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She had to blink back tears at their loyalty, but while doing so, she also shook her head. “He’s right about one thing—it started with me, and it has to end with me.”

Surprisingly, it was the antagonistic Shadow Walker elder, Azalia, who spoke up before anyone else could. “We made the mistake of mistrusting you once before, Alexandra. If you say it needs to end with you, we will honour your request. However, that does not mean we won’t be fighting alongside you. We may not have begun this journey together, but that is how we will finish it. Come what may, our fate shall be the same as yours.”

It took all of Alex’s willpower to keep from yielding to her fear, to her heartache, to her doubt. She glanced at Roka, then at Kyia and Zain, finding them looking back at her with calm, unwavering eyes. Three pillars of strength who had been there for her in this timeline and the one long since passed. Their presence steadied her, the promise of their continued allegianceand protection like a balm against the warring emotions she felt within.

Bolstered by their silent encouragement, Alex turned back to Azalia and those around her as she replied in the strongest voice she could manage, “Then you all need to make your preparations, because one way or another, this ends today.”

Thirty-Five

Alex told everyone she wanted to checkin on her parents and her friends, and while she planned on doing that in the few hours she had left until noon, it wasn’t to the Medical Ward that she headed after leaving the strategising leaders in the Tower.

It was to the Library.

Upon arriving in the cavern, Alex sat on the hard ground just as she had after Niyx’s death, her legs drawn up with her arms wrapped around them, her cheek resting against her knees as she looked out across the intersecting river. She knew she was in a curled up, defeated position, but she didn’t care what that said. There was no one around to see.

“I don’t know how to stop him.”

The words slipped from her lips with barely any sound, but still, the Library answered.

“Yes, you do.”

Alex raised her head but didn’t uncurl the rest of her body. “No matter how much I think about it, how many options I consider, I can only think of one way.”

“You only need one way. As long as it’s the right way.”

Alex shook her head. “But I don’t know if I can do it. He’ll know now—he’ll be expecting it. I don’t know how I’ll—”

“The time for doubting yourself has long since passed, Alexandra. You won’t know unless you try. And if you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

“But what if I try and it doesn’t work?”

“The time for ‘what ifs’ has passed as well.”

“But—”

“As has the time for ‘buts’,” the Library interrupted.

Against her will, a small smile touched Alex’s lips. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“Given who I am, I should hope so.”

Right. A Library would hopefully know things. And yet, still weird.

“Will it work?” Alex asked quietly, knowing that whatever sentience the Library had meant it already knew what she was thinking. “My plan?”

“You shall have to discover that for yourself,” the Library answered, if gently. “You have always been the master of your own destiny. Now is the time to choose your path and follow where it might lead.”

“But… the prophecy…?” Even though Alex wanted to ignore it, it remained firmly in the back of her mind. She wasn’t allowing it to dictate her actions—as Niyx had said, ‘Screw the prophecy’—but her fears regarding how much power it truly had were still there.

The Library, however, remained silent, its presence having vanished, even when she repeated her not-quite question.

But someone else spoke up.

“The prophecy never said Aven cannot be defeatedwithoutaid from Tia Auras. It merely said that with help from the world beyond the stars, the captives would be set free.”

Alex rose so that she was standing as she faced Athora. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she said quietly.

His only response was a short, “You thought wrong.”