Chapter 18: Death Comes for Thee

 

 

“YOU KNOW,” Myrin said, voice soft, “it takes a lot to surprise me.”

I said nothing. Just watched. And waited.

He smiled, a perverse version of the same one Morgan had whenever he’d seen me. “This world doesn’t harbor very many secrets from me. Not anymore. I have studied it far longer than you could even possibly imagine. And even when I was… away, I could still hear its whispers, though I was covered in shadow.”

He was already monologuing. Fun. Since he looked like he was waiting for me to say something, I said, “That sounds nice.”

His smile didn’t falter. “Nice,” he repeated. “Yes, a curious creature. There’s no doubt about that. As I said, it takes much to surprise me. I have seen things that defy logic. I have felt things that would stretch the boundaries of your imagination. The pain. And agony. The death and destruction. Betrayal. Yes, Sam, even betrayal. But not in the way you might think. It is true that from the way it’s been told, it was I who betrayed Morgan. It was I who betrayed Randall.” He shook his head ruefully. “But what about when they betrayed me?”

“Because they didn’t understand what you were going through,” I said. “What you had experienced. The knowledge you had.”

He looked a little startled at that before he laughed. It wasn’t even necessarily an evil laugh, but it still grated along my nerves. “There it is again. Surprising me. Now, and when I felt you approaching the City of Lockes, your magic just sloughing off of you. I felt the dragon too, yes, but only the one. I told myself that surely even you couldn’t be so stupid as to knock on my door and attempt to face me head-on, knowing what you do about me. What I’m capable of. So I admit to being interested in the why of it all. You confound me, Sam. You always have, even when you were nothing but a thought.”

“Yeah, not the first time I’ve heard that, dude. Usually it’s said with a little more irritation, but I just roll with it, you know? It’s easier that way.”

“Do you?” he asked. “I suppose if that’s what works for you.”

I shrugged. “It’s gotten me this far.”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t have the evidence right in front of me. Why are you here?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been listening the entire time. You know why.”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “You say you’re a villain.”

“Like, the villainest. Just accepted it, you know? It’s easier that way.”

He took a step away from the crowd of Darks. If I couldn’t see them all, I would have thought Myrin and me alone, given how quiet it was. It was as if all of them held their breath, waiting to see what would happen next. I hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed.

“What changed?” he asked.

“A desire for power.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted it.”

“You were supposed to be the force for good.”

“Boring, right? I mean, come on. The whole chosen-one trope is overplayed, don’t you think?” I winked at him. “Who would expect the good guy to go bad instead? I think it makes for a more interesting story.”

He cocked his head at me. “And just how do you see this story playing out?”

“I’ve been inside Camp HaveHeart. I know everything about it. The people. The knights. The guards. The location of the Prince and the King.”

“The King you helped to escape.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “But just think: now he’s with all the others. All in one place.”

Myrin chuckled. “Makes for an easier target.”

“Exactly.”

“See, there’s just one problem with that, Sam,” he said, coming to stand in front of Ruv. Myrin reached up and traced a finger along Ruv’s cheek. Ruv barely flinched.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

He turned to face me. “I don’t believe you.”

Well shit. “That sucks.”

He sighed. “It really does. I mean, for all your bravado, for the way you weaponized your words, I still see the scared little boy underneath it all, extraordinarily out of his depth. You are a child playing in a chess game of the gods, Sam.”

“Dude, no need to be so condescending. You could just say you don’t believe me and leave it at that. Really. My feelings are hurt.”

He was in front of me before I could even blink, a hand gripping my face, fingers digging into my skin. It took all I had to stare blandly at him, showing him just how unaffected I was. “You speak,” he whispered, breath warm on my face, “without saying anything. Your words are a jumbled mess of adolescent mockery derived from an undeserved sense of accomplishment. I truly expected more from someone who was ordained by the gods to be my equal. You are nothing to me. You are insignificant. You have dragons, yes. And an unwieldy magic. But tell me, Sam. What would stop me, right here, right now, from just… taking it from you.”

“Consuming me. My magic.”

His grip tightened. “Yes, Sam. From consuming your magic.”

“Because then you’d be missing out on the fact that I am your equal.”

His eyes narrowed. “Come again?”

“I read it.”

“What?”

“Your Grimoire.”

The grip on my face loosened as he blinked in surprise. “You what?”

“Your Grimoire. I have it. I read it. Not the whole thing, of course, because, dude, you could really use an editor. I mean, you had stuff in there that made no sense and didn’t advance the narrative at all, but you still chose to devote pages to it. Why do you do that? Don’t you know that people don’t like superfluous stuff that makes it sound like the only thing you like is the sound of your own voice? Because legit, you should really tone back that shit. And now I totally forgot what we were talking about, because you are still breathing on my mouth, and I am really uncomfortable with that.”

