Page 207 of Between Despair and Hope

“In Evenmoor, you made me feel as if I could do anything. As if I wasn’t an Umbroth. Other than Ismene, no one has ever seen me without that dark stain. Until you. Others have tried since, I suppose. Your mother and father try, but they’ll always see me as the boy who tried to take something precious from them. But you, even when you screamed at me and kicked me out, I didn’t think it was because you thought I was evil. It was because I-I betrayed you. Because you trusted me, and I ruined it. But you forgave me anyway, Elora. Killing you will be the greatest regret of my life, even if you’re sitting across from me—living, breathing,smiling.” I laughed, bitter. “It would seem as if saving the rest of the world came at the cost of my own happiness. And that has to be alright. Becauseyouare alright.”

She reached for me but jumped when a loud booming sound shook the building. Dust fell from the rafters, and the cook’s head popped up to the window. “What in the gods’ names was that?” he shouted.

I stood, shoving Elora behind me as I approached the door. When I cracked it open, she wrenched at my arm, trying to pull me back.

“Cy, no. This is—no,” she implored.

Shaking her free, I leaned out, finding nothing awry. I saw a few other faces doing the same as I did, looking up and down the street. It was well past lunchtime but before the dinner crowd, so the street was rather empty. I saw a horse galloping off to my left with its rider chasing after it, but other than that, nothing seemed amiss.

Until the woman across the street looked above me and let out a harsh scream before falling back into the building behind her. Eyes wide, I backed up, hand searching for Elora.

“Get back, Elora, I—” My own words dried in my throat as a long—far too bloody long—arm swung down in front of the door. I couldn’t even see it in its entirety, but the pale, creamy skin at the top led to blackened, hand-like claws at the bottom, swaying at the height of my chest. I’d seen nothing like it ever before. Elora screamed, grabbing my jacket and pulling me back to her just as shadows erupted from me, shoving the door closed and holding it tight. My divinity had yet to manifest so strongly, and, by the gods, I was grateful it had chosen this moment. I heard a clattering behind me and glanced back just in time to see the cook run out a back door.

“Elora, go, follow him. Get out. I’ll hold it back,” I ordered, just as the creature began beating at the door, a loud slamming sound punctuated with high-pitched screeching. My heart raced, and I did my best to solidify the shadows standing against the beast. It soon began beating at the wall beside the door, and I spread my shadows wider, protecting the front of the building.

“I’m not leaving you,” she said. Moving to stand beside me, she lifted her hands up to her chest and drew divine light into her palm. Growing it into a large ball between her hands, she turned to face me with a set jaw. “We’ll back towards the door together, and if it gets through your shadows, I’ll be waiting.”

“Min viltasma,please, go on,“ I pleaded.

“How sssweet,” a voice hissed from outside the door, and I swore I recognized it.

The banging continued, the entire front of the building shaking. I grimaced as I felt it penetrate my shadows. I couldn’t see the creature beyond them, but my divinity loathed it, whatever it was. It was pure evil and ready to kill me the second I broke. “Elora, go!” I fought back tears. “I will die loving you—now go!”

She blinked at me, moving to stand between me and the shadows holding the creature at bay. “Would you stop fighting with me and just do what I say? I’m not leaving you, and if you don’t shut up, you’re going to get me killed. Again. If you truly love me, you’ll listen to me!”

She punctuated her words with a swift kick to my shin, and I swallowed, nodding. “Alright, Elora. Alright.” My voice cracked as she moved to stand beside me, growing the divine fire between her hands. She transferred it to one hand, making the large glowing sphere spin above her outstretched palm as she used the other to grab my elbow.

“I’ll lead the way,” she said, and she navigated me past a table and around the corner of the bar, which led to the kitchen. It was harder to control my shadows the farther away we moved.

“Elora, get ready to run. I don’t know if I can hold the shadows that far. I can shield us, but—it stopped,” I said, realizing whatever it was no longer pecked at my shadows. In the span of a heartbeat, the roof of the building was torn off. I moved all my shadows toward Elora, about to cover her as she released the ball of fire toward the ceiling, igniting the roof and the creature. It had long legs, triple-jointed, and unsettlingly human feet. It screeched, scrambling backward for a moment before tossing something down through the massive, flaming hole.

My blood ran cold when I realized it was a body wrapped in a Folterran burial shroud.

“Cy, come on,” Elora tugged at my arm, dragging me towards the door just as I recognized the raven hair sticking out of the top.

“Iz,” I breathed, every muscle in my body frozen in place. “Iz!” I shouted, doing my best to protect Elora with my shadows as I ran toward my sister. Elora’s shout was my only warning as one of those long arms shot down in front of me, and one of my shadows tried wrapping around it. The creature broke free, raking its claw through the air, and it tried to grab me before I jumped back.

“Little prince,” the voice spoke, drawing out the word in a hiss, and the body of the beast came into view above me. If a human’s limbs were stretched and blackened, eyes depthless and jaws opened in a gaping wound, it would look like the creature above me. The wings spreading from its shoulders were black and leathery, enormous to carry the weight of its massive limbs. “Your brother isss looking for you,” it said a second before a blast of Elora’s fire hit it. Launching it away from the wreckage we’d made of the roof, loud wings snapped as it took off.

“Was that—that was Cook, wasn’t it? From Evenmoor?” Elora said, voice shaking with horror.

I dropped to my knees, coughing as a beam toward the front of the building fell, ash and smoke filling the room.

“Cy, we have to get out!”

“It’s Ismene,” I said, rolling my sister over. I peeled the shroud back. Hazel eyes a mirror of my own stared back at me—lifeless. Her lips were parted, her face pale, and her skin cold. Bruises covered her neck, tiny scratches in her skin from where she must have tried to pry her attacker away. I leaned over her, looking for something—anything. I heard Elora’s sharp intake of breath as she moved to stand behind me. “We have to find your mother. Go find her!” I shouted. “Go!”

“Cy, the building, it’s—”

“She brought you back, gods damn it. Hurry!” Elora said nothing for a moment, and I lifted my hand to brush the dark hair off my sister’s face. “GO!” I bellowed, whipping my head to look back at Elora.

“She’s dead, Cy. Come on, please.” Elora hooked her arms beneath my armpits and tried to drag me backward, but I wouldn’t let go of Iz.Couldn’tlet go of Iz.

“She’s my little sister, I can’t—I can’t.”

When surprisingly cool hands pressed on either side of my face, and the only eyes to look at me with kindness in these recent years moved into my line of sight, I dragged my gaze from Ismene’s body to look up at Elora. “Please, Elora. Please,” I pleaded.

“Cyran. There’s nothing we can do. You have to—”

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