Page 184 of Brimstone

“Why are you saying that like the weather ismyfault?” she asked.

“Itisyour fault. You could have fallen in love with an outcast warrior from Gilaria or, better yet, from Lissia, but no. You fell for the one from the frozen wasteland that is Yvelia.”

“You do realize that that’syourland you’re talking about,” I reminded him.

But Carrion was already trudging toward the shadow gate. A moment later he had vanished, books and all.

“The Randy Swine,” Lorreth said.

“Excuseme?” Saeris’s eyebrows shot up.

“That’s the name of the tavern we’ll be at.”

“Oh. Right.”

Lorreth gave us a wink and went, supporting Tal under his arm. That left only the four us: Hayden, Foley, Saeris, and myself.

Saeris’s brother squinted worriedly over the top of his stack of books at the shadow gate, apparently not sure what to make of it. “I’ll go through with you,” Saeris said. “You’ll feel like shit on the other side, but that only happens the first time. After that, traveling through the gates won’t affect you anymore.”

“Great.” He sounded breathless. If he hadn’t been able to see the rot blackening the hillside and corrupting the ground with his own two eyes, he probably would have insisted on staying at Cahlish. As it stood, the rot was growing closer by the second, and we were running out of time. “Will you bring Onyx for me?” Saeris asked. “I can’t carry him, carry some of these books,andcatch Hayden on the other side.”

“I’m not going topass outagain,” Hayden objected.

“Yes, you are,” Saeris fired back.

“You probably will,” Foley said at the same time.

“Of course. I’ve got the fox. Don’t worry about him,” I told her. “Go on. I’m right behind you.” I gave her another kiss on her forehead. “Go.” And then, so that only she could hear:I love you, Little Osha.

I love you, too.

I felt the moment that she passed through the shadows and moved beyond my reach. It was as though I had been cut offfrom life itself, and only the cold, empty void of death remained. I shivered at the sensation, something unpleasant twisting in my gut, but the feeling was instantly forgotten when I had to dart forward and grab Onyx, who was about to leap through the shadow gate after Saeris all by himself.

“Gods alive,” Foley said. “You told me up on the roof, and I believed you, I did. But seeing you pine over a femalein the flesh?” He shook his head, his golden fangs glinting in the muted light as he laughed at me. “I mean, it’s just something I never thought I’d see with my own two eyes.”

I pulled averydour face at him as I herded him toward the gate. “Shut up, Foley. I can’t fucking help it, okay?”

He grunted but then elbowed me playfully in the side. “Are you okay with this? Leaving Cahlish? I know how much this place means to you.”

Before I could stop myself, I’d turned back to look at the estate. There were other houses that were larger. Finer. More impressive to look upon. But Cahlish was my parents’ home. And for a very long time, it had been the only thing that was mine. Leaving it felt like abandoning a dying family member, but we had run out of options. “I have to let it go,” I murmured. “If there’s a way to save the place, then I’ll find it. And if there isn’t . . .” I shrugged. “Then there’s no point in looking back. There’ll be time to build new homes for ourselves once this is said and done.”

“Mm. Very pragmatic,” Foley said teasingly. “You think we’ll succeed, then? Find a way through all of this?”

I faced the shadow gate again, steeling myself. “I do. I have to believe it.”

“Forher?” he finished.

I gave him yet another dry look. I didn’t deny it, though.

“By the gods, you’ve got it bad.” Foley slapped me on the shoulder, grinning. The sound of his laughter rang in my earsas my friend disappeared through the shadow gate. I could still hear it as I stepped in after him, Onyx pressed tight against my chest plate. Wind howled past my ears as the world went black . . . and then the laughter morphed into something else.

A voice, calling out from the space between worlds.

“Hello, Dog.”

44

INISHTAR