“The Grimoire,” he growled.

“Oh. Right. Your Grimoire. Yeah, dude, totes read the highlights. I don’t know if you’ve ever met the snake dragon monster thing, but you guys have a lot in common. Everything is Dark this and Dark that and no one understands me at all.”

“Make your point before I decide it’s not worth hearing.”

“Wow. That was… an effective threat. My point, since you’re so insistent, is that we’re not so different, you and I.”

“And how is that.”

“We’ve been betrayed by those we love.”

He let go of my face, but not before patting my cheek just this side of too hard. “You?”

I nodded. “Me.”

“Go on.”

“Morgan. Randall.”

“What about them?”

“They never told me about you.”

He scoffed. “That’s all?”

“No. That’s not all. They never told me about you. About any part of it.”

I could see the moment he understood. “The prophecy.”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“After my grandmother came to the City for the first time.”

A cloud of something fell over his face, and he turned to glance at Ruv over his shoulder. “Did you know about this?”

Ruv looked flustered. “I didn’t know to what extent he’d been informed before our arrival. I didn’t want to speculate.”

Myrin turned back to me. “Go on.”

“They lied to me,” I said, putting all the anger I’d felt over it into my voice. “They knew things about me, about my future, and didn’t tell me until they were caught in the lie. If Vadoma hadn’t shown when she did, if you hadn’t escaped the shadow realm, who knows when—or if—they would have told me.”

“And this upsets you.”

“You’re damn right it does. Being told I have to do this—this thing where I don’t have a choice? Where I’m nothing but a tool used by the gods in a game I want no part of? That’s not fair. And for what end? To stop you? To protect the people of Verania? The people who turned their backs on me just because they didn’t like the color of my skin or the magic I wielded or the fact that I came from the slums? How is that fair? Why would I want to protect those who would just as soon stab me in the back as look at me?” And I hated it, hated the words, because there was truth to them. No matter what I told myself, I wasn’t always a good person. I was petty and vindictive. I could be an asshole. And I was angry, still so godsdamn angry, that I’d been made into this pariah, cast out by the very people who now cozied up to those I loved like it was nothing. I left to do the right thing, to do what was expected of me, only to return and find Vadoma with my parents, to find Lady Tina smiling at Ryan and Justin, standing by their sides like she belonged there. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.

“I can feel it,” he said with something akin to wonder in his voice. “Your anger. You’re speaking truth.”

“You’re damn fucking right I am,” I snapped at him. “And I know you felt it too. I read what you wrote. I saw it in your Grimoire. You tried to expand on the way people thought of magic. You tried to show others a different way to think of the boundaries of what wizards are capable of. You said that you didn’t think Darks were something to be feared or condemned, that they were just misunderstood. That they had chosen a different path, and it was to be admired.”

“Randall looked at me as if I was crazy,” Myrin said. “He thought those were the words of a heretic. ‘You don’t understand what you’re saying,’ he told me. ‘You don’t know what you’re speaking about.’ Like I was nothing but a child. And maybe I didn’t know as much as he did. I doubt anyone ever has. But just because I didn’t have the breadth he did doesn’t mean I couldn’t think for myself.”

“And then they betrayed you.”

His eyes flashed and I felt the pulse of his magic, thick and viscous. “You don’t know how that felt. I tried to show them a different way. Tried to show them what the truth of it all was. That there were different paths to magic. That nothing was set in stone.”

“Because stone crumbles,” I said quietly.

“It does,” he agreed. “Or it can be shattered. I admit I was… overzealous with the so-called King of Sorrows. I pushed too far, and his mind… warped. More than I expected it to. But I needed Randall and Morgan to see just what could be done, what I was capable of, for them to take me seriously. To consider joining me on my quest to burst through the boundaries of magic.” He shook his head. “But they called me evil, even though I could see their hearts breaking. They said I was a villain, that I was no better than the Darks who hid in the forests and practiced magic the way they chose. Do you know why there are so many of us, Sam? Why there are so many Dark wizards while there are only a few like Randall and Morgan?”

“No.”

“It’s because we’re told how to act. How to be. Those with a more liberal agenda can’t understand what it means to be marginalized, to have the ways of others forced upon us. You have magic? Fine. Here’s how you need to act. Here’s how you need to practice. Here’s what you can and cannot do. And there are so many more of us that reject that false narrative, that don’t believe we’re to be regimented and defined by what we’re capable of. We’ve lurked in the shadows, waiting for our time to rise.” He looked up at Kevin, then back at me. “And there will be a cornerstone, a person who will keep you from reaching your true potential. And you must love them. You must cherish them. You must put them above all others, and gods help you if they should reject you. Betray you. Die. Do you know what happens to the mind of a wizard who loses his cornerstone, Sam?”

