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By the time Tavion arrived, I was sick, so sick I wasn’t sure I could do this.
“Godsdamn it, Anaria. Itoldyou not to.” Tavion muttered as we moved deeper into the trees. Far enough we were out of sight of the Keep, the barracks, the training yard.
“You found it, didn’t you?” All I could do was nod, and Raz’s accusing glare ate me alive. Tavion held out his hand, and after a quick look around, I handed over the scroll.
I felt better when the unshakable male swayed on his feet.
Made it seem like I hadn’t overreacted after all, when his chest heaved, sweat broke out on his brow. “Fuck me.” He muttered, then handed the paper to Raziel. Zor read the Oracle’s message over Raz’s shoulder, then we were all on the ground, since none of us were capable of standing on our own two feet.
“Do you think Julian knew?” Zor asked Tavion pointedly. “You said he was…different when he returned. This would change a male.”
“No.” Tavion shook his head, his eyes dark against his pale face. “Julian knew something…but not this.”
I kept my knees drawn up to my chest, trying not to be sick. I should just throw up and be done with it. My eyes found Raziel’s. “We have to get out of Solarys, before the Oracle or the king finds out I claimed the magic and uses us in his war.”
“Where would we go?” Raz hissed. “Caladrius? The Wastes? Down to the Shadowlands? There’s nowhere we wouldn’t be hunted.” But he pulled me against him and the steady weight of his arm around my shoulders sent tears sliding down my face.
This was unfair. So fucking unfair.
“Iknewthe Oracle wanted us for more than overthrowing the Fae king.” I nodded to the scroll clenched in Raz’s hand. “I just never expected it to be for…that.”
“I never realized my bloodlines went back to Old Valarian.To them.” Zor’s voice was hollow. “I knew my magic was different than everyone else’s, but not like this.”
“Julian and I always knew we were different.” Tavion’s eyes lifted to mine; his face hard. “Our family worked hard to keep our bloodlines hidden.” He stared over our heads toward the Keep. “At least we thought we did.”
“I’m a bastard, never knew my parents or my heritage. Never knew where my magic came from. I suppose I do now.” Raz’s bitter laugh sent chill slithering through me. “I wish I didn’t.”
I squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry this is how you found out.” I murmured, swallowing down my regret.
“We have to tell Tristan.” Raz’s arm tightened around me. “He has to know. They’ll be coming for us, and soon. The king, the Oracle, Torin.” I clenched my hands to stop this infernal shaking. “They’ll come and when they do, we have to be ready. Tristan has to know, or he’ll be vulnerable.”
“It’s too late for me.” I stared pointedly at Tavion and Zor. “But not for you.”
“What do you mean…it’s too late?” Raz asked carefully, rereading the note, as if the words might have changed in the past few minutes.
“I killed the Reaper yesterday.” Raz’s eyes—and Tavion’s—flew wide. “Using my magic.”
“You’d gone after the owl shifter.” I explained, “I was chasing down Ember, when I cornered her in an alley. Then Lyrae showed up.” I uncrossed my legs, my knees still too wobbly to stand. “She was waiting for something like this, I think, a chance to exploit me and my magic.”
“Why would she do that?” Raz’s voice thrummed with suspicion.
“Because she’s the Oracle’s spy.” Zor punched the nearest tree trunk, hard enough the ground beneath me shook, his knuckles dripping with blood. “Yeah, I know. Torin’s a shite partner, as it turns out, but wait until Anaria tells you the rest. It gets worse.” He nodded at me to continue, sympathy glimmering in his dark eyes.
“Lyrae manipulated me into exorcising the Reaper from Em, but never told me what my magic would do to her.” I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. “Once the Reaper was gone, Ember…decayed, right in front of my eyes, yet she was still alive. Lyrae handed me a knife, told me what I had to do. I couldn’t leave Ember like that. She was…she was my friend.” I whispered.
“She was my friend and I’d left her behind. And then…I had to kill her, because I couldn’t save her. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to save her.” I couldn’t stop clenching my hands, nor did I miss the low, menacing snarl Raz directed at Tavion.
“But Lyrae tricked me. By killing Ember—that which I loved the most—blood magic permanently bound the Fae power to me.” I winced, then met Zor’s eyes, still brimming with emotion.
“I fed this magic into Zor, enough to take us to Tempeste in one jump, so we could beat the owl shifter there. And Raziel, who I chose to…well, I chose him first, the night I claimed the magic for myself.”
A strangled sob got caught in my throat for a second. “Both of you have been touched by the magic—by me. According to that,” I jerked my head at the scroll, “it’s too late for the three of us.”
I looked up at Tavion. “You haven’t been tainted, not yet. You and Tristan can still get free of this, but youhaveto leave now, before the war starts, before it’s too late.”
Tavion’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not fucking walking away.”
“That’s not what you said a day ago.” I pointed out evenly. “You couldn’t wait to get away from me, from all of this. Find Tristan and leave Solarys while you still can.”
