“Don’t.” Marius rose to his feet, the tile tilting precariously beneath him. “You don’t know him as I do.”
Yes, people spoke about Sebastian as though his heart was black, and yes, he’d killed a lot of people. But that wasn’t all he was. Marius saw how the king was with Luna. Their love was strong, and Sebastian would never let any harm come to his wife.
Marius couldn’t ask for anything more for his sister.
“We just want to make sure you know what you’re doing,” the Spirit of the Waters said calmly. “If you’re being coerced into this, we can help you. This isn’t your fight.”
The wind blew, and Marius’s skin prickled.
“The prophecy has been fulfilled,” Omni boomed. “The harbinger is no longer needed. We can bring you somewhere where you’ll be safe.”
“You won’t have to deal with this anymore,” Inferna said gently, her flames growing taller, stretching above her head like a crown. “You can live the rest of your life in peace and explore the world free of the confines of the moon. If you come with us, you can do whatever you want.”
Marius stared at them, his mind whirling as he considered their offer.
He couldn’t deny there was something appealing about what they were saying. A life where he wasn’t bound by anyone else’s expectations of him, a life where he could travel wherever he wanted. Experience whatever he wanted.
He could go beyond the Four Kingdoms, maybe cross the IndigoOcean to see the fae. He’d heard of them, with their powerful courts and strong elemental magic, but he’d never dreamed he’d be able to see their home.
Maybe he could travel to Coral City and see the merfolk. He knew of Mareena and Calix, the ruling mer who lived beneath the strong waves.
Maybe he could explore his halfling magic and learn how to walk the silver planes more effectively.
He and Vivienne could?—
Vivienne.
Marius’s chest seized, and he shook his head. What in the gods’ name was he doing? Why was he entertaining this train of thought?
He couldn’t leave. These Spirits were wrong. Thiswashis fight, because the vampire in Death Mountain was only there because of him. He could not leave her to be devoured by whatever beast had emerged from the chasm.
Not only that, but he refused to let Sebastian and Luna down. What if they decided to go up against the First without the right tools, and the vampire killed them?
He’d never be able to live with himself.
Marius threw back his shoulders and lifted his chin. “No.”
“No?” Castien parroted, raising a watery brow.
“You heard me. I may be a halfling with Fortune Elf magic that is only somewhat useful, but they need me. I won’t abandon them.” Marius balled his fists, his nails cutting into the flesh of his palms. “I refuse your offer, and to be frank, I think it’s awful that you even suggested it.”
These Spirits were supposed to be powerful. Maybetheyshould be fighting the First instead of trying to tempt him away from this path.
A long moment passed as the Spirits of the Woods, Waters, Wind, and Flames exchanged grave looks.
Then, the strangest thing happened.
Silver wisps exploded out of the darkness like fireflies in a midsummer night sky. The air itself seemed lighter. The four Spirits exhaled. Castien nodded, and Myhhena’s wooden lips tilted up into a smile.
Leaves rustled as the Spirit of the Woods stepped forward, extending a hand.
The hovering tile jerked and glided forward as though tied by an invisible rope. Marius gasped, wobbling as he fought to maintain his balance. The tile moved swiftly, stopping a few feet from the powerful beings.
This close, he could make out the swirling orange and reds of Inferna’s flames, the deep currents running through Castien’s form, the striations in Myhhena’s leaves, and the small tornadoes that made up Omni’s eyes.
The Spirits were even more terrifyingly beautiful from up close.
“Congratulations, Prince Marius Wisethorn,” Myhhena declared in her ancient voice.
