Page 87 of Night Fae

"Then we need to go back for him."

"We can't," Knox refused to change his stance. "The Fields are crawling with Night Court soldiers, and you—" he gestured at Malik, "—are in no condition for a rescue mission."

"I don't care."

"I do," Knox said. "Zev would kill me if I let you get yourself killed trying to save him."

"But we can't abandon him. He would never abandon you."

"I know." Knox's eyes softened slightly. "Listen to me, Zev is strong. He'll find his way out."

Malik wasn't so sure about that. Everyone assumed Zev was strong, but Malik had recently gotten a glimpse behind that strong exterior, and he didn't want to leave Zev to battle his trauma by himself. He made to get up, but another wave of weakness washed over him. The room tilted dangerously, and he gripped the chair arms to steady himself.

"Keep sitting." Adrian was by his side now.

Malik rubbed his face.

Damn it. Why did he have to be so useless?

"It's the shadow paths," Leon said, making Malik look up. "They're feeding on you."

All eyes turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Adrian asked.

Leon pushed himself upright with visible effort. His gaze met Malik's. "You're connected to Zev, aren't you?"

Malik's cheeks grew warm again. How did Leon know that? And why did it matter now?

"The Fields…," Leon said. "They're connected to the paths, and if they're feeding on Zev… they're feeding on you."

Adrian went to Leon's side as if to tell him to lie back down, but Leon waved him off.

"This is part of Yuri's plan," he said. "The four of us," he nodded to Daniel and Malik, "we're descended from Barrier Keepers. From before the boundaries existed."

"What?" Malik stared at Leon.

"We're beings of two worlds," Leon explained with a faint look of wonder. "The paths react violently to us. It'll help Yuri break down… the barriers."

Malik needed a second—or several hours—to process all that, but since he didn't have time, he asked his biggest questionnow.

"But why?" he demanded. "What does he gain by breaking down the barriers?"

"He believes an ancient deity created all realms as one," Leon said. "The Barrier Keepers separated the worlds, and he wants to wake the deity to restore what he sees as the natural order."

"He's insane," Knox growled. "Unmaking reality isn't restoration, it's destruction."

Malik wanted to say something more, but the invisible thread in his chest pulled tighter, a nauseating pain spreading through his limbs. Something was drawing on him, draining him, just as it had in the shadow paths.

He stood abruptly, needing to escape the suffocating room, but his legs betrayed him. The floor rushed up to meet him.

Strong arms caught him before he hit the ground.

"Malik?" Knox's voice sounded distant.

Leon's sounded alarmed. "The connection must be stronger than I realized. If this continues..."

"Will it kill him?" Adrian's voice.