Page 124 of Void of Endings
The world darkened and together they stood on a frozen cliff, where gray clouds loomed, and rain fell in a steady drizzle. It looked as though it had never felt the warmth of the sun. A sense of foreboding washed over Maeve as a piercing shriek echoed through the steep, frostbitten mountains. Dragons soared overhead, their majestic wings slicing through the dense mist the same way a blade would cut through silk.
“But most importantly,” Shay said, softer now, “you’re fighting for your future. For those who will come after you.”
Maeve saw them.
Three boys and one girl.
Her children.
Shay took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. “Because you see, Parisa will not stop with Faeven. Greed taints her heart, the lust for power has destroyed her soul. You must be the one to end her, to cease this war before it spreads beyond Faeven’s shores.”
Magic cocooned her. It coasted over her skin, tickling her cheek, slowly mending all the broken pieces of who she was, of who she would become.
The air around her sifted and billowed, a golden shimmer, and then she and Shay were standing in the empty field once more.
Maeve shook her head. She knew he’d shown her other worlds, other realms. But these were all places that somehow felt dependent on her. She couldn’t bear to have this rest upon her shoulders alone. “I don’t know how to do that, Shay. We’ve already lost so many, and our father…”
She couldn’t even speak the words.
Shay released her shoulders, understanding. “He waits for me in Maghmell.”
A breath shuddered out of her, and she released the fear. “What if I’m not enough?”
“You have always been enough.” He smiled, his eyes softening. “The love you carry in your heart makes you more than enough.”
“Love,” Maeve repeated numbly. It hardly seemed like such an emotion would make any sort of difference.
“Love is no match against the corruption of hate.” Shay bent down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Love always wins.”
Then he stepped back, away from her.
“Shay?” Her breath hitched and she reached for him. He was leaving her. Again. “Shay, wait!”
“It’s time for me to go, little wild one.” He winked. “I’ll see you again.”
Hefaded,and Maeve grasped only air.
Before she could recover, Rowan tumbled into the void, and he almost fell on top of her.
“Rowan!” She grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. He looked just as wretched as she did, perhaps even worse. “What are you doing here?”
He crossed his arms, lightly rocking back on his heels. “I feel like it’s fairly obvious. I came to bring you back.”
Maeve huffed, jabbing him in the chest with an accusing finger. “But you’re the one who pushed me in here!”
“And for good reason.” Rowan moved closer, his gaze narrowing. “You destroyed that portal to the Sluagh. How did you do it?”
“I…I don’t know.” She’d only been trying to get Saoirse back. In that moment, it was all she wanted, her sole intention. But if the portal was gone, that could only mean one thing. Saoirse was gone, as well. Forever. Maeve shook her head, dismissive. “It doesn’t matter how I did it.”
“Oh, it fucking matters.” He pointed behind him to where the void was already closed. “You’re the Dawnbringer. You create, you don’t destroy.”
“That’s not true,” Maeve countered, planting both hands on her hips. “Aed told us in the Ether that I could create and destroy worlds.”
“Worlds,” Rowan reiterated. “Not sinister portals opened by the use of dark magic.”
“What difference does that make?” Maeve glanced down at her hands. The blood covering them had dried, and she scrubbed them against her leather pants. “It’s not like I was trying to close the portal. I was trying to pull Saoirse out of it.”
“Sun and sky,” a feminine voice drawled with contempt. “Would the two of you quit bickering? It’s exhausting.”
