Page 31

Hoo-boy. Okay. Noted. “Fair enough.” She glanced back at the enormous, horrifying tree.

“And who is to say that if I sided with Serrik, that he couldn’t be stopped?

That he couldn’t be…betrayed?” There was still Bayodan’s spell that he was working on, the one to kill Serrik.

And the way out that Book had showed her.

Valroy laughed again—louder that time. A laugh that would make a movie villain proud. “Oh, you surprise me, Weaver! You were truly chosen to be one of us, indeed! And you think you have what it takes to make love to a monster, to gain his trust, to learn his past, only to end his life?”

Did she?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But she knew it was the way out.

And so…she knew she had to try.

“If it means my freedom from all this bullshit? If it means I get to stop the genocide of the fae and secure the safety of Earth?” She clenched her hands into fists.

“Yeah.” She lifted her head and squared her shoulders.

“A while back, the grimoire showed me a prophecy. Images of what was to come. This was after I agreed to let Serrik be my patron—to bind his magic to me.” She gestured at the tattoo of the seven-legged spider on her collarbone.

“It showed me the two of you battling on Earth. It was total desolation. I was in chains at Serrik’s feet, and he was wielding the grimoire. ”

Valroy hummed in almost sexual gratification. “I fail to see the problem.”

Ava wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Okay. Well, I asked the book to show me another way out. Another way to freedom. The pages turned, and…it showed me, ripping out Serrik’s heart.”

Valroy let out a long sigh and for once, looked his age. She saw the tiredness on his features as he shut his eyes for a long moment. Though she could not, for the life of her, understand why. “You have only met him in dreams. How do you kill a dream, Ava?”

“You can’t. But he’s locked in a room at the heart of the Web, right?

” She shrugged. For the time being, she wouldn’t mention Bayodan and his spell.

She didn’t know if Valroy knew, and she didn’t want to offer up more information than was necessary.

“So I’d have to get in the room somehow.

That’d require all three shards. Which would…

” She groaned. “Which would free him, and make me the full vessel of the Web.”

Valroy opened his eyes to watch her, but said nothing to confirm or deny anything.

She snapped her fingers. “I can pull things between the dream world and this one, though! Maybe I can kill him in a dream. I pulled a piece of paper from the dream into the waking world, and I also pulled some apple trees from Earth into the dream, but”—then it hit her—“ fuck!”

Valroy let out a choked laugh. “My wife and I generally do not like to share, but I can ask.”

“I didn’t—” She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant.

Though, it is related. When he and I—he bit me, and I didn’t have the marks when I woke up.

That means if I try to kill him while he’s sleeping, his actual body won’t die.

” She groaned. “So, I do have to get in the room with him to kill him. ”

“I fear you must discover how to do that on your own.”

“Then why did it show me the option of killing him in the first place? If I become the vessel and free him, he’ll take control of me the moment I do.

That means I won’t be able to kill him.” She threw up her hands.

“But I can’t kill a dream, like you said.

So why show the image to me at all? Was it just more lies? More false hopes?”

“No. I do not think it was. But what the instruction meant precisely, I do not know.” Valroy seemed honestly troubled.

Which was precisely why Ava didn’t ask him her new favorite question— how do I know I can trust you? It was in his best interests to let Ava try to kill Serrik. He had no reason to lie about it not having a chance of working.

“However.” Valroy unfurled his wings. “I will speak to Lord Bayodan and Cruinn. I know they are assisting you in this regard. I will see where they stand on their work preparing some manner of…destruction, or containment for the exile.” He winced.

“Though it will put them at risk. I will have to warn Abigail of this. She is quite fond of them.”

Ah, good, at least she didn’t have to dance around that topic.

Tilting her head to the side slightly, she watched him as he brought up Abigail. “Y’know, I adore how much you two love each other. And yet you two clearly are, like, absolutely cutthroat business rivals.”

“I would rather carve out my own eyes than to see her harmed. I would lay down my life to protect her. I would burn the stars from the sky for her. Yet I would enslave the entire Seelie race in the same breath, burn the Earth to ashes, and have her in chains at my feet without a moment’s hesitation.

” Valroy looked up at the branches of the dead tree.

“We ask much of those who deign to love us, Weaver.”

“I’m fuckin’ fine, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She smirked, but it faded after a brief moment. “I’m…really happy for you, though. That you have somebody.”

“Most think me a monster, Ava. I am curious if you will too, in time. ”

“I mean, odds are good we’ll end up being enemies at some point.

Somehow. Or maybe we’ll end up being besties when the evil void monster in me decides to buddy up with the evil void monster in you.

” She shook her head. “I’m not an idiot.

But I—I don’t know. I don’t think anybody is beyond deserving of love. Not really.”

Those faintly glowing blue eyes regarded her with keen interest. More than they had a few minutes prior. “I hope you remember those words, Ava Cole.” He gestured at the gnarled tree. “Now…I have held you from your conversation long enough. You are being summoned.”

Yeah. She was.

And the “ringing” behind her was getting harder and harder to ignore.

She looked back to the enormous, terrible tree with all the weaponry sticking out of its blackened bark. She had no idea what was going to happen to her when she touched it. But since when was that anything new?

Maybe the tree would actually tell her some real information. Since nobody else was willing to give her simple answers.

Yeah, right. Because eldritch horrors were totally known for being super straightforward.

“B—be c—careful—” Bitty stammered from where she was cowering over by one of the rock walls. She was standing on top of one of the stones, desperately keeping her bare feet out of the blood. Ava didn’t blame her.

She smiled over at her friend. “I’ll be all right. I pro—” She put her hand on the tree.

And the world promptly disappeared as her knees gave out from under her.