“Endymion,” I said, dragging my eyes to his.
“Me,” he confirmed, though I hadn’t needed him to.
It was clear in retrospect that he’d known about this kintorian bond when I was human. Had understood it. Had ached because of it.
He’d been emphatic that I trust him back in the Summer Court—desperate, even. I hadn’t understood him. Why he’d fought me so hard on it; going so far as to offer me a bargain. Why he’d reacted so viscerally to the violation of Thaddeus’ link. Stars, was it happenstance that he found me in the Autumn Court after I’d fled from the king, or this kintora we shared? And down in the cell, I’d pulled hard on whatever had tugged on me—hadn’t he arrived shortly after?
It all started to make sense now. How he’s been around me. How he’d known where to find me thenight he’d helped me dispel.
What had Kaelun said? That I’d never be the same if our bond was broken? He was right. As each new revelation popped another piece into place, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn’t survive the loss of him. I’d barely survived the distance.
Without warning, Wymond clapped his hands, and there was a collective gasp as our kintora came into focus. It was beautiful. Mesmerizing, even. The tunnel of threads was no wider than my wrist, spanning from the center of my sternum to Endymion’s. I understood then what Kaelun had meant byinvestiture. Endymion’s glittering black threads reached toward mine, stretching as if desperately trying to grasp something out of reach. Or someone. Me.
Mine weren’t nearly as formed, but the glittering white was near blinding. My threads swayed, like river grass caught in a lazy current. In the middle of them all was one, single thread that was bound—no, woven—together.
The High Lord summoned his powers, his hand turning black with Death Thrall as he reached for that singular, vulnerable thread binding us. Endymion thrashed in his restraints trying to break free.
Frozen by shock, I watched in horror as, he paused to looked at me. “If I can’t have my love, then neither can you.”
“No!” I screamed as he moved to sever our bond.
Power erupted from my chest through the tunnel connecting us, and thousands of threads hurtled toward Endymion, wrapping themselves around that single thread. I hadn’t noticed it at first, but Endymion’s powers did the same from the other side. The two collided in the center, and an explosion of raw magic burst from where they connected, throwing Wymond back while ignoring Kaelun. We watched in awe as the extra threads weaved themselves in the most intricate pattern from where they collided. His glittering darkness mixed with mine like it had when he’d shielded me in that dome that night when I’d leaned into him, and when it finally reached my sternum—and mine reached his—we both cried out.
Words would forever fall short of what I experienced in that moment, but while I instinctively knew that the weaving was stillnot complete, I finally felt whole, like that aching place in my chest had healed.
Still fully restrained, we stared into each other’s eyes, and it was like nothing I’d experienced before.
“What did I say about using the spark against me, Nyleeria?” Wymond bellowed as he stalked back toward us, fury in his eyes.
“I didn’t choose to, I swear,” I said, suddenly realizing what saving Endymion might cost.
He didn’t pause. Didn’t even act as if he heard my words before gripping Kaelun by the throat.
“No!” Sidrick, Artton, and I yelled in tandem.
“Please, Wymond. Have mercy. It wasn’t his fault. It was mine. I’m not always in control of my powers,” I begged.
“And. What. About. My. Family?” he bellowed, his face red with fury as the ground shook below us.
“Wymond, please,” I cried again. “I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t begin to imagine the pain you’re in, but please,pleasedon’t do this. I swear on the Mother that I didn’t break my word to you.”
“Their deaths are your fault! My family is dead because of you!”
Kaelun let out a strangled sound as he stretched his feet toward the ground, trying to gain purchase as Wymond lifted him up by the throat.
“Stop it!” I yelled, and pulled my magic forth.
“Use that magic against me again, Nyleeria, and I will slaughter every. Last. One of them.”
The spark bucked and cried from my summons to call it back, as if knowing that a part of me would rather doom us all by fighting than watch idly as Kaelun paid Wymond’s unfair toll.
“Wymond,” Endymion said, his calm voice anchoring me enough to keep my head. “This won’t ease your loss.”
“You’re right. It won’t. But at least she’ll feel just a fraction of what I’m going through. And that’s enough.”
“Kill me instead,” Sidrick cried out, and all eyes shot to him. He was shaking with fear and rage, pulling so hard against the restraintsthat they’d long since dug into his skin, crimson dripping to the wooden floor below.
I wanted to protest. To say no. But how could I deny a brother the right to save another? It was an impossible situation.
