Page 77 of The Midnight Death Match

Lys steps toward her. He doesn’t speak with a riddle. Only says one word. “Mother.”

I glance at Einar, and his expression melts from confused to understanding.

The realization is hitting us simultaneously. Lys is Vivvi’s son. I’m not even sure what that means. And there isn’t time to put all the pieces together.

I take a step forward, sword still in hand—not raised, but burning faintly with its steady, pulsing glow. “I never asked for any of this, but I am here. And I’ll fight for this city, whether you trust me or not.”

The ground trembles as a blast shakes the outer walls.

A dragon screams overhead, its flame carving a path through the enemy.

Sapphire.

Vash shadows her flank, silent but with ferocity in his eyes.

Lys leans in close, speaks quietly so the crowd can’t hear. “We hold this city, andyouchange the story. But if you fall, the story ends here.”

Einar glances at me. “What do you say, huntress?”

I lift my blade. “We won’t fall.”

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Smoke still curls from rooftops,but stars shine defiantly over the aching city like they’re blissfully unaware of the ruin beneath. The sky feels too clear considering smoke was just shading everything.

I’m quiet as I slip by the northern gate, passing beyond the dragons’ watch, beyond even Lys’s unnervingly perceptive gaze. My sword at my side hums faintly, a pulse I barely notice anymore. My body aches, but it’s not the pain that drives me forward.

It’s clarity. I’ve seen what my presence costs. The fear in Brynja’s eyes, the whispers behind me, the bodies piled at the gate. I was made to destroy a threat, but I’ve become one myself, though unintentionally. At someone else’s hand.

So I’ll end it. Not because I want to die, but because I refuse to become what they fear.

I reach the edge of Courtsview just as the moon crowns the trees. The sanctuary rises like a broken cathedral—twisted spires and shattered stone cradling ancient magic.

Where the curse began, and where it will end.

I step into the clearing. Stop.

He’s already here, sword sheathed and hands empty. Waiting for me.

Einar. He doesn’t turn when I approach. “I was wondering how long it would take you.”

My heart kicks hard in my chest. My entire body tenses. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“I should’ve died long before this—look how old you are. But fate’s a stubborn beast.” The moonlight casts him in silver and ash. There’s a resignation in his stance, but something else too. Peace.

“You knew,” I whisper. “You always knew it would come to this.”

He nods. “I hoped it wouldn’t. But yes. It’s the way of the hunter line, my daughter.”

Tears sting my eyes. “We can still find a loophole.”

Einar finally turns to face me. “No.”

I stare in disbelief. “What do you mean by that?”

“Look at the destruction caused due to us trying to find a loophole. Do you want this to continue?”