She wished Alex were here to see it.
As the song ended and cheers rang out, Gideon grinned down at her, sweaty and breathless. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her hard on the mouth.
Rune marveled. A witch being adored by a Blood Guard captain in plain view of everyone? Only a week ago, it would have been absurd.Impossible.
But they were standing on the cusp of something new. Fragile and shimmering, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Who knew if it would survive longer than tonight?
Rune kissed Gideon back, determined to remember this moment, just in case it didn’t. Because for the first time in her life, she was completely herself.
And that was worth everything.
Even dying for.
SEVENTY-FOURRUNE
IT TOOK THREE DAYSof hard riding to get to the Crossroads.
Halfway, the group split up. Laila took the soldiers and headed for the Rookery, hoping to seize it by force, with the help of a substantial number of Blood Guard soldiers on the inside who were waiting for Laila’s command. If Rune and Gideon were successful at the Crossroads, they would soon join her.
Bart remained at the Wentholt cottage, in case Harrow and Juniper returned with more witches for their ranks. Charlotte Gong, Elias Creed, and the other exiled aristocrats remained with Bart, organizing search parties of the homes and towns invaded by Cressida’s army, hoping to find survivors.
Gideon and Rune continued to the Crossroads, accompanied by Seraphine and Antonio. Antonio had volunteered at the last moment, surprising Rune.
“Bart doesn’t mind being parted from you?” she asked him.
“Sometimes our paths must diverge from those we love,” Antonio said as they rode, side by side, scanning the surrounding mountains. “But if love is the highest power, our paths will converge again—if not in this world, then the next.”
The words felt like a premonition, making her shiver.
“You believe that?” she asked. “That love is the highest power?”
He glanced at her like she’d asked him if water was wet. “Don’t you?”
At sundown, they heard the thunderous roar of the Crossroads before they saw it: the gorge opening up and the hungry white whirlpool below. Its currents swirled angrily, like water down a giant’s drain.
In the center was a rocky island maybe twenty paces across. A rickety rope bridge connected the island to the gorge’s bank. It jerked and swayed, beholden to the strong winds surrounding them.
Rune knew in her gut that small island was where she needed to go. It’s exactly where Cressida would hide her half sisters: in the center of a whirlpool.
She glanced at Seraphine, finding her eyes also focused there, as if she sensed the same.
“Gideon and I will go look,” said Rune, adjusting the strap of her satchel containing the necessary spell book. “If I need you, Seraphine, I’ll wave.”
Seraphine nodded as Antonio continued scanning the mountainous hills around them. The moon was a pale sliver against a red sky, reminding them that Cressida would arrive soon. The new moon was tomorrow. Best to find Rune’s half sisters and get out.
Gideon went first, testing the bridge. He’d strapped a shovel to his back—in case they had to dig the bodies up—and sheathed a pistol at his hip. The bridge swayed beneath his weight, making Rune’s heart lodge in her throat. But his grasp on the rope never slipped, and he quickly pulled himself forward. When he finally reached the other side, he nodded to her.
Rune stepped onto the bridge.
Spray dampened her clothes and hair. The ropes—slippery with water—chafed at her stiff hands until the skin broke. More than once, her foot slipped, and she nearly went down.
She wouldn’t survive a fall into those currents. The whirlpoolwould drag her under, and even if she managed to come up for air, the water would smash her body against the rocks, snuffing the life from her.
Rune righted herself, checked that her satchel was secure, and continued.
Gideon’s gaze never left her. She felt him watching her every move, felt him tense every time she stumbled. When she was within reach, he held his hand out.
Rune grabbed it, holding tight.
