“Or what?”
Seth inhaled and closed his eyes. “Promise me you won’t use this magic where anyone can see. Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
The energy he usually radiated washed away. Lines of sorrow riddled his face, and his teeth dug into his bottom lip. Memories danced behind his eyes, and I could but wonder what he saw.
“Seth?” I reached out and gently cupped his face.
I wanted him to open up, to tell me the truth. But he exhaled and looked away instead.
“Can you stand?” He asked, brushing my hand away. “We should look for the others.”
“Give me a moment,” I breathed. The pain I’d felt while casting slowly faded away, until only a bearable ache remained.
Finding my footing, I slipped from his grasp and stood, wandering back toward the Empty to examine the hole I’d cleaved in the abyss. A thin strip of life bloomed between the endless nothing, verdant grass flecked by pale blue flowers. Kneeling, I plucked a flower from its stem and lifted it to my eyes, turning the petals over, half-expecting them to simply vanish.
“Incredible,” Seth marveled. He nudged me. “I bet you can’t wait to tell Eleos all about it.”
Eleos. Hope dared to bloom in my chest. Maybe. . . maybe they were okay. Maybe they were waiting for us, somewhere.
“You—” I whirled around, jabbing my finger into his chest. “I thought you said to keep this secret?”
“Not from the others.” He shook his head. “I’m worried you’ll tell Seraphim’s lordly brother and his border hounds.”
Retracting my hand, I pursed my lips. A hundred years had passed since anyone had been granted the authority to travel to Duath Nun. In an effort to persuade them, I probably would have embellished my talents and insisted I could save them from doom.
“Mhm.” Seth’s eyebrow shot up. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I have an excellent poker face. How did you read me?”
“You’ve lost every training bout, princess. I’m gathering your secrets like gold.”
“Yeah? And what have you learned?”
Tilting his head, he brushed a leaf from my hair, fingers lingering on my curls. “If something threatens our goals, if someone hurts us? You’d trade your life to save ours in a heartbeat.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow it. Had he really seen through me from a few silly secrets I’d shared at camp?
Seth stared at me in silence, shoulders tautening. He leaned closer, and I gravitated toward him.
Though our trip through the Empty had been hazy, I remembered one thing clearly—his gentle voice, promising me he would protect me.
A strange magnetism drew me toward him. His fingers slid through my locks to my cheek. Our noses brushed.
The soft expression on his face vanished, and he pulled back. Dropping his hand, he stepped away.
Tension fled from my body, and my muscles relaxed. The air felt thick when he drew near, and breath flooded my lungs when he left.
“Let’s get going,” I said, clearing my throat. “We should backtrack to the outpost and then follow the road.”
Nodding in agreement, Seth found a hill and clambered up, using the vantage point to discern our location and find our destination. Hanging back, I tucked the flower behind my ear, hoping it would live long enough to show Eleos.
As I removed my hand from my hair, I gasped and stumbled backward. The skin on my arm had become translucent, allowing me to see through my own body—the shapes and colors of the grass and dirt were barely visible through my skin.
Panicked, I raised my other hand to see the same thing. My dress turned translucent, my legs but ghosts beneath it.
I was fading away.
My affliction passed. As though an imagined illusion, I was whole again. Gasping, I ran my fingers over my arms, catching my breath as my heart pounded against my ribs.
