With a large amount of difficulty, Altair reached into his pocket and withdrew the ouroboros necklace he had been carrying around as penance ever since he’d ripped it off of Iyana’s neck.All he wanted now was for her to be safe.Even if it meant he died.Even if it meant she loved another.Altair only wanted her to be safe and happy.
It took so much more effort than he was used to, but Altair drew all of his magic towards his heart.He let it circle that faltering organ and imbued it with all of his love and regrets and hope for Iyana before directing it down his arm and into the necklace.
As his magic left his body, he felt empty.A husk of his former glory.Altair supposed it was fitting.
With the last of his strength, he put the necklace into Iyana’s palm, closing her fingers around it.He could do this one last thing for her.One final act to protect her in the coming war that he would no longer be there for.
Iyana was still trying to talk to him.He thought she was telling him no, that he couldn’t go.Altair may have been hallucinating, though, because it looked like she said she needed him.His hearing had left him, so he’d never know if that was the truth.
I love you.He mouthed the words to her one last time, needing her to know how much he actually meant it.
The last thing Altair saw before the darkness took him was Iyana’s beautiful face, her dark hair falling around him like a curtain, shielding them from the outside world for one final, private moment.
And Altair found his life had meaning, after all.So when he heard a dark voice in his head say,welcome home, my son, Altair walked into Phaedros’ embrace without a backwards glance.
Chapter 58
Iyana
Iyanafeltthemomentthat Altair’s soul left his body.And although he had hurt her badly and betrayed her in the worst way, he still took a piece of her with him.She gazed down at him; his eyes were closed, his chest refused to rise, and those hideous, ugly black lines had started to recede once he died.
This was the most at peace she’d ever seen him.
Hot tears continued to flow and fall onto his body as she refused to move away from him.None of her friends even tried, letting her have this time—even Emmeric.Her Kanaliza brushed against their bond to let her know that he was still there for her.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.That was the thought circulating through Iyana’s mind.This wasn’t supposed to happen.She had gone to Athusia, hoping they would be able to free Zane and Talon without any problems.But her backup plan had been to offer herself as a replacement for her two friends, thinking Rigil would jump on the chance to capture her without a fight.It was her hope that would suffice as the ‘willing sacrifice’ that would be required to banish the stars, and then she would simply find a way to escape the dungeons.For a second time.
She’d gravely misjudged the situation.And look where that had gotten them.Her errors had cost Altair his life.There had been a minute after she offered herself as a trade that she could tell Altair wanted to grab onto her and teleport them out, but he wouldn’t have been able to because—
Iyana surged to her feet, leaving her former lover lying in the snow, and marched to Okab.
“How did you teleport us out of the castle?”
The star frowned.“What?”
“Altair said there was magic in place preventing people from teleporting in and out of the castle, and that he’d had that privilege revoked because he was branded as a traitor.So was he lying to me?Or are you working for Rigil?”
“Iyana, I swear, I had no idea about the magic, but Altair was probably telling the truth.”
“Thenhow did you get us out?”she shouted, her tears falling faster.Iyana hated that this was her response to the situation.She actually liked Okab, and if he had double-crossed them as well, then Iyana didn’t think she’d ever be able to trust anyone again.
“I don’t know!”he yelled back, throwing his hands in the air.“All I know is that no matter what I do, the other stars have always underestimated me.I’ve always been overlooked.Rigil and Hadar honestly probably didn’t think of me as a threat.Theonlyone who ever saw me as capable is lying dead at my feet.Mybrother.Mytwinis gone.”His breath hitched, and his own teardrops finally fell.“He’s gone.The only person who ever told me how capable and how good I was while he was critiquing himself so harshly is just…gone.He gave his life for yours, and now I don’t know how to move on from this.”
“Okab…” Iyana said, reaching for him, but he stepped away.She understood.She’d just accused him of betraying his own brother mere minutes after his death.A small part of her shriveled inside, chiding herself for throwing accusations around that were unfounded.But it was something she’d needed to know, and for that reason, Iyana couldn’t regret asking.
“I need…” Okab took a deep breath.“I need to find Tara.Oh gods, I have to tell her what happened.We’ll have to burn his body somehow—I can’t just leave him here.”
“I can take care of that, Okab.Do you have any rites that need to be done?”It was easier for her to take care of someone else for a few minutes.
The other star, who was so much like Altair, shook his head.“We only burn our dead and commit their energy back to the universe.”
Iyana nodded.She could do that.Taking one last look upon the face that she had fallen in love with, Iyana used her magic to set Altair’s body ablaze.She forced herself to watch as the fire ate away all of those features she’d known so well—the lips that had professed his love to her, the golden eyes that had bored into her soul, the hands that had worshipped her.
Emmeric finally approached her and wrapped her in his arms.Iyana allowed herself to lean against him and steal some of his strength.
She was so conflicted about Altair’s death, because not only was he one of the strongest assets on their side, he had once meant the entire world to her.While their relationship never would have gotten back to where it had once been, Iyana could have seen forming a tentative friendship with him.Now that he was gone, she would never have that chance.
They all silently watched as the embers floated above their heads and hovered like stars against the backdrop of the burgeoning dawn, until Altair was nothing but ash at their feet.
