All of what I knew about the Dream Realm stemmed from Weaver tales and Norhavellis’s limited collective knowledge of both demonsand Corruption. I had never been taught that the Shadow Bringer was trapped in his castle, unable to control the demons that stalked it. Or that his body slumbered somewhere in Noctis.
I shook my head, remembering when he had called my worldlittle.
I had assumed he mistook my small world for a ruse. That in crafting a dream of my own, complete with my home, Norhavellis, and part of the Visstill Forest, I had been hiding some covert affiliation with whatever enemies he claimed I aligned with.
But my world reallywaslittle.
And when he called it little, he had sounded haunted by a yearning I didn’t understand. There was distrust, sure, but there was something else, too. Something that betrayed the fact that he hadn’t been apart from his shadows in many, many years. I nearly felt compassion.
But he needed to die. If I was to live, hehadto die.
As soon as I was guided back into the Light Bringer’s carriage, I told him everything I knew, spilling the Shadow Bringer’s secrets like a spew of sour milk. At first, he seemed amicable. Earnest, even. But when I reached the part about the tomb, his expression turned violent.
My stomach twisted. This information was all I had left to trade, and if he didn’t believe me—or worse, if he thought I was trying to manipulate him—he could see to it that I never made it to Istralla at all. Perhaps he’d proclaim me an active threat and behead me in this carriage, my blood staining the elegant fabric crimson.
“The Tomb of the Devourer,” he murmured dreamily, surprising me. Then his eyes gleamed as a starving predator’s would. “Where the Shadow Bringer’s mortal body lies. And he told you this directly?”
I nodded, shoving aside my racing heart. “Yes. He showed me its location in a dream.”
The Light Bringer leaned forward, knocking his knees against mine. Then he quickly wrapped me in an embrace, folding his gilded arms around my back. The gesture was so unexpected that I stiffened, unsureof proper protocol and overwhelmed at his sudden warmth. He smelled like honeyed wine and expensive cologne—a perfect, royal bouquet that I didn’t want to sully or offend.
“How utterlywonderful, Esmer,” he said into my hair, shuddering as he held me tighter. I couldn’t move my arms; they were pinned to my sides. “You have done such a good deed in telling me this. My blade will sing when it pierces that monster’s blackened heart.”
I shoved aside the brutal mental image of a supine Shadow Bringer getting his chest cavity ripped apart by the Light Bringer’s blade.
If I am to live, he has to die.
“That will be a good day, indeed, my lord. He is a plague upon our kingdom.”
He dropped the embrace, regarding me seriously. “If you bring me to his body, your crimes will be absolved, and Elliot will be welcomed to Istralla under my direct protection. He will be given a limitless supply of elixir and will never know pain or fear again.”
“My crimes will truly be forgiven then, my lord?”
“Yes. It is very noble to turn your affinity with the dark into something so worthy as this. It means you are still good, Esmer. Redeemable, even.” He smiled at me broadly, teeth perfect and white. “I will make good use of you.”
“I will serve however I can, my lord.” My head spun, buzzing with this new possibility for my future. If I wanted it, I could have it. It wasso close. With the Shadow Bringer dead, I could finally live in peace with Elliot. We could forge a new life and heal from our hurt together. We could forget that any of this had happened at all. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Bring us to him. Bring us to the Shadow Bringer.”
We rode into the late afternoon, wandering through the Visstill in what probably seemed like aimless, looping circles. As the sun arced above the treetops, shadows lengthened, blanketing the root-spattered ground in patches of thick darkness. Mithras stopped the carriage on occasion, conferring with me as he would a compass. The farther we traveled, the deeper the Shadow Bringer’s pull.
I couldfeelhim.
Eventually, we abandoned the carriage and horses altogether, continuing instead on foot while a small group of the legionnaires remained behind. It was now our third day of traveling in search of the tomb, of haunting fireside songs about Corruption and the Shadow Bringer, and of me strangely desperate to see him again. I hadn’t dreamed of the Bringer since the night in his bedchamber, and it bothered me.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, running through a mental inventory of everything I knew about him. Even with his half lies and vague insults, it was becoming more and more difficult for me to perceive him as wholly evil. I found myself wondering what his true name was. Or if he even had one.
He has to die, Esmer. His name is meaningless to you.
Mila sighed, earning a few semiannoyed glances from the legionnaires. “Where is this dreadful tomb?”
“Enough with the dramatics,” Silas murmured.
“We’ve been traveling in circles for days, Silas. This tomb is a pest. Perhaps it doesn’t even exist.”
Silas looked uncomfortable. “Esmer wouldn’t knowingly misguide us.”
“There you have it,” Mila said, shaking her head. She wore an array of small golden earrings, but they were barely noticeable in her hair.“Knowingly.”She turned to me with a tentative smile, but doubt was clearly in her eyes. Over the past few days, she had become more and more suspicious of me. Why did I ever think we might be friends? “Are you purposefully misleading us? Or did you simply forget where we are supposed to be going?”
