Page 57 of Soul of Thorns
I look around, the flames flicker near me, but they don’t touch my skin. I don’t see any sign of anyone else. No Rev, no other form. Does this... being have no physical form?
“What is the message?” I ask, curious more than anything else.
“Well, first, that that monster did not, could not, touch your soul.”
I pull in a breath.
“You’ve always believed it. He led you to believe it. That he somehow damaged you so deeply that there was no recovering from the assault. Only you can destroy your own soul, child. If he’d stolen your soul, killed it like you believed, you would have killed Reveln that first time you met him. You would have felt no regret. You’d have been the perfect puppet. No, Caelynn, you have always been so much more than that. And you have to learn to forgive yourself for what was outside of your control.”
“I don’t understand... why would you be telling me this? Why...”
“Why would the Wicked Gate, the magic of punishing lands, care about your soul?”
“Well, yes. Do you do this for all the souls who pass through here?”
“Yes. Though I admit, I am not quite as invested in every soul as I have become in yours.”
Mine? “Why?”
“Because you have been unfairly placed in the center of a battle so much older and larger than yourself. You are, unfortunately, the pin at the center of it all. If you fail, we all fail. If you fall, the world will be at their mercy once again.”
“Why?” I whisper. “I’m not that special.”
“Well, that’s certainly debatable, child. But you are right, that you are just a fae like any other. You were not born exceptionally powerful. And this burden should not be on your shoulders. But you are the one they chose, and that put you right in the center of it all.”
Chosen. By those monsters. Because they believed me to be like them. They saw the darkness inside and...
“Stop, child. Ambition is not evil. It is not your desires that matter. It ischoice. You already made it clear that the Night Bringer was wrong about you. You are better than him. So much stronger inside than he can even comprehend.”
I swallow.
“It is by chance that you are here, that you are the center of it instead of so many before you. It is not fair to you. And yet, that will not change the truth. And so, you are the one we must rely on.”
“So, what do I have to do?”
“Keep to the right path, Caelynn.”
I blink. For a moment, I think she’s going to tell me to go back home. Leave Rev here like my wraith wants.
“No, child. I would never expect one to abandon their mate. That would destroy your soul quicker than the depression your hopelessness has brought. Your ancestor is a wraith for a reason, child. His greatest flaw is his selfishness. He will devour anything, trample anything, to achieve his goals. If he had known that chaining the Night Terror would dismantle his beloved court, he would have let the world fall.”
“Then what? Am I to die?”
The gate pauses. “Seek the right death, Caelynn. Alive or dead does not matter so much as protecting your soul.”
“I have one final vision for you before you continue on your journey. But this is my message. I am sorry for your pain. Sorry for this war you were thrust into. The innocence stolen from you. In order to win, you must protect your soul, Caelynn. Resist their darkness. You have the power, the strength to survive.”
A rush of magic washes over me in an instant, and I no longer remember where or who I am. There is a surprising peace, a fluttering of hope and love.
The pressure, the weight, the burden—it’s gone. Why was I so burdened before this moment? I cannot remember. I cannot even fathom. But I do know that this feels good.
Death is freedom, a whisper floats through my mind, and I blink rapidly. This whisper is heavy, so much heavier than the sprites.
No,another whisper floats by.The right death, is freedom.
Follow the right death, Caelynn.
