Tessa
We welcomed the human army into our city. They seemed timid at first, but when arrows did not rain down from the battlements, they spread through the streets and headed toward the castle. Before anything else, I asked Vera the question I’d been dreading. When she saw the look on my face, she appeared concerned.
“Three of our companions went to your kingdom to treat with the king.”
She relaxed. “Ah. Val, Niamh, and Alastair. They’re an interesting bunch.”
“They are.” Did I dare hope? “Do you know what he did with them?”
“When they saw the king order our army to march against you, I was right beside them. They considered trying to kill him, but I rightly pointed out his guards would never let them get close enough. So they ran. To a wall near the river, if I heard them right. They were going to scale it and join your fighting efforts.” She laughed. “I let them go. Even then, in my subconscious, I must have sensed something wasn’t quite right with Duncan.”
I clutched her arm. “They went to scale the wall behind Teine?”
She carefully extracted her arm from my grip. “Goodness. You’re quite fond of them.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Kalen, my heart throbbing with hope. He’d already whistled for the horses. Toryn handed his spear to a nearby warrior, but Gaven simply remained by the gate, his hands clasped before him.
He met my gaze. His eyes were glazed with tears.
Kalen, Nellie, and Toryn mounted their horses. Silver was nearby, having shifted backed into a steed. To Kalen, I said, “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
After a quick glance at Gaven, he urged his horse into a gallop down the hill.
I went over to Gaven. He leaned against the stone wall as he let flames dance across his knuckles. For a moment, I just stood beside him. The weight of the battle pressed down on me. We had won, against all odds, but it had not come without a price.
And if I’d known before what that price would be, I might not have agreed to pay it.
“I don’t know how to face the day without her,” he eventually said. “We’ve been together for a very long time. I can’t remember a time when we weren’t. Friendship is often more powerful than romantic love. More permanent. I never imagined a time when Fenella would not be in my life.”
I wound my arm around his back and dropped my head to his shoulder. I had no words of comfort for him. No hope to provide. Now that I’d consumed Andromeda’s power, I understood the full depths of what it could and couldn’t do. I would have tried to bring Fenella back to life before I understood. I likely would have spent hours, even days, screaming at the sky, refusing to let her go until I’d wrung every last ounce of my power dry.
But she wasn’t coming back. Not from that wound. The only reason it had worked on me was because I’d been born with Life and Death inside me.
Gaven hugged me back, then kissed my brow. “Go. I know you’re eager to see Val again. I’ll be here waiting.”
“You sure you don’t want to come with me? Niamh and Alastair will be there, too.”
“I’ll see them soon enough. I just need a few more moments to grieve before I can truly celebrate their return. Plus, someone needs to find Roisin. She’ll be thrilled to see her sister.”
“I understand.” I started toward Silver, then paused. “Thank you, Gaven.”
“For what?”
“For being you.”
He smiled.
* * *
Ifollowed the others in the distance. They charged toward Teine, where the wooden wall still stood beneath the shadows of the mountains. As we drew closer, three small dots lengthened and widened, revealing my family, my friends.
Niamh led the front. She saw us first. Every inch of her was caked in dirt and blood. She slowed and dropped her empty quiver. Her bow slipped from her hands. Screwing up her face, she screamed and raced across the field.
Kalen leapt from his horse before it stopped. He crashed to the ground but kept on running. When Niamh reached him, they collided into each other so hard I heard the impact from here. She howled, saying his name again and again, with such depth of emotion, it brought me to tears.
Alastair stumbled toward them, a shit-eating grin consuming his face. And beside him was Val.
“Val,” I shouted, urging Silver onward. “Val!”