I had an idea. I had the evidence right in front of me.

“It breaks. It tears. There is nothing that can prepare you for loss, Sam, not of this magnitude. Whether it be death or the act of betrayal, it hurts. It wasn’t a quick process, no. Even before I revealed myself, I could feel the bond between Randall and myself fraying. I loved him, Sam. I hope you understand that. If you read my Grimoire, then you should have seen just how much I loved him.”

“But you loved magic more.”

He flinched and tried to hide it, but I saw it for what it was. Shame. “It wasn’t about loving something more than him. It was about becoming free from the constraints placed upon me.”

“And what if he’d said yes to you?” I asked, suddenly curious. “What if he’d decided to join you? He’d still have been your cornerstone. You still would have depended on him.”

He smiled grimly. “I guess we’ll never find out, will we?”

No, we wouldn’t. Because Myrin wasn’t even half the wizard that Randall was. And he never would be. “You were cast in shadow then.”

“I was. And I learned things that this world could not have taught me. That there is no one to depend upon but myself. That I control my destiny. Not the gods. Not a prophecy. And certainly not a child who was supposed to be my antithesis.”

I grinned at him. “Funny, then, how this all turned out.”

“Oh, it is. And soon you will see exactly why.”

Well, that was ominous. There wasn’t a very good chance he meant funny ha-ha like I did. “Well, you monologued, I told you I read your diary, and now we are totally on the same page, so maybe we should—”

“I believe you.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Come again?”

He stared intently at me. “I believe you. That you’ve forsaken the people of Verania. That you’ve embraced the darkness. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel your fury. Some of it is still directed at me, but it’s… more than that now. It’s not like it was in Mashallaha. Or even in that house with Morgan. Your time away changed you in ways Randall and Morgan could not.”

“Good,” I said, relieved. “I’m so glad you believe me. Now, let’s go do Dark wizard things, just you and me. I don’t want there to be anyone… overhearing us, if you know what I mean.” I glanced pointedly at Ruv, who scowled at me.

“Of course,” Myrin said. “There’s just one more thing.”

Uh-oh. “Oh. Well. If you insist.”

“I’m afraid that I must.”

“You’re the boss, so. Whatever’s clever.”

“There’s still the matter of your cornerstone.”

“What about him?”

“You’re tied to him, Sam. As long as he draws breath, you cannot move forward. The bond must be broken. The prophecy must be fulfilled.”

“Oh yeah. That. Dude, I totally get what you’re saying. And if it makes you feel any better about this whole situation, I’ve already told him that we’re breaking up because he really doesn’t do it for me anymore. You know what they say—once you go dragon, all the rest is laggin’.”

Kevin snorted. “I knew it! I mean, whatever you say, Master.” Then, out the side of his mouth, “But I knew it.”

Myrin squinted at me. “You went… dragon?”

I shrugged. “Eh. Something had to happen. I mean, I was in the woods for a long time, you know?”

I’d never seen so many people look disgusted in my direction all at once. It was really remarkable.

“Be that as it may,” Myrin said slowly, “I don’t think we need any more… details on your extracurricular activities.”

“I respect that. So, we were on our way to being by ourselves so we could—”

“Your cornerstone, Sam.”

“Right,” I said hastily. “That. No worries. Like I said, I already betrayed him, so I’m pretty sure that bond is on its way to breaking. I mean, oh no! Everything hurts because he’s my cornerstone and it sucks and I’m feeling a little crazy and stuff.”

Myrin looked amused again. I was quickly discovering I didn’t like that expression on him. “Yes, I’m sure. I can see you splitting right down the middle. However, it’s not enough. Think of it as a test to prove your loyalty to me.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “My loyalty?”

“Yes, Sam. Your loyalty. You come here spouting these pretty things about forsaking your people and expressing a desire to join me, even though I gave you that chance once already back in Mashallaha, which you firmly rejected.”

“Right?” I said. “Sorry about that. I guess it was… shocking, wasn’t it?”

Gary snorted while still pretending to be knocked out. It was quite the feat.

“It was,” he said. “Which is why I won’t make that mistake again. Regarding Ryan Foxheart—”

“He means nothing to me.”

“No? Then your task will be a simple one.”

Shit.

