“Future has been poured into this pool. You can now ask questions...and see how the consequences of every possibility will unfold.”
Oro went very still, wondering how that was possible. Wondering if it meant things had gone terribly wrong...or right.
Isla had told him she regretted not seeing the future. Regretted giving into her fear of seeing what was to come.
The woman had accused Oro of hiding from the truth.
But Oro would be stronger now—for both himself and Isla. For their world. He would not look away from hard truths. He would not let fear guide his life.
He waded into the pool until he was floating on his back. He closed his eyes.
And he asked about every scenario he could think of. Every possibility. Until he knew every future.
He saw death. Life.
There was a clear distinction. A clear moment—a choice—that changed the fate of their world and everyone in it.
He gasped as he crashed through the surface, sputtering, his veins flooded with panic.
The prophecy was right.It was right. Someone had to die. Total and complete destruction could all be avoided, with this one choice.
Part of him wished he hadn’t seen it. But the truth could not be unseen, just as it could not be unsaid.
Oro knew what he had to do.
He just didn’t know if he was strong enough to do it.
GRIM
Isla forced Cronan’s crown onto her head, and the very world rippled. She became the gravity, the tide, the force between them all. Grim was nearly knocked off his feet. He had to anchor himself with his shadows.
The world settled, and all he saw was her, a queen of darkness and ruin, standing in a dark pool. Cronan was bowed before her—forced onto his knees.
Over the course of the last few minutes, while Isla and Cronan battled, Grim had wanted to step in a thousand times, but he had stopped himself. His heart was torn. It wasracing. He was confused and worried any move he made would jeopardize his realm.
Isla turned to look at Grim, her eyes glowing with power, and all his defenses folded. She reached out her hand once more. “Together, we can destroy him. I know how.” Below her, the waters changed, showing a blade powerful enough to kill not only Cronan but all parts of his soul that had been scattered throughout the universe. “It’s hidden here, but in another time. I saw it, in his head.” Isla had Cronan’s crown, with the Threads of Time within it. She only needed Grim’s portaling ability to travel through time.
Together, they could find the blade and end him. They could save their world and everyone in it.
Grim took a step toward her—toward hiswife. He took a step toward a future that he could hardly hope for.
This was real. He didn’t need to keep fighting. He could just fall into her and everything she promised. He took another step, until he was at the water’s edge.
There, he saw the reflection of her outstretched hand. Reaching toward him like she was now...but holding a dagger. The same one she wanted him to help her find, to end Cronan.
No. It was just one of many fates. He took another step toward her, and the moment his foot hit the pool, he saw it all. Every possibility. Every future. And he knew for certain that if he went with her right now, he would die.
The only chance he had to live was with Cronan.
Isla was still reaching for him. Her emotions were echoes of his own—hope and relief and wanting.
He remembered how her lips had felt against his, how her fingers had danced across his skin, how she had taught him that feeling didn’t just mean hurting. He remembered her strength against all odds, her unwavering belief in him, and how she looked at him like he was more than just a villain. He remembered the awe of watching her bring herself back to life, and how she had always taken down everything that stood between them.
She was infinite. She washis. She was his wife, and she was everything his life had always been missing.
Their hands brushed, and his blood heated in bone-deep knowing. Like his soul knew her, even if he didn’t.
She pulled him in, and he went with her, until their foreheads were pressed together. Until they were sighing against each other’s lips. Until his fingers were slipping through her hair. And around the crown on her head.
