Page 24 of Midnight Kingdom

“No,” she answers. “But, just ‘cause one succubus ain’t nice, don’t mean they all not.”

We fall quiet once more, focusing on bringing down Morrigan’s fever.

“Midnight Queen need her powers back.”

“None of us can leave until the others are healed,” I reply. It’s for the best. We need this break—we need to rest and to heal. And there’s no better place than in The Veil, because we’re safe here.

Noni teaches me a trick with my healing magic—how to channel it into one specific place so I don’t drain myself so easily. It helps, and it also reminds me that I haven’t seen Pyre for some time. When the Midnight Queen’s fever subsides, I head into the corridor and make my way down the stairs.

Pyre is nowhere to be found. The fire still crackles nearby, filling the small cottage with warmth and it brings back tendrils of my dream. I close my eyes and see the face of my mother again. She looks like me.

A hand touches my shoulder, startling me, and I turn around to face Pyre. The necromancer appears pained. His face is contorted into a tight frown, his skin ashen and a bead of sweat trickles down his temple.

“Why are you up at this hour?” he asks, his voice sounding rougher than usual. “You need your rest as much as the rest of them do, Eilish. Go back to sleep.”

I can’t. Not when I’ve seen his condition. “Pyre… what’s… wrong with you?”

He glances down at the floor as if it has an answer for him. “It took much of my Necromantic energy to shape theOluri,” he answers before taking a deep breath. TheOluriwas a glass sphere that acted as a portal, allowing us to exit Variant’s castle and return safely to The Veil.

“This… weakness is to be expected,” Pyre continues.

“Because theOluricaptured a piece of your soul?”

“Yes, exactly.”

I swallow hard as I look at him. He seems to be crumbling by the second. “Pyre…”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“Not pity. Concern,” I reply reassuringly. “What can I do? You risked your life to help us. Let me return the favor. No matter what it is... Please.”

He stares at me and for a moment, I forget he’s blind “Are you willing to trek through the dangers of The Veil?”

“If doing so saves you?” I ask before nodding. “Yes.”

“I must go to the Echoing Spire.”

“What is that?”

“It’s the place where The Veil’s magic pools. As the guardian of this world, I can tap into its power and restore my strength. But I can’t get there alone. I was hoping Baron would have been well enough—”

“I’ll go with you,” I interrupt as I start to worry my lower lip.

“What is it?”

I look up at him, craning my neck, because he’s so tall. “We have to leave without the others knowing. They would never allow me to go, and I don’t intend to argue with them.”

***

CAMBION

The Veil

I’m here in the darkness and yet I can’t find the entrance to my garden, the place I visit when the reality of my fate is too consuming. I can’t get there and so I can’t get toher, to Eilish. Not the real Eilish, of course, but the part of her I can’t deny. My life would be much easier if it were Aima or someone else. This world, however, has never been kind to me. What makes me think the planes of the fabricated world in my mind would be any different?

The sun is rising. I can sense it. Though my eyes aren’t open, I feel heat slithering through the darkness. The sun isn’t the same in The Veil as it is in the realms. Here—in a world trapped between life and death—the sun isn’t as bright, nor does the sunshine last more than a handful of hours. Day is fleeting and night reigns supreme. The spectrum of color that bleeds into the spirit world is vibrant and enchanting.

I blink and see Noni sitting on my chest. She looks nervous as she fidgets with the hem of her small tunic.

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