I hadn’t said goodbye to Willa or Aero. Aelora wouldn’t mourn my absence, only the inconvenience of it. My final glimpse before Ronan’s power folded around us was the desk at his back, where the journal still lay, and inside it, the note I left slipped between the pages.
He would find it when I was gone. He would read it when it was too late.
He was a part of me, one I hadn’t realized I was missing. But fate, that cruel, beautiful thing, had made sure I remembered him before it took him away.
Turns out, Elysian isn’t quite the rule follower we all thought he was. Or maybe our rebellion had rubbed off on him.
The few days Ronan and I spent in Ryuu, the others had apparently decided patience was optional. Elysian and Killian took it upon themselves to declare the last leg of the voyage to the borderdoable.
Somehow, they were right. Three days, one sleepless night, and not a single run-in with soldiers or beasts. The first miracle in a lifetime of near deaths.
When we fell through the sift, Elva crashed into my arms, her laughter drifting through the air like sunlight through fog. Her scent hit me quickly, all wildflowers and honeyed warmth, and for a fleeting second, I remembered what it felt like to beexcited.
Ford barreled into me, sending us both sprawling into the grass. “Ooh, look at you!” His eyes were wide with delight as he tugged at the hem of my new leathers. “All fitted and brooding, how very Ryuu of you.” He turned his head toward Ronan, who was pretending not to watch. “Tell me, are these custom sets only for yoursexual partners, or can friends apply too?”
I bit back a laugh as Ronan’s hand stilled mid-polish along his sword, shoulders stiffening just enough for Ford to notice.
“Careful,” I murmured, brushing off the dirt his hands had left. “He might take that as an invitation.”
Ford winked. Ronan didn’t even look up as he exhaled, already sick of Ford and I together.
Wells had aged a decade somehow. His hair was cropped short, enough to make him look like a soldier instead of the boy I remembered. It was the matching display of discipline shared by Elysian. A grim shift had settled over both him and Killian. Though I didn’t provoke questioning it at that moment.
I hadn’t seen Callum at first. He emerged from the tree line shortly after we landed, embers dancing in his palms, Inessa and Kanoa shadowing him.
The moment our eyes met, an impulse inside me twisted. Everyone else must’ve felt it too, because they drifted back, giving us space neither of us had asked for. When he finally wrapped his arms around me, it didn’t feel like before. Not like childhood, or safety, or the years we spent building trust. It felt…off-balance.
He felt it too. It was obvious in the twitch of his jaw, the way his hold didn’t linger too long before the let go. Still, we smiled, tight, tired, and said we were glad everyone made it back alive. Then we turned toward the firelight, pretending that was enough.
Ford tossed a twig into the dwindling flames, barely any humor left in his voice. “Well, there goes my appetite.”
I didn’t expect anyone to be shocked when we told them Obrann had declared war. We knew it was coming, even if we were unaware it would be this sudden.
Killian stood a few paces away, fingers clenching around his dagger’s hilt. “He’s trying to force your hand?”
Ronan straightened. “He tried. And now he’ll learn what it costs.”
It wouldn’t have mattered even if Ronan had said yes to Luamis’ bargain. Obrann knew we were after the dark heir. Knew what would happen if we collected those stones before him, whether he knew they were fakes or not.
Elva’s lips parted. “Ronan—”
Elysian took a cautious step toward her even when Ronan didn’t look at her as he spoke. “Ryuu will bring slaughter before we surrender either of you.”
“Gods help us,” Wells muttered.
“They won't," Inessa spoke, blade steady in her hands. “They never do.”
Ronan turned, burned air following him, not saying another word. He hadn’t spoken of the memory I’d seen, the one that lodged itself into my skull and left a scar. And so, I couldn’t tell him, couldn’t remind him that this was how it had always begun. That Rhydan’s prophecy had already taken root.
I knew it wouldn’t have changed anything anyway. Ronan would scorch the world before bending to another king.
Ford whistled, only a pinch of his humor returning. “Well, I, for one, certainly love when we skip straight past diplomacy to the fun part.”
Elva glared at him. “How is any of this funny?”
He only shrugged. “It’s not. But I’d rather laugh before all my friends potentially burn and die terrible deaths.”
The wind stirred, carrying Ronan’s scent straight to me as he turned, eyes on Ford. “Then laugh now,” he said. “Because by dawn, the world changes.”
