“What happened?” Daniel asked, voice short and hard. I wondered if this was bringing back memories of losing his own brother.
“They hit him with a legreto weapon,” I choked out. “Some water crystal made from starslight stone. It embedded itself deeper and deeper into his chest, before it shattered.”
More Daelighters joined us now, lots I didn’t recognize, and a few I did. Daddy Darken was there, his face creased in grief as he dropped down next to his son. “Marsil, no … my son…”
Jero joined them, kneeling at his fallen brother’s head. The three of them placed their hands on Marsil and lowered their heads. I couldn’t look at them any longer. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared out into the distance.
Chase broke the silence: “Callie tried to save him. She held his hand until you arrived. He was never alone.”
No one said anything until the overlord major lifted his head. He had the same symbols as Lexen etched into the side of his hair, and his face was a mix of his three sons. “Thank you for honoring Marsil,” he told me, voice hoarse. “We will not forget this.”
Even more tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t speak. I just nodded. Daniel lifted me into his arms, and for once, I didn’t fight him. I had no fight left. I was exhausted and in pain and … my heart was breaking a little.
“I need to take Callie back to Imperial,” I heard Daniel say. I couldn’t see who he was talking to because my head was buried in his neck. “She’s drained and needs the land to recharge her.”
There were murmured replies, and I heard something about a farewell ceremony, and then we were moving again. I must have drifted off, because when I woke next I was in Daniel’s bed. Memories immediately rushed in and I rubbed a hand across my burning eyes. I hadn’t cried for most of my life, but I was certainly making up for that in the last little while.
Sitting up, I stared down at my hands, trying to pull myself together. Thankfully, the darkness that had been tainting my soul, that debilitating depression, was gone again. It was becoming abundantly clear that the dark despair I sometimes felt was a side effect of not renewing my bond to Daniel and this land. When I was away from it for too long, I lost pieces of myself. My hope and happiness were the first to go. Then my mental and physical health followed. It was systematic, one thing after another until eventually it would be my life.
Luckily, I had a wonderful man at my side, one determined not to let me fade out of existence.
There were no windows in his room to determine time of day, but I sensed I had slept for a long time. Flashes of images hit me hard, one after another: the memory wiping, the Daelighters I had incinerated, Marsil dying right before me. How could so much go wrong so quickly?
“You’re awake.”
My head jerked up to find Daniel perched in the doorway, broad shoulder nudged into the side of the frame, eyes focused on me.
“How’s Emma?” I asked quickly.
He crossed his arms. “She’s fine physically, but devastated about Marsil. They’re hoping to have a farewell for him soon. But that might not be possible until we deal with Laous.”
I wasn’t sure I could handle a farewell, but at least I didn’t have to decide right now. I did want to be there for my new friends. And to honor the man who had fought beside me.
Hopefully I’d find the strength to go.
Rubbing a hand across the ache in my chest, I let my gaze linger on Daniel. I was barely stopping myself from jumping out of bed and into his arms. I could have lost him yesterday. Seeing Marsil die hit me extra hard, and not just because he was a good person and did not deserve his fate, but also because it could have been Daniel. He could have died, and I would have never had the chance to tell him I loved him, never truly showed him how much he meant to me, that despite everything shitty that had happened lately, he was the best thing to walk into my life in eighteen years.
“Do you need anything? Want me to grab you some food?”
I was dying for coffee, but for once I wanted something more. I wanted Daniel.
He moved closer. I still couldn’t manage to form words.
“Talk to me, Callie.” He sounded worried. “Fuck, I’m so sorry you had to deal with that alone. Again … I failed you. But I’m here now. I’ll help you figure it out.”
For some inexplicable reason, anger licked across my emotions. “I don’t want to talk about it. Talking won’t bring Marsil back. Talking won’t reverse time so I don’t accidentally kill a bunch of those resistance assholes. Talking won’t bring my mom back or stop Laous from everything he has done. Talking is useless.”
I was standing on the bed. I didn’t even remember jumping up. As I stepped forward to the edge, he caught my hand, gently encasing it with his own. He leaned himself forward so both of our hands were pressed to his chest. My anger died as quickly as it had arrived, and as I stared down into his face, all I felt was my soaring love for him.
“I’m sorry, Cal. I wish I could take this pain from you.” His eyes shut briefly as if he was fighting his own emotions. “And I should be sorry that I took your free will away, tying you to me. I did it at the time because it was the right thing to do, but now I’m starting to think it was the only thing I could do. Because without you, I have nothing.”
I blinked once slowly, and then again, my breathing ragged and short.
“I love you,” I said, without reserve. “I have never said that to anyone, but I’m saying it to you. The only person to own my soul … and my heart.”
I could never regret him. Even with all the pain I was experiencing, love made it all worth it. I finally understood what Emma meant when she said she would not change the now, no matter the future heartache. Daniel let my hand go, cupping my face and pressing his lips to mine. With a sigh, I sank into the kiss. He pulled back far too quickly, but at least he remained close enough for our lips to brush.
“I love you, Callie.” Those murmured words set me off again, more tears sprinkling my eyes.
