Page 172 of Crown of Briars
“Take whoever you can to defend the rear side of the castle,” I said to Vexon. “We will fortify here.”
Vexon nodded. Before he could turn away, I grabbed his elbow. “Send someone you trust to fetch Tislora. We need her.” Worry wriggled in my gut, and I feared something had happened to her. Had the humans captured her already?
“Yes, my lord.” Vexon and several of his soldiers hurried off to the other side of the castle.
It was then that Sybelle’s voice suddenly echoed around me.
“Varius? Are you there?”
With a gasp, I glanced down at my trousers, which were glowing from the amber stone. I quickly withdrew it and clutched it tightly in my hand.“Sybelle!”
She uttered a half laugh, half sob. Relief burst in my chest. Thank the gods she was safe.“Mother of Shade, I’ve been sick with worry!”I directed my thoughts to her.“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m inside the castle, and I’m fine. Varius, the Earthen army?—”
“I know. I’m battling them right now.”
Her voice turned panicked.“You—what? Why the hell are you talking to me then?”
I chuckled, casting a quick glance around the courtyard.Soldiers were speaking to one another and tending to wounds.“We’ve pushed them back, and we are regrouping. I have a moment, but not much more. Your sister is here.”
“I know,”she said.“And so is Gerard. Varius, he’s Jessinda’s son.”
Gerard.Her gods-damned human lover. Tislora had told me as much just before I bolted from the medicine room. With a heavy sigh, I said,“I was afraid of that.”
“You knew?”
“I suspected Jessinda had an heir, but I didn’t know for sure until today. Tislora confirmed it. Have you seen her?”I looked around the courtyard once more, hoping the sorceress had appeared. But she wasn’t there.
“No, I haven’t.”Sybelle paused.“Varius, I found a way to break the curse.”
I went rigid, clutching the amber stone so tightly that my fist trembled.“How?”I demanded, urgency flooding my veins.
“I have to combine the shadowstone and bloodstone and bring them into the shadow storm.”
Cold horror washed over me. I swallowed hard, immediately shaking my head.“To hell with that, Sybelle. We can fend off the Necro Shadows our own way. I don’t want you going anywhere near that storm.”
“Varius, if we do this and kill Gerard, that army will have no way to retreat. Their entire purpose for fighting you will be nullified. And without your Lumen constantly shielding the castle, you’ll have the strength to overpower them. We canwin.”
“But at what cost?”I argued. The panic cinched tightly in my chest, cutting off my breath. She was going to get herselfkilled.
All to free me.
To free our people.
Mother of Shade, I couldn’t breathe at the thought of her dying.“I cannot lose you, Sybelle. Do not make me choose between you and my people, because… because I will choose you.”
The words felt like they were ripped from me by force.
Because, until this moment, I hadn’t realized they were true.
I would sacrificeeverythingto keep her safe. My own people. My own life.
All of it.
Sybelle’s voice was shaking.“You don’t mean that.”
“I do mean it. I refuse to give you up. I want you to reign by my side for eternity, Sybelle. You are mine,dannahla.A thousand curses could not tear me away from you.”