Myrin the Bright Star smiled a terrible smile and said, “You must kill your cornerstone.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Tiggy and Gary exploded, struggling in Kevin’s grip. “No!” Gary bellowed. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You listen to me, you little bitch. I am going to gut you. Kevin! Set me down! It’s time to end this, Unicorn Style!”

“Sam!” Tiggy cried. “No, Sam. Bad, it’s bad!”

Kevin didn’t let them go, even when Gary’s horn began shooting rainbows and glitter. It bounced off the dragon’s chest, his blood keeping Gary’s magic from harming him.

Ryan stared down at me, jaw clenched.

I looked away.

“You speak pretty words I wish to hear,” Myrin said gently. “And they show me just how much we have in common. You’ve read my Grimoire. You know the lengths to which I’d go to make my vision of a glorious future come true. What I’ve given up. How those close to me chose to lock me away as the shadows tore down my mind and rebuilt me from the ground up. I won’t make you go through that, Sam. You are powerful, yes. I have great respect for you. But even one such as you must do what is necessary in order to realize your full potential.”

“Kevin,” I said through gritted teeth, “set Ryan down.”

“Kevin! You do that and I will never forgive you!” Gary snarled. “Sam, what the fuck is wrong with you? You can’t be seriously considering this?”

“Is Sam a Bad Sam now?” Tiggy asked tearfully.

“No,” Gary retorted. “This is just a game, right? A trick. He’s fooling. He won’t—Kevin, why the hell are you doing this?”

“Because Sam told me to,” Kevin growled. “And I must obey.”

“But we were—he doesn’t control—Ryan! Run! Run, godsdamn you!”

But Ryan stood there, just out of reach. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw tensed, but he stood tall and proud, left hand in a fist at his side, his sword in his right. His armor shone brightly in the sun. I’d never seen him look more handsome. Even as the Dark wizards began to yell insults, jeering wildly, he never looked away from me.

“So, this is it,” he said.

“Yes,” I said. “I suppose it is.”

“I always knew you’d be the death of me.”

I smiled faintly. “What can I say? The gods wished it so. I’m—”

“Enough,” Myrin said. “No more discussion. Sam. Do it now, or I shall do it for you. Either way, Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart will die.”

I nodded tightly.

Ryan never looked away.

I worry.

About what?

The prophecy. About what I saw. What I showed you.

We don’t know how much of that was real. How much was you or the gods or Ruv playing all of us.

This is true. But Sam, I don’t know that it matters. You saw him as clear as day. Ryan, your cornerstone, the life taken from him, his body cold. He escaped death once, but I fear that won’t happen again. I know you think my magic false, that I am nothing but a street magician, but I promise you, that isn’t the case. I worry it may come to pass. That Ryan Foxheart will meet his end in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

Vadoma had been right.

It would come to pass.

But not in the way she, nor the gods, expected.

A hero must suffer before the end. That was how the stories always went, wasn’t it?

“Do it,” Ryan growled.

And I had suffered.

“Sam, do it. Do it, godsdamn you! If this is who you are, then fucking do it!”

“Don’t curse like that,” I said mildly. “You need to think of the children.”

The green and gold came swiftly. They always had.

There was a sharp crack and Ryan stumbled forward, hands going to his throat. He fell to his knees. His mouth opened and closed. Opened and closed. He let out a harsh breath. One hand went to the ground as he slumped over. His armor clanked as it touched the ground. His face was red, eyes bulging.

And then he fell forward, facedown on the ground.

His left leg kicked once. Twice.

I felt the moment he died. I felt like I had been torn in two. My magic burst from me wildly, and I struggled to control it, my mind shrieking. Everything was overbright and loud, blood rushing in my ears. I could hear Gary screaming and Tiggy bellowing.

I gasped as I bent over, gagging, a thin string of bile dripping from my open mouth.

A hand dropped onto my shoulder, the fingers digging into my skin.

Myrin.

“Impressive,” he whispered near my ear. “I must admit, I didn’t think you’d do it. I thought you’d… well. It doesn’t matter now. Tell me, Sam. What did you do to him?”

“Stopped his heart,” I managed to spit out above all the noise in my head. I felt as if I’d been dropped into some great storm with no end in sight.

“Truly?”

“Yes.”

“Fascinating. Ruv. If you don’t mind.”

Ruv rushed past us to kneel down next to Ryan. He looked shocked and pale as he reached down and turned Ryan onto his back. Armor scraped against the ground. He put a hand on Ryan’s throat. Then, “I—he’s dead.”

Myrin laughed. “Oh, Sam. If only Morgan could see you now and everything you’ve become. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure he’ll welcome Ryan with open arms when he crosses the veil. They can mourn what has become of you together.”

Tiggy was crying.

Gary looked devastated.

