Page 1 of Across an Endless Sea

One

Rhoswyn

Darkness. Weightlessness. Comfort.

I’ve only experienced this once before, and yet it already feels so familiar.

“I died again, didn’t I?” I ask the void.

Danu hums sadly in confirmation, and a soft warmth envelops me. “Yes, daughter. You did.”

I let out a soft sigh and sift through my memories, only to freeze in alarm as I remember just how dire the situation was. “Is everyone okay? Is Florian…?”

“Your males are recovering,” Danu confirms. “And your brother…” She trails off. “He walks the line between, much like you.”

If I had lungs in this strange dark limbo, all the breath would’ve left them.

“Will he live?”

Dread weighs down my voice, making it dull and hollow. I’ve lost too many family members already. I can’t lose my brother. Not when I just found him.

The Goddess doesn’t reply.Does that mean she doesn’t know?

“And why couldn’t I find you?” I ask, trying—and failing—to keep the betrayal and accusation out of my tone. “I needed you before that battle, but you weren’t there.”

“I amalwaysthere,” Danu corrects. “But you are new to magic, and it is always harder to focus when you are in pain. You were exhausted, confused, and your Guard were draining you. I will never abandon you, but it goes both ways. You must reach for me.”

Kitarni said the same thing.

“But sometimes you’re already there,” I argue. “When I was angry and needed to protect Bree—”

“Anger makes us vulnerable,” she explains. “I was able to push through when you were furious about your mate’s maltreatment because you weren’t focused on yourself. When you are in pain, the opposite happens. Walls go up. You isolate yourself and go on the defensive. It takes years of time and practise to overcome your own self-preservation instinct.”

“I ignored Kitarni when she told me the same thing,” I whisper, guiltily. “I really need to apologise…”

She’s not the only one who will be disappointed in me. Drystan will kill me for getting between Florian and his attacker. It was a stupid move, but I was hurting and scared and the Call was pushing me to stop the conflict at any cost.

“Give yourself more credit,” the Goddess continues. “Your high priestess will forgive you because she understands how difficult this is. You’ve only known about magic for a handful of days. How can you expect to have mastered it so quickly?”

Because I need to. Because Ishouldknow it already.

Danu cuts off my self-directed tirade with a long sigh. “As ever, my daughter, our time together grows short. I must have your decision.”

Great. Suffer indescribable pain just to return to a fractured Guard and a world where I don’t know what I’m doing? Or retreat to the Otherworld and dump the entire messy situation on to my daughter?

“Do you have any advice?” I ask, stalling. “Any ideas on how to get them to stop trying to kill one another?”

Danu chuckles, and the sound seems to light me up from within. “If you choose to return, I have faith that you will figure it out for yourself.”

Least. Helpful. Advice. Ever.

“If I choose to die,” I whisper. “Caed dies too, doesn’t he?”

Danu hums in agreement. “All of your Guard will.”

“Is that how we win?” I ask, candidly. “By taking out their leader?”

I don’t want to let the rest of my Guard die just to stop the Fomorians from winning the war. It would be cruel. But if it’s the reason I was chosen for this—and Caed for me—then that’s what I’ll do. After my night with the Wild Hunt, I know the Otherworld isn’t something to be feared, though my heart aches for those left behind.

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