Page 104 of A Conduit of Light
“Whatcauses you to laugh,Karus?”
Sheheard him speak from somewhere behind her.Hekept his distance as they neared the edge of theBlight.
Sheran her fingers under her eyes and then called over her shoulder, “Iwas just thinking,Heimlen.Youescorted me here, and now,I’llescort you out.”
Shemirrored his chuckle.Afterall, in a way, she would become a killer, too.Hewould die from this task.Revichwas right about that and she would be sure of it.Heimlencould not survive it, and the only reason he was still standing at all was because he just drained a woman’s life from her body.
Karusshook her head again.
Focus.
Shelet her gaze fall past theBlight, into the setting of the sun.
She’dalways loathe dusk now.
Howcould it not forever serve as a reminder of what she was forced to do—due to circumstance, due to a duty she hadn’t known most of her life?
Thesun left the sky in a last goodbye, not in an endearment of love for the moon.Itleft the sky cold and dark.
Promises, promises.
“Here.Hereis close enough.”
Heimlenstood at the edge of theBlightbeside her, the great abyss barely illuminated now by the waning orange glow.
“Butshouldn’t we step further—”
“No.Wecannot risk it taking you before the spell is released.”
Shenodded and inhaled fully.
“Areyou ready,Karus?”
Shestudied his face.Shewas the last one who would ever see him alive, and yet, she felt no sympathy, no pity.Hehad meticulously chosen all of this, the seeds of his plans coming together to bloom into this very moment.Hegot what he wanted.
Allshe really felt as she stared into his black eyes was rage—a rage that rattled through her bones, distracting her from the pain of her bleeding heart.
“I’mready.”
“Donot let go of my hand.Nomatter what you feel, do not let go.Thisis our only chance,Karus.”
“Doyou remember whatIsaid to you, before you guided me into the portal that day?”
Hestared at her for a moment, not in recollection, but in a strange praise she did not wish to see. “Ido. ‘Themore you try to bind me,Baron, the less of me you’ll have.’Ihave taken those words to heart, believe it or not.Idid everythingIcould to lessen the bind on you here.Youwere free to roam, free to study, free to live,Karus.Igave you that.Doyou thinkClairanniaandFiguerahwere let along so loosely?Ispoiled you.Gaveyou everything you needed to feel safe here.Tofeel loved here.AndI’ddo it again.Becausehere we are.Yourpurpose is about to be fulfilled andIhave seen to it well.”
Sheshook her head in disbelief. “Youmurderedthousands.”
“IsavedFelgren.Theforest is worth tens of thousands of lives.Youhave no idea of its power, its use here on the isle.Thereare things evenRevichhas yet to know about this forest, andIwould kill every last citizen of that city to save it.”
Hewas a monster in fine clothing.
Hewas an evil dressed in black, posing as a man of strength and good will.
“Well,” she laughed madly, “what’s one more life then?”
Hedidn’t respond.
Heheld his blackened fingers out toward her, and she took them into hers, binding their fates, binding their pasts and futures.
