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Elyria’s heartbeat picked up. “My wings.”

“They are part of your before. Part of who you were at the beginning. And I worry that if you meld powers again, or if you were to fully complete your life-bond—which I am sure is something you have discussed—it may impact your magic’s ability to accept your wings.”

Elyria felt a flicker of confusion dart down the bond as Cedric reacted to Larkess’s mention of the life-bond.

Absolutely not the time for that, she thought. Jocelyn’s voice cut through any further rumination she might have done, though.

“You think Elyria’s magic will reject her wings if she deepens her bond with Cedric.” The words were steady and matter-of-fact, even as Jocelyn wrung her hands in her lap.

Another stretch of silence fell over the group, ceasing only when the sound of stifled laughter skittered across the room.

It wasn’t until half a dozen pairs of eyes all shot to Elyria’s face that she realized she was the one laughing.

“That’s your hesitation?” she asked between snorted chuckles. “Please. It’s very kind of you to be concerned about me, but there is nothing more important than stopping Malakar.”

Something deep in her mind seemed to protest that notion, but Elyria didn’t know if it was coming from her or from Cedric, and it didn’t matter either way. She could not allow the dark sorcerer to achieve his goals. Could not give him more time to desecrate the world with his darkness.

Could not let him win.

“Elle.” Cedric’s voice was bordering far too close to pity when he spoke her name into her mind, and it made Elyria shoot to her feet.

“This is an easy choice,” she said, slapping her palms onto the table. “If we have the power to unite the crown, we do so. My wings aren’t even here. Who knows when we will be able to retrieve them? Who knows when Nox will finally arrive? Or if they will at all?” Elyria tried to ignore the way Kit’s lip instantly curled under her nose. “Better not to waste any more time. We still don’t know exactly what Malakar is doing, don’t know where or when he plans to pierce the Line. We need to get ahead of his plans, or we risk failing to stop him in time.”

“Why are you fighting against this so hard, Ellie? You forget that Tenebris also has the other crown half locked away in the shadows,” Kit said. “So even if you were to unweave the magic of the locket, you’d still be short half a crown.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t need to stay here, would we? Elder Larkess can walk us through unmaking the locket’s transfiguration, and then we can leave and meet Nox wherever they are. Cedric and I can unite the crown. We can seal the Chasm. We can fucking stop him.”

Elyria’s blood was pumping in her ears, the volume of her voice rising with every word. Why weren’t they getting this? Why did every single person sitting around the table have a melancholy expression on their face? Why couldn’t they understand how easy this could be?

“Ellie,” said Kit, and now she was the one looking at Elyria with the kind of sympathy in her blue and green eyes that made Elyria’s skin feel too tight. “Your wings are⁠—”

“My wings are not more important than protecting all of Arcanis!” Elyria was yelling now. “They are not more important than making that son of a bitch pay for everything he did to m—for everything he did. And you are all fools if you don’t see that.”

And because she couldn’t stand to see the pity and concern stamped into every plane of the faces seated around the table for even one second longer, Elyria turned and ran.

24

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

ELYRIA

“Elle.”

Elyria was still running when she heard Cedric’s voice calling across the noise in her mind. How could they all be acting so fucking stupidly?

She could sort of understand where Cedric was coming from, she supposed. If their positions were reversed . . . She would want him to have everything. She would want to give him every chance, every opportunity to be whole again. That extended to Kit, of course, for whom Elyria had been willing to sacrifice her life by following her into the Crucible, and would readily do so again.

But the rest of them? Why did they care?

As if Elyria were worth putting the entire fate of Arcanis on hold for.

“Elle!” Cedric was calling aloud now, footsteps pounding on soft earth as he chased after her.

She slowed to a stop and looked around, realizing she was standing at the end of the long tree-lined walkway that led to Elderglade’s entrance.

What exactly had Elyria been hoping to accomplish? Where was she trying to go?

Four hells, she was a mess.