Kevin didn’t say a word.

Dimitri’s wings buzzed angrily.

I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and never rise again. It felt like I was shattering.

“Yes,” Myrin said. He ran his fingers along the slope of my spine. “I know. I know. I understand, perhaps better than anyone, Sam. The way it burns. The way it feels like little pieces of you are breaking off. If you are strong enough, it will pass. I… underestimated you. Again. I didn’t know what you were capable of. Now I do. And I am pleased.”

I gasped as a tremor rolled through me.

“I’m not cruel,” Myrin said quietly. “I will allow you to say goodbye to your knight. Crawl, Sam. Crawl to him.”

And I did.

My hands were dusty.

My vision was blurred.

My head was pounding.

But I crawled.

Ruv watched me with wide eyes from next to Ryan’s body. He stumbled back, falling to the ground, propped up by his elbows.

Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart looked at peace in death. His eyes were closed, face slack, mouth slightly open. His chest did not rise. His sword lay discarded at his side. I picked it up, the metal dragging along the stone. It was heavier than I expected. Or I was weaker. I didn’t know.

I placed it upon his chest, the blade pointed down toward his legs. I took each of his hands and brought them to his chest, arranged his fingers on the hilt of his sword.

There.

He was as Vadoma had shown me.

As the gods had shown her.

Everything had come to pass.

And I said, “Once upon a time, there was a boy.”

Everyone around me fell silent.

“Say that again, Sam,” Myrin said. “I don’t think I quite heard you.”

I forced myself to look up at him, even though every part of me ached. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Once upon a time, there was a boy.”

Myrin blinked. “A boy.”

I could barely breathe. I had to force the words out. “He was a kickass boy born in the slums of the City of Lockes.”

The Dark wizards started to murmur.

My heart felt like it was crawling with lightning. “His parents were hardworking, and at times life could be difficult, but they were alive and had all their teeth. Which was very important.”

Caleb frowned.

Ruv’s face was pale as he slowly rose to his feet.

Myrin watched me with an unreadable expression.

“One day, this boy went into the woods,” I said through gritted teeth. “His heart was hurting, and he was sad.”

Myrin took a step back. “What are you—”

“And on this day, in these woods, the boy found a bird.”

“Oh fuck,” Gary whispered.

“A bird,” Myrin repeated.

“Yes. A bird. It was dead. And the boy with the broken heart did something he didn’t think was possible. He brought the bird back to life.”

Silence.

Then, “You lie.”

Sweat dripped down my brow. “No. I don’t.”

“It’s not possible,” Myrin snarled. “Death is final. No one can—”

A sharp crack blasted overhead.

Everyone looked skyward.

Everyone, that is, except for Myrin and me. We didn’t look away from each other.

“That,” I said, “was a signal. From Randall. To show that the slums have been evacuated. Because while we stood here, while you went on and on and on, the people of Camp HaveHeart breached the City. They saved those you imprisoned. You were all so arrogant to think nothing could happen to you with me here.”

Myrin took a step toward me.

I laughed. It sounded like I was choking. “And while we take back our home, three of the dragons of Verania are in Meridian City at this very moment, laying waste to everything you’ve brought upon us.”

“You killed your cornerstone,” Myrin said coldly. “There is no coming back from that.” His expression stuttered. “Three. You said three dragons. There are five in total. Where is the—”

A loud roar split the air around us.

It didn’t come from Kevin.

“What is this?” Myrin demanded.

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” I told him. “Because there’s one thing you’ve forgotten again and again and again.”

“And what would that be?”

I grinned rakishly at him. “I’m Sam of Dragons.”

Zero Ravyn Moonfire roared again as he landed on top of Castle Lockes, his muscular body curling around a turret, tail twitching dangerously. His eyes were blazing red.

Now? he growled in my head.

Now.

The hood around his face flared, the bony tips rattling as they shook. The Darks barely had time to react before the stone shattered beneath their feet as thick, dark roots burst up around them like tentacles, wrapping around legs and torsos, holding them in place. A few of them had a chance to scream before the roots covered them completely, cutting them off.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Where there had once stood the Darks of Verania, there was only a great prison of vermilion root, binding their magic in place.

But three remained untouched.

Caleb.

Ruv.

And Myrin.

Because there was a price to pay for what they’d done.

For what they’d taken from me.

There was a boy born in the slums.

The gods whispered about him.

They said he had a destiny.

That one day he would face a great evil and all the world would hang in the balance.

This boy was loved.

And he loved in return. With everything he had.

And he remembered how it felt.

The magic that arced within him like lightning.

He thought, It isn’t fair.

It isn’t fair.

It isn’t fair.

