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L arylis had witnessed the death of hope and hadn’t been able to stop it. He’d been locked in combat with his own opponent, but the glimpses he’d stolen had shown Fanon and Ailan securing their win.

Yet by the time Larylis had pulled his sword from his opponent’s belly, Darius was gone. And Ailan and Fanon…

He ran to them now, his heart in his throat. Both lay on the ground, Ailan motionless and Fanon half crawling, half dragging himself toward his consort on his elbows.

Because his hands.

Gods, his hands.

They were gone.

The black dragon roared and thrashed, a piercing, keening cry rumbling in his throat. He circled the two figures, wings splayed, a red glow burning behind the scales of his neck.

Larylis slowed his approach as he neared, which gave him just enough time to roll out of the way of the dragon’s sudden blast of flame. The creature snapped his teeth, then charged?—

“Uziel, stop!” The male voice was an agonized rasp, but the dragon obeyed nonetheless. “Drop your sword and bow to him, human fool!”

It took Larylis a moment to realize Fanon was speaking to him, but he did as told, dropping his sword to the ground and folding into a bow. Uziel released a hiss, then an agitated rumble, but from the corner of Larylis’ eye, he watched the dragon take a grudging step back.

“Leave him be, Uziel.” Fanon’s voice was even weaker now.

Larylis risked rising from his bow. He cast a wary look at the dragon, who continued to hiss at him but made no move to roast him alive. Taking that as permission, he jogged the rest of the way to Fanon and Ailan. The latter was motionless, her neck severed, the sight too gruesome for Larylis to study. He turned his attention to Fanon, who was at least still alive, though losing blood quickly. He’d ceased dragging himself across the grass and now lay supine beside his consort at a haphazard angle.

Larylis crouched before him. “I’ll tie a tourniquet?—”

“I can’t understand you,” Fanon said through his teeth. Seven devils, of course he couldn’t. He’d had the same translation charm around his wrist that Larylis wore now. A charm that had obviously been lost with his hands. Steeling his nerve, he sought any sign of the missing appendages, but Fanon halted him with a stern tone. “Don’t you dare tend to me. Take the collar and go.”

Larylis returned his gaze to Fanon. The Elvyn jerked his chin toward the other side of Ailan’s body. Larylis saw nothing in the grass but heavy gouges and pools of blood?—

No, there was something. Half hidden in the blood-soaked grass was a talon. Larylis rushed to retrieve it and found not one talon but two. It was the collar that had once adorned his wife’s neck.

“Take it and enter the tear,” Fanon said. “He’s already inside.”

Larylis’ blood went cold. Darius…had entered the tear?

Fanon spoke again. “Uziel, take him.”

“What do you mean, take me?” Larylis asked, but the sound was drowned out by Uziel’s roar. The dragon slammed his tail on the ground in protest, setting the cliff rattling.

“Do you want to avenge her?” Fanon’s voice was growing weaker by the second.

Uziel ceased thrashing and released a series of piercing chirps. Larylis didn’t need to understand the language of dragons to know the creature was grieving.

“Then take him to the Edel Morkara’Elle. She and our Morkara are all we have left of Ailan. Do you understand? Do not fail her, Uziel.”

Uziel swiveled his head and pinned Larylis with a forbidding look. He gnashed his teeth, his tongue flicking outward, sending small licks of flame into the air.

“And you, human,” Fanon said. He closed his eyes, his chest pulsing with shallow breaths. “Do you want to save the woman you love? Do you want to succeed where I have failed?”

Larylis tightened his fist around the collar. “With everything I have.”

“Mount the dragon,” Fanon said, understanding his conviction even without a translation. “Enter the tear. Stop him before it’s too late.”

Tears of fear and grief and rage stung Mareleau’s eyes as she, Etrix, and Garot rushed from the palace toward the dragon caves. They’d accumulated a squad of guards who now brought up the rear. She wove her arms protectively around her son as she hurried along the same path Ailan had taken her down two days ago.

Ailan.

She was…gone.

Mareleau hadn’t fully warmed to the woman, but it would be a lie to say she hadn’t grown at least somewhat comfortable with her. Ailan may have stolen her and her son from the lives they’d known and loved…

But she’d treated Mareleau with respect. Fought to position her as a person of high esteem amongst the Elvyn, despite her human blood. She’d taught her the motions for wardweaving and encouraged her to work with the magic she already possessed without undermining her goals.

Just like that, she was gone.

Mareleau would never get to say goodbye.

