“Nymphs can’t cross over. The mortal world is too polluted. And I don’t think he’ll leave without her.”
He gave his head a little shake as if he couldn’t get the idea that Kaelan was in love with a nymph to settle in his brain. A feeling she shared. Finally, he seemed to give up, running his fingers over his brow as if wiping the thought away.
“There’s nothing I can do to stop my father,” he stated. “So I would prefer it if you stayed away from...him.”
“His name is Kaelan. And he’s your brother. And now that I know your father is going to send all manner of dire creatures after him, I have all the more reason to stay with him and help him as he has helped me.”
“You don’t understand. The prophecy—”
She threw her hands up in the air. “I’m so sick of prophecies!”
“One of us must die, or we will end up killing each other.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Why? Can’t you just decide not to? Did it ever occur to anyone that the only reason any of these prophecies come true is because we believe them?”
“You’re making this far more difficult than it has to be,” he said through his teeth.
“Why? Because I’m not simply giving in to everything you want?”
“It is foretold—”
“Screw that! You’re not doing this because of fate. You’re doing this because you want to. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved me just now. You could’ve allowed me to die and then Lavana would have no competition. After all, you’ll take whoever becomes Radiant, isn’t that right? It doesn’t have to be me.”
His nostrils flared. His hands tightened to fists.
“You could just as easily choose to forget about Kaelan. Forget about the prophecy. Forget all of it.” She pressed close to him, hands skimming his chest, tingling where she touched. “We could leave, Endreas, together. Come back with me to the mortal world and... leave behind all of this, prophecies and fratricide and war.”
His gaze combed her face. His thumb grazed her cheek, staggering her breath.
“I cannot turn my back on the Realms,” he said, “on my father, on my duty.”
“You could if you really wanted to,” she said.
“Could I? Why didn’t you simply give over the Enneahedron to Lavana when you had the chance?”
She sagged and turned away, sinking under the weight of his words. He was right, of course. She could never return to who she’d been. Prophecy or not, she was on this path now, and there was no turning back. The Rae in her wouldn’t allow Lavana to triumph unchallenged. But how she wished she could.
She faced him once more. “Whatever happens. I won’t allow you to hurt Kaelan. Or any of those who have found refuge in my Lands. So if that’s your plan, then there will be no peace between us.”
His eyes shut for a second, his jaw working as if fighting back a frothing host of words.
Finally, he said in a cool, even voice, “We will each do as we must.”
A chill quaked through her. She wanted to take it all back, to drag him into the bed and pretend as if she didn’t care about Kaelan or the small folk or her promises to Tamia and Ouda. If only she could.
If only.
Cold concrete weight crushed down on her.
“I can’t ride that creature,” she said finally, gesturing towards the lion-semargl.
“I ride Gur often. He is as steady in the air as he is on the ground.”
“That makes one of us,” she said.
“Are you afraid?”
“Yes,” she stated. How she hated this cold officiousness they were playing at. And yet, it was all too familiar.
