It was gone as fast as it appeared, but there was no denying it was there.
“Holy shit!” Asher blurted. He stared at the stone, waiting for something more to happen, but nothing did. “Did I imagine that?”
“No,” Brie said. “It happens sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes when I grab it, I’ll see a small spark of light from it.”
When she turned toward him with the broken sword, Asher jumped away from the jagged blade. She’d never stab him with it, but he wasn’t taking any chances it might accidentally touch him.
He’d seen what Willow’s sword could do; for all he knew, this one would do the same thing even though it was broken.
“If that sword is anything like Willow’s, broken or not, it’s lethal. Don’t accidentally cut yourself with it,” he told her.
“Her sword really turns them into ash?”
“Yes.”
This sword belonged in her hand, it had since the first instant she touched it, but she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable holding it.
“This is the first stone I found. I started having dreams and visions about it when I reached maturity at twenty-five. They were incessant visions, but they still weren’t as strong as they are now. I didn’t find this until I was seventy-five. ThesecondI touched it, I knew it belonged to me.”
Asher stared at the blade while he processed this information. “Willow feels possessive of her sword too; no one else can wield it like she does. Of course, we can use it to kill, but it won’t work for us like it does for her. If you stab a Savage with that blade, I think it will kill them as Willow’s sword does.”
Brie twisted the hilt in her hand and turned it until she could see the stone. She’d always known it was hers, but could it do what he described? In its condition, it probably couldn’t kill as well as Willow’s, but it could be lethal.
“If Willow’s sword possesses the tenth stone, we have them all,” she whispered. “It’s over. I’ve… I’m…done.”
That wasn’t entirely true; they still had so much to do, the worst of the battle ahead of them, and so much further to go, but the one thing driving her through most of her life was over. She’ddoneit.
Her shoulders slumped, and tears streamed down her face.Somany times over the years, she’d questioned what she was doing, if she’d fail, and doubted herself. She’d been terrified she’d somehow lose the stones or they’d be stolen from her.
They’d been an albatross around her neck for centuries, and suddenly their weight was gone.
She should be relieved; instead, she was more afraid. They were so close to the end, and she was certain something would go wrong before they crossed the finish line.
Plus, she still didn’t know what to do with the stones or how they could be used to defeat the demons. But they were nearing the end, and if Willow’s sword truly possessed the tenth stone, they would all soon be together again.
“It’s okay,” Asher said as he pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay.”
He held her as she clung to him. She’d stopped crying but continued to tremble in his arms.
“We’re going to get through all of this, and you’ll have an army standing behind you and keeping the stones safe from now on,” he vowed.
When the rush of emotion finally ebbed, Brie took a deep breath to steady herself before stepping from his arms. She wiped her eyes and smiled at him. “Sorry about that.”
He smiled as he brushed her hair back from her cheeks. “I’m here whenever you need me. Always.” He cradled her cheeks in his palms. “I have to tell my friends about this. It’s time the Alliance knows about the stones.”
Brie wasn’t ready to plunge into their world or take on the demons, but the time had come. If she had any chance of keeping Asher safe, she would require the Alliance’s help.
Then she realized Asher returning to them was probably the thing that would put him on the path toward death, but they couldn’t step off this path. They’d both been fighting for too long to abandon their quest now. Millions of lives depended on them being able to destroy the demons.
“Okay,” she said. “Call them.”
“I will have to go back, and they’ll need to see the stones.”
She’d always known this day would come and she wouldn’t be strong enough to take on the demons by herself. She still wasn’t prepared for it.
“I know,” she said. “We’ll take the stones to them.”
CHAPTERFIFTY-SIX
