We round the house, and at the edge of the cliff stands a figure cloaked in darkness.
Silas freezes, and I narrow my eyes, trying to process who stands before us. Silas glares ahead, clenching his fists, and his shadows begin to pulse in a deafening defense.
Everything within me knows who stands before us, and I want to take a moment to pray that I’m wrong, but the time is up.
We step forward with Silas always slightly ahead of me. As we close the distance, I see him— familiar blonde hair moving in the wind—and as he turns, my heart shatters again.
He slowly turns to face us, and the moon shines off his dark eyes, like thousands of brilliant black diamonds.
Rohhit Harte, now Carobon, stands before us at the cliff’s edge.
His long cloak billows in the wind, and a ringing fills my ears, causing me to flinch as Kalix screams deep within my mind.
“KILL HIM,”she screams at me. “Do it while you can. Let me forward and…”
I block out her vicious, desperate taunts.
Silas rages and acts as if he’s going to lunge for him. “Step back, Briar.”
I grab his arm, preventing him from stepping forward, and he snaps his gaze to mine.
“No.” I stop Silas. “Do not go near him.”
A deep laugh reverberates through the air, and Carobon steps forward. The light that surrounds him is oddly dark and exudes a power that no one should ever possess.
“You know what I want,” Carobon speaks, and his voice snakes into the open air like a deadly virus.
Silas laughs. “You are insane if you think you are leaving this island with her.” He steps forward, and his shadows billow around him in an attempt to drown out any light—Carobon’s light.
“Good thing I am insane,” Carobon says with a smile, and my stomach twists.
“What do you want in return?” I step forward, and Silas reaches for me, but I slip out of his grip. “What can I give you instead?”
Carobon studies me, his gaze raking over my body. “I want nothing from you, Briar Blackbyrne. At least, not yet,” he rasps.
“Name your fucking price,” I bite back.
“There will come a time when you offer me this again, and I’m patient. I will wait for that moment, because what I will have…”
He pauses, and a wicked laugh leaves his throat as he shakes his head, as if trying to fight off something we can’t see.
“He’s strong,” Carobon whispers.
I angle my head. “Who?”
The moon dips lower in the sky, and a dim light begins to fill the air with a red, eerie glow. Carobon closes his eyes and delves into his magic, as if calling something or someone forward. A change happens, and Carobon sucks in a deep breath, his shoulders caving forward before he jerks upright, sending a chill down my spine.
I remain still, and my eyes widen as I watch intently.
His hair moves gently in the wind, and my mind struggles to process this. Rohhit stands before me.
“Rohhit?” I step forward.
A heavy exhale leaves his throat, and Rohhit claws against his own temples, as if in miserable pain.
“Gods,” I exclaim, and I attempt to rush forward, but Silas stops me.
“Let go.” I pull from his hold. “It’s him.”
