“And the demons will come.”
He shook his head. “The demons are already here. There were demons at the Revel.”
The green-eyed man, I realized, horrified.The Revelers with wickedness in their words and their hearts.
“Why didn’t anyone say anything—do anything? How were they roaming so freely?”
“It was all a part of my and Mithras’s plan. We tricked powerful demons into attending the Revel in disguise, promising them a chance at humanity. A chance to mingle with the wealthy and select their preferred hosts. In return, the demons would abandon their war on the Weavers. No longer would they plague the Nocturne’s dreams.” His hands tightened around me. “It was all a lie, of course. Lies, everywhere. From both parties.” He looked away. Gritted his teeth as he glared up at the Revel. “That’s all the demons ever want—freedom. They want to walk upon the earth and breathe its air, just as we do. But that would be chaos. It cannot be allowed to happen.”
“But it did happen. It stillishappening.”
“It wasn’t intended to happen, though. There is no meaning or value to Corruption. No reason for the loss of dreams.”
“How did Mithras betray you?” I asked, wondering aloud what I’d wanted to ask ever since I’d seen Erebus and Mithras together in the coliseum. It was clear that they respected each other both as comrades and friends.
The Bringer’s eyes hardened. “While I was mining the dark from the Nocturne’s waves, Mithras was supposed to gather the Revelers—the demons—and lure them down to the sea. The plan was to ambush them and destroy the Nocturne’s shadows in one fell swoop, all with the Weavers supporting us.”
“But something went wrong. I saw it break apart in the memory you showed me.”
He nodded. “At my touch, the Nocturne cracked open, releasing every shred of darkness it held into the Realm, unbound. And when I turned back to Evernight, horrified at what I’d done, Mithras and the Weavers were already there, watching me. Mithras hadn’t lured the demons down; he’d brought only the Weavers. All so that they could witness me summoning demons like a monster.” He looked away, noting the faint shape of Erebus on the rocks below. “They didn’t even give me the chance to explain myself. The Weavers attacked as one, with Mithras leading the charge.”
My wings stretched behind me, slowly coming to life. I could feel the Bringer’s power working through me, bidding my wings to move. When they steadied at last, the Bringer let go. “Thank you.”
“That wasn’t me,” he said softly. “This power is yours now, too. It has been yours from the moment we met.”
Dawn taunted at the horizon. We flew to the Nocturne, wind sweeping over our bodies and lingering between the feathers of our wings. It felt glorious, this flight. I wanted to savor it. I wanted to stretch my wings as far as they’d go. I wanted to rise high above the Realm and see it all. Every domain. Every secret. Every hidden, quiet place.
But there was no time.
Erebus was a blot on Evernight’s shore. He crouched low upon the rocks, wings draped behind him like a magnificent, snowy cloak. He didn’t hear us coming, didn’t see us as we landed behind him. But the skittering of rocks sent him running, sprinting to the Nocturne’s waters as if a horde of demons were at his heels. And maybe he thought that they were.
Erebus’s wings dissolved into smoke, propelling him forward. What had made us quick in the skies made us cumbersome on land, and Erebus knew this.Recognizedthis. The Shadow Bringer willed his wings away, too, just as I did, but he was too late. Erebus crashed into the Nocturne, arms outstretched.
And he sank them deep within the water.
“No!” the Shadow Bringer roared.
It was a nightmare replaying itself. A terrible memory unlocked, only to be relived with no salvation. The water began to bubble, boiling underneath, just as it had done in the Bringer’s memory. Then it cracked, snapping apart like an overfull vessel.
Erebus stumbled as demons swirled into life around him.
He had seemed so composed at the Revel—both commanding and strong. In control of his emotions and his path. When I looked at him now, I saw the boy back in the woods, fearing for his life. A boy doubting his purpose and his worth.
The Shadow Bringer, furious at his own failure, lurched forward.
He followed Erebus into the churning waves, thrashing against the demons as they fought to overpower him. The water was no longer clear. Instead, it appeared as ink would, opaque and endless. It rose to meet their calves, thighs, hips, chests.
Then it washed over their heads, swallowing them whole.
I halted at the edge of the rocks, stunned. If I jumped in, what could I do? Would I lose myself in the Nocturne, just as the Bringer had warned? Demons swarmed around the sea, crawling from the inkywater. Others flew overhead, mocking. One dipped down—too close—and clipped my hair with its claws. When it flew away again, it was howling. Screeching into the night with a desperation so animalistic, it made my skin crawl.
I unsheathed my blade, gripping it with no small dose of uncertainty. Fear had made it easier to summon. But fear had loosened my hands, too. Made them weak. Made them tremble. Made them cold all the way down to my fingernails. The sword had worked before ononedemon, but what could it do against the might of onehundred?
Another demon dropped toward me, feet skimming the Nocturne. Its wings were stunted and frail. Too feeble to hold the weight of its body. It crashed into the rocks with a pathetic cry, shivering as it tried to stand.
Do what you’re capable of. Kill it.
The thing finally managed to stand. It peered at me, eyes wide and glassy. Water dripped down its wrinkled face, dampening its fur.
