Arianna turned slightly in the water, staring out at the trees and the warriors she knew stood just beyond, ready to lay down their lives before she fell with them. She’d die with strangers. She’d watch them fall. Maybe she’d be the last to go. There had to be something poetic in that.
Or she could leave right now and join the healing front. Maybe she could give their warriors a fighting chance. Perhaps with her help, killing Vairik was possible. Maybe it wasn’t. But standing here doing absolutely nothing while their world burneddidn’t feel right. Whatever Eimear had seen wasn’t here. What had everyone told her? That a seer’s visions were fickle at best? Arianna was crying, that much was true. Maybe she’d just needed to come here for a final goodbye with Rion. Maybe this was where she realized exactly where she was needed on the battlefield.
Maybe she’d never know, and it wouldn’t matter in the end.
Arianna turned back to stare at the trickling falls one final time. She looked at the Fairy Folk next. She’d never seen so many in one place. Perhaps they’d all fled here, a refuge in the event the world was ever about to end.
She wished she could give them safe passage across the ocean. Maybe they could form new lives there, live in peace on the outskirts of the human lands. Anything was better than being consumed by the wicked creatures Vairik had been cultivating.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Arianna backed away, moving to the water’s edge. Her body trembled, another sob sapping her strength. Her legs gave out, and she sat, her lower portion still submerged in the water.
The Fairy Folk drew closer, forming a circle around her body as if to protect her. Perhaps they just wanted one final chance to bring someone happiness.
She watched them, all the various shapes from mushrooms to flowers to branches that could blend seamlessly with the trees. Had her ancestors known their purpose? Did the original, untainted texts tell their story? Maybe someone far into the future would finally uncover the truth about their world. Or maybe Vairik would just kill them, too, and forever rule the land, believing everything he did was right.
She clenched her fists again, body shaking. Arianna stared at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were puffy andred-rimmed, and tears streaked her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away.
Another moment passed. Arianna took a deep breath. They needed her. Talon needed her. Rion needed her.
Arianna touched her lips again, still feeling the shadow of his kiss. She’d never forget the desperate way he’d crushed her body to his own. He claimed his soul was damned, but those blood-soaked hands had been so gentle. Everything he’d done over the last several days had been … gentle. The way he’d waited for her, talked to her, touched her.
Wife.
Husband.
Rion was her husband. She’d made the choice to declare him King over all of Alastríona.
And he’d kept it all to himself.
Whatever Vairik believed or tried to claim, Rion certainly wasn’t a monster. And she hadn’t told him any different. Guilt flew through her as she recalled calling him such.
Rion, her mate, her husband, was fighting on the front lines, and she hadn’t told him—Arianna choked on another sob. She covered her mouth, pressing her face into her knees.
Gods, please, just tell me what to do.
A light exploded through the darkness, and Arianna’s head jerked up to see the Fairy Folk glowing, their little bodies illuminated by that same bluish light that had been carved throughout the underground library.
She took them in, noting that at least a dozen had their little hands directly on her. The others had placed their hands on their kin. They’d connected themselves, every single one of them, with her at their epicenter.
Warmth flooded her body. A warmth that felt like home. Her shoulders relaxed, chest eased, and Arianna finally drew in a steady breath. The warmth reached even further, igniting partsof her soul that she’d thought lost to grief. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting it wash through her, letting the Fairy Folk lift her from the pits of despair.
Arianna’s eyes fluttered open again and stared up into the canopy. Enough was enough. She wouldn’t meet her end on her knees. She’d do it the way every Fae dreamed of doing it, with a sword in hand, fighting beside the people she loved most.
She’d make a final stand and ride out to let her people know they weren’t alone. They’d see that the queen they’d looked up to and believed in would die right alongside them. They deserved that from her.
Arianna smiled down at the little creatures. “Thank yo—” Her head rocked sideways, and everything vanished, swallowed by a sea of blurring colors. She knelt upon a stone floor, the very floor that had been plaguing her nightmares for weeks.
Arianna stared into Rion’s misted green eyes. His lips were parted, cheeks flushed, heart beating fast. A priestess draped a white cloth over their hands. His were shaking. Hers too, but they were both … smiling, then laughing as he struggled to slide a slender ring onto her finger. The stone in the center was swirling emerald, a perfect shade to match his eyes. The one she slid onto his was cerulean blue to match hers. A symbol to always remember the other if they were ever apart.
Smoke rose from an incense bowl resting on the ground between them. It twisted around their clasped hands, binding them body, mind, and soul. The priestess sang to the heavens, speaking the names of gods Arianna had never heard before.
Rion stood first and pulled Arianna to her feet, then kissed her with tears streaming down his face. She hadn’t been able to contain hers, either.
The world spun again. The image of her thin white dress burst into color, swirling until Arianna found herself inside an elaborately decorated room, her body on top of another’s withauburn hair. She gripped his hands, knowing he’d never let her fall, that he’d never hurt her, never let anything hurt her soul, either. They were one. She was his, and he was hers.
Arianna barely had time for a breath before the image zoomed in quickly and shifted to another.
