Page 208 of Brimstone

He wasn’t dead. Whatever dark magic ran through his veins would save him from this end. I knew that, but being beheadedwould sure as hell make it harder for him to call on his men and come chasing after us.

49

WHEN WE NEED THEM MOST

SAERIS

ONE SHADOW GATEturned into another, and then another, and another. My head swam as we leaped between them, barely taking three steps after exiting one swirling portal before Fisher called another into existence and pulled me through it.

Five hundred leagues. That’s how far we could travel without Belikon sensing Fisher’s magic and following us. But by the twelfth shadow gate, I’d had enough. I needed a moment. I needed to breathe. I needed to sit down and fuckingcry. When my feet found solid ground, the soles of my boots sinking into powdery white snow, I tugged against Fisher’s hand and shook my head. “Enough,” I pleaded. “Please. I . . .”

He drew me to him and hugged me fiercely, his heart thundering behind his chest plate. “It’s okay, Osha. We’re here,” he said.

I didn’t give a fuck whereherewas. I sank down into the snow, and I ran my fingers through Onyx’s thick fur, hating the way that he was growing cold. “I should have listened to you,” I whispered. “Back at the Winter Palace, when you said he’d make a terrible pet. He wasn’t supposed to be around any of this. Hewas supposed to befree.” I sniffed, wiping my nose with the back of my hand.

Fisher sat down heavily in the snow beside me. Gently, he put his hand on Onyx’s head and left it there. “We believe,” he started. But then he stopped. He looked up at the stars—more stars than I hadeverseen—drawing in deep, slow breaths. The night was so cold that you couldn’t even feel it. Twin plumes of fog formed as he exhaled down his nose. “We believe that animals are too pure for this life. They are all ascended beings who live in the after. Everything is perfect there. No pain or misfortune or heartbreak. But sometimes, they peer beyond the veil between this life and the next, and they see us here in the depths of our suffering, and they choose someone. One soul they want to help over any other. They come to us as . . . dear friends”—he cleared his throat—“when we need them most. YouneededOnyx when you first got here, Saeris. He saw that perhaps, and he came. But now—”

I shook my head, blind with tears, refusing to hear him. “No. Istillneed him. I still—” I tried to continue speaking. I failed. The loss was too great.

Fisher leaned against me and shared in my grief. His hand, so much bigger than mine, remained on top of Onyx’s head as shooting stars traced banners of light overhead. The sight would have been spectacular if it had been any other night, but it wasthisnight, and all was terrible in the world.

I held Onyx’s paw until ice crept along my bones and hoarfrost formed in my blood-drenched hair. “I thought he was in Ballard,” I whispered. “I hoped . . .”

“I’m so sorry, Saeris.”

I brushed away his apology, fighting to swallow the lump in my throat so I could talk again. “It wasn’t your fault. It was him.Belikon. It was . . .”

Bad luck?

A cruel twist of fate?

Horrible timing?

None of it made me feel any better.

I stroked the broken little form in my lap, wishing harder than I’d wished for anything since my mother had died. I was sinking deeper into the depths of despair, hoping I would reach the bottom soon, when I stilled, staring down at the hand that I had buried in Onyx’s fur.

One of the runes on the back of my hand was shimmering. It hadn’t flared before. Not when I’d used it on Taladaius. Not when I’d used it to undo the magic that gave Fisher’s name power, either. But . . . was I imagining it? Was there a faint blue glowing line, slowly tracing the outline of the Hazrax’s rune? I held my hand up, heart stalling behind my ribs.

“You see that?” I gasped.

“See what?”

Of course the light would fucking go out when I tried to show it to Fisher. I bit on my bottom lip, staring at my hand, willing it to reappear. Nothing happened. I knew what I’d seen, though. Ithadbeen there. My mind wouldn’t play tricks on me just because I wanted something badly.It just wouldn’t.“Here. Take him a moment.” I handed Onyx over to Fisher as carefully as I could, trying to calm my breathing as I got to my feet and spun around.

“I—oh.” Fuck. We were on the side of a mountain. A steep one, at that. At the top of the slope we sat on, an entire city lit up the night, its two white towers so tall that I had to crane my neck back to find the top of them. It was beautiful. It was . . .

“Ajun,” Fisher said quietly, twisting to look back over his shoulder. “We should head up to the gate. This far north the sun rises later, but it’ll be here soon.”

Ajun.

AjunSky.

I knew why they called it that now: This luminescent city had been built among the clouds. I’d wanted to see it for myself, but now that I was on its doorstep, I wasn’t ready to go inside. I spun around, feeling utterly helpless as I scanned the dark that surrounded us. “Whereareyou?” I shouted.

Where are you?

. . . Are you?