Page 71 of Duskbound

"Candidate Lael," Urkin called, and my heart clenched.

The boy who'd sat beside me at the bonfire seemed transformed as he approached the platform. His shoulders were set, his chin high. Aether's words from last night hung in the air.The Void tests you in ways unimaginable.

"I will," Lael said, his voice laced with determination. I felt a lick of pride flare at the smile that broke across his face.

The ceremony continued. Raven's abilities with mirror communication earned him a place in the Archival Unit. Mira accepted the choice.

Then Valkan stepped forward, and the very air seemed to still.

The Generals' faces had gone rigid, though they maintained their composure. Even Urkin's perpetual scowl deepened as Valkan approached, his movements like a predator.

"Lord Valkan," Urkin's voice carried a weight I hadn't heard before. "You have proven yourself worthy of the choice." The words seemed to cost him something. "Do you choose to give yourself fully to Umbrathia? Do you choose to embrace the shadows? Will you meet the Void?"

Valkan's smile was radiant and wrong. "My friends," he addressed the crowd directly, ignoring protocol entirely. "This is but the first step toward Umbrathia's salvation. Together, we will restore our realm to glory." His dead eyes found mine. "And we will do whatever it takes to achieve that end."

The nobles shifted in their seats, some leaning forward eagerly, others drawing back. Valkan continued speaking, but I barely heard the words. His gaze felt like oil on my skin, making my stomach turn. As he passed me on his way off the stage, he paused.

"Such raw power," he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. "What a magnificent shadow you'll become."

Finally, only I remained. The silence stretched as the Generals conferred in hushed tones. I could feel the weight of the crowd's attention, the mixture of curiosity and suspicion that had followedme since my arrival in Umbrathia. Urkin's eyes bored into me, but I refused to look away, remembering how he'd watched me command his Sentinels.Let him see that strength now.

"Never before," he said finally, his voice filling the chamber, "has an outsider stood where you stand. Never before has one proven worthy of this choice." His jaw tightened. "But after much deliberation, we have decided you have earned the right to further prove yourself to our realm." He straightened in his chair. "Foreign-born, do you choose to give yourself fully to Umbrathia? Do you choose to embrace the shadows? Will you meet the Void?"

Relief flooded me.

I thought of everything that had led me here—the lies I'd been told in Sídhe, the truth I'd discovered in this dying realm. I thought of Vexa's words about choice. The Void might break me, might show me horrors beyond imagination, but at least this time, the choice was mine.

This time, I knew what I was fighting for. And I knew what I was fighting against. I stepped forward, eyes sweeping the panel of Generals. Each one nodded as my gaze met theirs.

"I will."

The clouds pressedin around us, thick and gray. Nihr's wings cut through them with ease, sending wisps of mist dancing across my skin. I shifted in the saddle, trying to ignore how close Aether sat behind me, how his shadows seemed calmer now than they had in days.

The other candidates were somewhere ahead of us, each paired with their own Spectre escort. Tradition, they'd called it, though I suspected it had more to do with making sure none of us lost ournerve at the last moment. Not that turning back was an option now—even if I wanted to.

The silence stretched between us, broken only by the steady beat of Nihr's wings. I thought of all the questions I still had, all the things I still didn't understand about what was coming. But asking felt like admitting fear, and I'd already shown enough weakness these past few days.

A sudden gust of wind rocked us, and I gripped the saddle horn tighter. The temperature had been dropping steadily as we flew North, the air growing thinner. Even the light seemed different here. Darker, maybe, or deeper. Ice began to form along Nihr's harness, crystallizing in delicate patterns.

My teeth chattered despite my best efforts to stop them. The cold had begun seeping through my leathers, burrowing into my bones. Behind me, Aether radiated heat. Before I could stop, I found myself leaning back slightly, drawn to that warmth.

I felt him stiffen for just a moment before relaxing. Neither of us spoke, but he didn't pull away.

"The cold gets worse," he said, his voice close to my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "The closer we get."

I fought back a shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature. "How much further?"

"Not far." There was something in his tone—not quite concern, but something adjacent to it. "You can feel it, can't you?"

I knew what he was asking. Something had been tugging at my consciousness since we'd crossed into the Northern territory. Like a whisper just below hearing, or a shadow seen from the corner of my eye. It felt similar to how the darkness had called to me in Emeraal.

"Is that normal?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded against the wind.

He paused, and I felt him shift slightly behind me. "No. But I thought it might call to you."

Another gust of wind hit us, this one carrying a bite that cut straight through me. Nihr's wings beat harder against it, sending us into a slight tilt that pressed me further against Aether's chest. The heat of him was maddening—a stark contrast to the ice forming in my hair, on my eyelashes. I should have pulled away, maintained some semblance of distance, but the cold had become too brutal to fight.

"The others," I started, then hesitated, trying to focus on anything except his proximity. "They don't remember their time in the Void."

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