With a wave of the Guardian’s hand, ellixen flooded the room, strong enough to make the hairs on the back of Viri’s neck stand on end.
“Your wishes are fulfilled,” the mage said in a deep voice, looking oddly amused as he peered between them all.
Viri was so stunned by what had happened—ornothappened—that she was frozen in place. In all their talks about the Guardian and the tower and the legend, she’d never once considered what it would mean if she and Reeve made it to Nevarnost. All along, she’d been worried about Braedan getting a magewish, and had forgotten thatanyonewho found the Guardian would get one.
But Reeve hadn’t forgotten—and he’d just used his to save them all.
“What did youdo?” Braedan rasped out to Reeve, looking horrified.
His words jolted Viri from her shock, reminding her that she’d spent the last seven years chasing him—the elusive Reaper Priest—and now she finally had a chance to capture him. She leapt forward, uncoiling her fillium as she raced across the circular room, readying herself for the fight of her life.
She expected a battle.
Shedidn’texpect to make it barely three steps before another surge of ellixen forced her into a sudden stop, rooting her feet to the polished stone floor and immobilizing her body from the neck down. Betrayal flooded her as she slashed her eyes toward Reeve, but he wasn’t even looking at her, his focus entirely on Braedan. The Guardian, however…he winked at Viri, the gesture revealing thathewas the one who had turned her into a statue.
Before she could demand her release, Reeve marched forward to answer Braedan, the two of them squaring off face to face.
“What didIdo?” Reeve repeated incredulously. “What the hell were youthinking?”
“Me?”Braedan’s hands balled into fists. “You haveno ideawhat you just—”
“It’syouwho has no idea what you nearly did!” Reeve fumed, throwing his arms out to the sides. “Elders, Brae, you can’t kill the Reaper Lord!”
Viri jerked at the unfamiliar title—or jerked as much as she could, given her immobilized state.
“That’sexactlywhat we need to do!” Braedan yelled back. “Never mind what that bastard has done to us both in the last seven years—if the Aurora sacrifice goes ahead, then it’s not just a heap of kids who will die, but the obelisks will be destroyed andeveryonewill die!”
Viri jerked again, becausehewas the one who wanted to destroy the obelisks. It washissacrifice.
“There’s a contingency in place,” Reeve said through gritted teeth. “If the Reaper Lord dies, there’ll be a huge release of ellixen—years andyearsof stolen power. The magical surge alone will be enough to repel the mist from around Mount Mort, leaving the reapers free to escape Diaboros.Allof them.”
The words were nonsensical to Viri, but Braedan lurched backward as if slapped. “What?” he breathed, his temper fleeing.
Reeve loosed a shaky breath and ran his hands through his hair. “It’s what I wanted to tell you before you took off without warning. We have to find another way to stop the sacrifice—something thatdoesn’tinvolve killing the Reaper Lord. Otherwise the city will fall regardless.” His face was grim. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, Brae, but if you’d gone through with this, if you’d used your wish to kill the Reaper Lord, then—”
“Everyone would have died anyway,” Braedan whispered, looking like he was going to be sick. “If Diaboros falls…”
“Then Aravell falls,” Reeve finished gravely. “The city won’t stand a chance.”
Silence fell in the wake of their heavy words, but Viri couldn’t hold her tongue a moment longer. “Someone needs to explain what the hell is going on,right now.” She slitted her gaze at the Guardian. “And you need to let. Me.Go.”
His luminous eyes glowed with humor. “You could have freed yourself at any time, Daughter of Death,” he said, using the same name the wraith had called her, causing goosebumps to prickle her flesh. But then he waved his hand, and she was released from his grip, leaving her free to lunge toward her brother. Only, she didn’t move an inch, the conversation she’d just overheard keepingher in place—for now.
“Who’s the Reaper Lord?” she demanded, looking between Reeve and Braedan. “What’s Diaboros?” She turned her glare on Reeve. “You seem to have left a few things out in, oh,everythingyou shared with me.”
Reeve’s face was a mask of calm. “You wouldn’t have believed me if I’d told you the truth.”
“Whattruth?”
“That Braedan isn’t evil,” he said simply. “And he’s not behind the Aurora sacrifice.”
Fire burned in Viri’s chest. “He’s theReaper Priest.” She jabbed a finger toward her brother. “He killed ourparents.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Braedan flinch, but she kept her furious gaze on Reeve. “He’s theepitomeof evil. And in case you forgot,you’rethe one who told me he’s using the sacrifice to destroy theobelisks.”
Reeve shook his head. “I never said that. I only said we needed to stop him.”
“Fromdoing the sacrificeanddestroying the obelisks.”
“No, from making his magewish.”
