Page 169 of Where Darkness Falls

“I’m sorry, Mae-Mae,” Riordan croaks. “He was my brother, too, but there’s nothing we can do for him now.”

Maeva sags to the ground, still pulling against us. “I won’t give up on him!” she screams. Her cry echoes over the water as she shrieks his name over and over again. The veins in her neck pop out as she throws her body forward and she breathes raggedly. “VIRGIL!”

Nothing ripples or moves below the surface.

I can’t bear to see her so broken. Regardless of how I’ve felt about him as of late, I won’t allow her to lose another person she loves. I quicklypush my cloak off my shoulders. “Laisren, don’t let her anywhere near that river,” I say, wrapping his hand around her arm.

“What are yo?—”

I’m already diving into the water before he can finish his question. Despite my exhaustion, I push my body, looking for where the kelpie could’ve taken him. As I suspected, there’s no sign of the direction they went. This river runs all the way to Abeautrox and kelpies are unnaturally fast. They could be anywhere.

I resurface for air, drinking it in with deep gasps. Then I propel my body deeper, praying that I can find a clue to get to him before it’s too late. I’m losing hope with every minute that passes by with no luck. After two more diving attempts, something glimmering along the bottom of the river catches my eye. A thickness wells in my chest as I dive to retrieve the black scale that once adorned Virgil’s eye, and a few shreds of clothing that he once wore.

He’s gone.

Clutching the scale and the few scraps of cloth, I resurface, finding myself quite a distance from the others. I swim quickly to the side of the bank and pull myself ashore, allowing myself a few moments to catch my breath. Shivering, I walk back toward the group as Maeva’s wails bounce off the riverbank. The guttural sorrow brings tears to my eyes, as does the realization that I couldn’t bring him back.

It takes me about fifteen minutes to reach them on foot. Upon seeing me, Maeva desperately tries to break free of my cadre’s hold. “Where is he?” Maeva yells. She pushes against Laisren and Riordan who hold her steadfast. “Where is he?”

I drop to the ground before her, releasing a long breath. Swallowing thickly, I say, “Let her go.”

As their grips loosen, she launches herself forward. Her ocean eyes roam the bank searching for signs of him. “Where is he, Emyr?” she cries.

My head drops into my chest as my body trembles. My face stings as my warm tears mix with my cool skin. Suddenly, Maeva is on her knees before me, grabbing my hands. “Emyreus, where is Virgil?” she whispers.

Tilting my gaze to hers, a broken sob shudders from me. “He’s not coming back, Rosey,” I reply.

She releases my hands, her head shaking violently. “No,” she gasps. She stands, pacing back and forth as her hands run through her damp tresses. “No, I refuse to accept that. He’s still out there. I know he is.”

“He’s gone, Rosey. There’s nothing I could’ve done,” I reply.

“Prove it,” she growls. “Give me some proof, and I might believe you.”

With shaky hands, I hold out the few scraps of clothing and his eye patch. “This is all I found,” I croak.

Her hands tremble as she takes the items, slowly backing away from me, her breathing becoming more erratic. “No, no, no,” she murmurs. “He can’t be gone. He just can’t be.” Dropping to her knees, she cradles the items against her chest. “He shouldn’t have saved me.”

“Don’t say such things,” I say.

Her pain-stricken face bores into mine. “If he hadn’t, maybe he wouldn’t have lost his eye patch.”

“He would’ve done it again if it meant you’d be safe. You were important to him,” I say.

Her eyes are wild as she looks across the Bones River. “Death always surrounds me,” she whimpers.

I quickly crawl to sit in front of her. “No, it doesn’t,” I say.

“I’m a curse,” she yells. “You were right to not want me.”

I reach for her hand, but she jerks from my grasp. “Rosey,” I whisper.

Laisren swipes a hand down his face as he kneels beside us. Gently, he grabs her hand, softly patting it. “Maeva, look at me,” he sighs. Reluctantly, Maeva lifts her reddening gaze. “He’s gone, and he isn’t coming back,” he whispers. “He would’ve gladly given his life for you.”

She shakes her head, ripping her hands from his grasp as she wraps them around her body. “You should’ve let me die,” she wails.

Riordan clears his throat. “We couldn’t do that, Mae-Mae,” his voice cracks. “Because we love you too much to let that happen.”

It’s true.