“Your kingdom is doomed either way. Isn’t that right, my little storm cloud?” Malachi wraps an arm around my sister’s waist and pulls her tight to his side.
She grins; her eyes set on me.
“He’s manipulating you, Selia. He has been since that first visit. You know how light messes with your mind.”
Selia’s gaze hardens. “Yes, Wilder. You know how well I understand the effects of light wielding, don’t you? And yet, you let it happen.”
The man my mother handed Selia to centuries ago was a light wielder. He altered her thoughts to make her do terrible thingswith him and his men. At times, he’d use it to soothe her into compliance. But at other times, I heard he would use it to instill fear in her. He tortured my sister physically. Mentally. My stomach lurches simply thinking about it.
“I was training in Andare. Our queen?—”
“Used us!” She cuts me off. “She wasn’t a queen; she was a coward, using us like shields to protect herself. What she let happen will never be okay. But I have Malachi now. And I promise you, this isn’t manipulation.”
Her fingertips crackle. Thick fog settles overhead. The wind tastes like rain and lightning. But I keep my powers at bay, holding the aether back when it’s all around, begging me to grab it. If I do, Malachi will pull it in—use it against me.
My court battles at my back, holding off the guards finding their way around the crack of the Well, while I inch closer to my sister.
If I can just get close enough to shove her through the Arch, then I can deal with her on the other side.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, Selia. I didn’t realize what she let happen to you until it was too late.”
“You should have. She did it to you too.” Her voice is raspy.
My chest tightens because my sister is right. Our mother loved her kingdom more than anything, including her children. And I’ve paid for that with my blood, my soul, and my body for centuries. Anything for Vaelier.
“We have each other,” I remind her.
A lame attempt when I understand the depth of what is broken. She may never forgive me, but her hating me is better than leaving her here under the manipulation of Malachi.
I’m so close now I can taste the lightning in the air. Four steps, and I could reach out for my sister. Her hands shake with her quick breathing, and her magic swells with what must be an unbearable wave inside her.
With my court distracted, Malachi uses that to his advantage and finally strikes. He sends a wave of light that catches me off guard. I manage to fire a surge of aether to meet it, but his magic is so bright and strong. It doesn’t just stream from his chest or his hands. It barrels out of the orb. Something else twists with it, ripping through the aether.
Aether sparks at the edges as this unknown magic finds its way through. It seeps into my thoughts and screams in my ears. Like the whispers of shadow, but something else entirely.
It’s not of this realm. It tears into my thoughts. My fingers find my temples, and my knees buckle. It slithers between my ribs like it’s going to pull them apart.
Malachi and I have never been an even match. I’ve always been stronger. Whatever he’s wielding is so far beyond his own magic that it’s not just draining me, it’s draining him and his kingdom.
A piercing scream strums between my temples. It’s suffocating my thoughts. I can barely contain it. This might be it.
The end.
Selia moves, likely to take the final strike. I suppose if I’m going to die, it might as well be at the hand of my sister. I failed her in so many ways. It’s not her fault she ended up here. I should have been there for her instead of making excuses to run away from my obligations.
She moves with lethal efficiency, and my court is too far to stop her. Her hands twist, but instead of reaching for her magic, she draws a dagger hidden on the outside of her thigh. In a quick move, she spins, planting the blade into Malachi’s chest.
He releases the orb, stumbling back. His hands find the hilt of the blade as he stares blankly at her.
“How? Why?” Malachi’s shock stutters his words.
“Because my brother is right.” She glances at me. “I knew her plan. I heard her when I wasn’t supposed to. She was going tosacrifice you for Vaelier, and I couldn’t let it happen. But she sent me here before you returned. Before I could warn you. And when you fell, I wasn’t strong enough to do anything about it. So I played my part. I stayed close when Malachi put you in the prison, knowing our only chance was to wait for you to wake your mate. Only then could we maybe get through this.”
Her attention turns to Malachi now. A veil of lightning streams from the sky, sparking the ground around us.
“I waited for my chance.”
Malachi’s cheeks are red with anger. His eyes are dark and dim as he stumbles back another step. His fingers grip the blade, seeping with blood.
