“Because she had been banished, Helaina. Do you know what that does to a god? Having all of those immortals work together to cage her? The combined magics drained her power and locked her in place, preventing her from traveling. Even if that binding is broken, regeneration would take years, decades even. She’s been busy rebuilding her strength and making an undead army. When she grew strong enough, she gave Dolion the order to take you, to hold you in the east until Valhoor returned for you. So he could unlock your curse before Ures. If he did that, you would be their most powerful pawn.”
“I thought Ures was the only one who could grant me power? I thought that was the whole point of all of this? For me to attempt his trial.”
“You carry Ures’s blood, Helaina, but you also hold Valhoor’s curse, his shadow, his mark. He would not create a weapon if he did not have the ability to wield it.”
Dread sank deep in her gut as silence passed between them. She didn’t want to talk about this anymore. She was scared; she’d be a fool not to be. And even though so much had been discovered, she only wanted one thing.
“Theo...”
He bristled at his name on her tongue.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
His shoulders drifted down, like he was relieved of an imposing weight. “You owe me no apologies.”
“I do, though. I thought so many things about you in the beginning, about everyone here. I let so many fears mislead me... You were never the cause of my anger or grief, and yet you’ve been the one paying for it since I arrived. You were just trying to mend things that you had no responsibility to fix.”
“No responsibility?” She was grateful he interrupted her ramblings.
He began approaching her cautiously. When he was above her, he offered his hand. Without any hesitation, she took it, and he brought her up to stand.
“I would give anything to heal every wound you’ve ever endured. Whether I caused it or not is of no consequence.”
She gripped his hand, not ever wanting to let it go.
“You’re a survivor, Helaina. That’s a power no one gave to you—you earned it. Through terrible loss and heartache, but you earned it all the same.”
She wasn’t crying, but it was the closest she had been in a long while.
His eyes took on a somber note. “Come with me?”
She nodded.
He led her out of the room.
They walked until they took a path she was familiar with. He escorted her up those stone steps, to that smoothed and polished cave.
The mysterious blade of bone lay untouched. The power from it was humming; it almost echoed all around them. The dagger was most definitely alive in some way.
“I have to ask something of you,” Theo began. “And I’m sorry I have to ask it.”
She turned toward him. He didn’t have to say it.
“You need me to use it now, don’t you?”
“If Drayella is here... if Valhoor is coming—it changes everything. If he has the chance to imbue you before Ures... they’ll use you against us, then they’ll kill you too.” His throat bobbed as he took her hands. “We’re out of time. We need every advantage, and I can’t risk them somehow getting to you in your mortal body... I can’t...”
Looking into his devastated eyes, she felt something there, something he longed to say.
“Can’t what?”
“I can’t lose you. Even if you hate me, I can’t keep protecting this world knowing you’re not in it. If I knew another way, I would choose it... but it has to be this.”
She believed him. She pulled her hands from his and began lightly brushing her fingertips over his shirt. “All the hateful things I said... none of it was true.”
He inhaled deeply, steadying himself. She never thought her touch could cause such a reaction in another. “My words were no better.” He placed his fingers behind her neck and caressed under her chin with his thumb. “I meant none of it, you have to know that.”
She leaned into his touch.
