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The Dark Queen cut her hand through the air between them and the sweet, yearning joy and sorrow of the Light Queen's voice dropped away like a sheet of water, leaving me gasping.
"I will never. " The Dark Queen's pronouncement rang through the clearing, final and certain as death.
"I am sorry," the Light Queen said, her huge, beautiful eyes releasing a single tear. Then she leaned forward and whispered a name, a name so perfect and strange I couldn't understand it but knew immediately what I was hearing.
"Be still," the Light Queen said, and the Dark Queen ceased moving.
I felt the shock and agitation ripple through the faerie ranks around me. The Light Queen had broken their rule. Their one rule. I couldn't quite believe it, but I finally knew I'd made a good choice working with her. She meant to make things right, no matter what it took.
She turned to me, her smile sad. "Child, you will need everything from both of us to open the gate. I give it freely. "
My jaw dropped. "I-Wait-that's what you meant? You want me to suck out both your souls? But that would kill you! You can't go back to your homes if you're dead. And besides, you promised! One of my conditions was that I wouldn't hurt any paranormals. " I'd thought she meant to use their energy to help me. Like, both of them standing next to me or something. Not swirling around inside me.
The Light Queen held out her hand, beckoning me closer, and it took all my will to keep my feet firmly planted where I was. "I promised you that no innocent creatures would be harmed. My sister and I are not innocent in this. A sacrifice is needed, and only with both our souls will you have the strength to create a big enough gate for all to pass through. It was our folly and pride that brought us here. It will be our sacrifice and grace that will return everyone. "
I stumbled forward, my brain spinning in a million different directions. "But. . . I'd have to kill you. "
"It must be done, and I give you my soul willingly. "
I stared into her eyes, their rainbow shades of brown shimmering and shifting. To take her soul out of the eternities. . . it was wrong. It was too wrong. Reth I wanted to save because he meant something to me, but the Light Queen I wanted to save because she was and always had been and always should be. I could feel it in my very bones. "I can't destroy your soul. "
"Of course you cannot destroy it, child. No one can. You will simply give it a different purpose. A nobler purpose. "
"But you'll still be dead. "
"Yes. "
"And you're choosing that?"
"Yes. "
I shook my head, overwhelmed. I could. . . maybe I could. She wanted me to. It was her choice, after all, and she knew exactly what she was doing. I was willing to potentially sacrifice myself to open this gate. I could allow her the same choice. I turned to the Dark Queen, whose black eyes regarded me with hate so powerful I took a couple of involuntary steps back.
"She doesn't choose the same thing," I said.
"I am making this choice for her. "
I thought of everything the Dark Queen had done, every life she was responsible for destroying or ending, what she would have done to me if she'd had the chance. But staring at her, proud and cruel and permanent, I couldn't do it. I couldn't take that choice from her. Not even for her-especially not for her-would I lose myself that completely, would I let myself become a murderer.
"I can't do it," I whispered. "I'll drain you if that's what you want, but I won't do it to her if it's not her decision. I'm not like her. "
"Well, good thing I can do it," Vivian said, a smile on her face as she let go of Jack's hand, darted forward, and slammed her palm against the Dark Queen's chest.
Chapter Forty-One
DADDY ISSUES
I lurched forward, my mind spinning with horror. I watched Vivian get brighter and brighter as the Dark Queen dimmed. "Wait, you-"
Jack grabbed my arm, and I whipped around, furiously trying to pull it away. "What are you doing? I need to stop her!"
I'd expected Jack's big blue eyes to be manic and evil, but he looked. . . calm. "Evie, this has to happen. Vivian'll do it so you don't have to. "
"But it's wrong!" I jerked my arm free, only to find Reth on my other side, blocking my way. I could knock him over, the state he was in. And then I could stop Vivian, and-
"It might be wrong," Jack said, "but it's the right wrong thing to do. "
Angry tears stung my eyes. I wanted to turn around and see what was happening, but I didn't want to see it if I couldn't stop it. "What about Vivian? What will this do to her? Was this her idea?" I wasn't sure I could stop her again. She'd always been stronger than me, and this time she'd be expecting an attack. And the idea of putting her into another coma killed me. Then again, I couldn't let her hurt my friends.
