Blinking back tears—of grief, of rage—I pull the clip out of my hair and press it into Nariel’s hand. “Something to remember me by,” I whisper, and hope that no one pays any attention to the magic I press into it.
A piece of me, that I hope he doesn’t hate.
A promise, that I can’t state aloud.
Nariel’s eyes burn. “This was a gift.”
Does he mean the clip, or his choice? I can’t tell, and I can’t ask. “I know,” I whisper, and hope against hope he understands, and that I’ll have the chance tomakehim understand.
But for now, that’s all the time we have.
I keep my peace as I watch very closely the magic I sense Koshiel performing, the spidery threads of it that swirl around Nariel and grasp him tight, that draw him down to bind him to another world.
I’m no expert on angel magic yet, but I will be.
As Nariel passes through the water as if sinking into a world below, our eye contact never breaks.
“I will see you again,” I promise him fiercely.
And the last I see is Nariel’s unbearably sad smile before he passes out of this world into his imprisonment.
Leaving me hollow.
Despite all the odds, I won.
I have all the magic I ever wanted. I have the freedom to use it.
And it isn’t enough.
Epilogue
Things happen very quickly after that.
Once Nariel is gone, the angel turns her attention to Evram.
She already has what she wants from me, after all.
With the angel bearing down on him, the grand magus caves with bad grace to the new “agreement.” He practically snarls it, glaring at me the whole time.
Even if I’m not exactly over the moon about this arrangement, I am absolutely vindictive enough to enjoy that.
I don’t say anything to him, though. I beat him in every way that matters, and we both know it. Nothing I can say will make him madder than what he tells himself.
When he finally spits out his agreement, I do give him a little wave though. Just to watch his head try to explode.
It’s the little things.
If I learned anything from Nariel, it’s that.
But it’s also an acknowledgement, because I do know Evram, and this isn’t the last time I’ll see him, the last time we’ll clash. He’ll withdraw to prepare, and I had better do the same.
As Evram storms away, Destien casts me a long, serious look I’m no longer certain I can interpret correctly. He’s taking my measure, but as an enemy, ally, or force to be handled with caution? I don’t know.
Nariel was right about that too, that people can surprise you.
Every thought of him is like stabbing my heart over and over again.
He left for his people, and ultimately, he was here in the first place for his people, too.
