“We will always find each other, Daxton.”
The arrow trembled as I pulled it back, a searing light poised to secure destruction for Minaeve and the Heart of Valdor.
“Do it! Please, Skylar.”Daxton’s pleading voice reached a piece of my heart that only belonged to him.“I love you.”
My hands shook. The flames pulsed, and the world held its breath as I released the string.
“I love you, Daxton,”I said, trusting that my aim was true.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Castor Aegaeon
Why am I burdened with witnessing all these fucked-up scenarios? My gift of premonitions is a curse, and this proves it.
Covered in blood, dirt, and the gods only knew what else, I turned my attention to the swirling vortex of shadows in the center of the valley. The death, the screams of the living still clinging to their final breaths, the clash of blades and shadow and fire. All of it had come down to this one moment—this one inescapable truth.
My friend, my high queen, stood along the base of the mountain with the eternal flame burning in her hands, forged into an arrow that hummed with raw, searing power. Every muscle in her body was taut, every breath trembling, every thought focused on one task that would save us all…
ButDaxtonwas there.
He was holding Minaeve in place, letting her devour his magic, his life force entwined with hers in a thread so intricate it would be impossible for him to escape. I shuddered, my heart hammering in my chest, as the reality of this scene hit me like a blow: this was it.
If that arrow flew, if Skylar released it, Daxton would die.
I’d seen it.
My brother… Gods, my brother!
“Do it!”Daxton telepathically roared over the swirling shadows that held him captive.
I could hear the faith my high king had in his mate to do this unthinkable task. The unshakable trust in her that his sacrifice would not be wasted, that she would take the shot.
Tears streaked down her face as her hands raised, and my chest tightened. The arrow trembled in her grip as she bent the flames to her will.
There was nothing we could do.
Every pulse of Skylar’s eternal flame seemed to echo through my chest as the seconds passed in a blur.
And then, she released it.
The arrow surged forward, a searing streak of blue fire cutting through the battlefield. A deafening cry tore from Skylar’s throat, shattering the hearts of everyone who heard it. It was more than words could describe. It was grief, a dark, endless rage… yet also hope and devastation all at once.
My heart ached with the weight of knowing what was to come. The arrow carried everything they’d risked, everything they fought for and loved.
Our world will never be the same again, I said to myself as the arrow hit its mark.
A roaring, blistering inferno that seemed to tear through the very fabric of our world erupted in a blinding light, scattering everything around me. A column of fire soared upward, swirling against the battling shadows forcontrol as the dying shrieks of harpies, fallen and garmr filled my ears.
Bracing myself, I dared to peek inside the inferno, and I saw him, just for a fleeting second, standing in the center. The flames collided with shadows, swallowing the darkness and transforming it into a brilliant light.
The eternal flame consumedeverything.
A massive explosion boomed across the valley. The blast skimming just overhead, sparing those of us outside the death zone. The sound, the light, the sheer overwhelming energy, was more than I could comprehend. I stumbled, hands over my eyes, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces.
“Daxton!” I screamed, but my voice was nothing against the roar of the blaze.
The world around me was lost in searing blue light, and we could only wait for it to pass. I was unable to move or breathe, knowing that my brother had sacrificed himself in a way I had never imagined.
