“I lost control at the end,” I admitted. “The magic… it was too much. Too many lives. Too much power. It burned through me, and I couldn’t shut it off.” I met his eyes. “I nearly brought the mountain down on us.”
He blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Well, that’s… encouraging.”
“It won’t happen again,” I said.
“You don’t know that.”
“I won’tletit happen again,” I said, heat flashing in my chest. “I know the cost now. I know what it feels like when I’m close to losing control, andI know when to stop.”
“And if you misjudge?” he pushed. “If you lose control inmycourt, inmyhome, with my people standing there?”
“Then Slade gets everyone out,” I said sharply. “He’s already promised. Once the fighting starts, he’ll shadow-walk as many as he can away from the line of fire. I don’t suppose the wards will prevent magic from leaving, will it?”
He shook his head.
“Good. Thorne will shield me from her first strike. I’ll hit her as hard as I can, and if it goes sideways, we retreat.”
“We run,” he translated.
“Yes.”
Silence settled between us, thick and tense.
“You really think you can win?” he said at last. “Even knowing what she took from the Ice Throne. Even knowing what she did to your court.”
“I think,” I said, “that if anyone has a chance, it’s us. I’m the one the gods chose to stop her. I’m the one she failed to curse. And you’re the one she keeps underestimating.”
“And if you’re not ready?” he asked, voice gone softer. “If your power eats you alive before you ever get close enough to touch her?”
“Then I die trying,” I said simply. “Just like you were going to die slowly, in her bed or on your throne, while she hollowed you out and used your crown to legitimize her rule. At least, this way, we get to bloody her first.”
He stared at me, all traces of humor gone. “I never wanted you to die,” he said quietly.
“I know,” I said. “You just wanted me safely out of the way.”
His mouth tugged. “I wanted you safe. Full stop. Out of the worst of it. Away from the battlefield. Away from her. And him.”
“By caging me,” I said.
“To protect you,” he insisted.
“You always wanted to hide me,” I said, the realization settling like a stone. “Tucked away somewhere pretty where you could feel good about saving me while the rest of the realm fought for their own freedom.”
His expression flickered. “Is that what you think?”
“It’s what you showed me,” I said. “Here. In Rosewood. In every conversation where you told me you wished I would just let someone else fix this.”
“Because I didn’t want you to die for a court that didn’t deserve you,” he snapped. Then softer, “I still don’t.”
“That’s the difference between you,” I said quietly. “You think safety is the same thing as freedom.”
“Is he here?” Callan asked after a beat. “My brother?”
My throat tightened. “No.”
“Where is he?”
“We got separated in the valley,” I said. “The naiad pulled him under before the fire could reach him.” I swallowed against the ache. “He’s safe. Or safer than he would’ve been on that hillside.”
