Page 121 of The Court of Secrets
Howling screeches from the elders erupted in the air, piercing the sky and forest. I kicked my feet, pushing to get away from the area as quickly as possible. On the edges not yet destroyed were vines hanging from low branches, knotting down the earthy mounds.
I was dragged by the undertow. Letting the log drift out from under my arms, I pushed them out and kicked as hard as I could to make it to the bank. Every inhale felt like I was breathing knives. My arms felt like lead as I swam with all my strength until I finally reached a couple of vines. I grabbed them, digging my nails into the twisted, thick green. I tugged, glad to feel they could take my weight, and used them to pull myself out. I footed rocks and mud until I rolled onto the flat higher ground. Spluttering, I lay on my back and sucked in deep breaths. I wiped the river from my eyes, wrung my dripping-wet hair, and looked out as the spirit realm collapsed in on itself.
A blast of energy out from the center of the river, knocking me back. I slammed against the hard ground, and the trees shuddered. It was done. They were gone, and Magaelor was free.
***
“What did you do, love?” Blaise hurried to me and wrapped his cloak around my wet, muddy body. He’d come to find me. When had he arrived? I shivered away the cold. He worried his fingers to tie the cloak, then wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me into his embrace.
I breathed in the smell of clover smoke left on the material and looked up. My feet left the ground, and air whistled around us. His wings had protruded from his back, beating against the winds that picked up the higher we went. The indigo sky glittered stars, reminding me of what true beauty looked like. I nuzzled my face against his tunic, clinging to every pocket of warmth the cloak had to offer.
He tightened his hold as we veered left, descending toward the castle. “We’re almost home.”
The way he said “we” tangled my insides, reminding me of those I’d lost. The castle was just a castle without the people I loved. Morgana and André were gone. Adius was dead, and Florence had lost yet another love. I didn’t know where they were. I guessed there was no real way of knowing what was beyond death, not until I would walk there myself. Was there peace? A place? Energy? Every culture had their own theories, and I imagined it was a mix of all of them. All I could hope was wherever they’d gone, they were at peace. I hoped to see them again one day, and holding onto that hope kept me going. Pain sizzled parts of my body every now and then, hurting more with each beat of my heart, but I didn’t have the strength to see what was causing it.
Blaise landed us in the courtyard. He was a talented flier and had been since I’d known him. My legs crumpled against the ancient stone. He laid me back, cradling my head in his hands. “Help us!” he hollered.
Footsteps pattered through the hallways. Swords were pulled out, then put back once they saw there was no danger. I hadn’t noticed until then, but where the vines had grabbed me were pink slits in my skin. Without the water, I saw blood leaking from them.
“Get the physician. Use your magic.”
“The magic is gone,” I whispered, my voice cracking.
Staffs were lifted, but nothing came from them. It was another proof that I had, indeed, destroyed the spirit realm. Panicked chatter rose as more and more attempted to access their magic after seeing the guards unable to.
“Fuck!” he shouted. He looked into my eyes, panic glistening in his. “I’m not good at healing.” He let out a shaky exhale. “Hold still.” He held his hands over my wounds, closing his eyes. It took a few attempts until I felt warmth tingling my skin. He did it on each one, pressing with a gentleness I didn’t think him capable. “It’s stopped.” He breathed relief. I looked at my wrists and ankles. The cuts were still open, but the bleeding had stopped.
A pixie was brought by the physician to fix my wounds entirely, and I was taken to my room. I sat on my bed, still processing what had happened. I pulled pieces of twig and moss from my hair and reached down to my thigh, at the empty sheath. I’d lost both Objects of Kai. They would be buried under the mess of whatever was left of the river where the veil had stood for centuries. It had housed so much energy for so long, I wasn’t surprised the ground it was on collapsed after the veil had been destroyed.
Blaise hurried in after the physician finished. He ordered a maid to draw me a bath and another to get me a clean nightdress before settling me down against several duck-feather pillows. I waited for him to berate me on going there alone like he’d told me not to do, for almost dying, but instead he held me with a tenderness that was new for him. He pressed his lips against my cold cheek, sighing against me. “I’m proud of you, love, and—” He paused, sadness creeping through his expression. “I’m sorry. I saw the bodies.”
Tears glossed my eyes. “André, Adius, and Morgana helped,” I said hoarsely. My voice was still not my own. Almost drowning would do that, I guessed. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”
He rubbed his thumb against my temple. “They couldn’t have found peace without you.”
I thought of them fizzling away and expected the familiar twinge of hurt in my heart, but instead, it was replaced with numbness.
“I was so worried about you.” He shook his head, tears swimming in his gray eyes. “I came as soon as I returned and realized you were gone.” He kissed my forehead, holding his lips against my skin for a few seconds longer than usual. A comforting aroma of soap and jasmine lingered the air around my bed. “Bath’s ready.” His lips curved against my skin. “Are you ready?”
“Not yet,” I whispered. “Hold me… for a little longer.”
He kissed my hand and entwined his fingers with mine. “Always, love.”
EPILOGUE
The sun had risen, giving us another day, but the kingdom was still healing under a new order. I kneeled against the mossy mattress, taking a dead flower in my hands. I whispered, and after a few minutes, the flower came back to life.
“It’s still here,” I whispered, smiling. Spirit. Like it had been before the spirit realm was created. We no longer needed staffs as we took residual energy from the soil, bones and ash, final good-byes, and, of course, painful last moments. All of it together allowed us to practice again, but it wasn’t the same. It felt pure, untainted, but not as strong.
I turned and walked out of the forest, gazing up at the bright sky. It had been three months since the spirit realm was destroyed and Morgana and Adius had died. Neoma was healed and sent back to Berovia. Kiros didn’t break the treaty. It was more than I had expected, but then, I’d never told him the full truth of our kidnapping Neoma. Some secrets needed to stay that way.
Blaise joined my side, staring up at the glorious colors of the blue mixed with gray. “It’s time.”
I held his hand, resting my head on his shoulder. “I know. Just five more minutes.”
His lips curved upward. I allowed myself a few final moments of peace.
Behind us, Ian, Adius’s friend and my head guard, crunched twigs under his boots. “Your Majesty.”
