What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t let Eira die.
But I couldn’t heal her poison. I could only keep her thread intact for a short span of time. Just like her stab wound, I hadn’t been able to fix the injury. I’d needed a healer.
She was dying. Shewoulddie.
“You two have grown… quite close recently, haven’t you?” Calista said, arching a single eyebrow. “It seems she’s worked her charms on you, if she managed to convince you to break our bargain.”
“I—I—” Shivering bones, I couldn’t speak.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Calista’s voice turned icy. “You—and your blood—belong to me.”
Pull yourself together, Theron!I ordered myself. I couldn’t break down now.
Calista believed she had me. But Frisk was out there, rallying reinforcements. The soldiers were under attack. Did Calista know this?
Did she know I’d awakened my necromancy? Had Lavinia told her yet?
“No,” I blurted.
Calista’s brows furrowed. “No what?”
“No, I didn’t break our bargain.”
She chuckled. “Don’t try to talk your way out of this, Theron.”
“I promised I’d bring you her heart.” I gestured to Eira’s prone form. “And I have.”
“You promised you would kill her,” Calista seethed.
“No, I didn’t.” I remembered that moment clearly—the moment I was certain I’d agreed to my freedom. “I promisedyou her heart in exchange for a release from my duties and the return of my blood. Never once did I vow to kill her, nor did I specify what condition her heart would be in when I delivered it to you.”
Calista’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes widening a fraction. “But I…” She trailed off, her face paling.
In spite of the situation, I found myself smirking. “It is a real treat to shock you, Your Majesty.”
Her lips thinned, and fury brimmed in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, I said, “You are right, though. The princess is dying. I can see that now. Can I bid her farewell? I did grow… quite fond of her.”
Calista’s eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down, as if searching for a hidden weapon. At long last, she waved her hand. “Yes. Say your goodbyes. There is nothing you can do for her.”
I had to let her believe that. With a nod, I drew closer to the princess.
“Bargain or not,” Calista said suddenly, “you will not leave this palace alive, Theron. I trust you know that.”
I met her gaze. “I do.” Then, I crouched to the ground, kneeling next to Eira’s motionless form.
Still alive,I had to remind myself. Because she did look well and truly dead. Her lips were gray. Her chest wasn’t moving.
The thin thread of life surrounding her was no longer a strengthened cord. My magic had faded, and the poison would claim her soon.
But I had one last idea. I didn’t even know if it would work, but I had to try.
I leaned closer to Eira, digging down deep into my well of power, summoning everything I had left. I focused on thepain of this moment; it wasn’t hard to conjure it. The sight of Eira lying before me felt like cleaving my chest into two pieces. I clung to that feeling, allowing the anguish of this moment to spread through my body and soul.
What was it Lavinia had told me?It is said necromancers possess the kiss of death. Unless you channel your power into the kiss, it’s harmless.
If necromancers possessed the kiss of death… perhaps we also possessed the kiss of life.
I focused all my power into a single breath. Energy sparked behind my lips. They tingled and burned from the force of my magic.
