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I’m sorry, Sorin. I tried.

No! Only I get to consume you, Scarlett! Me. Not the Chaos. Not the Fates. Me.

I love you like the stars love the night.

“No!” he bellowed, slamming both palms against the glass.

There was no way. There was no way they had come this far, gone through everything they had, to have it end here.

“We knew this was a possibility,” Rayner said quietly, his hand landing on Sorin’s shoulder. “We need to go through with the plans.”

“No,” Sorin retorted, shaking his head. “No.”

It was the only thing he could think to say.

“Sorin, you promised her—”

“I know what I promised her,” he spat, shrugging Rayner’s hand off of his shoulder. “I promised her I would find her among the stars. I promised her I would always come for her. I promised her I would not fail her.”

Scarlett! Love, answer me. Now!

And when no answer came to him down the bond, he slammed his palms against the mirror again before he took a step back and hurled flames at the glass. Not a small flicker of embers, but a stream of fire that had Cethin throwing himself over Kailia and Rayner putting up a shield of smoke and ash.

When the flames receded and Sorin’s chest was heaving, the symbols around the mirror were glowing brightly, as if the mirror itself had absorbed the power. The symbol where they’d smeared their blood was glowing the brightest, a brilliant white. The same color as Scarlett’s starfire.

More than her blood will be needed.

That’s what the female had said.

“Power,” he said, turning to Rayner, who was glaring at him over his loss of control. He still had a thin shield of ashes swirling about himself. “It requires more than blood.”

“So we have to give it magic? What if it keeps it, Sorin?” Rayner asked doubtfully. “This is Blood Magic and matters of the gods we should not be messing with.”

“I will mess with it if it brings her home,” Sorin snapped.

“Your power will not be enough.”

They all spun around as Cethin said, “Mother?”

“You are right in your assumption, Prince,” Saylah continued, moving towards them. Her ethereal grace made it appear as though she were floating. “The blood of the three of you called to her, but power calls to power.” She stopped before the mirror, shadows beginning to pool in her hand. “Your flames alone will not be enough to call to her Chaos. Others in the universe know this. They will try to call to it too.” She nodded at Rayner. “Your smoke with his flames. My shadows with Cethin’s darkness and Kailia’s ashes.”

An Ash Rider.

A Fae Prince.

A goddess of shadows and night.

An Avonleyan King.

Some unknown power only Chaos would recognize.

Would it be enough?

Saylah sent her shadows spearing towards the glowing symbol that the female had shown him, and Sorin followed suit. He glanced at Rayner. The Ash Rider’s jaw was tight. Sorin could tell he still wasn’t sure about this, but he lifted a hand and smoke joined the shadows and flames. A moment later, there was darkness and ashes mixing among it all.

Sorin could feel it. Their powers all twining around each other, being absorbed by the mirror gate, and for the briefest moment, he wondered if Rayner was right. Were they all giving power that they wouldn’t be able to get back?

“That’s enough,” Saylah said sharply enough that it startled him, his flames stuttering. Everyone stopped,.