Page 205 of A Courage of the Chosen

That jubilation remains, even if it softens as we prepare to return to the capital. As I help with those efforts, people kneel, praise my bravery and strength, and thank me for my aid. I nod and show them my gratitude, too, with no doubt that I’ve been accepted as their queen now.

Grandpa finds me as we begin moving the wounded in the direction of the healers’ tents, that have been set up between the trees. He doesn’t say anything, but for the first time since Mom died, there’s an air of peace about him, as though we can finally begin rebuilding our lives.

The animals and creatures that have lingered nearby slink away to the forest with my awe and gratitude, and in some instances, my magic returns them home without me even instructing it to do so.

I think my army is glad to see most of them disappear now the threat is gone, especially the bigger ones, like the Skelf and the snakes that people give a wide berth.

After all the injured soldiers are being seen to, we gather the bodies for the funeral fires that will burn bright tonight.

Callahan and I are carrying a lifeless young woman to the nearest pyre when a flash of silver catches my eye. My steps slow, as does the thudding of my heart, and Cal spots the same thing I’ve seen.

He gently lowers the woman’s legs and snatches up the dagger. His forehead wrinkles beneath the pieces of hair that have fallen forward as he examines it.

“We can destroy it,” he says, without glancing up.

I’m about to agree, ready to tell him to throw it into the fires when we light them and let it melt away into nothing, when the same summons that brought me to this field yanks in my gut.

Intuitively, I know exactly what it means.

Because there’s one more thing I need to do.

I lay the lifeless Seelie on the ground and wordlessly hold my hand out to Callahan. He flips the knife, offering it to me, handle first.

The dagger isn’t long, not the sharpest, and the etched pommel has faded over time. It’s inoffensive to anyone else.

To me, it’s memories and nightmares that will never leave. Things that have shaped me into the woman I am.

Granny.

Callahan.

Me.

Countless others wounded by a dagger that Tavish wielded like it was his privilege to inflict so much pain.

I don’t know what possesses me to slide it into the belt slung around my waist, now empty of any weapons, but having it this near makes the part of me that will never heal shudder away from the proximity.

Callahan knows what I’m doing before my magic unspools in my chest. “I’ll go with you,” he says, stepping close.

“Not this time.”

His shoulders tighten, and Callahan’s internal battle wages through me as he takes a long inhale.

“Be careful,” are his parting words, as he scoops up the woman’s body lying between us and turns his back on me.

It’s pointless telling him not to worry, the way I almost say down our bond. He knows what I’m doing, and that it’ll be dangerous to face him alone. Those words won’t bring him comfort.

Deep in my heart, I know Callahan will respect this decision, and understand why I need to do this without him.

Doesn’t mean he likes it, though, and as he strides away from me, his unease increases with each step.

Closing my eyes, I focus on the sensation in my stomach. A final summons. The darkness in my core responds in a frozen wave, and frigid magic swirls around my legs as I shadow-walk along the tether.

My stomach rolls again and again as time ticks by, like I’m tipping over the first drop of a rollercoaster as I’m robbed of sight, touch, and sound.

It’s over in a matter of seconds, a few blinks into the void and I’m stood before a rugged cliff face, draped with ivy that’s encased in a fine blanket of frost, where the sun hasn’t fully penetrated the canopy to thaw it.

When I reach forward, brushing the curtain aside, a gaping hole appears, as I knew it would. There’s no fear as I enter the near-black cavern.