“You havemyheart,” I whisper. “Be safe.”
Then I turn and follow Grey to the horses.
“Tycho,” he says behind me, and there’s sorrow in his voice, but anger, too. “Tycho.”
It tugs at my chest and nearly makes me turn back around. I think of what Nakiis just said.Do not grieve yet. There is work to be done.
He was right. We really are forced to make choices we don’t want to make.
The Truthbringers aren’t going to stop coming after our magic until they eliminate it. Maybe we’ve been prolonging the battle all this time, when we really should’ve been yielding.
My heartbeat is a roar in my ears, but I stop beside Mercy. She noses at my hands, looking for caramels, just like always. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to her. “I’m sorry.” But I’m not apologizing to her. Not really.
Grey takes one of the other horses. His eyes meet mine as he swings aboard. “Are you sure?” he says.
I don’t have a voice, but I’m not sure of anything.
I do know I can’t watch everyone I love die, just because the king and I have magic.
I can’t watch him sacrifice himself alone.
I nod fiercely.
But then, when I swing aboard Mercy, I realize Jax has followed me to the horses, and he’s pulling himself into the saddle of the third.
“Getdown,” I say, the words sharper than an order.
“They don’t know who else has magic. This givesthemtime to get away. I’m going with you.”
“No, you’renot.”
“No one can leave me behind,” he snaps, quoting my words right back to me. “Not anymore. Never again.”
I stare at him, my chest heaving. I don’t know what to say.
In my silence, his feet find the stirrups and he arranges the reins like he’s been riding all his life.
“Tycho,” says the king. “Now.” My breath catches. Everyone is staring at us. Callyn and the queen are together, clutching each other’s hands. Alek is beside them. Malin is staring at me, and it’s clear that he knows what we’re doing. If I meet his gaze, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this.
Wind swirls through the barn, and I shiver. It’s not my magic.
Xovaar.
If I don’t do this, they’re all going to die.
“Go,” says Jax, nodding past me. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I gather my reins, then move to follow Grey one last time.
The clouds have shifted, leaving the sky blazing with sunlight, bursts of bright blue visible through the tree branches. After the wild morning of rainstorms, blizzards, and lightning, it’s bizarre to experience weather that’s suddenly so peaceful. Honestly, it’s bizarre to ride down the lane with Grey and Jax. I know we’re expecting to surrender to a massive crowd of Truthbringers who want to kill us, but right now we’re completely alone. It could be any other summer day.
Especially when Grey glances over at Jax and says, “You’ve grown into yourself, haven’t you?”
Jax looks startled, but then he shrugs, as if abashed. “I— yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to the soldiers, I suppose.”
“It wasn’t just the soldiers.”
Jax blushes.
