“So what now?” Theo asked. “What can be done?”
Nobody answered him, because there was no plan. What road could we take from this point onward? Every path we decided to take led to nowhere.
“The ending isn’t the end. Merely the beginning,” Bapa said gruffly— perhaps as a way to give us a bit of courage.
I wasn’t sure what kind of beginning this would be, the world Droga would create.
Alexei strode to the fireplace. He gazed at the flames, as if he wished to throw himself within them and burn.
“What’s on your mind?” Stefan asked. Delmare clutched Isaak to her chest, like her child was the only thing still worth holding on for.
Alexei’s tone was haunted as he replied, “Do you remember when we found Jasper and Ozzie in the woods, that night thestrygakidnapped Kalina?”
“Yes.” I knew this had to be more terrible knews, but I locked eyes with Alexei anyway.
“Jasper was lying when he said he didn’t know where thestrygahad taken Kalina. He must’ve made the portal for them to get to the Malovian Railway,” Alexei said. “I knew through my empathy powers that he wasn’t telling the truth, but I was confused, because I didn’t understand why he’d purposefully mislead us. I didn’t speak up, because I thought I was mistaken.”
“He was one of the few people who knew Kalina was a demigod. Thestrygamust’ve overheard his thoughts, and cornered him to make a deal. That’s how they were able to sneak into the house,” I said.
“The timeline of when Ozzie was attacked and when we found Kalina missing doesn’t add up,” Ethan realized. “Jasper must’ve staged the attack, and thestrygamodified Ozzie’s memory, so he wouldn’t be able to confess what Jasper had done.”
“But he didn’t tell Gabby about Kalina, otherwise, she’d already be looking for her,” I said. “She doesn’t know about Kalina’s powers, or that she’s a demigod. We have to be proud of Jasper for that.”
“I should’ve said something,” Alexei said, heartbroken. “If I had brought up that I’d sensed Jasper had lied, we would’ve discovered that he was the betrayer sooner, and he’d have never taken the stones.”
“It’s not your fault,” Kiara said softly as she put her arms around Alexei. “You wanted to trust a friend, like we all did. Jasper fooled us all.”
Alexei’s silent tears streamed onto Kiara’s shoulder. A memory rose to my mind… the last words the Spring Princess had spoken to me before we’d left her island.
“I am aware of the trials you have suffered, and I have knowledge of all that is yet to come.Your task is far from over, Worldweaver. I suggest you summon your courage, for the path you are sure to walk is still heavy with dangers. Let this be a warning not to get too comfortable, and not to claim victory before it is won.”
We hadn’t heeded her warning. She’d known this was coming, and had tried to tell me. I didn’t listen.
Hours passed in forlorn silence. No one wanted to eat, or sleep. We were all waiting for the moment when Droga used the power of the stones to do whatever terrible thing he was planning. We were hovering on the edge of a cliff, holding our breath for the inevitable free fall.
I couldn’t stand around with my friends and witness the hopelessness on their faces. Ethan’s misery alone was enough to drown me, and I couldn’t bear that I had let my mate down. I proceeded up to the nursery. Kazim was awake when I checked on him, and fussing, but Kalina was peaceful. I stood above her cradle and looked down.
Despite the grief, a smile worked its way onto my face. Babies always gave the world hope, even if there was no hope left to be had. Kalina’s soft expression as she dreamed on soothed the bitterness of defeat. This war and this world was old, but she was brand new, and she’d craft it to her making when she came of age.
Or at least, I hoped she would. I wasn’t sure what kind of world I was handing her, or Kazim. Was it cruel that Arthur and Vara had brought two innocent souls into a country that was so damaged beyond repair?
I believed that Vara was a goddess. She must’ve known what she was doing.
Arthur entered after me, carrying a warm bottle. My brother picked his son up from the cradle. He fed Kazim the whole bottle in silence before he finally said, “We did our best, Em. That’s all the gods can ask of us.”
“We fucked it up. Like we always do,” I said brokenly.
“It’s a choice to look at it that way,” Arthur said. “I don’t believe our mistakes are permanent. We can still revise the situation, as impossible as it may seem. Fae magic is belief, isn’t it? There must be a way to believe we can still give a bright future to these children.”
His words failed to comfort me. I didn’t see how any of this wasn’t absolutely pointless. “Just leave me alone.”
Arthur looked away. He set Kazim down in the cradle before he walked out.
I lifted Kalina into my arms. She remained sleeping as I pressed her against my heartbeat.
I rocked Kalina and brushed a finger across her cheek. She was resting soundly, and I didn’t want to wake her. She’d let me know when she was hungry. For now, I wanted her to stay blissfully unaware of reality. She didn’t need to know how tragic things had become.
“I wish things were different.” I kissed Kalina’s forehead, and a few tears leaked out of my eyes and fell onto her soft skin. Kalina reached for the key on my charm bracelet, and as she grabbed it, the object began to glow a bright violet.
