Love? But I did love him. I do.
“He thought I could save him,” I whisper.
A hero for a dark prince.
I just didn’t realize saving him would come at the cost of my own heart.
But I know him, though at times, I let fear cloud my mind. He never wanted to be under her control, his father’s control. He would hate to hurt any of us.
Only I can stop him from that fate. And he knew it.
I’m his final plan.
“Caspian!” My voice is raw now, chest heaving.
His head jerks up, his ghostly eyes meeting mine, wild and tortured.
He trusted me to do this. He trusted me to end him before he becomes Sira’s puppet.
I raise my ice blade.
“Forgive me,” I whisper, my vision blurring.
Then I strike.
Sira’s scream shatters the air. She lunges forward, her hands outstretched, but she’s too slow.
My sword arcs down.
A golden briar shoots up between my blade and Caspian’s chest. The impact jars through me as my sword plunges into the thick tangle, stopping dead.
“No!” A cry rings out, furious and commanding.
Rosalina steps into view, rising from the swirl of golden briars and flames. The edges of her dress catch fire.
Her eyes blaze as they meet mine. She’s beautiful, powerful—and mad. “What are you doing?” she snarls.
“I’m his plan.” My voice breaks under the weight of the words. “Caspian asked this of me.”
Her expression falters, her lips parting in understanding. “No, I won’t allow that.”
There’s no time to argue. Caspian’s screams pierce through the chaos, the flames surging higher, hungrier, devouring everything in their path. This is for her as much as Caspian.
I shove her aside with a sweep of my arm and yank my blade out of the briars, striking it toward Caspian. “I love you,” I rasp.
Spectral flame explodes outward in a great eruption of power.The force slams into me like a tidal wave, hurling me backward.
The world spins in a blur of green and gold. I’m weightless, suspended in the blast’s aftermath.
Rosalina!
I twist in the air, reaching for her. My hand finds hers, and I pull her close, shielding her as we crash to the ground together. The tiles crack, the impact jarring every bone in my body.
We tumble in a heap, sliding to a stop against a wall. My arms stay locked around Rosalina, her breath ragged against my chest. Through blurry vision, I see Dayton and Farron rushing toward us.
Slowly, I sit up, ears ringing, and look to the swirl of flame before the dais.
Caspian rises from the bonfire. Briars wreathed in flame lift him above the throne as he observes us. His dark hair whips around his face, eyes like chips of malachite.
