He was right. I was far too drained to have enough effect on him. When he took me past the castle threshold, he didn’t put me down, and blood started rushing to my head, disorienting me.
“You can’t travel through the void, can you?” I realized.
“When I have Rainyte’s form, I will.”
The reminder of what he wanted surged adrenaline through me, and I conjured enough magick to make him hiss. He set me down on my feet so roughly that I stumbled, catching myself against the wall.
We glared at each other for a few seconds before Nightsdeath canted his head, watching me curiously. He came closer and I stood defiant.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” he said, luring me in with his gentler tone. “When we stood among the wreckage of the Nova castle, I saw it… how magnificent we would be together if only you aligned yourself with me. This world doesn’t deserve to thrive on greed and power. We can starve them of it and make them bow for us.”
“I’m going to make sure you can never control him again,” I said venomously.
“Imadehim. Iamhim. Choose your poison, Maiden,” he said, coming closer this time only to speak between us after a glance down the hall. The High Celestials stood far enough away at the end, trailing us but remaining very cautious of the shadowy monster they’d allowed within their walls. They talked among themselves, casting suspicious, wary glances at us. “Resist me, and he’ll get what he wants. You’ll have no memory once again, and I will not interfere. Or let them believe that’s what will happen; help me, and we can be conquerors together.”
He twirled a lock of my silver hair around his fingers, watching the tendril before holding me with a gaze that was hard to resist. The promise of the world lingered in his eyes. I knew Nightsdeath would rule with me, side by side, as equals. He wouldn’t want to silence me like Auster would, to keep me in a trophy case. In those blazing amber eyes I envisioned the world burning around Nightsdeath and Lightsdeath. Two entities that would never be challenged in the new world we raised from the ashes.
It was a powerful vision of temptation.
“No amount of power you could promise would ever be worth giving up Nyte’s love.”
“You don’t think I could love you?”
“You’ll only ever be in love with my power.”
“Wrong,” he said, his breath now fanning across my ear. “I’d love your pain. Your sadness. Your loneliness. In fact, I crave it so much, and this world is full of cruelty for me to feed upon; it’s the product it produces.”
Of course. He was once only a planted piece of dark power watered by Nyte’severy negative emotion. He was nothing without misery, and starving him was impossible in this brutal world.
“I will never give up Nyte’s goodness,” I said with all the promise in the world.
“We’ll see.”
Nightsdeath stroked my cheek as he pulled back, the touch and look he bore on me so jarringly tender after his vicious words. Then his other hand reached up and I gasped, anticipating the sharp snap of my neck the same second darkness claimed me.
9Astraea
I was so damn tired of waking up in a state of complete misery. This time I noticed with a choked groan that I was vertical. Lifting my head was like it had been replaced with a boulder too heavy for my shoulders to bear, and my arms… they were strung up above my head. Any slight movement shot searing pain through my dormant, awkwardly positioned muscles.
“Why did you come here, Astraea?” a quietly distraught voice asked. My vision came into focus enough to find Zephyr by the door of the wide room.
I didn’t answer him right away because my sight started to scan the walls, as I grew more horrified at the stains of crimson around this dark, windowless room. Only two torches were lit on either side of me.
“We had to get Eltanin back,” I said, my voice raspy. It ached to speak.
“At this cost? I thought you were smarter than this,” he hissed low, coming closer.
My head drooped, but I fought to keep conscious. My wrists were sure to slice more dizzying pain through me if I tried to move, so, to prevent that, I stayed utterly still.
“Has Auster really bought in to an alliance with the realm’s most vicious creature?” I asked.
“For now, it seems so.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, though it hurt. My laughter was eerie, but I delighted in it.
“Once a desperate fool, always one.”
“Speak for yourself,” Zephyr countered.
