And, of course, I—and the Source that Magecorp implanted against my will—have put both animals and people in danger, causing surges that disrupt the world’s flow of magic.
I’ve made so many mistakes in my life. Too many.
But this, saving her, is the one thing I can get right.
The portal has shrunk so much; it’s now alarmingly small. The cavern ceiling shatters, breaking into fragments, mirroring the cracks that are cleaving my heart. An enormous explosion sounds above our heads, reverberating painfully through my ears. It’s my last chance. It seems as though everything—this reality, this universe, this Void cavern, my life—is collapsing.
So I break away, ending our kiss abruptly.
She gasps at the suddenness. Overbalances. And before she has a chance to realize what I’m doing, I put both my hands on her shoulders…and give her a firm shove.
“Harrisford!” she screams as she tumbles through the tear.
Not a second too soon, for at that precise moment, the hole shrinks to a tiny circle.
Her eyes lock on mine. Now her expression is full of something else entirely:
Betrayal.
It’s all I catch before the portal blinks entirely out of existence.
One last view of Gwendolynne’s stricken face.
And then she’s gone.
49
Gwendolynne
The air gives a few more feeble ripples. And then the portal just…disappears.
As though it had never existed.
Heloise rushes to me. I’m shaking so hard that my teeth click together. “Gwen,” she murmurs. “Oh, Gwen.”
“Open it!” My voice is hysterical. Animalistic. My fingers claw at the carpet. “Get him out!”
“Can we, Conall?” Heli asks, her voice edged with worry. She squats next to me, rubbing circles on my back as I double over on the floor. “Can we re-open it?”
Conall frowns. “I’m sorry, Gwen,” he says gently. “Since it imploded on its own, this particular weak spot is now just too unstable.”
I collapse then, and finally burying my face in my hands, I burst into sobs. Hot, stinging tears run through the gaps in my fingers, splattering dark stains onto the floor.
Bastard. That fuckingbastard! He tricked me—again. Tricked me into believing we would stay together. And then, at the last moment, he betrayed me.
When will you ever learn, Gwen?I was ready to give my entireexistence up for Harrisford Briggs, and…he didn’t even want me to stay.
The pathetic thing is, even despite all this…it still doesn’t make me think less of him. It makes me think less ofme.
All I can think is that this is all my fault. I should never have taken Percy into the Void, because then the portal wouldn’t have collapsed, and we’d have had more time to find and remove Harrisford’s Source.
I shouldn’t have assumed Harrisford had left me when he’d disappeared from the hotel room. Perhaps I would’ve started looking for him sooner—before the graduation ceremony, even. What if I’d gone looking earlier? What if I had found him in time?
I shouldn’t have let him push me through the tear. I should’ve realized, should’ve reacted faster, should’ve fought harder to stay.
And I really shouldn’t have denied my feelings for so long.
I should have told him how much I cared.