Could never rely on the woman to protect and advocate for her.

Ailan had been their greatest hope in defeating Darius, and she was gone. Darius was coming for Mareleau and Noah next. Would they die just as easily? Would everything she and her friends and allies had fought for come to nothing?

A tremor ran through her, but it wasn’t one of fear. Instead, fury burned her blood, weighing down her feet with every inch she closed toward the caves. The fire blossomed and grew into a wrath so hungry it begged her to fight. Fight , not hide.

But what the hell could she do? She wasn’t a warrior. She couldn’t even weave a damn protection ward. She was a selfish beast, born and raised, and now she was paying the price. There was only one thing she excelled at, and that was looking out for herself. Hiding was all she could do.

If only she weren’t a narcuss. If only her magic were better, stronger. If only she were better and stronger.

No matter what you find in those shadows , came a voice from memory, it is important that you love yourself.

Salinda had said those words when Mareleau had sunk into self-hatred after discovering what she was. Well, a lot of good that did her now. She needed to protect others, not herself. What did she matter when she had someone so important to protect?

Is it easy to be selfish? This time it was Ailan’s voice that rang in her head. To me, it looks like your resistance to focusing on yourself is stronger .

Yes, well…she’d been right.

Mareleau hadn’t been able to shift her attention to her own well-being. Every time she’d practiced warding on herself or on her and Noah together, she’d burn with impatience. It had seemed like such a waste of time and magic when she’d rather grow her abilities for others. She needed to overcome her insipid magic challenge already so she could…

Her mind emptied.

Again, Ailan’s voice spoke from memory.

You can’t challenge your magic; you must wait for it to challenge you .

Calm knowing settled over her as a new awareness began to bloom, rising alongside the furious fire that still burned within. She didn’t fully understand it yet, but something was starting to take shape.

The mouth of the cave came into view at last, the afternoon sun dimmed by the towering heights of the palace above. Ferrah was just outside the cave, slithering in anxious circles, then shifting from foot to foot, her feathered wings bristled. As soon as they approached the cave mouth, Ferrah slithered inside. The guards fanned out, creating a half circle around the entrance. Garot gestured for Mareleau to follow the dragon. Just as she was about to enter the dark maw, wingbeats sounded overhead.

The guards’ hands flew to the hilts of their swords, but they didn’t draw them. For the creature that descended was a familiar one. Uziel landed just beyond the ring of guards, bellowing a string of high-pitched chirps, too eerie to be sounds of joy. No, they were sounds of lament.

If that was the case, who was the rider on his?—

Her heart nearly tumbled from her chest as the figure all but leaped off the beast’s shoulders and raced for her. A sob broke out of her throat as his arms went around her from the side, careful of their son between them.

“Thank the gods,” Larylis whispered into her hair. “You’re here. You’re safe.”

She pulled back and assessed her husband through glazed eyes. His dark copper-tinged hair was mussed, his face splattered with dirt and blood. His armor was dented in places, his padded leather jacket ripped open and dripping blood. But he was alive. He was here and alive and that was all that mattered.

“You must be our Morkara’s father,” Etrix said, his tone flat. Worry and grief still dominated his expression.

“We can’t dally,” Garot said, his eyes on his petal-map. Where before only one red light flashed, now there were two.

Some small part of her had hoped Larylis’ sudden arrival meant he’d been the one to trigger the alert, but that had been too much to wish for.

Garot spoke again. “We must get inside. Darius is moving from cave to cave, starting with those surrounding the Blight. We built Alles’Taria Palace over an existing cave system. He may not know the palace exists, but he may remember these caves. Even if he doesn’t, he could find other fae to torture information from. If he comes across any Faeryn…with the discord between our two races, they may not hesitate to share intel.”

Larylis angled slightly away from Mareleau and reached for something tucked under his jacket. He withdrew the two-taloned collar. “I’ll fight him. I have this.”

Etrix’ eyes widened. “If you have that, then Ailan truly is…”

“I’m sorry,” Larylis said. He may not have met Etrix before but even he could tell Ailan had been important to him. Now whatever frail hope Etrix had clung to was gone.

Gods, Mareleau couldn’t imagine the depths of his grief.

“Fanon urged Uziel to take me here,” Larylis said, “and for me to bring the collar.”

“What of the soldiers inside the tear?” Garot asked. “The wardweavers?”

Larylis’ face paled. “All I saw upon entering were bodies.”