And it wasn’t. Because the gods had taken his choice away from him.

So I did the only thing I could.

I took it back.

I raised my arm, palm skyward, even as I thought, No, no, no, this isn’t the way, this isn’t the way.

The corona that spun in my hand was brighter than anything I’d ever seen, like I held a star. The magic rushed through me and the corona began to cascade downward like a waterfall, the drops of light spreading along the ground, pulsating slowly.

They had taken from me. I would wipe them all out. Kill every single one of them and bring back my love while leaving nothing but ash in my wake.

The bird had come back.

Ryan would too.

They would die.

They would all die and—

If I could have you remember one thing, it would be this: a wizard isn’t as strong as the magic he uses. It’s the magic he doesn’t use that’s a measure of true strength.

The star in my hand faded. I lowered my hand.

Myrin laughed. “You can’t even—”

I said, “Kevin. Fly.”

The dragon spread his wings as he reached out and snagged Dimitri.

I heard my best friends shout for me, but they faded away as Kevin rose into the sky.

I looked back at Myrin.

I felt his magic gathering, that fierce yellow infection mixed with homehomehome that never belonged to him.

He snarled, “You cannot defeat me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dude, you’re such a godsdamn cliché. Fuck off and die.”

Lightning burst from my heart as I exploded.

Big big.

 

 

“ARE YOU sure about this?” Randall asked me.

“Yeah,” I said. “Sort of.”

“That doesn’t sound convincing.”

“Well, it’s a pretty fucking far-out-there idea.”

“That might be an understatement. You’re sweating.”

“Uh, yeah. You would be too if you were about to tell your sexy boyfriend you need to kill him in order to save Verania from a supervillain.”

Justin groaned. “How is this our lives?”

The King patted him on the arm. “I ask myself that all the time. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Randall didn’t look convinced. “We don’t—”

“Look,” I said. “I can’t… I don’t want to kill them all. That’s not who I am. But something has to be done. And you have to let me be the one to tell him. This is a sensitive subject, and—”

The flap to Justin’s command tent opened. Ryan entered, frowning. He looked from Randall, to Justin, to the King, before finally settling his gaze on me. “I got your message. What’s going on?”

“Hi,” I said. “I need to murder you to save the world.” I winced. “Shit.”

Randall put his face in his hand.

The King shook his head.

Justin sighed.

Ryan said, “What.”

“Sensitive subject,” Randall hissed at me.

“Okay, listen,” I said to Ryan. “You know the whole me being weird and bringing the bird back to life thing? So, like, I want to kill you and then bring you back to life, but not really doing the bird thing, because we don’t know what that’d do to you. And stuff.”

“And stuff,” Ryan said.

I beamed at him. “See? He got it right away.”

“This is madness,” Randall said. “Sam, do you know what will happen to you the moment he dies? He has been your cornerstone for only a short amount of time. Your bond is strong, but even you will not be able to escape the repercussions of such a devastating shock to your system. This isn’t something to be taken lightly. You’re talking about killing Ryan. I banished Myrin to the realm of shadows and lost a decade. What do you think it’ll do to you to murder the one you love?”

“I’m not you,” I retorted. “Something you’ve reminded me of again and again. I’m not going to turn Dark.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I won’t.”

“How do you even know that’s what Myrin will make you do?” Justin asked.

“Because he’ll see Ryan as Sam’s last connection to the world of light,” Randall muttered. “He’ll think of it as the greatest sacrifice. If Sam is willing to kill his cornerstone, then there is nothing he won’t do to become Dark. He’ll be convinced. And then there’s the matter of the prophecy.”

“I like being alive,” Ryan said, sounding dazed. “I don’t know if I’ve ever really told you that before. But I really do like it.”

“I’ll bring you back,” I promised him. “Like I would ever let you get away from me. We’ve got to grow old together, remember?”

“Sam,” the King said gently, “your magic. It will keep you young for a very long time.”

Randall sighed. “Sam found a way to manipulate his magic. He will age as normal.”

“You did what?” Justin asked.

I shrugged. “No big thing.”

The King smiled. “Of course you did. Please don’t ever stop surprising me. I would like it if we all came out of this alive. I want to see what wonders you’ll all achieve.”

“And you did it for me,” Ryan said quietly. We all turned toward him. He watched me with something akin to awe.

I blushed, scuffing my boot against the dirt. “I already told you that, but yeah. Mostly. Sure, part of it was me wanting to live a normal life. Well. As normal a life as is possible for someone like me. But when I wished on the stars to do something important, to be someone who matters, I didn’t mean all of this. This… destiny. I think I meant you. Because you’re my something important. You help me be that someone who matters.” I looked away. “You’re my wish, you know? I think you always have been.”

