoughts once more. One sentence in particular kept playing over and over in my mind.

…I became certain you were the balance point our world needed.

Me.

Of course it was me—I was the key to waking up the power sleeping within this dagger, just as he said. But some parts of me had to finish dying off to allow for new growth. And this blade held the key to that death.

I exhaled slowly.

My final trial was over.

I knew the answer.

So I lifted the dagger high, gripping it with both hands—

And I plunged it into my heart.

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