Page 82 of The War of Wings
“You are the Daughter of Katia, Petra. And as the daughter of Rhedros as well, your powers are unparalleled in this world. You can follow in the footsteps of the Forgotten Saints and set this world ablaze to start anew, in hopes such destruction would take Malosym this time. That is your first option.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I thought you’d say that.” Tyrak shifted in his seat, his tongue running over his teeth before he spoke again. “Since you are in his bloodline, you have the ability to kill him. But Malosym is strong. Far stronger than you are. You can kill him, though, Petra. You have the power to do so.”
“I’ll do it.”
“But…” He shifted uncomfortably, his face hardened with something like regret. “It will require so much of your power, you will burn yourself to ash. That is your second option.”
My jaw tightened as I nodded. “I’ll still do it,” I repeated, though my stomach soured. “Easy choice.”
“Or…”
I blinked at him. “Or?”
“Or…you can carve out a spot alongside the rest of the realms, just as the Sanguilite did. Hide yourself away. Let the world burn without you and rebuild beneath a new sun, beneath new saints. You can try to push your companions through along with you, as Malosym did with Katia and the Forgotten Saints with Rhedros. That is your third and final option. There is a possibility that you survive this.”
My eyes shut, a deep, steady breath rushing out of my nose. A separate realm, just for me and Cal, for Miles and Nell and Whit, for Solise and Ma. Cal could build us our house. We could be safe.
“Dammit,” I whispered to myself, my eyes still squeezed shut. I wanted to hold on to that vision for just a moment longer before the truth smashed it to pieces.
“I’m sorry, Petra. I should’ve told you sooner. I simply could not stand by and watch you feel forced into acting without knowing there was room for another choice to be made.”
“Why wouldn’t Katia want me to know this? Wouldn’t she want me to succeed? Wouldn’t she want me to end Malosym’s life for good?”
“Not if it meant yours ended in the process. As I told you before, they hoped Malosym would never find you. And forgive me for speaking ill of your parents, but it was a foolish hope to have.”
The mix of emotions in my gut knocked me back to my chair. Anger at Katia and Rhedros for keeping this from me, at the world for dealing me this lot, sticking me with this choice that felt impossible but wasn’t. Terror at the unknown, at the prospect of this finally being the end. Sorrow at the thought of saying goodbye to Cal, at the fact that my time with him was truly finite. But most of all, an unexpected calm. I knew what I had to do. I knew the course of action I had to take. The path had been laid at my feet. All I had to do was walk.
“If I kill him, will his death take out the Occulti too?” I asked. My tone was surprisingly even, as if I weren’t discussing my impending death.
“I believe so. But I cannot promise that will be true.”
“And will it free Katia and Rhedros?”
“Yes.”
“Does Malosym know all this?”
“Yes. I believe that’s why he has Occulti patrolling Katia and Rhedros in the Darkness Beyond. He is afraid they’ll tell you. I believe…” He pushed out a heavy breath, wincing as he spoke. “I believe the Occulti may have attacked yesterday in search of me.”
I nodded once. It made sense. Malosym wouldn’t want Tyrak anywhere near me. “Thank you for telling me this, Tyrak.”
“I would say you are welcome, but I do not wish you to be welcome to information that will harm you. In another lifetime, my greatest hope was to have a daughter as strong and as brave as you.”
“Yeah, well, such is life,” I muttered, and a knife buried into my chest at the thought of Cal. “This will stay between us, right?”
Tyrak’s mouth pulled up at one side in a sympathetic half-smile. “If that’s what you wish.”
“Cal can’t know. I just… I don’t need anyone trying to talk me out of this.”
His half-smile deepened, taking on a sorrowful edge. “He is a good man, yes?”
My lips parted at the abrupt question, completely unexpected. “A good man,” I breathed, the words feeling horribly inadequate to describe all that Cal was. “He’s kind and he’s honest and he’s fiercely loyal. He’s… He’s the best of us.”
“Good,” Tyrak answered with a small smile I couldn’t quite read. “I could tell he was good even as a young man. I am filled with such relief he remained so despite his proximity to Malosym. I hope you know, whatever lies he told you…”
“I know,” I cut in before he could finish. “They weren’t his fault.”