Etrix uttered a string of words the charm on her bracelet failed to translate. He faced Garot. “He’s probably killed the wardweavers. There’s no one to seal the tear once the human queen sends the mora back to us.”

“ If she sends it back,” Garot said.

There was no condemnation in his tone, but Mareleau bristled nevertheless. “She will send it back. She’s probably already trying. But if there’s no one at the tear to seal it, she can’t complete her mission, right? She can’t simply push it back forever with nothing to contain it.”

“She’s right,” Etrix said, already retreating. “I’ll take Uziel back to the tear with three more wardweavers. We can’t lose this chance.”

He strode toward the black dragon, who continued to keen and bellow. Uziel gnashed his teeth at the dark-haired Elvyn but let him mount him anyway. Then, in a matter of several pulses of those leathery wings, they were high in the sky.

“Will he get there in time?” Mareleau asked.

“Faster than I would,” Garot said, his eyes still fixed on the map. “My pathweaving doesn’t work in the Blight, but Uziel can reach the tear quickly. If he’ll listen to Etrix, that is.”

Noah began to fuss and squirm, reflecting the panic tightening Mareleau’s chest. She hushed and soothed him, bouncing him in her arms. He probably needed to be nursed or changed, but this wasn’t the best time. They still needed to hide.

A sharp tapping echoed from behind her, and she spun to find Ferrah waiting inside the cave, her talons beating impatiently on the stone beneath her.

“On we go,” Garot said. “Our best hope is to hide deep in these caves. Darius can worldwalk to this location if he has any memories of it, but unless he has distinct recollections of the cave interior, he’ll need to traverse the tunnels on foot. And I don’t suspect he’s alone. My map doesn’t show how many people set off the triggers if they are together in a group, and I doubt he’d be foolish enough to enter dragon caves by himself.”

Larylis nodded. “I’ll wait outside with the guards and halt him with this.” He lifted the collar again.

Garot shook his head. “We should give it to your wife to use as a last resort. If Ailan wasn’t able to stop him with it, I doubt a human like you could. No offense. If Etrix succeeds at bringing a new trio of wardweavers to the tear, and your friend succeeds at pushing the mora to us, we can hope to trick Darius into worldwalking back to the human world. He’ll need reinforcements to take down our guards, won’t he? If he leaves after the tear is sealed, we’ll be safe from him.”

Mareleau frowned. “You mean…lock him out and leave him as a problem for the human world.”

“Better there than here.” His tone was so empty. So tired.

Mareleau understood his apathy in the face of such grave odds, yet she couldn’t stand the thought of hiding when their goal was to leave Darius in Lela. For Cora and Teryn to deal with. If they could deal with him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust their abilities.

Hell, they were all stronger and more capable than she was.

It was more that she railed at the thought of passing this off on them. Staying safe. Small. Hiding. While they continued to fight for their lives.

“Protect our Morkara,” Garot said, his gaze locked on the red light on his map as it disappeared and reappeared on a different petal. “That is your strength and your duty as Edel Morkara’Elle.”

All this time, she’d wanted to believe exactly that. That protecting Noah was her strength. Her duty. Her guiding light. That her magic would bloom and unfurl once she’d learned how to use it the way she yearned to.

Yet that fury continued to burn in her chest. Wrath, rage, and rebellion in one.

Was it her selfish side that hated being told what to do?

Was it her prideful side that always wanted to prove others wrong when they claimed to know who she was? What she was meant for? What she was worth?

Yes. Yes, it was. And the confession came as such a relief that she nearly wept.

She understood her challenge now. It wasn’t figuring out how to protect Noah. It wasn’t refusing to leave his side. It certainly wasn’t turning away from herself. It was trusting herself. Putting all her faith in her own abilities. Not the abilities she wanted to have, but the ones she already possessed. She didn’t need to go against her nature; she needed to dig deeper into it and use it for all it was worth. Salinda and Ailan had been right all along, but only now did she see the truth.

Mareleau was a scheming liar.

A breaker of hearts.

A destroyer of men.

She’d pull off her greatest, most devastating lie yet.

She dropped her gaze to the collar in Larylis’ hand. Placing her fingers over his, she squeezed his palm. Wordlessly, he released the collar into her care.

She held his gaze and asked, “Do you trust me?”

His eyes searched hers, swimming with fear. Then he steeled his expression and gave her a nod. “With my life, my death, and everything in between.”

Her throat tightened. “Do you trust me with my life, death, and everything in between?”

Another flash of fear. Then a sheen of sorrow. But again, he gave her a solemn nod. “Yes.”