Cedric eyed Zephyr warily as he slid onto the bench beside Elyria.The sylvan bit her lip as she sat down across from them. Ollie stood a few yards back, hanging on the perimeter with an expression that told Cedric he was perfectly happy not to be involved.
Cedric leveled a cool stare at Zephyr. “What did you mean before? When you said you were never meant to be here?”
Her gaze was fixed on the wooden tabletop, thin green fingers picking at a splinter of wood. “Just that. I went into the Sanctum fully prepared not to come back out. It was part of the deal we struck.”
Elyria let out a derisive snort, and under the table Cedric laid a reassuring hand on her leg.
“What deal?” he asked guardedly.
Zephyr grimaced. “I was to enter the Crucible. Needed to ingratiate myself with you. He said—he said I needed to form a bond with you. That we wouldn’t make it to the end without it.”
Cedric tried very hard not to wince. He knew she had used him. Knew it had been her plan from the very beginning. He still didn’t like hearing it.
Elyria was, predictably, less restrained. Shadows began leaking from her hands, spreading over the table like mist. Behind them, the forest seemed to shudder.
“It’s true then,” Elyria said darkly. “Just as Evander said. Malchior knew exactly what to expect, because he had already attempted the Crucible and escaped the Sanctum. Which meansyouknew what to expect. You knew what would happen in the trials.” She narrowed her eyes, her shadows lengthening. “You let Cyren and Gael die. Had you only been honest, had you prepared the rest of us for what would occur, they might have made it out with us!”
Zephyr glanced up, her eyes wide with fear as they flicked to Elyria’s face then back to the tiny tendrils of shadow creeping across the table. “No!” she said, scooting back on the bench. “I mean, yes and no. He told me about the trials. Told me what Imightexperience. But none of it turned out exactly as he described. The trials were the same in concept, but in practice...” She swallowed. “I swear to you, I never meant for anyone else to die.”
“Tell that to the nocterrian you murdered,” Cedric said.
At that, Zephyr bristled. “To saveyou.”
“Why?” He pounded his fist on the table. “Why me?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Because you needed to make it to the end. That was the one part that turned out to be exactly as he described.”
Elyria blinked at her. “He told you to get Cedric to the final trial.”
“Yes.”
“You knew it would demand a sacrifice.”
Zephyr paused. “Yes.”
Cedric held his breath.
Elyria’s shadows snapped to her, as if she yanked them back. Her voice was a saw-toothed blade when she said, “You were prepared to let himdie?”
He didn’t know when he had moved closer, hadn’t realized he’d eliminated those few inches between him and Elyria, their bodies touching as they sat on the bench. But Cedric was suddenly glad for it. Was glad that his hand was still on her leg, that he was able to press down and restrain her from lunging clear across the table at Zephyr, who had now scooted so far back on her bench it was a miracle she hadn’t yet fallen clear off the back.
He was also glad that Elyria was letting him. She could easily have pulled free from his hold; she was strong enough to shatter the table entirely. With or without her magic, she could have Cedric on the ground and be squeezing the life from the sylvan in an instant, if she so chose.
“It wasn’t like that!” Zephyr cried, lifting her hands. “No.Iwas the one who was prepared to die.”
Cedric’s heart clenched.
“And what good would that have done?” Elyria slammed a hand onto the table, the ground rumbling beneath them. “Cedric would have claimed the crown, and you would have failed your mission.”
“Thatwasmy mission. First and foremost, get Cedric to the crown. And only in the event that I should fail, that he should fall”—she bit her lip—“was I to get the crown forhim.”
“Why would you ever strike such a bargain?” Elyria asked. “Why would you gamble your life like that? What could possibly have been worth handing over the Crown of Concord to Varyth fucking Malchior? What could be worth putting the entire realm—the entireworldat risk?”
“It only ended up being half the crown,” Zephyr protested, thoughher words held little conviction. She just sounded tired. “He hasn’t been able to do anything with it.”
“Yes, but did you know that when you agreed to hand it over?”
Zephyr didn’t reply. She turned her head from one side to the other, taking in the grove of silveroaks behind her, the grassy glade in front. Cedric followed her gaze, heat creeping up the back of his neck when he realized a group of spectators had gathered behind Ollie. Several of the mixedborn children were interspersed with a smattering of sylvan onlookers, all of them watching the three of them with wary expressions.
