“It would most certainly kill you in the process.”
I stared at her, the words not quite sinking in at first. “Kill me,” I repeated flatly.
“Yes.” Confiance didn’t look away, didn’t soften the blow. “A willing severance would redirect the magical backlash entirely into you. Silver would survive, possibly even unscathed. The Twilight Realm would be safe. But you...” She trailed off, the implication clear.
My shadows went still around me, the storm suddenly calm. It was funny, really. I’d spent the last few hours wallowing in self-pity, convinced my life was over, anyway. And now here was someone offering me an actual end, wrapped up in the pretty bow of self-sacrifice.
“And if I don’t?” I asked quietly.
“Then King Erestolal will attempt to sever the bond by force in three days’ time. The magical explosion could kill you both, possibly destroy a significant portion of the Twilight Realm in the process.” She paused. “He’s also threatened to permanently sever all connections between the mortal realm and the Twilight Realm. No travel, no trade, no communication. Complete isolation.”
I turned back toward the sunset, watching the last rays of light paint the mountains in shades of blood and gold. Silver would die. That was what she was really saying. If I did nothing, if I stayed here on this mountain nursing my wounded pride, Silver would die.
The anger that had been burning in my chest suddenly felt cold and distant. What did it matter that he’d lied? What did any of it matter if he was dead?
“I’ll do it,” I said without hesitation. “I’ll sever the bond to save him.” I turned back toward the landscape, staring out over the mountains jutting up from the world below. “Just answer me one question.”
“Of course, Mr. Vale.”
“Where am I?”
I could hear the smile in Confiance’s voice as she answered. “You are standing upon the Floating Mountains in the Henan Province of China.”
I felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes. “It’s beautiful,” I nodded. “I… I wish I would’ve learned to control this power sooner. Maybe… Maybe I could’ve seen more.”
A hand came to rest on my shoulder and Confiance stepped into my periphery. “Don’t give up just yet, Mr. Vale. Where there is love, there is always hope.”
Chapter 24
Silver
Locked away in my room wasn’t exactly how I pictured my father dealing with my situation. I thought he’d scream, yell, or just plain be furious. But instead, I hadn’t seen him since he’d had me forcefully taken from Widdershins by the royal guard. In fact, I hadn’t seen anyone. My room had an attached bath, and my meals were delivered via dumbwaiter. There was no reason for anyone to step through my doors.
Of course, that hadn’t stopped me from trying to break out of my velvet-lined cage. I’d spent the better part of a day picking at the magical locks to the door and the windows. Unfortunately, my magic was no match for whoever had placed the enchantments. I’d even attempted to go down the dumbwaiter, but there was an invisible block on that as well. No matter how much I raged or yelled, nobody came to check on me.
When all of my attempts proved unfruitful, I threw myself down on my bed, left with nothing to focus on but the sharp pain of my mate bond stretched so thin I thought it might snap. I couldn’t feel Ash anymore, not since I’d been taken to the Twilight Realm. I figured, if he shadow walked into my home realm, I would feel him once more. But the bond remained cold and silent and agonizing.
I didn’t know how long I’d been lying there when I felt a subtle shift in the air, like someone had opened a door in another room. My head snapped up, hope flaring painfully in my chest. But the door to my room remained firmly shut, its enchantments still glowing faintly in the dim light.
Then I heard it. A soft knock, not from the door, but from inside my wardrobe.
I sat up slowly, my heart hammering. “Caldwell?”
The wardrobe door creaked open, and my butler’s familiar face appeared, looking more disheveled than I’d ever seen him. His usually immaculate uniform was rumpled, and there was actual sweat on his brow.
“Young master,” he whispered urgently, glancing over his shoulder. “We don’t have much time.”
I was across the room in seconds, gripping his shoulders. “How did you get in here? The enchantments?—”
“Are keyed to prevent entry through doors, windows, and the dumbwaiter,” he replied quickly. “But your father forgot about the servants’ passages. They run through the walls of every royal bedroom, a relic from more paranoid times.” He pressed something into my hands. I glanced down to see a small crystal that pulsed with warm light. “This will get you through the wards. You need to leave. Now.”
“What? Caldwell, I can’t just?—”
“Yes, you can.” His eyes were fierce, determined in a way I’d never seen before. “I’ve served your family for three centuries, young master. I watched you grow from a boy into a man, and I have never been more proud than I was when you stood up to your father for what you love.” His voice cracked slightly. “Don’t let him take that from you. Don’t let him turn you into another gilded ornament on his throne.”
My throat tightened. “If he finds out you helped me?—”
“Then he finds out.” Caldwell straightened, some of his usual composure returning. “I’m old, Silver. I’ve lived a long, good life. But you? You deserve to live yours on your own terms. Now go, before the guard changes shifts.”
