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He spotted the Seelie king across the arena of fighting warriors. “Culan!”

The Seelie king turned to face him with a savage grin. His fair looks held a darkness that reminded Roan so much of his father. “At last.”

The two men charged at each other, swords raised. They connected in a clash of ringing steel.

Culan sneered. “Where is your human pet, cousin?” Culan shoved hard with his blade, pushing Roan back. “The one you violated our sacred treaty for?” Culan continued. “Perhaps when you are dead, I will take her as my prize. She would suit me well, wouldn’t she?”

Roan knew his cousin was baiting him, but that didn’t mean Culan’s threats didn’t burn like a fire sprite’s rage in his chest. He jerked his blade free and swung at Culan from a different angle. His cousin barely leapt aside, nearly losing an arm.

Around them, the warriors from both lands fought on, their cries a cacophony in Roan’s ears.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in a burst of light just behind Culan. The clash of steel slowed as everyone struggled to regain their sight. Too late, Roan recognized who the figure was. It was Kate, standing mere feet from Culan.

“Kate!” he bellowed.

Her eyes grew wide as she took in the hundreds of dead Fae around her, petrified. Before she could react, Culan grasped Kate by the throat, lifting her up. She dropped the dagger she held as she clawed at Culan’s hand, trying to free herself.

“So you are the tempting mortal my cousin broke our ancient laws for.” Culan’s gaze swept over Kate, whose face turned red as she struggled for breath. “You are the reason for this war.”

“Let her go, Culan. Your battle is with me.”

Culan laughed. “Oh, but this is far too amusing, Roan. To see you squirm with fear. Beg for her life on your knees and perhaps I will let her go.”

Roan met Kate’s gaze, and she tried to shake her head. She would rather die? But he couldn’t let that happen. Roan would give everything to save Kate. His land, his people, his palace, his power, and his life were forfeit if it would save her.

Roan eased down on one knee, and Culan’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected Roan to capitulate.

“Culan, let her go. Please .” The words came out a growl because he feared Culan wouldn’t release her no matter what he did. Just then, a great and terrible idea struck him. He knew how to stop Culan. He knew what he must do.

Roan reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the cursed ring Andvari had given to him.

He slipped the ring onto his left ring finger.

The curse hit him like a thunderclap. Exquisite power surged through him, expanding his control over the universe.

He harnessed the winds of time, reversing the deaths of his men.

His soldiers, once lying still upon the battlefield, now rose, taking their arms up again, outnumbering Culan’s soldiers as they dove back into the fight.

He wasn’t sure how long his hold on time would last, if he’d be able to keep those men alive.

The ring’s power was more a mystery to him than he wished it to be.

The veins on his hand turned black. With a curse, Roan used his powers over time itself to hide the deathly spell that was crawling through his body.

Culan could not see that, could not know what would be the end.

He dug his hands into the earth, holding himself up on his knees when he felt ill enough to collapse.

“What was that?” Culan demanded as he spied the ring. “A trick? What magic are you hiding from me, cousin?” He glanced around at the newly risen soldiers, who were staring at him, their weapons raised as they fought once more for the Twilight Court.

“I hide nothing from you,” Roan lied. He fought against the black moon power, but soon it would take him. All he had to do was last just a little bit longer, hide the deadly effects of the ring just for a few moments more.

“Give it to me!” Culan threw Kate to the ground, forgetting her. She lay on her side, gasping but alive. “If you won’t give it to me, I’ll take it.”

Culan surged forward, kicking Roan in the chest. Roan fell onto his back, and Culan crushed Roan’s left wrist with his boot as he bent down and pried the ring off Roan’s finger. His cousin stared at it, his eyes dark with hunger.

“No! You are not worthy of its power,” Roan said, his body weakening as the poison from the dark moon continued to move through him. He knew that if he let his cousin think the ring was a thing to be coveted, it would entice Culan to take it from him.

“And you are? I think not.” Culan slid the ring onto his finger and grinned as he raised his sword.

“Such power,” he rasped, his eyes glowing overbright as fire burst from his free hand in a ball of flame.

“I will harness the power of the sun,” he roared with triumph.

