That’s a lie I tell myself before we separate. We try to stay together on the battlefield, but sometimes it’s impossible. It’s like trying to spot a droplet of water in a vast lake. It’s all the same.
Enemies and friends blur into one giant body. You can’t select a specific droplet; you just drink it all down. Chug and pray you survive and don’t choke. You keep drinking even when your thirst has been quenched. You keep fighting and killing because if you stop, if you resist swallowing, you’re dead.
You feel everything yet nothing at all, because you’re drowning.
I squeeze him tighter. I miss the days when I was taller and he was the size of a child I could pick up and hold in my arms. I miss tackling him as Nero and Ryker helped me. I misshow Ember would giggle, along with Cyrus as we played childish games that children never should have played. Games of chase that were secretly teaching us how to hunt a target.
Now, we stand as men, trying to hold each other without showing it weakness.
His hand slips up to my neck, feeling my details as I did his.
“Let’s go get Selene,” I whisper in his ear.
I step back, but he grabs my wrist. “Are you sure you trust her?” He speaks in a fast whisper that sounds like a river overflowing from its banks, pushing and carving out new paths that it shouldn’t venture down. “It’s not too late to run, Titus. Before bonds set in.”
His eyes sweep over me like a baker rubbing flour onto a wooden block so the dough doesn’t stick.
My mouth dries. “I can’t run from this.”
He tugs me closer. “You can! I know what we need, where to look.” His eyes widen with a restless excitement. “You and I can go. We don’t need Selene. Fuck! You don’t have to find the Vitalis; you can master Everett’s magic, live with it. You don’t have to save the world, Titus.” He shakes my shoulders.
My eyes narrow with caution. “What did you find in the library?”
He leans closer so the tips of our noses almost touch. “Everything.”
His magic radiates, wrapping us in shadows—shades of grey so dark I can only see the whites of his eyes—eyes that are anxious and terrified for me. His shadows swirl, pushing and rubbing over my exposed skin, eliciting a panicked sensation. “I hope love is worth all the sacrifices.”
“I’m doing this because I love you!” I reply. “If I have the chance to make the future safe for you and our family, I’ll give my life to make it happen.”
My body flinches at the rapid peeling back of his magic. He’s pissed, but loyal to me. He walks to the door and opens it. “Queen Selene isn’t in her room. King Galen just left with her.”
My heart falls to the floor. I rush forward and grab him. “How do you know? Where did they go?” Selene should still be sleeping for another hour.
Tristen shrugs as he looks down the hallway that exposes us. “I went to her room first to beg her to force you away from this path. To save you. And as for where Galen took her, I have no idea. He’s her husband. He can take her wherever he wants.”
His eyes hit me like a shovel pressing into soft soil. The impact is felt as he heaves layers of me away, making sure the facts sink in.
Tristen grabs my shoulder. “I will fight by your side, brother, but you and I both know it’s a battle that will kill someone. Are you ready or that?” He steps back. “Think about it. I’m going to get breakfast. Something tells me we’re both going to need extra blood rations today.”
I want to race after him. I need to know what happened in the library, but we can’t speak safely until we’re in a spelled room. Instead, I rush toward Selene’s room.
I open the door to find her bed empty. My nose flares as I catch a fresh scent of Galen’s magic. Flames come forth, trying to replace the impression he made in the air. I find a pathway of roses he left from the door to her bed.
Flick!I shoot out flames one by one, burning the flowers, not caring about my actions.
Tristen is right. I’m losing control of my reactions.
I fall to my knees and close my eyes.
Where did Galen take Selene?
My chest feels raw and tight as I clean up the mess. I grab a bucket of water and toss it over the floor, ensuring the scent of fire can’t be smelt. Then, I open the window and allow fresh airinside. I walk to her bed and find myself slowly lowering my face to her pillow as I inhale her scent.
My skin starts to burn as my magic pulses again.
Tristen is right. I’m playing with fire, but that’s my magic. I can control the flames.
That’s the lie I tell myself.
