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No matter how he strikes, he cannot touch me. The pearl has erected a wall of light between us. He takes out his anger upon the forest.

“Stop!” I shout as his wings raze the trees. “Enough.”

But he does not stop. His moonstone is gone, destroyed. His demon is unleashed. I know that if I let him go, he will not be able to control himself. He will destroy the island.

And if I could not save Vanna, I must at least protect Sundau.

My jaw goes hard. I have no choice.

“The pearl will not have you,” I say. “It demands that you pay for breaking your promise to me.”

I half close my eyes. “A curse,” I decide. “A curse was what began all this, and a curse shall end it.” I turn to Hokzuh, power gathering in my words. “I banish you, Khramelan, to the forgotten corners of this world. Never will you be free, and never will you escape—for only I can release you, and where I go, you cannot follow. Until I die, you will live in darkness. Only then will you awaken and be free. That is the price you shall pay, for taking away my sister.”

“Channi!”

I cannot tell whether it is Hokzuh or the demon within him that shouts my name. It is the last sound he makes before he begins to writhe, his flesh contorting in ways I did not know were possible. The earth beneath him quakes violently; water gushes up higher than the trees, swooping down to devour him.

I turn away, holding a tree for support as the force of the water slams back into the earth. All that’s left of Hokzuh is a mark in the mud. I do not know where he has gone.

My heart goes tight. I cannot breathe.

I’ve lost my sister, and now I’ve lost my friend. All because of the pearl.

I unclench my fists at my sides, and crawl toward it. The cursed thing is waiting for me to claim it.

“I don’t want you,” I tell it. “I don’t want anything to do with you. Go, for all I care. Roam the whole of Lor’yan, causing whatever havoc you wish. But now, in this moment that you’re mine, you will do something for me.”

I seize the pearl. “You will bring my sister back,” I command it. I beg it. “Please. I cannot live without seeing her face again, without hearing her voice again. Do this for me, and it will be all I ask of you.” I press my face to the dirt. “Please. Do what you must. Let me be a monster forever. Or take me instead. Only bring me back my sister.”

The pearl wrestles free of my grip. It shoots above me, light spilling out of its crack and washing over my face. Its radiance is a warm tickle at first, and then it grows so bright that my eyes water and my chest goes tight. Tighter.

Stop, I plead. I can’t breathe.

The light doesn’t stop. It grows in brilliance. It gains in power. I cannot stand it anymore. My lips part, and as a fiery heat comes over my face, I scream.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“Vanna?”

I blink. It’s morning, and Oshli’s face blurs into view, the brightness of his orange scarf stinging my eyes.

“Vanna?” he tries again, softly, his voice thick with hope.

I gasp and sit up. Nausea rises inside me, and simply keeping my eyes open is so disorienting that everything in my stomach roils up and wants to come out. I clench every muscle, willing myself to hold it down, hold it together. Then I lift my head.

Oshli is staring at me. He’s saying things. Things meant for Vanna. There are tears in his eyes, but I push him away.

“Stop calling me that, have you gone ma—” My tongue goes leaden, and all words flee me.

My voice…It doesn’t sound like mine. There’s a new lilt to it, almost like a song. This is not me.

I hear it even in my breathing—something is very, very wrong.

My clothes are the same—the ripped gray tunic I borrowed from one of Rongyo’s sailors, the musty striped pants I put on back at Adah’s house.

But my hands! I gasp. My fingers are long and slender, my nails are clean, no blood or dirt crusted beneath. No calluses, no scratches or cuts. Not even the two puncture scars I got once from one of Ukar’s cousins, who bit me for accidentally scaring off his breakfast. As my pulse thunders in my ears, I drag my gaze upward to find my reflection in Oshli’s eyes—and my heart stops.

No. I choke on my breath. No, it can’t be.