“No!” I shouted, banging my fists against Orin’s chest. “Move! You have to let me try. Let me save him. Do it, Orin, or . . .” My thoughts were wild, my breath hard and fast. Ywena didn’t shock me. At least one Ever here was true to his word. “If they die, thebargain is void. I’ll leave without helping Mavis. Without helping any of you.” The words tasted like ash on my tongue, and my heart revolted at the idea of condemning Orin to death after the day we’d spent tangled in bed. But nothing could keep my anger at bay. He couldn’t stop me, not now. Not when I had a chance. Not when he made me feel whole and important and wanted.
“You heard her, Orin.” Rorik’s voice was dangerous. Low. It was full of heat and threat that matched the fire burning in my veins, and I was thankful to have Rorik by my side. “Better let her try. It’s peculiar how quickly his condition has worsened.”
Orin spat venom with his response. “Quiet.” Then, to me, much softer and full of remorse: “I can’t let you. Not yet.”
“You promised!” I saw red. It didn’t matter how deeply I’d come to care for him, how kind he’d been to me all this time. If he didn’t let me cure Nohr, I’d let blight destroy them all. Every last Fernglove.
“Please.” Orin kneeled before me and gripped my hands. It took everything in me not to rip them out of his grasp. “Listen. I’m not saying you can’t threadmend him. I’ll lift the veil right now if you demand it.”
My breath caught as I clung to his every word.
“But before you try, I want you to be aware of what could happen.” His thumb brushed over the back of my hand. “As Rorik pointed out, his condition is worse than expected. If I dispel the barrier, there’s no telling how much time you’d have to threadmend him. Minutes, maybe less. Right now, my magic is still working. He’s not going anywhere today, so long as that barrier remains intact. Neither of them are.” He dropped his gaze and spoke to the floor. “All I want is for you to cure him. But what if you’re not ready and he dies? You’ve succeeded on a beast, but never a person. What if it takes more time to remove their blight? More time than they have to give?”
“I can’t watch them die,” I said, voice cracking.
Orin’s grip tightened a fraction. “If this had been yesterday, even, when he showed some iota of health, I wouldn’t stop you. Because Ibelieveyou can do it.”
My throat swelled with emotion as tears lined my eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Perfect the method first. Try it on one of us.” He gestured between himself and Rorik, and the latter raised his brows. “Our bodies are meant to endure more. We’re not as sick as them or even Mavis. Adjust your technique as many times as you must in order to get it right. And once you have it, because I know you’ll get there, you can cure Nohr without worry. And Noam.”
My heart thundered in my ears. He was right. I hated that he was, but I couldn’t deny his reasoning, no matter how badly I wanted to save my brother. I’d believed that I was ready with every fiber of my being, but what evidence did I really have? Because I’d cured a stag? Noam and Nohr werefragile. So very, very fragile. It was evident in the way the blight was progressing. If they’d been Evers, we would’ve had more time. If I’d been stronger, it wouldn’t have mattered at all. I would’ve cured them before we ended up here.
I couldn’t give up. Not now. Not yet. Not ever.
“Let me try, then.”
Orin’s face fell. “If you insist.”
“Not on Nohr.” I gave his hands a gentle squeeze. It was the most I could handle after the swing in emotions from rage and fear to resigned understanding and despair. Hopefully it was enough. He looked up at me, a question burning in his eyes. “On you.”
“Edira.” He stood and twined our fingers together. “Are you certain?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Rorik hadn’t moved from his spot against the wall, but when I turned to glance at him, it was as if a monster had taken his place. Parts of his glamour had slipped away to reveal his ink-black eyes and pointed fangs. His sharpenedonyx horns. Before, his arms had hung loosely by his sides; now, there was nothing relaxed about them. I could see every hardened, stiff muscle and practically feel the knots forming beneath the surface of his skin. His hands had curled into white-knuckled fists, and he barely breathed as he glowered at us.
“You can leave,” Orin hissed, drawing me close.
“Not on your life.” Gold flashed through his stare. “Rather, not on hers. She shouldn’t do this.”
“Know your place, brother.” Orin closed the space between them until they were within striking distance of each other. “Unless you want me to leave you to rot.”
“Better me than her.” Rorik didn’t flinch beneath the weight of Orin’s glare.
“You don’t know what’s best for her.” Orin growled as his own glamour rippled away. But he didn’t stop with revealing only a few of his features—he let his entire mirage fade. He didn’t care about the blight marring his skin. He didn’t care about anything other than staring down his brother. His tail unfurled behind him and snapped through the air at the same time his crown pushed through his forehead. The stench of death and decay filled the small room, but nothing was more suffocating than the power he displayed. It was nothing like the stardust I’d enjoyed the day before. This was invisible and yet somehow tangible, a raw current of pure energy that charged the air like the moments before lightning struck.
“And you do?” Rorik leaned into his space. “She wouldn’t be the first—”
Orin struck him hard and fast, and the sound of his fist cracking against Rorik’s cheekbone reverberated against the walls. I expected Rorik to crumble, but all he did was tip his head back toward his brother with a saccharine smile. Blood gathered at the corner of his lip, and his tongue darted out to wipe it away. He towered above Orin as he pushed off the wall and bared his teeth.
“Enough!” I didn’t know where I found the courage to move, but I did. I shoved my way between their bodies and pressed my hands firmly against their chests. At the same time, I uncorked the power dormant in my veins and let it flood outward in a vibrant display of moonlight. It came easily, willingly, as if it sensed the presence of their blight and wanted to rid the space of its infestation. My power gave me strength, and I didn’t budge as I held my ground between Rorik and Orin. Neither one seemed pleased I’d found myself there, but Rorik relented first. His glamour easily slid back into place as he reclined against the wall. The only thing that remained were his endless black eyes that roved over my body.
Finally, Orin stepped back. “I’m sorry, Edira.”
I let my hands fall to my sides, but I didn’t cap my power. Instead, I let it flare with anger. “I don’t know what kind of history you two have, but this decision ismine.” I shot a glare at Rorik before rounding my gaze on Orin. “I am ready to try. And I’m happy to do it.”
A haughty, satisfied smile claimed Orin’s lips as he looked over my head to gloat at his brother. Fortunately, Rorik didn’t take the bait. He continued to focus only on me.
“Go on then,” he said, voice surprisingly soft. I hated the way it made me question everything. He motioned for Ywena to join him, and I tried to ignore the sudden cold her absence invited.
