Okean’s body trembled. Dominus nudged him with his snout, whining softly. Blood puddled beneath Gaige’s motionless form. The Cumulo Leo had pierced his skin and provided an open avenue for the mist to travel into his system, extinguishing his life.
A sharp cry escaped my lips, and I dug my fingers through the earth to keep the world from spinning. Why? Why had this happened? Why was Yazmin with Darrien? Suddenly, there was a frantic crashing from the woods. With Felicks glued to his side, Kost raced toward us. Blood dripped from a shallow cut on his cheek, and his clothes were torn and stained. Wild shadows spiked about his frame as he skidded to his knees, and his trembling hands hovered over Gaige.
“I saw…” He choked on his words, tears lining his eyes. “Felicks saw…”
A heavy ringing sounded in my ears. That wail. That gods-awful wail. Kost had seen Gaige’s death while battling Darrien’s forces. But two minutes hadn’t been enough time for him to get to us. Instead…
“Heal him,” Kost turned to his beast. “Heal him!”
Felicks darted forward and gave Gaige’s wound a gentle lick. When nothing happened, he sniffed the air before trying again. His ears drooped. Slowly, he looked at Kost with heavy eyes and ducked his head. His orb clouded, then cleared.
Kost blinked rapidly, as if trying to digest Felicks’s vision as quickly as possible. Then, he blanched. “No.” His voice rose an octave. “No!”
More crashing came from the woods as Noc and Oz emerged. Countless wounds in the process of healing lined Oz’s arms, and he stumbled forward, barely putting any weigh on his left leg. Noc, too, had thin lines of blood tracking his arms and face, and a deep gash on his thigh.
“Darrien is gone. Injured, but he’ll recover.” He scowled at his words.
“Managed to take out a few of his followers, though,” Oz grumbled, stretching his ankle. He looked up then and paused, thick brows crawling together. “Kost?”
Noc’s gaze followed Oz’s, and he stilled. “What happened?”
Slowly, I craned my neck upward. Words escaped me as I stared at Noc, and I swallowed several times as I released my grip on the earth. Blood and muck coated my fingers. “It’s my fault.”
Noc didn’t move. “What?”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes to try to stop the sudden rush of tears. “We took too long. We should’ve left the moment we took down the Gigloam…” Guilt ravaged my stomach, and the sharp taste of acid flooded my tongue. We should’ve left. Gaige wanted to. There was no reason to stay behind and protect the Gigloam. He would’ve been fine. But Gaige? Slowly, I peeled open my eyes.
We’d never see his mischievous smile again.
“He’s dead.” My voice was quiet, but Kost flinched just the same. Unconstrained shadows lashed around him, and Calem inched forward, unperturbed by their wild slashes. He inhaled deeply, as if he needed to check for the scent of death to believe it himself—or maybe to confirm if summoning his beast, Effie, would help revive our friend—and then whimpered. Noc and Oz stared at Gaige’s lifeless body in horror. Only after Calem fell to his haunches did they finally jolt forward to join Kost’s side.
Time stretched as we waited for Kost to say something. Anything other than the quiet “no” he’d been muttering on repeat since Felicks’s vision. Unbridled agony filled his green eyes, and his whole body trembled. Okean glanced up at him and let out a soft, heart-wrenching bellow. The low, somber note was an unbearable weight we couldn’t escape, even after Okean had tucked his head back against his master. That horrifying sound shook Kost from his reverie, and the maelstrom of shadows surrounding him exploded outward. They slashed into trees, severing limbs from trunks and tearing into underbrush. And yet he remained still.
Noc waded through the dark tendrils and gripped his brother’s shoulder. “Kostya.”
The shadows spiraled in response.
“I’m sorry.” I fisted the fabric of my breeches and averted my gaze. I couldn’t look at Kost. Couldn’t stand his pain and fury. All those emotions he never spoke of were on display, and it was too much to bear. Especially when Gaige had reacted to save my life. Especially when it was my fault we’d lingered. “I should have protected him.”
“Raise him.” Kost’s voice was soft but cut like a blade.
Noc didn’t flinch. “Are you sure that’s what’s best?”
Kost whirled on him, turning all his ire on the brother he’d known the longest. “Gods help me, Noc. Raise. Him.”
Noc glanced at me, silently asking for help. Shakily, I brought myself to my feet, feeling Kost’s eyes on me, waiting. “Kost… I’m not sure Gaige would want that. I didn’t.” Images of my death filled my mind. Of Noc’s crazed eyes and the way his hands had felt around my neck. I hadn’t wanted to die. To live a life without him. But had he raised me… Had I been born again, unable to access the beast realm… The symbol on the back of my hand would’ve been a painful reminder of everything I’d lost, of everything I could never have again. Could I have lived with that? Could Gaige?
“Please.” Soft. So soft. The shadows around Kost died, and he curled in on himself. “I never got the chance to… I…” He slipped his hands beneath his glasses and pressed his fingers against his eyes, choking back a sob.
Noc let out a slow breath. I knew how much he hated to raise the dead. Especially when he had a strong suspicion that the one being raised wouldn’t want to live with the shadows. But for Kost… I doubted there was anything he wouldn’t do.
And still, he looked to me. A fist wrenched my heart and twisted it violently. This had to be my decision. Gaige was a Charmer. I was his Crown. Even if Noc held the power to raise him from the dead, Gaige would look to me for answers. Slowly, I rounded my gaze on Kost. Who’s wish was I supposed to honor? An ache simmered deep in my bones, and I took a steadying breath.
“Do it,” I said. My quiet words tasted like ash. Kost snapped his head upward, spearing with emotion-filled, glassy eyes. I hated to say it. Hated to put Gaige in the position I would’ve never wanted to be in myself. But looking at Kost now… Maybe I’d do just about anything for my family, too. Or maybe I was being selfish. Maybe I wanted Gaige back because I couldn’t stand the thought of him dying when I was partially to blame. “We can talk to Gaige after. He… He might feel differently than I do.”
Noc stared at me for a long moment before letting out a sigh. He shifted his focus to Kost. “Do you remember the rules? The ones I made you follow when I was raised?”
Kost nodded. “Of course. If he doesn’t want this life, at any point, then I’ll end it. Just like I promised you.”
