“It's risky to lower the wards, and we will be putting this realm in danger,” Gideon says after Raiden has explained his plans in full.
“It will only be for a short time, and after Invidia is trapped, the Smog should dissipate …” Raiden trails off.
“If you would let me finish, I was going to say, ‘So this plan had better work.’" He points an aged finger at Raiden. “Or it'll be you who answers to Queen Kyrrah, boy.”
Raiden
ARINA'S HEAD RESTS on my chest, her breath slow and even, as if she’s one with the waves.
Holding her makes me feel the nearest to whole I've ever been, and I want to stay wrapped up in her and this feeling until my final breath.
I've never wished for a longer lifespan, but there isn't much I wouldn't give to spend more days next to her. And for the first time, I am petrified of the possibility that I could lose her or thatwe might not have as long as I need to properly demonstrate just how much she means to me.
Fate has somehow decided I am worthy of finding my mate, and what's even more unimaginable is the way Gideon so easily released me from my obligation to his kingdom. I will not take our time together for granted.
There's a knock at the door that has me squeezing her gently and leaving a soft kiss to her head as I roll out of bed to answer.
“What is it?” I ask the Clestrayan soldier through the cracked door, though I know what he's going to say. I've been dreading the moment.
“We've reached the wards, sir.”
I nod once. “Let them know we'll be there shortly," I tell him, and shut the door, turning back to find Arina wrapped in the sheet and sitting at the edge of the bed, soft morning rays dance in her hair, weaving tendrils of gold atop her head. I commit the image to my memory. She is perfection made real, and I get to be her godsblessed mate.
"What is it?" she asks, sleep still heavy in her eyes.
"We're here." I sit next to her and wrap my arms around her.
She takes a deep breath in through her nose, and I wonder which of the horrors we're about to face are swimming through her mind.
“Right. Let's get this over with,” she says, wiggling from my grasp.
In strained silence, we rush around the cabin until we're both dressed and standing before the door.
“Ready?” I ask before reaching out to open the door.
“I do not pretend to think I will ever be ready for what our future holds,” she says, a sad smile on her porcelain face. “But I'm ready to face it with you.”
We walk hand in hand to the deck, where we find King Gideon and Lavinia, staring out at the place where the Smog meets King Gideon's wards.
Arina is rigid at my side, no doubt building up that impenetrable armor that kept her alive all those years within the curse.
King Gideon pulls out a small dagger and locks eyes with me. “You are certain you can do this?”
“There is only one way for us to know for sure, but we have the majority of the gods on our side. I do not see how we can lose.” For a moment, I fear it's all been a lie, and he is about to go back on his word. He has to drop the wards.
The king concedes with a slight nod. He cuts his hand and holds it out over the waves. When he squeezes his fist, thick drops of dark crimson blood hit the water, swirling until they vanish below, and I expect something more to happen.
Then, as if freed from its prison, the Smog creeps forward, swallowing us whole. Ship by ship.
Arina
“Ophis Isle is just east of here. If they survived the collapse of the tunnels, that is where we will find the Rhiza. We will take this ship with a skeletal crew there, and meet you in Spoikos within three days.” I'm barely listening as Raiden and Gideon say their goodbyes.
The weight of the Smog crashes down on me. There is an ache in my chest that's what I imagine it feels like to be pierced through with a blade, and it's all I can do to keep my feet steady beneath me.
Panic envelopes me, and my vision spins. It's as though nothing is staying in place. Objects that should be solid slip and slide as they come in and out of focus. I find the closest railingand collapse to the ground, wishing the waves would stop just for a moment so I can think straight.
Raiden whispers softly in my ear, “You're okay. This is the last time you will have to experience the weight of this curse. We are going to end it. We are going to save our people, Arina. Together.”
