Page 142 of Cursebreaker

Titus seems like he doesn’t know whether to finish him off or call for aid. He doesn’t get the chance to do either.

The sea stirs and a wave rises, towering over our heads but never crashing. From the suspended water, light carves a doorway, much like the one from which Elsie and I stepped.

Rainai emerges from the threshold of glittering gold dust.

Titus’s eyes are wide as saucers. My family and friends, racing down the beach in our direction, draw their weapons as their approach turns cautious.

All except for Elsie, who trails a distance behind the others. As she passes, running toward Rainai’s open arms, I note the looks on their faces—note the moment they recognize her, their faces drawn with confusion as they try to make sense of what they’re seeing.

But Mother and Father seem to know instantly, and by the time they reach her, she turns from Rainai, arms wide as our parents scoop her up.

My siblings aren’t far behind.

“How—”

“But you’re—”

“I know!”

“And it’s—”

“You’re here!”

Albert’s face crumples, and Elsie crouches.

“I’m still older than you,” he says between sobs.

She laughs, mussing his hair. “Sure you are.”

Diana, Henry, and Eliza finally catch up, but it’s Gabriel who pushes past them, his bottom lip quivering as he covers his face with his hands.

Gently, Elsie reaches up, prying his fingers away. And conspiratorially, she whispers, “I have so many stories to tell you.”

Gabriel breaks into sobs, lifting Elsie in a crushing embrace even as she laughs and squeals for him to put her down.

Killian and Lady Isabelle follow behind Annie, who looks, for the first time since the events that took place at Bludgrave Manor, like the outspoken, cheerful little girl I met that day on the train to Ink Haven. And in the moment Elsie holds out her hands for Annie, I don’t see the young woman standing before me but the child she once was.

Everyone surrounds her at once, and it’s as if no one notices Will, kneeling in the sand behind Titus and me. They don’t even look in our direction as everyone speaks over one another, asking Elsie dozens of questions, hugging her, laughing, weeping. Even Titus breaks away to greet her. “Welcome back, princess,” he says, and when she throws her arms around his neck, he tenses only for a second before returning her embrace.

Elsie doesn’t seem to want to let go as our family gathers around her, but she finally draws back, gesturing toward Rainai, who seems perfectly content to observe our family’s happy reunion.

Mother, Father, and Killian are the first to kneel.

“Please, rise,” Rainai says, placing a hand on Mother’s and Father’s shoulders.

The others cast one another puzzled, sidelong glances.

“This gate will not remain open for very long,” Rainai says, a touch of sadness in his warm smile. He looks past my family, to the gathering crowd of our soldiers—humans, Nightweavers, and Myths. “I’ve come to offer you a choice.” He turns to me, then, and his gaze drops to Will kneeling at my side, his head bowed. “You as well, Azeron.”

An uneasy murmur passes through the crowd.

“You have all chosen to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves,” he says, and the scars that mark him as a warrior I now realize establish him as a commander of armies, because as his voice carries over the assembly, warm and calm, the people quiet, and some seem to recognize, inherently, who stands before them, because many drop to their knees. “Should you choose to make a home in Elysia, you will be welcome. But know that if you step through this gate, you will never return to this world.”

No one moves. And then, a Nightweaver and a human step forward, their hands clasped.

Rainai greets them with a gracious bow. The couple exchange a look—part excitement, part fear—before stepping through the open doorway.

A handful of Myths follow, along with Grendwin, who drops to one knee as he passes Rainai. “My king,” he says.