“I’ve learned to stop myself from glowing—”
“That’s not glowing. That’s your mark of the dragon,” Alina interrupted.
“My what?”
“The mark of the dragon. The arach and dragons are inexplicably entwined. You bear our mark, and we bear yours. You become more like one of us when your shield comes down, and it draws us to you.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“What is my mark on you?”
“Our fire is the mark of the arach.”
“Holy shit,” Orin muttered.
Lexi lifted her hands to stare at the glow and silver markings on her palms. As she stared at them, she pictured all those she loved, and fire sputtered to life on her fingertips.
“The mark of the arach,” she murmured. “And I bear the mark of the dragon.”
“You do,” Alina said.
“And could the arach see the future? Did they somehow glimpse something that made them decide to create the Reaver?” Lexi asked.
“I was not privy to all the arachs’ secrets, just as they were not privy to all of ours. We are entwined, but we also live separate lives. But no, they couldn’t see the future. They wouldn’t have perished if they could, and I knowthatfor certain,” Alina replied. “They never saw their downfall coming.”
“Why were there no Shadow Reavers before Cole if the magic to create the Reaver came from the trials?”
“I do not know,” Alina said. “Perhaps the magic was only set to release when it sensed something from a certain dark fae.”
“Like what?” Cole inquired.
“Like the ability to carry the magic; maybe it required a special brand of courage, strength, or power.”
And Cole was the most powerful dark fae ever. A dark fae’s ciphers indicated their power; all dark fae kept at least some of their ciphers hidden, but when he revealed them to her, Lexi learned Cole’s covered him from head to toe.
If power was what triggered the release of the Shadow Reaver magic, then Cole’s would most certainly have done it. Combine that with his courage and strength, and she couldn’t think of anyone else it could have been.
“Howdid the arach know to create the Shadow Reaver to protect them?” Lexi asked.
“I do not know,” Alina replied. “As I have said, I was not privy to all their secrets. The arach and the dark fae created the trials so long ago that I doubt many, ifany, of the arach alive at the end knew the answer. They all knew of the legend of the Reaver, all in Dragonia did, but how many still believed in it by then is unknown to me. I did not believe it until I saw the Reaver, but now I know.”
“The original arach who had a hand in helping the dark fae create the trials must have known something about Lexi and possibly Cole. There would be no prophecy otherwise,” Kaylia said. “When the last light blooms, the Shadow Reaver shall rise. When the last light falls, the Shadow Reaver will destroy us all. Lexi is clearly the last light, and Cole is obviously the Reaver.”
“No one believes in the prophecy,” Cole stated.
Lexi saw the doubt on Kaylia’s face, but she didn’t argue with him.
“Prophecies are often foolish things,” Alina agreed, “but this one has a ring of truth to it.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” Cole said.
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“Who isus?” Maverick inquired.
“What?” Kaylia asked.
