Page 170 of Where Darkness Falls

We love her in our own ways, and for different reasons, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for her. The Cadre’s loyalty shifted the moment we found her in that floral shop, and I don’t have the faintest doubt that we’d follow her until the very end. A mixture of grief and revelation lights her features. She offers us a sad smile as her eyelids droop lower and lower. “I love all of you too,” she whispers. Then, she falls into Laisren’s arms soundlessly.

Standing, I position my arms around her. “Give her to me,” I command. Nodding, Laisren helps maneuver Maeva until her head lays against my chest.

Grief overwhelms us as we walk solemnly up the hill. Grief over the loss of our fourth commander that always fought valiantly by our sides. Sadness for the woman we love, knowing that she’s already lost so much.

Death has a way of putting into perspective the idea that the small squabbles don’t matter in the end. Virgil held his secrets close to his chest, but one thing I never questioned was his loyalty to the Cadre or Maeva. Now, he’s gone and I’ll never have the chance to apologize for how I’ve treated him. I allowed my jealousy to cloud my emotions, leading to a rift between us.

“Virgil, come back,”Maeva cries in her sleep. She hasn’t woken since she collapsed after his death.

I cradle her head against my chest as Danté canters on. “Shhhh,” I whisper. “It’s going to be okay. You have to live for him and your family, Maeva. You have to survive for the future they saw.”

Even in sleep, my words seem to soothe her. Though she’s beautiful, the grief remains glued to her features. How I’d do anything to remove this pain from her—to remove all pain from her.

Danté whinnies, swishing his head back to look at us. “She’ll be okay, my friend,” I reassure him. Danté neighs in response, returning his gaze to the thinning woods before us. We’ve been riding for the last several hours and have already crossed the small trickle of the river that’snearest the Abyss. We still have another day’s ride until we reach it, and now I dread it.

We’ve survived quite a few ungodly creatures, but the fact that we barely survived the grindylows in the Bones River doesn’t give me much hope for the horrors within the Abyss. We need to rest for a full night, without being attacked, in order to give our bodies time to heal before the journey into the chasm. Hopefully, the inn along the outskirts of the territory will give us a reprieve, even if it’s only one night.

I sigh, reminiscing on the puzzling events that have occurred these last few months.

From the beginning, this mission has felt foreboding—like a trap set for her and only her. The thought of such notions turns my stomach. I brush a thumb along the few strands of wayward hair that have fallen over her face. She’s so beautiful and deserves so much more than what she’s been given. I want to tell her everything, perhaps suggest running away together, but where could we go that Tiernan wouldn’t find us?

Nowhere.

He’ll always find us—seeking her.

Still, I hope for the day that we can leave this far behind, and just be Emyr and Maeva. Of course, a dream is just that… a dream. Why couldn’t our fates be simpler? Instead, I feel like every time we turn around, there’s an obstacle to face.

Is Siorai evaluating our worthiness with these relentless tests of both our character and will?

If so, why put his creations that are loyal to him through such torment?

Why’s he silent?

Why allow Virgil to die in such a tragic way this close to the end?

I wish we could grieve his loss properly, but the longer we stay in these woods, worse horrors will eventually find us. Especially if it’s true that Maeva’s blood sings to them, beckoning the creatures to her. It doesn’t take much to convince me that she’d turn the most vile ofcreatures back into their former selves—if she could only figure out her ability in its entirety.

She’s someone worthy of following, and I’d chase her to the ends of the earth. Everyone that is no longer blinded by the wickedness has willingly laid down their arms to support her. This notion causes fear to stir in the depths of my being, especially as we near the end of this journey.

Power comes with a price, and I’m sure the Crógemma is no different.

I just hope that the price isn’t more than Maeva realizes.

After all, it’s harder to escape the shadows once they devour you.

The soundof snoring stirs me from my deep sleep. Though my head is buried beneath a soft pillow, the loud vibrations of the Galrosan stops me from resting soundly. “Laisren, be quiet,” I whine. “You’re waking me up.” Despite my protest, the snoring continues.

I groan, rolling onto my back as I stretch my sore limbs.How long have I been asleep?I wonder.

Nearly two days, my dear,Saoirse replies.You didn’t take the loss very well, so they decided to let you sleep.

I yawn, rubbing my eyes.Loss?I ask.

Saoirse is quiet, but it feels like she’s shifting from side to side as if she’s uneasy.The loss of Virgil, Maeva. It was two days ago,she says, softly.

Virgil.

Themuscles around my heart tighten as the sleepy haze fades. Slowly, all the events come flooding back in vivid detail: being lured into the Bones River by the grindylows, Virgil and Emyr rescuing me, Virgil losing his eye patch and his life.“I’m glad you’re okay, Little Star,”his voice echoes.

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