With a slow exhale, I released Emilio’s soul, guiding the silver-white light into the moonglass. After a final incantation, the sphere sealed itself, encasing his essence in an unbroken bubble of protective moonlight.
“Moonglass,” I said, holding the feather-light globe between us. “It will contain his soul until we are ready to release it.”
My owl and raven ferriers, who’d been perched silently on the black branches overhead during our entire exchange, finally took flight. Despite the mesmerizing beauty of the sphere, they knew what its making had just called forth.
Gray and I had perhaps an hour by earthly reckoning to complete our task. Perhaps an hour before I’d be called to atone for my actions, sentenced to some punishment I could only imagine.
But that was a concern for another moment. Right now, Gray and I had more important matters to consider.
“What… what is it?” she breathed, still in awe. “How does it work?”
“It’s a fae spell,” I explained. “Almost as old as I am. It is the only known magic that can hold a soul indefinitely without damaging it.”
“I’ve never heard of this before.”
“Moonglass has been banished for more than four thousand years. While our purpose is to return life, the original intention was not so benevolent.”
Her eyes widened as she peered into the glass. Its pearly sheen changed colors, shifting from silver to white to an iridescent pink, reacting to the soul inside.
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“The first fae tricked the moon into lending them her light, and they used it to create a device that would imprison the souls of their enemies. During times of war, they would call the light onto the battlefield, performing the spell and luring the souls of recently deceased enemy soldiers inside. Once captured, the souls could later be released into the most hostile fae realms, condemning them to an eternity of torment so much worse than anything they’d ever faced as soldiers.”
She was silent for several moments, mesmerized by the beautiful, undulating sphere, and undoubtedly horrified by the tale of its origins.
“Magic like this… It doesn’t come without a cost,” she finally said. “I know that better than anyone.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
She swallowed hard, then met my gaze, the opalescent swirls of the moonglass reflected in her eyes. “What will this cost?”
“It matters not. The price will be paid.”
Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she sighed deeply. “Liam, despite everything that happened between us, I don’t want you to… I don’t want something bad to—”
“I will not lie to you again, Gray,” I interrupted. “I do not know what is to come of this—only that I will be called to atone for it. That is the truth. The moment I created the moonglass, I sealed my fate. I will take whatever punishment is meted out.”
“But—”
“It is done. I’ve no regrets about that decision now, nor will I have them later. For there is no price I wouldn’t pay to bring you even a moment’s peace.” I gazed into her eyes, needing her to understand the depths of my feelings for her, the boundlessness of my sadness that I’d caused her any harm at all. “You must know that, Gray.”
My voice had softened to a whisper, and Gray nodded, a single tear slipping from her eye. She held my gaze a moment longer, but her thoughts were veiled to me. If she thought to say something more, she decided against it, quickly swiping away the renegade tear and nodding, once again resolute.
“Whatyoumust decide,” I explained, “is whether you’re willing to accept the risks and consequences for this decision and any that may come after as we endeavor to bring him back. If you’re not, you may say your goodbyes now and leave this realm, as you should have already done, and I will face those consequences alone.”
At this, she let out a hollow laugh and rolled her pretty eyes. “Come on, Liam. I thought you knew me at least a little better than that. I would never bail on you.”
Nor I you, little witch. Not ever again.
“We’re in this together,” she went on. “Even if it wasn’t Emilio’s soul, and you’d asked formyhelp instead of the other way around, I’d still be here for you.”
“That… that means more to me than you can imagine.”
“I need you to know something. Everything that happened in the past—all the things you kept from me… It changes nothing. This means more to me than all of it.Youmean more to me.”
Emotion tightened my throat, but there were no adequate words to express my gratitude, my feelings for her. So instead, I lowered my eyes to the sphere and said, “This is the last important thing we will ever do together, Gray. Fitting that it will be themostimportant.”
Without further ado, I handed her the moonglass. She took the sphere into her hands, delicately and reverently, fully aware of the importance of its contents.
