I’d been lost in my thoughts the entire walk back to my suite, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was in this alone—that this battle was one woven into the fabric of destiny, so much so that Ally had seen it herself, and had taken the necessary steps to try and ensure my success.She’d done so even at the cost of her own life.Dain’s voice was a distant melody in my ears, using its sweet notes to coax me from my thoughts. Once I felt his presence following me, I halted in my tracks and spun around. There was no cloud of impenetrable darkness, but the corridor behind me seemed to have dimmed enough to allow the shadows along each pillar to stand out.“I know you’re there, Dain. You’re not very good at hiding during the day.” I pointed out, shifting my weight, and crossing my arms over my chest. The silken nightgown I wore wrinkled from the movement.With a defeated smirk on his face, he emerged from one of the shadows the pillars made along the walls and dipped into a slight

“We have to tell Dain.” I insisted, gnawing on my lower lip as distrust began to form in Aidan’s eyes. “I’m trusting you not to tell him this, Rachel…not yet, anyway.” He looked away, towards the cliff side and sky. “What are you waiting for then?” I huffed, splaying my hands out on either side of me. Urgency painted my voice, straining it to the point of a whisper. “There is an entire town missing, Aidan. A whole town of people gone without a trace. There’s every chance in the world that this is where they went, that they were lured to another kingdom.” “It’s not just a possibility, it’s reality.” He said bluntly, his expression unapologetic and so very unlike himself that I couldn’t help but scoot back an inch. “That’s where they went, only they weren’t lured. They were offered a better life, one where they didn’t have to hide or abide by any rules.” “They went with her willingly?” I sputtered, my jaw dropping in disbelief. No matter how many times I ran my hands over my face, it

“You’re sure it’s in this direction?” I narrowed my eyes at Aidan and nudged my head towards the path of lanterns we had completely bypassed. “The last time I was at the lake was during Iridian, and it was practically on the other side of the kingdom.”Together we had crossed the marble bridge and scaled a path that led us further down the mountain Dain’s castle sat on. The second we slipped through the doors, and they closed with a thundering boom, he’d taken the lead.“Part of what I can do is sense magic. I’m good at identifying it and sometimes I can even pick it apart…if I’m strong enough.” He added with a grunt that told me there was more to this story than he was letting on.We came across a pile of jagged rocks from the mountainside crumbling, undoubtedly from one of the numerous times Dain or me had shaken the castle and surrounding earth. Without hesitation, Aidan turned and placed his hands on my hips, hefting me over the stones without any hint of struggle.“You’ve gotten

I knew what happened the moment I saw Zack’s face within the pool of star-flecked water, his eyes wide with fear and pain, his mouth open as he inhaled water instead of air.He had followed us all this way.It had been Zack I heard lingering within the halls of the castle, hiding from Aidan and I even though he shouldn’t have been able to see or hear us nearby.The glimmer of magic that had filled the air, materializing seconds before Aidan and I vanished, had been him as well. Its source was wrapped around his little wrist, the bracelet Dain had gifted my mom.He’d swiped it from her the moment she turned her head, I was sure of it.I gripped the edge of the pool with trembling hands. The moment my fingertips broke through the watery surface, Zack’s head whirled in my direction. His eyes widened even further, as though he could see me gaping in horror.“I—I have to help him.” I stammered, feeling my lips move though every other word seemed able to emerge.Aidan’s hands fell on my sho

I woke up covered in sweat, ready to write off everything—Iridian, meeting Dain, finding out the truth, killing both Ally and Aidan, absolutely everything as a horrible nightmare, but the pungent scent that clung to my hair and skin, reeking of blood, fire, and burnt flesh, kept me from doing so.There was a part of me that wanted to keep my eyes closed, content to drown in misery, convinced that this was hell.I opened my eyes anyway because that part of mee was an ignorant coward.No matter the agony, no matter the guilt or shame, I knew that this was nothing compared to what it could’ve been, nothing compared to what the White Bull had planned for this world. There had been so much death already, but there would be so much more if I chose to drown in my grief.The first face I saw was Dain’s, but all too quickly I slid back into unconsciousness that lasted for what felt like seconds but had to have been hours. When my eyes opened a second time night had vanished, replaced by sunlig