“It ends here,” he says firmly. “It ends with yousafe. With you going back to the castle. Going home. Going anywhere that isn’t here.”
I hesitate, then give him a smile. One that hopefully holds all my regret and apologies within it. Before he can react, I spin away and dart onto the beam, my arms spread for balance. The wood flexes beneath me, just wide enough to span the sole of my boot.
“Sariah!” The Shadow’s panic electrifies the air, like a lightning bolt hurled at my back. “Stop! Come back! What’re youdoing?”
“Saving you,” I call over my shoulder. “So don’t follow me. If you break this, I’ll fall.”
“No.No.” His voice cracks, naked misery bleeding through. “Sariah, no. Get back here. Get back herenow.”
I don’t answer. My focus narrows to the beam, to keeping my weight centered and my steps light. The wood flexes with every shift of my boots while a chilly breeze buffets me from below, but I breathe past the fear sitting in my throat. I concentrate on the beam beneath my feet. The far edge. The cliff I have to climb.
I’m halfway there, and have faced far more difficult trials. This is nothing.
The Shadow screams behind me. Somewhere in the castle, Amriel must be screaming, too—I imagine his rage ricocheting down the vine-laced halls.
But I trust Calen and Ravenna to keep him away. To keep him bound so I can finish this.
Another step. Another. The beam bucks beneath me, and I pause, my knees wobbling, the dress at my belt snapping in the breeze.
Behind me, the Shadow bellows like a wounded animal, claws scrabbling at rough ground. I have no doubt that the only thing keeping him there is the fact that if he jostles this beam, he’ll kill me.
But it’s enough.
I breathe deep, steady myself. It’s only me, here. A princess with a purpose, now two-thirds of the way across a swaying beam.
Another step. Another. With each one, something hardens inside me. I’m going to do this. Save Amriel and his Shadow, unite their broken halves, give us both a chance at choosing our own paths.
A gust of wind shoots up from the chasm, tilting me offbalance, and I pause to find my center again. I exhale slowly, carefully, then inch along while the Shadow falls to pieces behind me.
“Sariah!”
I shut out his terror, his need to save me, his desperation. I’m doing this for him, but also for myself. As proof, maybe, that I matter. That my father was wrong about me. That my sisters were, too. All of Aethrolia. I may not have magic, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have power.
It doesn’t mean I can’t change things. Put Alanna’s cruelty to rest.
The beam groans as safety inches closer. Then suddenly, I’m over, my boots hitting solid ground as I dart away from the edge.
I take a moment to prop my hands on my knees, breathing hard. In my bracelet, sand trickles through the hourglass, almost gone. I have fifteen minutes, at most.
I force myself up, draw a steady inhale that reaches my toes. The cliff looms before me, split by crags, and I stare up for half a heartbeat. In the sky, gold bleeds into pink.
The Shadow will change before my time runs out, but I have to keep trying. Have to break the curse if I can.
I spend one last second looking back. The Shadow crouches across the ravine, his muscles bunching as he holds himself back from leaping into the abyss. “Sariah,” he shouts. “Just go. Go back to the castle. Please. Gohome.”
I smile. “No,” I call. “But thanks for the suggestion.”
His body coils, battling the urges that will overtake him just minutes from now. I can tell by the frantic heave of his chest, by the hunger infecting his gaze.
“Sariah…” This time, my name is no more than a twisted plea. “I… I don’t have much longer. And I don’t want to hurt you. I’d sooner die. A thousand times over, I’d sooner die.”
I stare at him, at this beautiful goblin I met in a garden just weeks ago. I trace the pointed tips of his ears, savor each resplendent glimmer of indigo and violet. Then look into his eyes one last time. Or maybe one more time of many to come.
“Thank you,” I say. “For everything.”
His despairing howl splits the morning, but I just turn to the cliff, set my hands against the stone, and start to climb.
Chapter 25
