“Wha’ happened?”Zane mumbled.
“The stars, my heart.Remember?After you were knocked out, they teleported us back to Athusia.”
At Talon’s words, Zane’s eyes snapped open fully.He could only see stone and was lying on a cold, hard floor because he was in his own godsdamn dungeons.Pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead, Zane sat up carefully.The room still spun, and he had to close his eyes until everything stilled.
As he got a better sense of his surroundings, he realized Talon wasn’t in the cell with him.
“Talon?”he asked in a panic.
“Here, love,” said Tal’s voice to his right.“I’m in the next cell.I’m okay.”
No, no, no.This couldn’t be happening.They had just spent the best days of Zane’s life together, and now they were locked within a dungeon.He should have known it was too good to last.
“Oh, Tal,” he said, his voice breaking.“I’m so sorry.I should have thought this through more before rushing out after them.This is all my fault.”
“None of this is your fault, Zane.”Talon sounded so sure of himself with that answer.
Tears sprang to Zane’s eyes, and he let them fall freely.“You don’t belong here, Talon.You’ve been through so much already.”
“And you haven’t?”Tal asked, sounding angry.“Phaedros take me, Zane, stop putting my well-being upon your shoulders.We both made the decision to go.There was absolutely no way the two of us were going to defeat six stars who possess magic.Neither of us belongs here, but we’re here, and we’re going to deal with it.”
Talon’s hand emerged from the cell next to his.Zane reached his hand out as far as it could go, but it only allowed them the barest brush of their fingers.He wished he could see him.Hold him.They stayed like that for several minutes—straining against their enclosure for that simple, light touch.Zane’s tears fell faster than before, and he held in a sniff.He didn’t want Talon to know he was crying.
“I’m here, Zane,” Tal whispered.“I’m with you.Until the very end.”
Until the very end.
Chapter 50
Iyana
Warmsunlightshonedownon Iyana.She lay within a soft patch of grass and wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and sleep in the sun’s rays.But then she remembered, and Iyana sat upright with a jolt—the poison, Emmeric’s love, her heart stopping.Iyana worried she may have made the poison too potent.Her heart wasn’t supposed to stop completely.
The same verdant green meadow spread out in front of her, exactly as she remembered it from the last time.A wide, rushing river separated Iyana from the actual Everlands, and either she didn’t remember the current being quite that fast, or it had increased in speed since she was there last.Luckily, Altea was nowhere to be found.The lure of the river was stronger than before.Most likely because, this time, Iyana had actually died.
Everything within her wanted to resist the temptation of that river and the peace she knew she’d find on the other side, and simply wait for Em to give her the antidote.But she had come here for a reason, and she was wasting time.Emmeric was only going to give her twenty minutes, and if Iyana was honest with herself, it was probably going to be less.If it were him lying dead in her lap, she wouldn’t wait the full twenty minutes either.
With a deep breath that did nothing to settle her nerves, Iyana set off for the bank of the river.Dipping her toe in, she found the water to be pleasantly warm, not the cold bite of most rivers she was used to.Iyana waded in until she could no longer touch the silty bottom, then began to swim towards the opposite shore.She never claimed to be a strong swimmer—growing up in the desert and only occasionally visiting an oasis will have that effect—but the current seemed to be too strong.Almost immediately, she was swept downstream, and she had to power her legs and arms with magic to propel her forwards.Still, every time she looked, the riverbank appeared no closer.
Iyana did not know where this river flowed to, or what would happen to her if she failed to make it to the other side, but she didn’t want to find out.Drawing forth more magic, she directed it into her muscles and lungs and took a deep breath, swimming with all her might.She fought against the raging river, and as her strength began to fade, her toes touched upon sand again.Iyana almost wept with relief as she struggled the last few feet and collapsed on the shore.
Her breathing was so loud in her ears that she didn’t notice the person approaching her until there was a head blocking out the sun.
“Here, let me help,” a deep, masculine voice said, and a hand appeared to pull Iyana off the ground.Suspicion ate at her for a moment, but she remembered where she was.Souls who went to the Everlands were inherently good, or had redeemed themselves in the Nine Hells and earned their place here.The odds were in her favor that she would not find an enemy during her stay.
So Iyana grabbed the offered hand and was hauled to her feet.Before her stood a tall, strapping man with skin darker than Kaz’s, and irises that appeared almost black.He kept his hair cut close to his scalp, and he wore a broad grin.His body was lean, but muscular, and the only sign of his age was the small wrinkles around his eyes, which spoke to how often he smiled.
“Thank you…” Iyana said.
His smile broadened.“My name is Theo.”
Iyana’s jaw dropped.It couldn’t be.“You’re—”
“The first Kanaliza, yes,” he said.“Les sensed you arrive and sent me to guide you.”
When she said nothing, too caught up in her own shock, Theo chuckled and turned, gesturing for her to follow.Iyana fell into step beside him, needing to jog to keep up with his long strides.
The lush green meadow continued from the river bank into rolling hills.There were bright flowers everywhere—pink carnations, orange marigolds, purple orchids, and yellow chrysanthemums.A light breeze brushed against Iyana’s face, carrying the sweet scent of the flowers to her.She noticed that it was peacefully quiet here, and while there were no chirping insects or birds singing, there was still a sort of song that flowed through her.One that she felt rather than heard.