A couple of fingers went under my chin and lifted my head. Then lips were pressed against mine, a kiss so bittersweet and tinged with desperation that it took my breath away. Everything else melted away, just for a little while.

When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead against mine, his nose brushing my cheek. “You did it for me,” he said again, voice low.

“I would do anything for you. And this country.”

He pulled away, but only just. His gaze was searching when he said, “Including killing me.”

I swallowed thickly. “Right.”

“And then bringing me back.”

“That’s the plan. Shocking the shit out of you. And Myrin. More than I’ve ever done before. Hopefully it’ll fry his brains and save yours.”

He stared at me. “This might be the stupidest plan you’ve ever come up with.”

I grinned at him. “I thought so too.”

“How did you even think of this?” he asked, taking a step back, dropping his arms.

“The Grimoires. Morgan’s. Randall’s. And Myrin’s. They were… magic is in the mind. That was something they all had written. A common thread. That’s what they believed, and… maybe they’re right.” I shook my head. “But maybe they’re wrong, because I don’t think magic comes from just the mind. I think it comes from the heart too. And I think Morgan knew that. And maybe Randall does too. But Myrin? Myrin… he doesn’t get it. He’s cold and calculating because he doesn’t understand just how extensive magic can be. He wants power. He takes that power. Ergo, he becomes more powerful. But what can he do with it? He’s covered in shadow. I think he always has been. He’s got a singular focus, wanting to prove that he is the greatest wizard the world has ever known. And it’s all in his mind. None of it comes from his heart.”

“Morgan did see it,” Randall said softly. “And I think it was because of you.”

I couldn’t look at him.

“What is this going to do to you?” Ryan asked.

“To me? I don’t—”

“You’re talking about potentially killing people.”

I blanched. “They’re Darks—”

“I’m not defending them. I’m worried about what this will do to you. I’m a knight. A soldier. I know that I would take a life in order to protect the King and the Prince. To protect you. It’s my job. My oath to the Crown.”

“I’m not a knight.”

“I know.”

“And I’m not a soldier.”

He looked frustrated. “I know that too.”

“But I have an oath.”

“Everyone out,” Ryan snarled. He began pacing as the others fled the tent.

I waited, because he needed to work this out.

“You’re stupid,” he said.

“Probably.”

“And you’re going to get us all killed.”

“That’s a definite possibility.”

He pointed a finger at my face. “If you get killed, I will kill you.”

“That doesn’t even make sense—”

“And if you kill me and can’t bring me back, I will haunt you forever.”

“Oooh, ghost sex. Get your ectoplasm all over my—”

“And if you turn Dark, I will kick your ass so hard, you won’t have a choice but to turn good again.”

“I don’t quite understand how—”

“I don’t like this idea.”

I sniffed delicately. “So I noticed.”

“I think it’s ridiculous.”

“Pretty much the story of our lives, dude. Just roll with it.”

He suddenly looked stricken. “You need to be okay,” he said roughly. “Do you understand me? I need you to be okay. I can’t do this without you, Sam. I can’t. This life… it doesn’t make sense unless I’m by your side.”

I hugged him tightly. “Never,” I whispered in his ear. “I will never let you go.”

 

 

SAM

sam

sam

Sam

SAM

My head rocked to the side, a bright flare of pain in my cheek.

I groaned as I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry and my head was pounding.

“Whuzzat?” I asked coherently.

“Gods, don’t scare me like that. You weren’t breathing, you mothercracking idiot!”

“M’lerg,” I said with extraordinary alacrity.

“Don’t you dare go and pass out again. I will hit the other side of your face, so help me gods.”

I blinked at the dark figure leaning over me, blocking out the sun. “Hi,” I said.

“Hi. Hi, he says. Hi. Gods, I really hate you sometimes.”

“Not nice.”

“I’m allowed to not be nice to you. You just killed me, then resurrected me by shocking my heart, and then passed out like you always do just to freak me out. I’m going to give you so much shit for the rest of our lives, you have no idea—”

And then it all came into startling focus.

Ryan Foxheart, alive, bitching me out.

“Gods,” I whispered. “I….”

“Yeah?” he said, squinting at me.

“I’m….”

“Yeah?” he said, leaning down for what was probably going to be the most romantic moment of my life.

“I am so awesome!” I crowed, sitting up quickly. Which was a bad idea, seeing as how I smashed my face against his.

“What the fuck,” he groaned, falling back on his ass, armor clanking. “Did you just headbutt me?”

