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“Will you and the other gods still intercede and destroy Morana?”
“You should be able to do that with the army you gathered and with the one that is coming. Some are more than what they seem.”
I try to hide the sigh that desperately wants to escape. More cryptic messages. “I will return to my world.”
The corner of Anubis’s mouth lifts. “We thought you might. Take our hand.” I reach out, taking their hands in mine. “Close your eyes,” Anubis instructs, and I comply. The light before my eyelids dims, then blazes, a scorching heat beginning at my feet before traveling up my body. I throw my head back, mouth open in a silent scream as it races up my throat and shoots into the air.
Strong winds howl through the room, whipping my hair around me. Power thrums through my veins, and I snap my eyes open. Swirling shadows surround me like living creatures, writhing and slithering like demonic snakes. Lightning races through my veins, elevating my heart rate. The rush is heady and intoxicating, and for the space of a second, I understand how corruptive it could be in the wrong hands.
The winds die down, and the shadows withdraw. My hands tremble at my sides with the force of the retreat, and my mind spins with knowledge I previously did not have access to. As it settles into me, my lips curve. I know what must be done.
“Might I ask one more thing of you, Grandfather?” Osiris’s eyes soften at the informal title. “My father . . .” His face darkens, and he lashes a hand out. He must know what Silas did to me. I try not to think of him, of what happened. But this is the right thing to do.
“What of him?” he grinds out. Anubis watches with wary eyes, swinging between the two of us.
“When his time comes to stand before you, I wish to offer my forgiveness to counter against his sins.”
His brows lower. “You would do this for the man that hurt you?”
Swallowing thickly, I nod. “He was corrupted by Morana’s evil and would not have done such a thing otherwise. That woman has taken too much from all of us. My mother deserves the opportunity to decide for herself if she can forgive him and whether she wants him by her side in the afterlife. She shouldn’t have to suffer his loss. Morana would be delighted to know that she can still cause misery and havoc even after death.” I dip my chin. “Please.”
Osiris pulls me into an awkward hug, patting me gently on the back. “I am proud of you, Snow White. It shall be done.” Anubis kisses my cheek, and they step away. “Until we meet again.”
Raising my arms, my shadows pour from me, surrounding me in a storm. It’s time for me to return to Valderán.
Chapter 34
Cassian
Thesquareisaghost town, much like most of the village. The silence blankets me, comforting me in my grief. Merlin has been clearing out the families and elderly from our ranks, sending them off to Alba or Granton, whichever will take them. I’m not sure where everyone else is, but I’ve spent the last day on my own, except for when Robin tries to shove food and water at me. I’m not ungrateful for his thoughtfulness, but I can’t stomach the idea of it. I haven’t eaten or slept in three days. I’m sure I look like hell—I most certainly feel like it.
Snow’s gone. I still can’t wrap my head around it. I can’t remember my life before her. Even when we were separated, she was with me in every thought I had. I carried her in my heart when I couldn’t in my arms. She was here one moment, gone the next. I should have been standing by her side, protecting her. I should have known that evil bitch would show up and ruin everything.
The sun shines but its warmth leaves me cold. Darkness envelops my world, draining my will to live. Everything I’ve done, the training, the education, the travel . . . all useless. All for nothing. I should have taken my chances and dragged her from the dungeons. I should have spirited her away somehow. Morana might have killed us both, or maybe we would have made it. Perhaps even now we would have been living in Granton or Alba in a tiny cottage surrounded by children. We could have been happy. We might have . . .
I suck in a shuddering breath, the remains of my heart just barely beating. What’s the point? Nothing can be as I dreamed. What’s worse is that I’m not only fighting my own grief but Aren’s as well. He hasn’t stopped raging inside me. He goes from wanting to burn the entire kingdom to the ground and tearing King Silas limb from limb to howling in anguish for hours, making me want to split my head open and tear him out. When I get especially desperate with the conjoined despair, he starts growling about his plans for Morana.
He cajoles and whispers to me, tempting me to eat and sleep so that we can keep our strength up. We have to avenge her, he insists. And once we’re done, once the king and queen are nothing more than bloodstains coating the walls of the palace, we’ll burn the kingdom to the ground and join her in the underworld.
A part of me wants nothing more than to raze the palace to the ground. They deserve to pay for what they did to Snow. But while she might be okay with the plans for Morana, she would never want the kingdom to suffer. So I hold back, doing everything in my power to keep Aren chained down, withstanding his rage as I do nothing more than keep vigil over her coffin.
I know I don’t have much time left. Merlin will soon come to take Snow away. She can’t be left here alone in an abandoned village. I don’t know what his plans are, I haven’t dared to ask. Not that I’ve been in any position to. The thought of her being buried in the cold dark ground, all alone, makes me want to rip my heart from my chest and just be done with it all.
There is no life without her.
The only positive thing is that the ravens finally left this morning. Morana must be bored watching us as we do nothing but mope around. I’ve only moved long enough to relieve myself before taking up my vigil once more. But at least I don’t have to have my grieving interrupted by their constant mocking caws.
I swallow heavily when Merlin comes to stand by my side, resting a hand on my shoulder. I stiffen. No, I’m not ready yet. A low growl erupts from my chest, and I push myself to my feet, unsteady with hunger and thirst. Placing a hand on one of my axes, I narrow my eyes at him. “You can’t take her,” I say hoarsely.
“Cassian—”
I throw myself over the coffin, knocking the glass cover off. It clatters to the ground, shattering on the cobblestones. “I said no,” I hiss. Hauling Snow’s limp body into my arms, I wrap them protectively around her.
Merlin peers at me for a moment before his eyes flick to Snow. “Do you know what is more powerful than death?” he asks conversationally, making me blink at him.
“Pardon?”
He clears his throat. “Love is the only thing that transcends death. It is more powerful than any magic, more potent than any spell. It is the sole meaning of life.”
