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We walked up the hillside, along a dirt path that cut through tall, weeping grass—browned from lack of sun—that swayed in the breeze. As we climbed, the mists thinned, providing me a hazy view of the moon. A few bright stars poked through the fog, stealing my thoughts away from the walk. After failing to kill Oberon and being locked in that dungeon cell, I’d believed I might never again see the night sky.
“As long as dreams remain, so do the stars,” I murmured.
Kalen smiled down at me. “I told you to hold on to that, didn’t I? I never would have let him trap you there forever.”
I stopped. “What made you forgive me, Kalen?”
His eyes searched mine with that look that always called to me. He brought my hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips against my knuckles. “When I look into your eyes, I see the truth of who you are. I understand why you did what you did, and I cannot hate you for it. We’re not that different, you and I. You would rip apart the world to save the ones you love. So would I.” He kissed the back of my hand again. “You believed I’d prevented you from saving your family, so you retaliated. It’s as simple as that.”
“That’s hardly simple.”
“Oh?” He arched his brow. “Then why did you forgive me for what I did to your father?”
“That’s different. Your vow forced you to do it.”
“I might have done it regardless, if he’d insisted on following through with his plan,” Kalen said. “If the gods return, many of my people will die. I’ll do anything to protect them. I went to war with Oberon over it. Look at this city, Tessa. Look at how the mist has ruined everything. I didn’t have to do this, but I let my rage consume me to the point where all I cared about was stopping Oberon. And so I took my blade, and I shoved it into the heart of his kingdom.”
I pushed up onto my toes and pressed my palm against his cheek. “And that kept this world safe for centuries. You trapped him there, in Albyria. You know what that means, right? He had no way of getting to the other half of the god. The part that is full of death, the part that was trapped in the tunnels beneath Itchen. The partIreleased.”
“Stop blaming yourself for something you did accidentally.”
“As soon as you stop blaming yourself for somethingyoudid accidentally. You never meant to drown the world in mist.”
A beat passed and then he smiled. “Point taken.”
“All we can do is try to make it right,” I said. “We will find Oberon, stop him from releasing the other half, and then maybe, just maybe, we can find a way for you to control the mists again. There must be a way.”
“How optimistic. Another new side of you.” He rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “You contain multitudes, and every new discovery has me utterly destroyed.”
“I could say the same about you,” I said in a soft voice.
* * *
We reached the Ivory Cliff Falls after passing through a gate and then hiking a few hours through hills that grew ever higher and steeper. The swaying grass fell away and bleached rocks rose like the backs of enormous tortoises, flat and smooth on top. The thunderous crash of water drowned out the sounds of our footsteps and the heavy pounding of my heart.
Up here, the mists cleared enough for me to gaze upon the brilliant sight of the cascading waterfalls. The river poured through the mouth of five circular white stones, etched with golden symbols from the ancient world, visible even from this distance. When the water rushed through the holes, the river joined back together, creating a singular sheet of falling water that looked like glass. Down and down and down it went until it crashed into a crystal blue lake that reflected the light of the silver moon above.
The spray drifted toward us on the wind, cooling my warm cheeks. Fireflies darted about as if dancing to the sound of the water. The way the river separated, and then came together, and then fell down to the lake, it almost sounded like…
“It’s a song.” My eyes widened in awe. “A melody. Each one of those circular rocks is playing a note, and they harmonize.”
Kalen smiled. “I thought you’d like it here.”
“It’s more beautiful than I imagined.” I shook my head and then gazed at the empty bank around the lake. “And no one else is here to enjoy it.”
He dropped his hand to the hilt of the sword he wore strapped to his waist. “Too dangerous. We’re outside the city walls now, and the pookas would not hesitate to attack if they came across someone here.”
A chill swept down my spine. “Oh.”
“Don’t let it worry you.” He pulled a second sword from his back and tossed it to me, sheathed. I caught it in both hands and measured the weight of it. This was not the light wood I was so accustomed to.
“Are you handing me an actual sword?”
“You look far too excited about this.”
I grinned and pulled the blade from the sheath, practically moaning at the sound of the steel against leather. It whistled, joining with the chorus of the falls. The moon glinted across the blade. With a delighted laugh, I raised the sword and angled the blade at his chest.
“Bad move giving me a sword.”
