I knew what they were thinking.What if she peered into their minds instead?
“The only reason she can hear me is because of the bargain.She can’t enter your mind unless you willingly invite her in.”
“What about the mortal realm, Elira?”Tavrik asked.“Will you really let the Jinn descend upon them?”
My own anguish was reflected in his gaze.
“Could you do it, Tavrik?”I whispered.“If it were you instead of me, could you kill Jasila based on a vision of a war that might never come?”I stepped closer, imploring him to understand.“We don’t even know if they will tear the Veil.”
Theo stepped forward, placing himself between us.“But we do know,” he said.“You heard him.It may not be today, but it will happen.And if it’s his power that runs through the Veil…” His voice carried painful honesty.“It’ll be Dalkhan who brings it down.”
The truth of his words crushed my desperate rationalisations.
“I’m so sorry, El.”
Laughing bitterly, I hurled the stone at Theo.
He caught it easily.
I stalked closer, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.
“Then you do it!”I shoved against his chest.He had to step back to maintain his balance.“Youkill him!”I jabbed a finger against his sternum, emphasising each word with a sharp prod.“Youbear this burden, and I will sit back whileyoumake the call.”
I shoved him even harder, putting the full force of my body behind it.I wanted to hurt him—to force him to feel even a fraction of the unbearable torment suffocating me.I wanted him to break.Toadmitthat he couldn’t do it either.
Theo absorbed each impact, standing solid while I broke against him.Slowly, he extended the stone back to me, placing it gently in my palm.
I grasped it like a lifeline, my vision blurring with burning, unshed tears.The stone pulsed against my skin.
“Tell me what to do,” Theo said quietly, determination hardening his features.“I’m in, no matter what you choose.”
Tavrik nodded.“So am I.”
“This is what we do.”
Theo and Tavrik leaned in as I laid out the plan, their faces etched with shadows and eyes dark with resignation.
My stomach was in knots.
They didn’t argue.What was there to say?What I intended to do was nothing short of a death sentence if we were caught.
But I had to do it.I had to go back.I had to protect my mother.
Dalkhan’s name alone made my chest constrict.He would soon realise I was gone.If Mira was waiting for me, she would notice my absence even sooner.
There was no time to even gather supplies.We ran.
We didn’t know where the Veil was.Only that we had to move in the opposite direction of Dalkhan’s kingdom and pray to the Heavens that we’d find it before he found us.
When we’d first arrived, we had been thrust into a deep, unnatural sleep, and transported without knowledge of where we were or how to retrace our steps.
We kept running anyway.
The sky bled to black, the moon’s cold fire breaking past branches, painting our path in silver streaks.The world was silent save for our pounding footsteps and the frantic hammering of my heart.
Hours blurred into a nightmare of pain.My muscles screamed, exhaustion turning my limbs to lead.
I staggered to a halt, nearly crashing face-first into the earth as my knees buckled.I braced my hands on my thighs, sucking in deep, painful gasps like I was drowning in reverse.
