Page 120 of The Heart Trials

Hearing his name stops her dead in her tracks. “Don’t say his name,” Talia chokes.

“Everyone around you is disappearing,” I say. “It’s Rhythe, Talia. Why do you think Ivy is with us?”

More tears pour down her face.

“What happened to Jace, Talia?” I press her again, begging her to see reason. But her grip on Ivy tightens. I edge closer. Ivy’s wide eyes dart between us—terrified. “Rhythe is controlling Kade,” I tell Talia.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! Kade hasn’t been in on the alliance this whole time,” she says. “He’s just around now. For this.”

“Talia, think,” I say. “Lira, Orrick.”

She shakes her head. “No,” she mutters, but there is no heart in it.

Rhythe bursts from the shadows, cutting in front of us, positioning himself between them and me. He crouches low like he’s ready to strike. I grab my driftwood-handled dagger and drive it through the air, aiming for his head. The metal edge catches on his shoulder—but he twists away at the last second. He stumbles into me and grabs me roughly by my collar.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Axira,” he says twice, as if repeating it makes it true.

“Then stop trying,” I growl and shove him off of me. He lunges.

Talia gapes as Rhythe and I tumble over each other, hitting the dirt in a tangle—then she howls in pain as Ivy bites her finger.

“Stop it, Rhythe,” Ivy pleads. “You have to stop. You’ve gone too far!”

His spike cuts through my sleeve, grazing my skin. I drive my elbow into his ribs and throw him off. By the time I’m on my feet again, he is too. But now he hesitates.

His gaze flickers to where Talia is losing her hold on Ivy, then to where Caelus and Kade are now locked in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Caelus wraps his legs around Kade’s middle and twists. They slam sideways into the hard ground, and Kade grunts, wind knocked out of him. Caelus surges up, elbow smashing into Kade’s jaw. The big man slumps, dazed—but not out. Rhythe watches, distracted, frozen.

I run, following patches of moonlight through the forest canopy.

Ivy shoves an elbow into Talia’s side and breaks for it too.

“She’s getting away!” Talia screams.

Ivy’s gaining on me. I reach back for her hand. She takes it. Rhythe chases me, he chases us, around the camp, through the trees—until suddenly there aren’t any more.

We’ve reached a mountain’s edge.

I hit the dirt just before the cliff ends, breath tearing from my lungs. Ivy clings to me, shaking. We stare into the void, wind howling up the mountain face like a scream. There’s nowhere to go. There’s no way this ends well.

Behind us, something moves.

I turn fast, blade raised to face Rhythe, who glares at me. He could shove me off this mountain right now and take Ivy. I have no way to stop him. I look for hate in his eyes, desperate to cling to something I can understand. But his face is unreadable. This is it. This is the end. He told Kade he would deal with me. The moment has come. He will deal with me now. I squeeze Ivy’s hand, slick in mine, rigid at the murder in Rhythe’s eyes.

I have nothing left.

I tried, I fought, I ran.

For a moment, I loved.

It didn’t save me. It only cost me. I let go of Ivy’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. I’ve failed her too. With nothing left, I stare at Rhythe in his cold, dead eyes and ask, “Why? I overheard you talking with Kade. I know what you’re doing. But I don’t know why. Is this whole thing about your love for Ivy or something else?”

Is it the magic?

Ivy gazes between us like she’s seeing something new for the first time. The quiet thickens, moonlight glinting on the sharpening angles of his glare.

Finally, he says, “Ivy, with me.” When he reaches in our direction, I close my eyes, waiting for the push, imagining below there is a sea. And my mother is waiting.