My eyes sweep over the white, snowy vista and look for any kind of marker. A sign that his words are true. Instead, he creeps forward, as if approaching a startled animal, stalking me.
The air in my lungs cuts like razors as I breathe in, and the crack in my heart, the one that never has a chance to fully heal, but has been scarred over time and time again, threatens to burst open and bleed out on this spot.
My parents are buried here.
The tears don’t fall this time. They shimmer across my vision, threatening to fall and freeze on my cheeks.
“The Usher might have had his plan, but I’ve waited foryou. Waited for all the pieces to fall so I could reuniteourfamily.” He places his hands on my shoulders, as I blink away the tears from falling. He doesn’t deserve them, but his words swim in my mind, the hum of energy around us growing louder, peaking at my scattered emotions, or maybe his, I don’t know. “And you betrayed me.”
The flare of pain is so quick, it takes a moment for me to register what’s happened. I look at Fenix, into his eyes—like looking in a mirror, before I tilt my head down to see the daggerprotruding from my gut, a shadow of blood spreading over my shirt at an alarming rate.
He twists the blade still wedged in my stomach before stepping away. “How does it feel to be betrayed?”
“Stupid,” I answer as I try to hold my breath, as if that will help to stop me from bleeding out. “I feel stupid.”
“Ever? Ever!” Ten’s voice sounds in my mind, my shield now unlocked thanks to Fenix’s attack.
My knees hit the cold first, and my hands wrap around the hilt of the blade. They feel warm, the blood thawing my fingers as it coats them.
“No, no, no, no, no. Leave it. What did you do?” Ten yells, and I see a fuzzy version of him as he comes racing towards me.
His hands are all over me, running down my face, tilting it to look at him, but my sight is falling in and out of focus.
“Ever, it’s okay. We’ll get you a healer. We’ll get Perrin. It’s just a scratch.” I know he’s lying. Fenix wouldn’t risk what happened to him with his own target. He’s smarter than that. He knows that twist will ensure I’ll bleed out.
But that’s fine. He wants me dead.
The feeling is fucking mutual.
“Hold me, Ten. Just… hold me.” Tears blister from his eyes at my request, but he doesn’t fail me and wraps his arms around my shoulders, holding me in an awkward position so as not to touch the blade.
As I look over his shoulder, I see the shadow of my brother stalking off, not across the lake, but towards the woods, where three others emerge. Their hands are joined, and they have a look of concentration on their faces.
I never wanted my magic to be associated with death. Either causing it or bringing it, but now, here, I let the darkness take me. If this is the only way for me to fight, then I will take it now.
And I will fucking win.
I cling to Ten, let his own power, his influence, and emotions tether me to life—to love.
The magic within the well in my chest rumbles, angered and full of pain, and thrashes, still discontent with being cut off earlier. So, I let it out.
Shadows snake across the ground and head right for the triune of people camouflaged by the trees at the edge of the lake. I’ve only ever used this part of my power to either defend or respond instinctively, but as the darkness cloaks the ground, my mind pictures what Fenix just did to me.
The golden threads I can see wrapped around the three figures are my target. And in my mind, I push the thought inside of their connection—into their minds.
They came for war. They will have it.
All three of them stop, they drop their hands, and whatever they were summoning stills in an instant. One by one, they reach for whatever weapon they have on their person, and in a move choreographed by my mind, they each strike the other, spilling their blood and opening their necks.
All three fall to the ground, painting the snow and ice beneath them red.
As soon as they fall, the storm—the wintry bite that’s persisted since this started—eases.
They caused everything to freeze. They controlled the storm. And now they are dead.
“One left.”
Ten just squeezes me as hard as he can. He doesn’t ask, doesn’t stop me, and I think it’s because he can sense what I’m doing.
