She shook her head. “We can find a way to undo this.”
“The only end to my story is death. I can feel it in my bones now, Nellie. No matter what anyone does, this is it for me. I’m fated to end this way.” I looked at the floor, then met her deep brown eyes. “There is something I must tell you.”
The mortals of Talaven had been clear. I was to never share the truth of my mission with anyone, not even my brothers and sisters. The fate of the world hung in the balance, they’d insisted. Any stumble off the path would end in ruin. But they’d also been clear about one specific thing: my death. They said it would only happen if I failed, if I did something different from the orders they’d given me.
So, I no longer saw any reason to keep the truth to myself.
I tugged Nellie closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “The mortals of Talaven have the power of foresight. They’ve been putting pieces into play across the centuries. They believe it’s the only way to save the world from the gods. You and Tessa are part of it. But I’ve failed us all. We’ve gone off the correct path.” I pulled back, hating the fear and confusion swirling in her eyes. There wasn’t enough time to fully explain this to her. “But I made some preparations, just in case something went wrong. There is a cave in the mountains just outside of Albyria, near where you found my camp. You remember the location?”
She nodded, silent.
“Good.” Another flash of pain cut through my gut. I doubled over, but I wouldn’t let a little hurt stop me from this. “I put some weapons there. Some gemstones and valerian. Even some food. It won’t be enough for everyone, but it’s a start. After you gather the supplies from my store, cross the bridge into Albyria. Burn the damn bridge down if you need to. And use everything in that cave to fight the gods.”
“All right. I will.” She swallowed. “But I don’t understand all this. How can the humans see the future? What path were we on? Which one are we onnow? Can we fix it? I need more than what you’ve told me.”
“There’s one more important thing.” Pain wracked my skull. It took every ounce of self-control not to scream. “Look for the tiger-eyes. They hold a great power, one I think few know. A light fae can use it to form a shield. I saw it once. It works. Use them to protect yourselves.”
“Tiger-eyes.” Nellie nodded. “I’ll look for those first.”
Coughing, I sputtered blood into my hand. “I’m surprised you believe me. Druid Balfor has been spreading rumors I’m deranged and hallucinating.”
“Tessa thinks he’s hiding something. Is he?”
“The Druids know everything Talaven does,” I replied. “He’s likely trying to influence events based on what they’ve told him about the future.”
Her eyes grew distant. “He thought coming into these caves was a bad idea. If he knows what path we should be on to win, we should have listened to his warning.”
“Except Balfor didn’t see me coming, did he?” I smiled through the pain. “This is how I will put us on the right path again. I will die fighting the gods, not by famine, like I was told. I will take the doom I’ve brought upon us, and I will turn it around.”
She choked out a sob, then she wrapped her arms around me and gripped me tightly. Warmth flooded me, chasing away the aching cold and the hunger nearly driving me to madness. I held her close, and I wondered at the warmth I felt. This girl, this stranger I’d watched. Somehow, she’d become family.
I pulled back. “Take care of my brothers and sisters for me. And the Crones. They need someone to look after them.”
“I will,” she whispered.
“I won’t say goodbye.” And with that, I turned and hobbled into the darkness.
* * *
Ididn’t carry torchlight. The caves were cold, silent, and dark, and my shuffling footsteps were as loud as my father’s angry roars. I could still hear them echoing in my head after all this time. I diverted my thoughts, choosing instead to focus on my brothers and sisters, on Nellie, and even on Kalen Denare. If I didn’t succeed, they would die.
Wincing, I placed a gnarled hand against the wall and spat some more blood on the ground to add to my trail. Weariness rattled through me. Perhaps…perhaps I should just sit here for a time. I didn’t know how long it had been since I’d departed from the cavern, but it…had been a while. Of course, everything felt like a long while underground. There was no sun to guide me.
I almost had to laugh at the irony of it all. For so long, I’d dreamt of the darkness. Unlike most light fae, I grew weary of the light. In Albyria, it had just been so…persistent. So unyielding. We used shutters to keep it out when we yearned for sleep, but it still found a way inside, like creeping vines slithering through every crack. If there was a way to breach a wall, it would.
And now I would get my wish. I’d die in a place so dark I couldn’t even see my own hand.
Funny how these things go.
A breath of cold whispered across my face. Distant footsteps soon followed. Groaning, I pushed up onto unsteady feet.
“That would be it, then,” I muttered out loud. No sense in trying to stay quiet. Hopefully my voice would slither down the tunnels and into the ears of the gods. I wanted them to find me.
Come here, you bastards.
I patted down my leathers, feeling the lump near my chest. Grinning, I crept further down the tunnel, feeling my way along. I probably should have brought a torch, but Nellie had insisted otherwise. She wanted to make difficult for the gods to find me. Deep down, I knew she hoped I’d survive.
But I had taken a little something from the castle when no one had been looking. I hadn’t thought I’d get to use it…until the Mist Guard started bickering about who was better suited to serving themselves up as a sacrifice. Their honor was almost sickening. If only they could see me now…
