Page 99 of A Conduit of Light
“Tellme what this is.”
“Youknow what this is.”
“Iwant to hear you say it.”
“Alright.ButbeforeIdo, ask yourself, would you have had what it took to get her here?Wouldyou have had the strength to do whatIdid to save this forest and this way of life?Tellme,Revich, would you have done it?”
“It’snot true.”
“Thatit is, and you cannot turn a blind eye to it any longer.Idid it to save us all.Weneed her.Hermagic is too great and theBlighttoo strong.TheQueenofHyrithialeft me no other options.”
“Youmurderedthousands of people.Women, men,children.No,Icould not have done it.Butyou know that as well asIdo.”
“Revich.Oneday you will see howIsaved this place.Oneday you will understand the sacrifice—”
Revichstood, throwing the gloves to the bed. “Don’ttell meIwill understand.Iwill notunderstand.”Hisvoice was venom spit between his teeth. “Itrustedyou.Youwere a father to me.Andnow?NowIsee that you are a coward, unable to procure what you needed, so you chose instead to take the lives of so many for your own gains.Iwill never understandthat.Iwill never be theBaronyou have become.”Heturned to leave, his heart bleeding from his chest in utter despair of the truth.
“Itwill take her,Revich.”
Hestopped, theBaron’svoice behind him blunt and full of conviction.
“Thinkthis through, boy.Ifyou tell her, she will refuse to work with me ever again.Youknow this.Andwithout me, theBlightwill consume her.Itwill find a way to take her.Sheis careless, she is rash.Youwill not always be there to pull her back out.”Hecoughed violently, grabbing the towel on his bedside table. “Youneed whatever powerIhave left to finish this.Tellher afterIam gone.Tellher the truth whenIam dead, rotting in the ground.Tellher then what you have discovered.Youcannot destroy this alone.Youcannot destroy it with just her, and you know it.TheBlighteven now grows stronger as the colder seasons approach.Ithas already broken through the door toViridisfrom the forest.You’veseen it.YouknowIspeak the truth.”
Revichturned back to theBaronand watched him struggle to stand, holding onto the side of his bed, his discolored fingers gripping the dark wood.
“So, you can walk out of this door and tell her of your discovery.Tellher the truth and she will insist you fight theBlightright now.Shewill insist she is ready.Youknow she will.Butyou need me.Youcannot handle the burden ofCosensianMagicon your own.”
“So, you’d have me lie to the womanIlove?Shedeserves better than—”
“I’dhave you save her.I’dhave us all live to destroy what we are close to destroying.Whatwe have worked for.I’dhave those people not die in vain.I’dhave my last few years asBaronnot be for nothing.”
Hecollapsed onto the bed, his breath short, his bare hands bracing on his knees.
Revichresisted the urge to go to him, to help the man who had given his life new meaning.Theman who had taught him theBaronship, believed in him, loved him like a son.
“Youbetrayed me.Youlied and you deceived.I’llnever forgive you for it.”Hefought back the lump in his throat, choking on his next words. “ButIwill keep your secret—forher.Fornow.Wego to theBlighttomorrow.”
TheoldBaronlooked up at him, about to protest.
“Doyou hear me?”Revichdarted before him with a cold swiftness. “Wedestroy it in the morning.Iam ready, she is ready.So, get what rest you can.Yourlife ends tomorrow,Heimlen, andIwill not mourn it.”
Chapter45
Karus
Shetripped at leastthree times rushing down the stairs, stumbling in her usual tangle of limbs if she tried to get anywhere quickly.Sheslid across the floor of the foyer, first checking onRevich’sstudy before continuing to their rooms when she saw that it was empty.
Sheburst through the door, out of breath, her eyes a wild green, her heart racing with a secret she was desperate to tell.
“Rev!”Sheran to his arms, and he lifted her off the ground, pressing her body to his with a force she’d not felt from him before.Heburied his face into her hair, filling his lungs with the scent of her skin.
Shelost her composure then, sobbing into his neck, the weight of what felt like the world pressing down on her shoulders.Theknowledge of the man who had caused so much pain, so much death, was breaking her down, wounds flowing freely from his betrayal.
“Ibroke into his study.Ifound his journals.Sylva—”Shesobbed, her breath catching on his shoulder, unsure of how to tell him about the man he had loved as a father.
“Karus.Please, listen.”
Hecarried her to her chair by the fire, wrapping the green blanket there around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.
