“No, Ethan.” I grasp the nape of his neck, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Your mother loved the Kingdom of Mountains, but she loved you more. You did everything you can. This isn’t your fault.”
My spine tightens with a shattering ache. Yet ... it doesn’t hurt enough to make me scream at the top of my lungs anymore. With a soft whimper, I curl against Ethan’s chest, and his attention snaps back to me.
“Let’s get you out of here.” He tightens his arms around me, determination bracketing his lips.
I sag with relief. We need go. I wish I could fight for his kingdom, but I’m useless in this state. I can’t even protect him.
Ethan flies toward the portal, straining to hold the shield around us. My pain eases by another notch, allowing the exhaustion to roll in.Hurting is hard work.My eyelids grow heavy, but I force my eyes open.
My vision gradually clears, and a part of me wishes it hadn’t. Ethan’s face is haggard with grief. The Amheuk is smashing his beautiful kingdom to pieces, and he’s suffering to the depth of his soul. My heart clenches in my chest.
I wish I could make it stop.
I take a deep breath, then stop with a frown. I can breathe normally again. I exhale as though to prove my point. And the pauses between the bouts of pain are growing longer.What is going on?I stare down at my palm, and the rough circle barely seeps blood now. I gasp softly as understanding dawns on me.
My blood oath is fading.
“Wait, Ethan.”
The eternal darkness is hurting him, and I want to hurt it right back. With the curse waning, I can finally do something about it. I won’t let him lose his kingdom without a fight.
“What is it?” He peers into my face with frantic eyes. “Are you hurting?”
“I-I can manage the pain. The blood oath is weakening because ... the Kingdom of Mountains is dying,” I say in a husky rasp. “I’m so sorry.”
Relief and devastation vie for dominance on Ethan’s face. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”
“Well, I’m not going to watch the Amheuk destroy your kingdom lying down. I’ll—” I hiss as the curse digs into my skin like a knife scoring a thousand cuts in my body.
“We’re getting out of here,” Ethan growls. “You’re still in pain, whether the blood oath is weakening or not.”
“Please listen. I’m not being bullheaded for no reason.” I grip his arm.Yes, I want to hurt the Amheuk for hurting Ethan, but that’s not all.“I can buy everyone in the Kingdom of Sky some time so they can prepare for a last stand against the Amheuk.”
“How will you buy them time?” Ethan narrows his eyes on me.
“Will the dome keep me from falling?” He nods warily, and I push against his chest. “Put me down.”
When he reluctantly complies—and I don’t plummet to my death—I summon the Yeoiju to my heart’s center.
“Whoa.” His face slackens with wonder. “Your eyes are on fire—white fire.”
“Are they?” I smirk, then summon the Shin’gwangdo with a snap of my wrist.
“Show-off.” A crooked grin curves his lips.
I’m distracted for a second, but I’ll have to kiss the hell out of him later. “That wasn’t showing off ... This is.”
Spinning away from him, I reach out to the nature around me.We need your help.I spread my arms wide as thegiof the trees, of the lakes, of the earth flows into me.I know you’re hurting, but we have to fight.
The life force of nature flows through my veins, powerful and verdant. Even as the Kingdom of Mountains dies, itsgiis stronger than the faint life force I felt in the Kingdom of Water. It still isn’t as formidable as nature’s life force in the Mortal Realm—perhaps because it’s thegiof a single life source—but it’s more than enough to infuse my Yeoiju with power.
I grip the Shin’gwangdo with both hands until it gleams with white light, as bright as the sun. Another black tentacle shoots toward us from below but bounces off Ethan’s protective dome. Then another and another charge at us, and Ethan grunts behind me. The dome holds, but his labored breaths tell me it won’t for much longer.
Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I search the ground below. I freeze when I find what I’m looking for—a swirling black mass with countless tentacles branching from it.
“Ethan.” I glance over my shoulder and point toward the core of the Amheuk. “Can you get us closer to that?”
“I can try,” he rasps.
