“The rift. We’re not supposed to carry others through it. But I couldn’t let them take you. I see why they say not to. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the ribs.” He grabbed his side and inhaled deeply.
“Why do that for me?” Erich asked, studying the elf. After failing to get the sword, he thought he’d seen the last of him.
“I brought you into this. I couldn’t leave you to take the fall.”
Erich stood up and wouldn’t look at Fritz as he crossed his arms over his chest. Scanning the horizon, he could see the edge of the city cresting over the hilltop. He’d gotten out alive, by some miracle.
“I wouldn’t have blamed you; I was foolish for hoping there was a cure.”
“There’s no shame in having hope. It’s what keeps us fighting,” Fritz said, resting his hand on Erich’s arm.
After leaving his old life behind, he’d freed himself of attachments. No friends, no lovers. But seeing as Fritz had risked his life and for Erich, he might have to reassess that decision. And if he were living another life, he might have told him as much.
“Where will you go from here?” Erich asked.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Fritz said, his gaze returning to the horizon.
“But the sword was a fake.”
“What we found in the vault was fake. The sword is here, and I know it. I saw you in my dreams, and you led me to the sword, and thanks to you, I’m closer than I’ve ever been.”
“How can you be sure? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve not done much.”
“Because before I met you, I hadn’t had a vision in a year.”
Erich was silent for a long moment, and Fritz continued staring out at the horizon. “Seeing the future is a tricky thing. We can never be certain what actions will change the flowing course of fate. A year ago, I saw the sword’s wielder, a human, a woman. It was something we’d long feared. At first, the elders thought Empress Eveline was the one, but none of the prophecies have come true yet. But they draw closer. We can feel it in the widening of the rift…”
Wind rustled over the ruins, picking up dust and whispering words that made the back of his neck prickle with magic.Erich waited for Fritz to continue.
“I disagreed with the elder’s interpretation of my dream and saw the coming of the wielder as a sign of hope. I thought if I could get the sword to her, she could heal the rift and restore balance. But the elders have already decided to destroy it, and so I came here hoping to stop them by getting the sword first.”
“You said it yourself; visions are tricky. What if you’re wrong?”
“Fate branches infinitely, each choice creates new paths, and we are at yet another set of crossroads. I’ve decided not to leave, not without the sword.”
“Don’t you care for your own life?” Erich thrust a hand in the direction of the city. “They’ll kill you if they find out what you are.”
“It is living that makes us fear death,” Fritz said, glancing up at Erich. “You fear the great unknown. But the future is unknowable, even by someone like me. I see nothing but possibilities, and you will stand at many crossroads before the end; this is another.”
Erich’s hands hung loosely at his sides. He felt like a coward to walk away now. But what other choice did he have? To go back was death. There was nothing left for him there. Then Liane flashed through his mind. He regretted not saying goodbye and leaving her as he did, but it was for the best, wasn’t it?
“I can’t go back, so I suppose this is goodbye,” Erich said and thrust out his hand to shake.
“You never know; our paths might cross again.” Fritz shook his hand.
But Erich knew it was better if he was gone, where he couldn’t hurt Liane or anyone else. If only his heart and the dragon could agree.
28
Liane stood with arms outstretched as the seamstress tugged on the hem of her Sun Ceremony gown. It had been finished over a week ago, but Liane had summoned her to make one last alteration: a slit up the side. Without the support of her family, and not knowing what Heinrich had planned, she wanted to be prepared for anything, which meant easy access to the dagger she’d have strapped to her thigh.
“How about now, your majesty?” the seamstress asked with a hint of venom in her tone. She’d argued against damaging the dress, and the short notice making last-minute alterations just before they left for sunrise rights, but when Liane had threatened to make the cut herself, she acquiesced.
Cold, silken fabric glided across her heated flesh as she jutted out her leg to test it. Turning her leg in the mirror, she imagined her dagger strapped there and nodded with satisfaction as she pulled back her leg. The fabric fell back into place, disguising the opening between layers of fabric. The seamstress did excellent work.
“Thank you, it’s perfect,” Liane said.
The fitting finished, she went behind the screen to take off the gown and allow the seamstress to make the final alterations. It was nearly finished, and once she was dressed, they’d head out on the procession to the temple. As the seamstress stepped back to make last-minute adjustments, Luzie came over with a tray of cold fruit and chilled wine.
