Page 167 of A Game of Monsters

Gyah embraced me, holding me as if it was the final time. Which it might be. She brought her lips to my ear and whispered words meant only for me. “Before you go, Seraphine wanted me to remind you to be selfish.”

“Seemed that she wanted a couple of people to remind me.” A warm rush of shivers passed down my spine. “Well, you know me. It’s one thing I’m good at.”

“You deserve to live, just remember that. I think that is what she meant.”

I took Gyah’s reminder, storing it away in the chambers of my heart.

I turned next to Erix and Duncan, who stood side by side, equal in height, power and determination. For the first time, taking steps toward them was hard. But I did it, because I reminded myself that this was for them.

For the men who held my heart.

For the men who showed me the world I wanted to be a part of.

I’d do this for them – over and over, if given the choice. Because that was what love was, perseverance. Choice. And most importantly, power.

The ground shook as the mass of chaos and power raced closer. My core tensed, just to keep me standing steady, my boots sinking into mud-trodden earth. The more time that passed, the heavier the taste of ash and decay became. It lathered my tongue, tainting each inhalation and making the exhalation no more pleasurable.

I didn’t turn to watch it arrive.

Althea took me in her arms a final time and wished me luck. From the shake of her voice alone, I knew she had little faith I was going to survive this.

But I would. I had too. I would survive, because we had finally achieved our tomorrow, and I wasn’t going to give up on it.

Not yet.

“If there is anyone as stubborn enough to survive this, it is you.” Althea’s words warmed me from the inside out. Her stare was determined, and yet there was no denying the quiver in each word and what that meant. “Beat it.”

“I’m not going to let a little storm cloud ruin my day, Althea.”

She sniffed, drying her face with the back of her hand. “You better not. We deserve peace. All of us. That includes you.”

“Something we can agree on.”

She knocked my shoulder with her fist, stepping back before her body betrayed her. “It’s a possibility. I just wish it was not you who had to deal with it.”

“We all have a purpose, perhaps this is mine.”

Fire lit within Althea’s eyes, and then it was the Queen of Cedarfall who stood before me. “It better be, Robin Icethorn.”

Gyah gathered Althea back, otherwise she would’ve never left me. “We love you, friend. Remember that.”

“How could I ever forget?” I replied, offering her a sympathetic smile. “Is your promise of punching me still on the table?”

“Of course it is,” Gyah snapped, her forced anger melting back into trepidation that they all faced me with. “If you die and upset Althea any more than she has already been, I’ll find a way to strangle your ghost. Justlive, Robin.”

“That’s the plan.” I squeezed her fingers back. “Now, get Althea out of here.”

As Gyah drew back, her skin melted to shadow and revealed the Eldrae lurking beneath. When she replied, it was half in words and the other half a tempered growl. “Already on it.”

Watching Althea and Gyah leave was the most painful part. It solidified their goodbye into a physical thing, rather than words. There was so much that could’ve been said, but we didn’t have time.

When I turned to Erix and Duncan – my strength incarnate – I found my knees weakening. I had to pretend I was okay, but looking at them, taking in the horror plastered across each of their faces, ruined me.

“Look after each other,” I said before gritting my teeth to stop the sob from breaking free. “Promise me that at least.”

Duncan steeled his expression, the scar down the side of his face deepening. He nodded, because clearly forging a word was impossible. I could sense it, in a way, his need to demand we all leave and find another way to solve this. But he knew, just as I did, that this was the only option.

“We will not be far, little bird,” Erix said, stepping in and taking my hands. He was cold to the touch, as though the worry he held for me leached the warmth from his skin and soul. He had a haunted look about him, his pupils far too dilated for normal. “This is not a goodbye. It is only a see you soon.”

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