He looked away and continued along the bridge ahead of me.
Overheard, two moons merged into one, its light glimmering on the calm river beneath the bridge. Crickets sang in the distance, and a warm, gentle breeze stirred the trees that had cropped up around us.
The cut on my foot seemed to have healed, and I realized my shoulders no longer ached.
“My wounds are gone,” I said.
“Yes, the realm has given you a gift. Be grateful, but wary.”
We continued to the center of the bridge, then stopped to watch the river drift past below, the lotus blooms floating like little boats. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and fresh mud.
“Sophie…” I began, but couldn’t bring myself to ask the question.
Liam seemed to understand anyway. “Sophie passed through this realm as she was intended to do.”
“I thought I saw her.”
“Yes. She’s always with you.” He pressed his hand to my heart, and my skin warmed at his touch. “Here.”
“Did she have to fight those… things? The fire demons? Or that two-headed beast?”
“No.” Liam laced his fingers through mine and gently urged me across the rest of the stone bridge. The human warmth of his touch sent little sparks skittering up my arm, making me feel fizzy.
I wondered if he felt it too.
The river faded from sight as we walked, and by the time we reached the other side, it had vanished completely, replaced with large, flat-topped boulders. There were no trees now, just a field of big rocks.
At least they didn’t look sharp or on fire.
We started making our way across the boulder field, the moon still bright overhead, illuminating our steps.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Liam helped me scramble up one of the larger boulders.
“I don’t know. The realm will reveal that as you travel. I cannot influence or alter that for you, nor can I bring you home.”
I nodded. I’d known that going into this. Right now, I was just grateful for his company.
“How will I know what my path is if everything keeps changing?” I asked.
It was a few moments before Liam spoke again, and when he did, his voice was heavy with regret. “You broke the natural order and came here outside the confines of your natural death. As such, while you may see glimpses of your intended path, it no longer exists as an unbroken route. You are a wanderer here, Gray. You will continue to face demons both within and without, and you will experience joys beyond your comprehension, only to have them cruelly snatched away. You will be chased and tormented and tested beyond your limits. You will be healed, only to face the same cruel brutality once again. And in the end, it will lead you nowhere.”
I nodded again, swallowing the lump in my throat. It was done. There was no point crying over it, no point looking for loopholes. In this horrible in-between, I could bruise, I could break, and I could suffer. But I could never be killed.
So whatever this place had in store for me, I had to face it. That was the deal I’d signed up for when I hijacked Jonathan’s soul.
“And Jonathan?” I asked.
“He is in a similar predicament. I suspect your paths will cross often. I suspect…” Liam trailed off, his face crumpling. When he met my eyes, his own were haunted, as though my current predicament was his decision. His punishment for me. “I’m so sorry, Gray.”
I reached up and swept the fall of hair from his eyes, sliding my hand down to his chest. His human heart beat strong and steady, and I pressed my palm against it, trying to memorize the rhythm. “It’s not your fault. I made this choice. I knew the consequences. You didn’t—”
“And therein lies the problem, Gray Desario. Ididn’t.” He grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to my fingers, a quick but surprisingly passionate gesture that totally took me off guard. “There was so much more I could’ve shown you, explained to you, guided you through, but I didn’t. I’ve existed as long as the very spark of life itself, yet for this one task, I simply… ran out of time.”
“It’s not your fault,” I repeated, but Liam seemed to be beating himself up pretty hard. Squeezing his hand, I said, “I’m just glad you’re here now. How did you even find me?”
“Your magic signature. I’ve been trying to locate you ever since Darius told me you’d been taken, but this is the first I’ve sensed your power. Other than your all-too-brief appearance in your realm when you told me you’d been taken to Raven’s Cape, there has been no sign of you until now.”
My eyes widened. I wasn’t sure he’d even gotten my message—Jonathan had yanked me back out of my realm almost as soon as I’d arrived, and I hadn’t been able to return.