“Why was your face so close?” I moaned, holding my nose, sure it’d been shattered into a billion pieces and that I’d be disfigured for the rest of my days. Ryan would leave me because he was secretly shallow and couldn’t have someone with a squashed nose riding his dick, and then I’d have to go back to living in a hut in the woods and parents would tell their children about the Squashed Nose Man (capitalized, so you know it’s true) who would come out at night and steal their toes if they didn’t eat their vegetables and—

And then I remembered there were things far more important than Squashed Nose Man.

I opened my eyes.

Ryan Foxheart was sitting on the ground in front of me, looking ornery and irritated, scowling prettily as he rubbed his forehead. He glared at me and opened his mouth to say—

Well, I didn’t know what he opened his mouth to say, because I got up and tackled him, immediately regretting the decision as he was wearing a full suit of armor, but gladly accepting the pain of crushing my ribs into powder given that he was kissing me back just as frantically.

“You’re alive, you’re alive, you’re alive,” I babbled against his mouth.

“You’re such an idiot,” he growled, his hands going to my ass. “I hate you so much. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Scare you? You died, you dick!”

“You killed me!”

“That was like five minutes ago! When are you going to get over it? Gods, Ryan, your fixation on that one thing is going to tear us apart. Why don’t you ever bring up that I also brought you back to life?”

“I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“I don’t know why either.”

“Stop talking. I’m trying to kiss you.”

I grinned against his mouth. He was so warm and alive and vital that I never wanted to let him go. It was—

A breeze blew across my face, and with it came the stench of something terribly burnt.

I pushed away from Ryan.

And looked around.

“Holy shit,” I breathed.

The road underneath our feet was covered in scorch marks, spreading out like roots of a tree around from where Ryan and I stood. The sides of the castle looked as if they’d been scarred, deep, black lines stretching up almost to the top where Zero had been perched.

He was gone, but safe. I could feel the pulse of him in my head.

The vermilion root holding the Darks had survived my lightning, though it looked worse for wear. Little arcs of electricity still crawled over the surface. The Darks encased inside had been spared from my onslaught.

But—

Where Ruv had stood was nothing but a pile of ash.

Where Caleb had stood was nothing but a pile of ash.

Where Myrin had stood was—

I blinked. “What the hell?”

It looked as if part of Castle Lockes had broken off in the explosion, the stone having crashed into the ground. A pile of rubble lay before us, dust still rising into the air.

My magic felt like it was going haywire, something Randall had warned me about. My cornerstone had died and then come back. It would take a little while before I could calm down.

“It worked,” Ryan whispered.

I looked at him. He was staring out around us at the scorch marks upon the stone, eyes wide, hands shaking. “Yeah,” I said. “It worked.”

He reached out and took my hand in his. “It’s over?”

“I—”

Sam

I shouted as a pulse of infected magic burst in my head. Ryan cried out my name, but I couldn’t focus on him, my head bowed, teeth clenched as I tried to withstand the assault in my head. I was already weakened from resurrecting Ryan, and I couldn’t push the yellowed magic away as it bowled over me.

The ground beneath us rumbled.

I lifted my head.

The pile of stone that had fallen from the castle began to shift.

And as the stones moved, I saw a flash of yellow underneath.

“No,” I breathed.

I stood slowly.

Ryan pushed himself up to stand at my side, sword in hand. “What is this?” he asked me.

Sam

My eyes watered as I bent over, hands over my ears, trying to block out the roar that began to whirl around us. It caused my skin to buzz, my bones to ache. My teeth felt loose in their sockets, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath as I—

The stones fell away.

Underneath, in a swirling sphere of magic, stood Myrin.

He wasn’t unscathed. He had lightning scars that looked like the ones on my chest on his outstretched hands and on his face. His beard had been partially seared off, the ends curled up and blackened. A cut on his cheek dripped blood onto his chin. He was breathing heavily, but he was alive.

Ryan tried to force me behind him. “What the hell—”

“Containment,” I whispered.

Myrin smiled a bloody smile. “That’s right. Containment. A gift from my dearly departed brother. You thought you could beat me? Oh, Sam. Finally, you have underestimated me. And it will be the last thing you ever do.”

“Sweet molasses,” I managed to say. “Hey, Ryan?”

“Yeah?” he said, eyes only on Myrin.

“Now might be a good time to run.”

“What?”

“Run.”

And I grabbed his arm as Myrin’s hands moved in a complicated motion, and I pulled Ryan away, away, away. He squawked angrily, both of us sliding on the ash beneath our feet. We managed to stay upright, and as I ran, my grip on Ryan’s arm tightening, I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Myrin detonate, that pulse of infected magic overflowing, cracking the road beneath his feet.

The chase was on.