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I needed to end this.

I pulled out the red dagger from my waist and plunged it into the ground. The pressure of the seal elicited a gasp from my chest as every bit of power was pulled into the earth. It felt like the chasm of sand Feron had created, a one-way drain too powerful for me to stop.

I clenched my jaw and traced the outline of the seal. Every inch was hard fought and sweat already poured down my face. When I was finished with the outer circle, the ground shook beneath my feet, but I didn’t look up to see what Feron was doing.

Only when I cut through the first intersecting line did I realize it wasn’t Feron’s gifts at all, but the island itself. Water rushed back into the lake as the entire chunk of land began to rise into the air. Gerarda and Nikolai ran to my side with their swords in front of them, ready for an attack.

I kept cutting even as the amber blood dripped from my mouth and onto the sand. I screamed as the pressure on my arm moved up my chest until it felt like I was being squeezed underneath the island. There was a crash of steel as the soldiers circled around us. I heard Syrra’s swift swipes of her blades and the sound of bodies crashing to the ground.

I was barely moving now and still so much of the seal was left. I didn’t know if I would be able to undo it before the rest of my energy was claimed.

Riven appeared by my side. There was a flash of light and his Fae back arched in pain, but he did not transform back into his Mortal form. Instead he grabbed my hand. “Let me help you,diizra.”

I shook my head as Riven let the flow of his magic pour into me from our bond. It was cold and prickly, but my arm moved easier across the sand.

Riven’s arm spasmed with pain as we started the last line. His violet eyes were almost red from where blood vessels had blown and his lower face was coated in his own blood. “Riven, it’s killing you,” I wheezed.

“We must see this through. Together.” He somehow found the strength to caress my cheek, not caring that it was caked with dirt and blood. “It has been an honor to love you,diizra.” Riven yanked our hands through the middle of the seal just as the wordsI love youfell from my lips.

Our connection went cold and Riven’s shadows faded to nothing. His entire body seized in a fit of pain and then he fell, rolling off the seal in front of me.

Tears flowed down my face, but there was nothing I could do for him now. There was nothing I could do to save myself from that pain, except plunge my dagger through the last seal. The pressure on my arm lifted as the silver liquid turned to gold underneath me. The red blade flashed in the sunlight as it plummeted into the center of the seal and the entire beach exploded into waves of light and shadow.

CHAPTERFIFTY-TWO

IOPENED MY EYESand felt more power than I had ever thought possible. My gusts flowed beneath me, carrying me into the air as I waved my arms over the violet flames. They went out with barely an impact to the surge of power the seal had given me.

Black tendrils oozed from the seal. They took the shape of tiny snapping creatures before disappearing on the wind. There was something familiar in their faces as they roared, but I didn’t have time to study them.

I set my sights along the beach and blew tiny streams around each soldier’s throat. Their eyes bulged as they fought against the ropes they could not see, but could feel tightening around their necks. One by one they dropped.

“Nikolai!” Vrail shouted, running toward the wood.

Nikolai was kicking and thrashing, but it was no use against Kairn’s strong frame. I dropped to the ground and tried to find a way to stop them without risking injury to Nikolai. The moment cost us all as Kairn pulled a vial of black berries from his pocket and threw them in between the twisted root of the mountainous tree at the mouth of the waterfall that now poured from the center of the island.

They disappeared inside the water and Syrra screamed, falling to her knees.

“We can go after them!” I shouted, running toward the portal but Gerarda yanked me back.

Vrail’s face was coated in tears. “That portal can bring you anywhere in Elverath. We have no way of knowing where they went.”

My stomach lurched as I saw the golden light between the roots fade away and with it our hopes of bringing Nikolai back with us.

There was a cough behind me and I turned, my focus narrowing onto the black-clothed body behind me. Riven’s chest heaved with a gasping breath and I fell to my knees.

Streams of tears flowed down my face as I crawled to Riven, nestling his head in my lap. I gasped as he opened his eyes to see me.

He was still in his Fae form. Long black hair and olive brown skin, but the eyes that stared up at me were not violet but jade green ringed in amber. “The pain,” Riven huffed a laugh in disbelief. “It’s gone.”

“Can you feel your magic at all?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Riven shook his head, but he held no disappointment. His new eyes flashed with hope as he realized what he had become. No longer Mortal and Fae living two split lives, but one whole Halfling. The smile that stretched across his face was one of unimpeded joy.

My chest heaved and I collapsed on top of him, not caring that I didn’t understand what had happened.

I turned to the others, relieved to see that apart from Nikolai, everyone else was standing unharmed. Syrra’s jaw dropped as she looked at me and she fell to her knees.

“Niinokwenira,” she whispered with a bow of her head.

I furrowed my brow and glanced at Gerarda and Elaran, but they were staring at me like I was a sea creature walking across land. “It’s not possible,” Gerarda whispered to herself.

I shook my head and leaned back. “What are you talking about?”

“Keera.” Gerarda took a tentative step toward me. “Your eyes.”

I grabbed a silver blade from my belt, wondering if the seal had changed my powers too. But I still felt them coursing through my veins as strong as ever, with a hint of something new in the mix of it. I held the small blade up to the bridge of my nose and gasped at the unfocused reflection. There was no denying that my eyes had changed colors just as Riven’s had.

But mine were not green.

They were gold.