I swat at Reznik. "You know, light sabers? Byzooom, byzzzt, clchsssss." I wave my hand around like I'm wielding one but Reznik only shrugs.
"I am half tempted to spend the Longest Night doing a movie marathon," I mutter.
"Liar," Yaelyn teases. "Rez, what she means is, light and darkness cannot exist without the other. Is that about right, Mischief?"
"Basically," I say with a pout.
Rez pulls onto the highway and then cuts a look in my direction. "What you say makes some sense. There's no shadow without light, only darkness. In the Light Bearer's absence, the shadow realm is being consumed by darkness, and the darkness breeds war and violence. If the Light Bearer doesn't return soon, the shadow realm will be overtaken entirely. And we will have failed. Yaelyn and I are all that remain of her guard. Iradil was Captain of the Light Guard, and I was his second. When it became clear that Lux would fall and the guard with her, Yaelyn and I were sent off with the sun shards to protect them. We returned when the smoke on the battlefield had cleared, and we put those of our brethren we could find to rest with their shards, sealing them away with ancient magic."
"We thought they'd be safer in this realm than in the shadow realm. Here, they could be forgotten. We hid them far and wide, to keep the shards from being found. But we took other precautions."
"Oh, I know. I almost got speared in the heart. And almost crushed, while simultaneously being almost stabbed."
"But the draugrs... how did you get past the draugrs?"
I can't lie to him. He'll see right through me. "I'm honestly not sure. I tried the old 'salt water in a water balloon' trick and the draugr I hit didn't even flinch. But then they backed off. Honestly, it was pretty freaky." I skip the part where the dead Captain of the Light Guard's undead platoon all bowed to me, but fuck, this is all too heavy.
I want to quip my way out of the crushing feeling pressing down on my chest, but I can't bring myself to. It's even clearer now how much Reznik and Yaelyn loved this mythical Lux, whoever she was back then. They dedicated their life to her legacy, to the potential of her rebirth. Then I came along, made them catch feelings, and bounced with one of their most sacred relics. I slide down in on the bench, stewing. I can't give any of these shards to Khadyr. Physically or morally. Fuck.
But if he gets me, he gets the shards.
If he gets the shards, it's game over for the shadow realm.
Holy tits. Maybe the reason no one has figured out what the fuck Khadyr could possibly be is because he's an agent of the darkness? Could that be why he wants the stones? To destroy them or turn them to some dark purpose? And if Khadyr is an agent of the darkness, what does that make me, besides a thief whose main ability seems to be supernatural sleuthing skills? Could I be an agent of light? Is that why the draugrs backed off, why the shards decided to make a dollhouse out of my ribcage? Fuck, what does it even mean to be an agent of light, if that's what I even am? Might explain the glowing...
"You're thinking awfully hard about something, love," Yaelyn murmurs.
I shake my head, trying to clear it, but my mind is a tangle of questions. Worries. "Did you love her?" Because I need to hear them say it, even if it’ll cut me to the bone. Even if it means bleeding out on the bench seat of their truck.
"Very much," Rez murmurs.
"I didn't think I could love anyone but Reznik after she died," Yaelyn says quietly, squeezing my knee. "Then some maniac thief barreled into our lives and turned them upside down."
"You were the first spark of light after centuries of darkness."
The air whooshes from my lungs. That's why Rez calls me "Spark"? I mean that much to him? I snuggle into his side.
"Found your gooey center, big guy."
He rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. Trying to hide it, but smiling still.
Fuck, feelings. I need to lighten the mood, so I do it the only way I know how. "So, um, did the Light Bearer get freaky with all nine of you? Because I can't decide if that sounds amazing or exhausting."
The demon huffs out a laugh. "The Light Guard was made of diverse demonkin, not all of whom 'got freaky' as you so romantically put it. We all loved and served her in our own ways."
"So, like, seven of you? Five of you? Come on, I need the deets."
Yaelyn ruffles my hair. "She wasn't insatiable like you, Mischief, didn't like the things you like. The things Rez and I like to do to you..."
Good. "What was she like?"
"Polar opposite of you," Rez snorts, pulling off the highway. "Timid. Sweet. But she had a spine of steel, just like you."
I glow at the compliment–though thankfully not, you know,glowglow.
"She'd never stab someone in the leg, like someone I know."
"You called it a bee sting! It healed in like ten seconds!"