Then he slung the flames as though throwing a spear of light toward the battle.

It struck the earth, rippling outward with fire.

Men, Seelie and Unseelie, screamed as they were devoured by flames.

Culan swung back to face Roan. “You always were the weaker of us. You cannot stop me, not with your silly tricks of time.”

“Ahh... but you forget, cousin... time comes for us all... in the end.” Even an immortal could not hold back the fate of the end if it was destined to come. And the bells of time were tolling now for Culan, the silver ringing sound a painful blow to Roan’s cousin.

Culan’s eyes flashed with pain and confusion, and he stumbled, his grip on his sword faltering momentarily.

“What magic is this? What have you given me?” Culan stared at Roan, his eyes wide with shock and agonizing pain.

“I hear bells... I...” He glanced around, seeking the source of the sound that only he and Roan could hear.

“No... it can’t be... I am king..

. I...” Culan’s face took on a fierce but frightened look full of madness.

He was still dangerous, still a threat to Kate if he realized she was close by.

Roan knew Culan would kill her if he had the chance.

He struggled to get back up on his knees. The cursed ring would slow Culan down, but what if it didn’t slow him enough and he went after Kate again?

Kate climbed to her feet, retrieving her small dagger.

She looked between Roan and Culan, then burst into a run straight toward Culan.

Everything around Roan seemed to slow as he reached out with his magic to stop time, to protect her, to stop her from doing what she was going to do, but he could not harness the winds of time for long—they jerked free of his hold.

Roan had never felt so helpless in his life.

He’d used up most of his strength earlier on, trying to slow the advance of the Seelie forces, giving his soldiers a chance to regroup.

And the ring had taken almost all of what he had left within him to wield in Kate’s defense.

“No, Kate!” Roan bellowed as she leapt at Culan’s back and thrust the dagger between his armor plates. It sank in, but it wasn’t a fatal blow.

With a roar, Culan threw Kate off his back. She landed beside Roan on the ground with a hard thud.

“Is that the best you can do, you damned little—” Culan lunged for Kate, his blade held aloft.

With the last of his physical strength, Roan knelt and stabbed his blade up into Culan’s chest, just below the edge of his armor.

Culan stumbled back, the sword in his hands falling to the ground.

Kate and Roan watched as he collapsed, black spiderwebs crossing his skin as the cursed magic moved through him.

The bells within Roan’s mind grew louder, tolling of doom, of death.

.. of the end of time... for Culan.

.. for himself. He’d always feared the sound of silver bells, they were painful for a Fae to hear, but now.

.. He could not outrun the sound, and despite what they would bring, he could hear the beauty in the ringing notes.

The purity of them. He glanced once more at his cousin.

Culan’s eyes were still, the light within them gone.

“Kate...” Roan managed to get onto both knees.

The fighting slowed around them. The Seelie, seeing their king dead, began to throw down their weapons.

Kate threw her arms around his neck and covered him with frantic kisses.

But he could scarcely feel her lips anymore.

How strange, this feeling of losing his senses, slowly, bit by bit.

Black shadows began to bleed in at the corners of his vision.

He strained his gaze, trying to chase them away.

“Kate...” he said again as he gently held her back so he could see her face.

Kate gasped. “Roan... your skin. It’s...” She looked between him and Culan, noting the similarity of their appearances. “What’s happening to you?”

“I don’t have much time,” he said. The pain was growing.

How strange it was for an immortal to feel the pain of death.

It was like nothing he’d ever felt before.

Like an eternal shadow was passing over the moon, blocking out the light and, with it, stealing away everything he was.

He’d always wondered why mortals feared death so much.

Now he understood. It was an ending, and endings were such dark and lonely things, weren’t they?

“No.” Kate grasped his arms, holding on to him. “I won’t let you go. I?—”

Roan shook his head. “It’s too late...”

“I don’t understand.” Kate moved her hands up to his face, holding him between her palms. “This whole world is magic! Someone can heal you. Eudora can, she...” Kate’s words were breaking as she tried to speak.

Roan turned his face to kiss one of her palms and managed a small smile. “This is but a dream... and all dreams must end. It’s time to send you home.”

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