Lying in the straw, surrounded by empty wine bottles, and fully naked, is Dayton.
He looks a mess, golden hair tangled, dark circles under his eyes, a stinking pile of sick in the straw beside him.
He pulls himself up to a sitting position, and his eyes are cloudy as he registers me. “Fare?”
I stagger backward, catching myself on the wall. “Day…”
Then, Dayton does what Dayton does best. He laughs. “Looks like I had a bit too much fun last night.”
I can barely breathe, let alone speak. “We…we’re leaving today.”
“Oh?” Dayton rubs his hands over his eyes. “Right. That’s this morning.”
“I thought you were coming with me.”
Dayton’s whole body stills. His head pitches forward, face covered by golden hair. “Of course I’m not fucking coming with you, Fare.” He looks up at me, his mouth unfamiliar. No smile. No cocky smirk. Instead, a harsh frown cuts across his face. “We have fun, you and me. But this isn’t one of your silly books. You’re a dreamer.” His eyes shimmer. “And you need to leave me out of it.”
“Dayton…”
“You don’t belong here, Farron,” he snarls. “And I sure as fuck don’t belong with you.”
All summer, I’d watched Dayton fight. Fight in the arena. Fight against Justus. Fight for me.
I’d said Dayton had changed me. I have to fight too. Fight for him, for us.
But Mother was wrong. I was wrong.
Because I’m not a different person. I’m still the coward I always was.
I turn and run.
25
Dayton
It’s because of summer’s heat, we get autumn. It burns, and it burns, and it burns, until it withers everything into ashes.
That’s what I did to you.
But now, as the carriages drift away, there is no flame beside my heart.
I don’t feel anything at all.
26
Epilogue – Farron
The halls of Castletree are alive with merriment. There is much to celebrate. I peer through the crowd of nobles in the ballroom to look at the four thrones. Sabine stands beside Damocles, who sits on the Seat of Summer. She holds the new Princess Delphia. This celebration of the Rainbow Eclipse Festival at Castletree is Sabine’s first official outing since Delphia’s birth.
And like he promised, Dayton is here. Not that he’s said a word to me since I arrived. Presently, I can see he’s well into his cups and chatting to a gaggle of young Winter nobles.
Castletree’s ballroom is done up in grand splendor, as always, a symphony of nature and magic. Soaring arches and pillars carved from the living tree reach toward the open windows and starry sky. Vines and delicate blooms twine around the columns, their petals glowing with light.
In the center of the room, the guests twirl in dance, their laughter and music ringing out, bringing to life the magic I always feel in Castletree.
I turn my attention back to the dais with the four thrones. My gaze slides from Day’s family to the Spring throne, the hugechair backed in blooming pink flowers and green vines. The newly crowned High Prince Ezryn sits stiffly upon it, metal fists clenched.
My stomach flips. The Spring Realm is so secretive I’ve only heard rumors, but word is his mother, the former High Princess, died passing on her Blessing. It’s a rare occurrence, but it has happened before.
