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Mhrandir.
A burst of determination flowed through me. It was like the eddying tumult between Araki and I suddenly cleared. A clear path showed between us. His magic flowed freely into me, burning with strength. And more. At that moment, I understood his power. Magic was born in the Forest of Shadows, and he washer last caretaker… her last champion. His magic flowed through the earth itself. There was no end to it, no limits except his physical form.
And he was terrifyingly beautiful.
I grinned as his magic filled me. I knew exactly what I needed to do in the space of a heartbeat. I teleported, but rather than the vague, exhausting push I normally felt, it was as though the fabric of space was open to me. As though there was a door between Opaline and me that I could simply open and step through.
So I did.
“Come out, come out, sweet Reilyn,” Opaline was laughing as I appeared behind her. Laughing as I stabbed my dagger through her back. Up, beneath the ribs, into the kidneys. It was the first killing blow she had taught me. Opaline’s laughter died. I pulled the blade out and slashed it over her throat. The second way she’d taught me to kill. I kicked her feet out from under her, driving the blade into her chest. I twisted the blade. Opaline’s eyes bulged from her head, blood bubbling from her throat and spraying on my face. Her mouth fell open, and her fingers twitched, but she was beyond help now.
“Mother! Please! Remember me! Recognize me!”
I twisted, pinning Opaline to the ground. From my peripheral, I saw Araki hold his mother down, struggling to keep her in place. The vampires that were attacking him were dead. His pain shot through me. The ache, the desire to save the most important person he lost. I wanted to save him from the pain. A wisp of dark magic coiled around my hands, and I snapped my head back to Opaline. My eyes widened in horror as I saw the slice in her throat had already stitched itself back together. Shewas healing herself. Tendrils of magic drew to her, sinking into the injuries I inflicted on her.
Hurriedly, I slammed my palm into her face and stole her powers. The sickly, rotten magic twisted inside me, battling with Araki’s. It was too much. I couldn’t control both magics. Pressure built in my brain. I screamed in agony. I threw my hands toward the sky, releasing a blast of magic. Two lightning strikes shot down to the ground. Both struck Opaline in the face. She screamed, her back arched, and her eyes turned black. The vampires burst into dust, their ashy remnants settling into the mud as the rain continued pouring down on us. I stumbled to my feet, looking at where Araki was. He lay prone on the garden ground, hair plastered to his head, his fingers digging into the soil where his mother had once been. My heart ached for him.
“I killed her,” Araki whispered. “I put a sword through her heart and—”
“She died long ago. I know it doesn’t make your pain any less, but you didn’t kill her, Araki.” I clenched my hands, wanting to go to him but unable to move.
Araki bent his head for a moment, then straightened. He got to his feet, his face marred with blood, rain, and muck. His violet eyes glowed in the darkness as he silently reached out to me. I fell into his arms with a cry.
It was over.
We won. The vampires died with Opaline. Opaline had bound them to her so she’d have dominion over them and no one else. We no longer had to fear her or them. I held Araki tightly, pulling him to me. “We did it. We won. The kingdom is safe. Finally. We’re safe.”
Araki tipped my face to his and kissed me as the thunder boomed and the rain continued to fall, washing away all trace of Opaline’s army.
***
The hours before dawn were the darkest. The rain helped put out the fires at the city's edge but made it more difficult to find all the fallen soldiers and citizens and bring them back to the palace. Araki and I worked with Klaus until just after dawn, when Nadine found us and insisted we rest.
I was exhausted. I could barely put one foot in front of the other, let alone go up the stairs to my room. Ultimately, we stayed the night in Nadine and Klaus’s nearby quarters, laying in a nest of blankets on the floor. After everything that happened, I thought for certain I would have nightmares. My sleep was peaceful. If I had any dreams, I didn’t remember them. The makeshift bed was cold, though, and when I shuffled for Araki, I found myself alone.
“Araki?” I called, pushing myself to a sitting position. My muscles were stiff and sore, the injuries I had sustained from the battle aching. I groaned in pain.
No answer. Nadine and Klaus had both left, as well. Grimacing at how I’d slept through them leaving, I quickly dressed and headed out. There wasn’t enough space for all the wounded in the healing rooms, so a makeshift infirmary had been set up in the ballroom. As I searched the crowds, a familiar cry sounded out.
“Reilyn!”
I turned just in time to catch Nala as she slammed into me. Her thin arms wrapped around my waist, and she burst intosobs. I dropped to one knee, drawing her in closer. “Nala! Oh, Nala! I was so worried. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I should never have left you—”
Nala only sobbed harder.
Klaus came through the beds of wounded people, his expression grim. It softened when he saw Nala, though, and he came toward us. He knelt beside the two of us and gently patted Nala’s back. “You can have a break if you need to,” he told her.
Nala pulled away from me. She mopped her face, even though tears still streamed down her cheeks. “No. I can do it.”
Klaus ruffled her hair. “Then Nadine needs you to help draw water from the wells.”
With a nod, she marched off. My stomach knotted as I watched her go. Was she ever going to forgive me for my part in all of this?
“She blames herself.” Klaus’s voice was low.
I turned to him. “She’s a child! How could it be her fault?”
“It’s not, but she blames herself.” Klaus put his hands on my shoulders, looking deeply into my eyes. “It’s not your fault either, Reilyn. I know it’s easy for you to blame yourself, but Opaline was far too powerful for a child in her care to resist.”
