Page 28

“Pyre has been gone for a long time,” I say as I begin to pack up camp.

Baron’s eyes are closed and his back is to Theren as he goes into some sort of trance. It’s not unlike Cambion’s meditation, but I suspect it’s something Pyre taught him while they were in the Veil. Having Pyre gone for more than a few minutes doesn’t sit well with me. He left to make sure the orc raids weren’t too close to our camp but he should have been back by now. Having Variant’s minions nearby means we need to move quickly if we want to avoid another fight. “So, it’s official, then?”

Baron cracks one eye open. “Official?”

“You’ll be the one to replace Pyre when his part of the prophecies is complete?”

“Pyre’s my friend as much as he’s my mentor, which means I won’tlethis part of the prophecies complete. If the realms are this fucked up with him alive, imagine how they’d be without him.”

“Right.”

“Pyre isn’t going to die if I can help it, so don’t think about me replacing him anytime soon.”

I lift my hands in defense, not realizing just how much the prophecy affects Baron. “I thought—”

“Yeah, I know what you thought. And Pyre thinks the same. I know you don’t want me to get my hopes up, thinking I can save him when it’s written in the stars or some shit, but I don’t believe that. Prophecies are just possibilities. Nothing in this life is a guarantee.”

“Then what about Theren?” I ask. “If nothing in this life is a guarantee, then it’s possible he isn’t the villain we’ve all made him out to be.”

“Bullshit.”

“He could be a victim of circumstance, like Eilish said,” I continue. “Don’t we owe it to her to make sure before we do something drastic?”

“I’m not going to kill him, if that’s what you’re asking,” Baron says.

“I’m not asking anything,” I correct him and stand up to kick dirt onto the fire to put out the flames. “I’ve seen you angry and I’ve seen you violent, Baron, but never have I seen you so cruel. You looked as though you wanted to hurt Theren, not because you wanted to get information from him, but because it felt good to do it.”

“You have to admit, letting out some frustration on the guy who nearly destroyed the Veildoesfeel good,” he argues with a shrug. “Theren may not be our enemy at the moment, but he sure as hell ain’t a friend.” He takes a breath. “And we stilldon’t know everything about Morrigan’s plans. Until I know for certain Theren’s not part of them, I’m keeping a close eye on that son of a bitch.”

“What do you think about the prophecy, then?” I ask. “I mean, it’s pretty clear he’s part of it. Three of light, three of dark. You, me, and Theren are clearly the darkness. Cambion, Variant, and someone else—”

“Silvanus,” Baron inserts, interrupting me once more. “The third is Silvanus.”

“Silvanus?” I repeat, shaking my head.

“He and Eilish were lovers before. I don’t know for how long, exactly, but he tried to train her as a favor to Eilish’s mother. And if Morrigan is trying to avoid the prophecy where Eilish rises as a new god, then killing Silvanus gets Morrigan her powers back and stops that prophecy all at once.”

“And you think you can do the same for Pyre?”

Baron nods, walking over to me to ensure Theren can’t overhear our conversation. Though he appears to be resting, there’s no telling just how far the cunning Unseelie is willing to go in his treachery.

“Morrigan has defied prophecies and bent the will of fate itself to design her own destiny,” Baron says. “Why can’t I do the same? Why can’t all of us? We shouldn’t let prophecies spoken thousands of years ago dictate our paths.”

“We can’t do that because there are some forms of dark magic that you can’t come back from,” I argue. “Aima said she watched Morrigan change over the years, watched her fall deeper into madness and obsession. That will happen to you too, Baron, if you aren’t careful.”

As I walk towards Theren, I feel something. A sense of concern washes over me, though I’m not sure why. Baron seems to have the same foreboding feeling I do, because he reaches for his blade.

Pyre appears through the trees and runs up the mountain. He looks rattled. “There are more than I thought. The orcs are scouring the countryside. At least thirteen are behind me.”

“What do we do?” I ask.

“Protect Theren and fight our way to the volcano,” Pyre answers.

So much for avoiding another fight. “What happens when we get there?”

“The ethers will be thin enough that I may be able to transport us further away from Oronrel without expelling too much magic,” Pyre huffs, trying to catch his breath. “From there, it will be a long journey to the mortal realm.”

I see a horde of orcs break through the tree line not far from the location where we spotted Pyre. “All right,” I say. “You take the lead and I’ll cover Theren.”