All around them, the forest roared in defiance—trees groaning, ground splitting with a violent lurch. An opaque cloud ofsmoke and ash poured out from Irene’s feet, suffocating plumes bursting into the air.
“Don’t—” Masika coughed, sputtering, the swirling clouds of smoke and ash burning the back of her throat. “Irene. Stop.Please.”
But Irene didn’t stop. The magic burned through her. Igniting her veins. Coursing through her limbs. She stared at Masika, tears welling behind her glowing eyes.
“It’s already done.”
“No.” Masika shook her head. “I can’t—I can’t do this alone.”
“Shut up, Masi.” Irene chuckled. “We both know you’ll be fine.”
Masika cursed furiously beneath her breath.
“I swear to God—”
“To me, then?” Irene smiled, but it was broken and wrong. Blood trickled out of her lips, a thin crimson rivulet dripping down her chin. A fiery glow emanated from her skin, a shimmering golden halo enveloping her limbs.
“Please,” Masika begged, her voice muffled by the howling wind. Even the trees groaned in distress, their leaves rustling, as though whispering a warning only they could understand. “I needyou.”
At this, Irene laughed. The magic burrowed deeper. Her skin burned a deep crimson, licking up her limbs, consuming every piece of her soul, inch by inch. It crept up her neck, infecting her veins, spreading through her like a ravenous virus. Masika watched helplessly as tendrils of shadows erupted from her friend’s chest, traveling beneath Irene’s skin, intertwining with the burning light, a fearsome web of magic consuming every inch of her soul.
“No.” Irene shook her head, a broken sound echoing in her throat. Bloody tears welled behind her eyes. “Don’t you get it? You never did. It wasmewho neededyou.”
“I can’t handle all this without you.” Masika sobbed, shaking her head. “I can’t. I won’t do it.”
Irene’s face softened. She tilted her head.
“Yes,” she whispered. “You will.”
Masika wanted to scream. Maybe she could call upon the others. Maybe one of them could help—
“The others won’t make it in time,” Irene said, as if she’d read Masika’s thoughts. And maybe shehad. Irene could do anything now. She could rip apart the afterlife with nothing but a snap. She could destroy them all—with nothing but a single thought.
“Look at me, Masi.” Irene’s voice dragged Masika back to reality. “If anybody can fix this mess, if anybody can make Blackwood what it needs to be, it’s you. I think…I think I was meant to be here…standing in front of you. I think I was meant to do this.”
“You weren’t meant to besacrificed,” Masika spat out in disgust. “How could you even say that?”
Irene rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be so melodramatic.”
“Irene—”
“I want this.”The intensity in Irene’s voice sent a shock wave through the air, bending the trees. Irene nodded. Softly. Tenderly. “Just…just let me do this, okay? I need to. I’m not going to be the one to let the afterlife crumble. I’m not going to be the one to destroy it all. I’m not going to be likethem. And for what? For the ambition of men? For their fractured egos and desperate pride?”
“But maybe there’s another way—”
“There isn’t.”
“Dammit, Irene.” Masika let out a broken sob. “Why are you choosing to be the heronow?”
“I thought…for a moment…that I had become loyal to Blackwood. That I’d chosen the wrong side,” Irene said, voiceshaking. “But it wasn’t Blackwood that I chose. It was you. I choseyou. I chooseyou.”
A sob tore out of Masika’s throat.
“Please,” she begged. “There has to be another way.”
Irene was smiling. It was a tender smile. A sad smile.
