Page 129 of Riftborne
Silence took over the room as we both digested the implications of his words. Nothing made sense.
“Mercer said something about their strength diminishing thefurther they get from the tear. Do you believe that to be true?” I swallowed hard.
“Our focuses only exist because of Sídhe’s essence. If we were depleted of that, they would be rendered useless. Perhaps it is similar for the Wraiths.”
Suddenly, my heart was racing all over again.
“If they can get to the arcanite…” I whispered.
“We certainly don’t want to wait around to find out. I have specialists at the ready in Stormshire. If we could just capture one… we might figure out how to stop them,” he said, eyes taking on a new intensity, locked and burning into mine.
Oh.
“You think that I’ll be able to do that.” Clarity washed over me like a tidal wave. My power relied on something tangible. These Wraiths, although creatures of shadow, possessed a flicker of consciousness, a vulnerability we could try to exploit. This is what he'd envisioned for me all along, even before the full scope of my abilities had unfolded. A weapon, yes, but a weapon wielded with purpose.
"Never in my life," he admitted, "had I seen anything like you. Different, The most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on…” He trailed off, and I thought my heart might just explode from my chest. “Even when we wanted to kill each other, we pushed forward. Even when the path seemed as bleak as the void, even when it was impossible. I couldn’t sense anything within that curious mind. I had no idea what you were thinking, what you would do next. You were a complete mystery to me, yet I believed with a desperate kind of longing, that you were what I had been searching for. You had to be."
His words seared into my skin, incinerating any reservations that still clung to my mind, any distrust that lingered. I was his, utterly and irrevocably. His weapon. His lover. His salvation. And then I knew. I would cripple armies and break minds if that's what he desired.
A small tinge of guilt slipped through me at not telling Laryk about my broken oath. A part of me wanted to tell him now but the words never formed.
"Sleep," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent tremors through me. His arms looped around my waist, drawing me into his orbit once again. The heat of his body chased away the chill of the evening air. “The ball is tomorrow night.”
"Ball?" I echoed, my voice a startled hiss. I shot out from his grasp, pulling the covers over my exposed skin. "A celebration while the world crumbles around us?"
Unbelievable.
A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face. "It's tradition," he said, his voice clipped. "The King and Queen attend. No getting out of it."
"Tradition," I spat. "Sixty lives lost last week, and we twirl around a ballroom in their memory?"
He sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room. "There's more to it than that, Fia." A moment of silence slipped by. “You should find some nice gowns in the chest I had delivered to your room,” he added.
“I was wondering what that was.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m dying to see what you chose.” The sarcasm was slick in my voice.
“I have impeccable taste. Besides, do you remember what you were wearing the first time we saw each other? I could never risk you embarrassing me like that.” He grinned.
“You know I wasn’t expecting to attend that particular soiree,” I mumbled, remembering my stained apothecary uniform and how out of place I’d felt that night. How terrified I was. How out of control. So much had changed since then.
“Well, I’m not taking any chances. I’ve arranged for a few attendants to help you get ready for the event,” he stated, shooting me a wicked smile.
“Is that really necessary?” I groaned, sinking back down into the bed.
“Undoubtedly necessary, I’m afraid.” He pulled me back to his chest and kissed my forehead. “I want you primed to perfection for what happens after the ball,” he murmured against my hair, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I guess that doesn’t sound so bad.” I sighed, fighting back a smile as I wrapped my arms around his chest.
“There might be another surprise awaiting you tomorrow. But first, sleep,” he said with a yawn.
I didn’t even try to argue. My eyelids had grown heavy, and it felt way too good to be in his arms. I pushed away the sinking feeling that doom was looming just over the hills to the West.
Darkness.Overwhelming, suffocating darkness. It was everywhere. The only light I could see came fromthe few stars that spattered the sky, but even they were distorted by a black haze that moved through the night like smog.
I heard a hiss, and my head shot to the left. I squinted, adjusting as I saw the wisps of an inky black shadow twisting and warping beside me, racing forward into the night.
I felt desperate, like something important was going to happen. There was also fear… a maddening fear that enveloped me. Like I was risking everything I knew. Everyone I loved. But I didn’t have a choice.
Beyond the shadow, I saw the spire of a tower that had fallen to ruin. Holes were dotted throughout the structure, and crumbling stone littered the ground around it. A broken window in the shape of a crescent moon sat halfway down.I didn’t recognize it.
