“It did,” Nora says softly. “It broke the magic.” Her hand lifts and caresses my cheek. “Not my love for you.”
The tenderness in her eyes nearly convinces me. A stranger could never look at me with that much warmth.
“That wasn’t created by a bond or fate,” she continues softly. “Even if you thought it was. I love you because you’reyou.”
Her thumb brushes across my cheek, wiping away the tears I fail to hide.
“You forget, Sorren. In my world, love exists without magic guiding it.” She smiles softly. “Humans choose who they love.” Her gaze holds mine. “And I choose you.”
“And I you,” I answer back as my heart swells.
Silence settles over the clearing.
The snake hisses thoughtfully. “Interesting.”
I turn, startled.
The great cobra lifts its head higher, golden eyes fixed on Nora. “The bond broke,” Veskar murmurs. “Yet love remains.”
His tongue flicks through the air as though tasting something new. “For thousands of years, the Egg has tested power. Loyalty. Fear.” His gaze locks on Nora. “But never this.”
“What?” I ask hoarsely.
The snake studies Nora for a second longer before answering.
“Choice.”
A slow smile spreads across Nora’s face, and something shifts. For the first time since the amulet shattered our bond, warmth stirs deep inside me. Faint. Fragile. Like the first spark of a fire struggling back to life.
Emotion brushes against my mind.
Nora.
I sit upright with a gasp, my hand flying to my chest.
“Nora…do you feel that?” I whisper, afraid to breathe too loudly, afraid the miracle might vanish.
She smiles, her eyes shining.
Her hand settles over mine.
The great cobra watches us with its body still, its golden eyes reflecting the flowers and blood and broken earth of the clearing.
“Did you do this?” Nora asks Veskar. “Did you restore our bond?”
“It is my job to judge. To decide worth.” The snake’s tongue flicks through the air. “I deem you worthy to hold Thornreaper.To wear the Amulet of Springtide. Beyond the weapons and treasures I hoard I do not interfere. So no, this is not me.”
Warmth spreads through me again, stronger now. The bond between us tightening, weaving itself whole.
Nora’s brows lift. “But I feel Sorren. I can feel my love for him.”
Veskar lowers his head slightly, as if acknowledging something ancient and rare. He murmurs, “Love needs no bonds or the blessing of gods. It is its own magic.”
Nora exhales softly and leans into me, her forehead resting against my chest as if that is the most natural place in the world for her to be. My arms close around her instantly. Fiercely. I pull her tight enough that I can feel the steady rhythm of her heart beneath the emerald resting against her collarbone.
I press my lips into her hair and close my eyes.
I’m so engrossed in Nora that I barely register the snake’s soft hiss. “Balance restored,” Veskar intones. Behind us the flowers stir in a soft wind that did not exist a moment ago. Without another word, the cobra slips back into the tall grass, silent as a shadow returning to the earth.
