"She's alive," Elçin whispers. "Gods, she's alive."
Banu's gaze is confused, unfocused, but alive. So achingly alive.
Peri Ayse sits back on her heels, and her smile is radiant. "Lovely," she purrs, watching us with the satisfaction of an artist viewing completed work. "One price paid."
There's a weight to her words—a finality that reminds me we're not done. Not even close.
I take a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. My body feels drained out, as if the Peri didn't just take years from me but something more fundamental. Some essential part of myself that I can't quite name.
"Now," Peri Ayse says, rising gracefully to her feet. Her burning gaze finds me, and that ancient smile sharpens. "Your turn, twilight child. We had a bargain."
My leg throbs in response, the dark veins of Veil venom pulsing beneath my skin. I'd almost forgotten about it in the relief of watching Banu breathe again. Almost.
"Your lies," she reminds me, her voice soft as silk and twice as suffocating. "Every deception you might speak. Every half-truth. Every polite fiction. That was the price we agreed upon."
Kaan moves closer to me, his shadows coiling protectively. I can feel his tension—the desperate wish to stop this, to find another way. But we both know there isn't one. I agreed to this price. I chose this.
"I remember," I say quietly. "Do it."
Peri Ayse moves closer, kneeling beside me now. One finger hovers over the wound on my leg, not quite touching, and even that proximity makes my skin burn.
"This will not be pleasant," she says, and for once there's no mockery in her voice. Just ancient truth. "The Veil poison has woven itself into your magic. Removing it will feel like being unmade and remade simultaneously. And when it's done..." Those burning eyes hold mine. "You will never speak a false word again. Not to protect yourself. Not to spare others. Not even to survive."
"I understand."
"Do you?" She tilts her head, studying me with something that might almost be curiosity. "I wonder."
She places one burning hand directly on the wound, and?—
Golden fire races through my leg. It's agony, pure and absolute, but it's different from the poison's burn. This fire doesn't hurt because it's killing me. It hurts because it's burning away something that was never meant to be burned.
I watch as the dark veins fade, as the toxin falls away like ash. But something else burns with them—some fundamental part of me that knew how to bend words, to soften truths, to protect myself and others with careful deception. I can feel it burning away, consumed by golden fire, leaving behind only empty space where my defenses used to be.
When it's done, Peri Ayse pulls her hand back, and the burning stops.
For a long moment, I just breathe. My leg feels strange—healed but empty. Clean but defenseless. I look down and see only unblemished golden skin where the dark veins were.
"Thank you," I start to say, trying to soften the words, trying to inject gratitude into the bare statement to make it feel less cold?—
But what comes out is: "I hate you for what you're taking from Kaan."
The words escape before I can stop them, raw and honest and completely inappropriate. My hand flies up to my mouth, but they're already out, spreading through the air like poison.
Behind me, I feel Kaan go absolutely still.
Peri Ayse laughs—delighted, genuine laughter that echoes through the cave. "Oh, that's perfect. Do you understand what just happened, twilight child? You didn't just lose your lies. You lost your ability to choose what truth you speak. Every thought will pour out. Every feeling. Every secret. You're an open book now, written in a language only I seem to appreciate."
She stands, brushing off her skirts with a gesture that's almost primly domestic. "Speaking of your shadow prince..." She turns to look at Kaan, and her smile takes on a sharp edge. "We had an agreement about transportation, did we not? One night of your company for safe passage to the Forgotten Grove."
Kaan's jaw tightens, but he meets her gaze without flinching. "We did."
"Indeed." Peri Ayse circles him slowly, that dangerous smile never wavering. "However..." She pauses, tilting her head as if listening to something distant. "Time is rather pressing at the moment. Your pursuers are nearly through the dimensional barriers. The fairy needs proper rest. Your wife is adjusting to her new... condition."
Her burning eyes meet Kaan's. "I don't like to rush. When I collect what I'm owed, I prefer to... savor it."
Something flickers across Kaan's face—surprise, perhaps, or suspicion. "You're deferring?"
"Consider it a loan, shadow prince." Her grin spreads. "I'll transport you to the Forgotten Grove as promised. Seal your passage so thoroughly that not even the Veil itself will find your trail. And when circumstances are less... chaotic..." She traces one finger along his jaw without quite touching. "I'll come tocollect what you owe me. One night. Freely given. I trust you won't forget."
