Page 141 of Moonmarked

Lyall lowered his head. “Not at all, actually,” he said. “We haven’t. We haven’t found anything that could help us.”

Maybe it was only my imagination, but just then I couldhave sworn something flashed in his eyes. I could have sworn there was something there, something he tried to hide.

“Thread to thread, flame to flame,” said the seer again, and in the moment it took me to glance at her, Lyall composed himself.

“It’s definitely the life-bond. The seer couldn’t find anything else to explain…you.”

I raised a brow. “I thought you said mortals couldn’t be transferred magic in any scenario.”

Lyall shrugged. “We were wrong—which isn’t uncommon. Everything is possible through will and magic.”

Those words. I’d heard them before. From Maera and…

“Where is Helid, by the way?” His uncle, who’d come to get me back home had said the same thing while sitting at my father’s kitchen table.

“Away still,” Lyall said. “I assume you’ve cried for Rune.”

Stabs at my gut. “Haveyou?” I asked instead.

A ghost of a smile passed over his lips. “A king would never admit to tears.”

“You’re no king, though.” I bit my tongue, but it was too late.

“But I will be,” he said. “I will actually be announcing my preparation for the crowning ritual soon—together with the fact that I am…you know,alive.” He spread his arms to the sides as he smiled in triumph.

“I’m really glad it all worked out for you, Lyall.” And at least part of it was true. Hehadsaved my life once, regardless of what his reasons were.

“I know, beautiful Nilah,” he said and held out his hand for mine. “Come. She’s ready.”

I looked to see the seer had opened her eyes.

We had to take off our shoes and get in the water. It barely touched my ankles, and it was ice-cold, but I found it comforting. The seer didn’t speak, but Lyall knew exactly what to do. He instructed me where to stand—in the middle of the pool, with my back turned to the doorway, while he stood right in front of me. Our hands were outstretched, close but not touching. The seer sat at our side still.

And as I waited with my breath held, a golden thread appeared between our fingertips out of thin air, moving just slightly like a tiny snake.

“Your life-bond burns bright,” the seer said, her voice hushed, but it was quiet in the room. Easy to hear.

Then the water of the shallow pool began to move, too, just slightly, in rhythm with the motions of the golden thread.

“It is strong. It is complete,” the seer continued. I wanted to look at her just to see if she was still sitting, if she was the one making the water move against my feet, but Lyall’s wide eyes held mine prisoner. I couldn’t look away from him even when I tried.

“Thread to thread, flame to flame. What was one may now be two,” said the seer, and the water moved faster,slammedagainst my feet, wet the edges of my pants.

The golden thread moved the same way, too.

Something rose in the air from below, from that water, and it took all the air from my lungs. Pressed against my skin. Coated my tongue.

Raw fae magic.

“Who comes to sever the life-bond?” the seer suddenly demanded.

Lyall’s voice was smooth, practiced, when he said, “I do.”

“Do you relinquish all claim to the soul bound to yours?”

The heaviness in the air increased. Lyall paused a heartbeat, and suddenly his eyesbeggedme.

“It’s not too late, Nilah. We can still stop,” he whispered, so low I more read the words on his lips than heard his voice against the thundering of my heart.

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