Page 54 of A Flame of the Phoenix

“Of all the infinite paths this war could take, only one leads here,” Presilla said.

Her tears fell silently. Faythe understood then. She could win the war with the many other ways Marvellas could be defeated, but only this way—this one precious path—kept Reylan with her.

“That’s impossible,” she whispered.

With those odds, the fortune in front of her was like trying to catch wind in her palms.

“It does not mean there is no room for error, child. Fate is like the ever-growing roots of a tree. Some may seem like they stem away from your desires for a while, all may seem lost, but your path can reconnect you with the outcome you fight for. Do not be afraid. Do not stop fighting.”

“What do I have to do?” Faythe’s voice broke.

“Trust in yourself, and in those who have stood by you from the start. But Faythe, you must accept that not all the mortal Gods may be with you until the end.”

“The mortal Gods,” Faythe echoed. Some part of her knew…had been threading the pieces together ever since Aurialis taunted her with it, though she hadn’t used that term.

“Knowledge, wisdom, courage, resilience, strength, dark and light as one, and you—power.”

“I can’t lose any of them.”

“Take solace, Faythe Ashfyre, that because of the Gods who have meddled to awaken their chosen from their long bloodline and join you, those who fall will rest in an ether of paradise. Say not ‘farewell’ but ‘see you in the crossing.’”

“It’s not fair.”

“Love is meant to be painful.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she demanded, with the fractures of her heart sharpening.

“Because there are many ends in which you live and you triumph, but what you become because you could not accept your losses is a force worse than the one you seek to destroy. That is my gift of warning. You have a power in you this realm has never seen, and grief can make the most devastating choices. It can turn a golden heart black if you let it.”

All of this was a warning…about herself. Not help to avoid anything nor knowledge to aid her. The most dangerous outcome of the war was the world in ruins not because of Marvellas’s destruction…but Faythe’s.

She stumbled in horror, pushing herself back up to her feet, not wanting to believe she was capable of it, but as her friends’ faces flashed through her mind, Faythe’s chest beat with such fierce protection over them all.

Faythe spun to leave, but Presilla called her name.

“Follow the eye, Faythe Ashfyre. Sometimes you have to lose to win.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Izaiah

Izaiah seized his opportunity to slip into the guarded library. He’d been here before, but never in his true fae form. It was necessary to shift back for the locked door he intended to gain access through.

“Are you trying to get yourself caught?” Tynan hissed.

Izaiah stiffened at the intruding voice. His teeth slammed together, his plan now compromised. “How did you follow me?” he grumbled, not even turning to look since the dark fae was the only presence he detected.

“The birthmark on your hip—it appears as a lighter patch on your fur. Even as a little mouse.”

Izaiah’s tools paused in the lock. He was caught between amusement and surprise that Tynan kept such a keen eye on his body to have noticed and translated the faint distinguishing feature. His stomach annoyinglyflutteredlike some faeling discovering their first crush. Fuck. Izaiah brewed a storm over the unwelcome feelings.

“Are you always stalking me? I’m flattered.”

Tynan only glowered, but Izaiah smiled wickedly. He suppressed his ire over the dark fae following him, which was a contrast to the thrill that always broke across his skin.

Now he had to come up with another reason for being here.

“Where did you learn to do that so easily?” Tynan asked as the door clicked open.

---