“Never,” I hissed.
My hand throbbed from holding the Cor, but I did not let it go.
“I love you,” I said, staring into Lore’s horrified eyes. “And if this world says that’s a curse, then let every single part of it burn.”
Laphira pressed her hands together and whispered a prayer to the fates.
Dorion moved closer to her, shielding her with his body.
Lore's wind whipped around Prager, tearing a scream from her throat. Her cloak snapping outward like raven wings.
“Love is death,” she shouted. Magic spun from her, lashing out at us. “Love is what shattered me. Tortured me. Turned me into this beastly thing. I won’t let you use it to bind the world again.”
Her arms swung up, and she thrust burning power my way.
The blast struck me full in the chest, but instead of pain, the Iskar Cor flared with brilliant light. Prager's magic didn't bounce off, it fed into the Cor, making it flame brighter.
“No,” she whimpered, backing away. “That's not possible.”
I stepped toward her, holding up the Cor. “Love doesn't just heal. Sometimes it’s a weapon that destroys monsters.”
Chapter 55
Reyla
“You don’t know love,” I shouted. “Not the kind that not only fights to come back but chooses to stay.”
I flung up power, but it only partly blocked her blast. Stunned, I was thrown backward. I landed hard near the pool’s edge. The talisman lit from center to edge until it glowed like a second sun.
Farris yelped, choking on a growl that cut off too soon.
I dropped my forehead to the stone beside the pool.
“Help me,” I whispered. “Please, help me.”
The talisman didn’t answer in words, but it grew hotter. Blazed brighter than a thousand suns.
I closed my eyes and opened up every bit of myself, exposing every fear. Every hope. My love for Farris. For Lore. For the people who had fought beside me and broken so that something whole could remain in this world to make it better.
A roar erupted from deep inside me, bowing my back.
I thrust my hand up, lifting the talisman high.
“If giving away my love curses the world, then let it break,” I yelled. “Because I will not take back my love.”
Wind howled across the cavern.
Prager shrieked and lunged toward me, spewing a storm of curses.
“Reyla,” Lore cried, rushing my way.
The pool exploded with light, and power rushed over and through me.
My vision tore apart. Everything turned white, then shattered back into full color.
When my vision cleared, horror struck me. Farris was writhing on the stone, his form flickering like a candle in the wind. The blast hadn't stopped Prager—it had given her an opening.
Prager kept coming. Flames licked up her arms.
