Page 96 of Clash of Storms
She'd be out there somewhere. If Árdís could wield Chaos magic, then she would have to be.
Sirius paced at the top of the hill, glaring down at them as they all changed into mortal form and dressed, seemingly prepared to face Rurik honorably.
The entire setup reeked of a trap.
His fucking cousins would get themselves killed.
And as if to prove him right, the queen suddenly appeared, striding through her warriors to face her daughter in a challenge. Sunlight glimmered off Árdís's hair as she accepted.
You stupid brave fool.
Stay off the field of battle? If he did that, then Andri would suffer. And he would be considered nothing more than a traitor to his kind.
And if he defied his father and stood with Rurik, then he couldn't remain here while his brother was locked away in a cell in the heart of thedrekicourt.
They would kill Andri in his stead.
His father already yearned to do so.
Damn it. No matter which way he looked there was no answer.
A ghostly shimmer seemed to fill the air beside him. Sirius clenched his lips together, before turning to grant the wraith a withering look. "Shouldn't you be down there protecting your children, rather than haunting me?"
The king's shade flickered weakly.
Whendrekidied, their spirits rode the horizon each night, glimmering like pale green wraiths as they chased the sun. It was easier to see them during winter's darkest nights, though if you squinted through summer's overwhelming light, sometimes you could make them out.
But a few remained behind in this mortal world, bound by some pressing task left undone.
In Reynar's case, he assumed it was to remind him of the past.
The shade didn't answer. It never did.
"Who will you become?"Reynar asked him—the same words he spoke every damned time—as they stared down at the battle.
"Stop asking me that fucking question," he growled.
They watched as the princess strode forward to meet her mother, brimming with new power.
"She's going to die," he told the king's shade. "Árdís will die and you're just going to watch? You shouldn't behere. You should be down there. Damn you.Dosomething."
The king's opaque head turned toward him, his amber eyes drained of all but the merest hint of color."The dead cannot intercede. It is the living who must fight their own battles. I am right where I am meant to be. I shielded my children while I lived. I gave them strength and love and wisdom. I laid their pathways in life, taught them what was just and what was right. They are not the ones who need me."
Sirius looked at the king, his chest heaving. Reynar had been larger than life when he was a child; a force of will who could match even the queen, though he governed with a wise and just hand.
Rurik looked so much like him.
And guilt wrapped its tendrils around his chest.
"I turned away from you when you needed me most. I did not fight for you, as I fought for them. But you were the one who needed me more,"the king whispered softly, his eyes holding no recrimination."Your aunt twisted you to her will. I've always known that. Death strips even theblindest of their veils. I am right where I am meant to be, Sirius."
It felt like there was a vile poison within him, yearning to break free. "Don't."
"This will be the last time you see me. All my remaining strength only grants me mere seconds to reach you, to let you know: I forgive you. And the choice still lies in front of you. Your destiny is not set in stone."
"They will kill my brother." His fists clenched at his sides as he watched swords flash and mud churn.
"They will seek to, yes. What is the price you will pay to make things right?"
