A part of me begins to protest, but then I look at his body, completely broken beneath the pillar, and do as he asks. I remove it carefully, guiding the dented helm over his jaw and ears, before it comes fully free. I set it to the side.
Kairyn’s dark eyes shine in the dim light, struggling to find my own. My throat tightens. Heisjust a boy, the same as I thought when I first saw his face without a helm. A man brand-new. I hate how much of Ezryn I see in him, not just in the features, but in the memories I envision of his life.
“Why did you want to speak with me?” I whisper.
He swallows. “Save her. Please. Please, don’t let her die here in the dark.”
He’s talking about Wrenley, I realize.
“She hates the dark. Take her to the sunshine. Please, Rosalina. Don’t leave her alone.”
He doesn’t know that’s why I came here—to bring my sister back from the dark. I steady my breath. Maybe there’s a chance here.
“Why should I save her?” I ask.
“Please! She’s … your family.”
“What do you know about family? You tried to kill your own brother.”
“Yet, after everything I’ve done, he spared my life.” Kairyn closes his eyes, and a tear squeezes out and drips down his face. “I wanted him to see me for who I truly was. In the end, he still hasn’t. He would have murdered me if he had.”
“Or maybe he sees something in you that you don’t yet,” I say quietly. I place a hand on his forehead.
He opens his eyes, blinks becoming slow and distant. “Will you do it, Golden Rose? Will you save her?”
“Yes.” I wipe the tear off his cheek. “She will be safe.”
He lets out a sigh and smiles. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it. It’s different than Ezryn’s, but beautiful in its own way, crooked and … soft. The one soft thing about him.
His movements are shaky as he reaches his one free hand to mine and lifts it onto his chest, over his heart. “Tell Ezryn … tell Ezryn I only ever wanted to make him proud.”
He’s dying. The thought comes to me all at once. I knew it in my heart, but now my mind has words for it. This boy is dying.
Spring will be without a High Ruler.
“Kairyn, what of your Blessing?”
His breath only wheezes now, his face drained of color. “I have no blood-heir. I must choose …”
A pit opens in my stomach. What will become of the Blessing? Of the people of Spring? Will Kairyn pass it to one of his minions who will rule with a tighter fist than he has? Or is the magic destined to vanish from the realms forever—
Kairyn offers me that smile again, and his eyes find mine. A warm glow trickles over my skin, the feeling of standing under a spring rain.
Where my hand touches his chest, a golden glow erupts forth.
Magic blooms within my heart. Whispers of Spring sparkle through my body. All at once, I am a cherry blossom unfurling under an azure sky, a blade of grass fighting for sunlight through the fresh earth. A sense of renewal sweeps through me, a caress that eases winter’s icy grip and makes way for summer.
Every bud that blooms, every bird that sings, does so in a language older than words, and I know it all. Like a storm that makes way for new life, I feel the power of rejuvenation flow through me.
I am Kairyn. I am Ezryn. I am Isidora, and all the High Rulers of Spring that have come before.
I clutch my heart and gasp. “You … you gave me the Blessing of Spring.”
Kairyn closes his eyes. “Find someone who will do better with the Blessing than I did.”
I stagger to my feet and stumble a few feet away from him. I turn inward, as if speaking to this new magic.I will keep you safe, I promise. Keep you safe until I find a heart worthy of wielding you.
I leave Kairyn as his breathing slows to a near inaudible level and swim back to my sister. I have to get her to safety.
