“I did. I can’t even explain it—though I suppose that is nothing new. So much of what has happened defies explanation.” I open the book to the final page and hand it to him with careful skepticism. He shakes his head.
“No, nothing,” he says and returns it. “Will you read it to me?”
I share the passage once more.
A gift once squandered, worthy to none,
Sleeps in silence, though never gone.
Elements buried, magic to earth,
Awaiting the hour of rightful rebirth.
Bestowed upon unnatural crown,
Forever young, in beauty bound.
Until the world, through peace aligned,
Receives the gift the gods designed.
Through keeper’s flame and broker’s hand,
The spark returns to heal the land.
Not theirs to hold, but theirs to guide,
Till what was lost will once more rise.
“That certainly sounds like you,” he says regarding the words.
“Like us. You and I, Ace, Soria, Odrin—all of Caerhollan. Gods, Vale—the other realms too. Do you think this could be it? The hour of magic’s rebirth?”
He takes the book from my hands, carefully setting it aside on the desk behind him. One hand finds its place at the small of my back, anchoring me to him. The other lifts my chin so my gaze does not waver. The heat of his body so near counters the chill of the night air. Doubt has no place here right now.
“I think,” he says, his impossibly deep eyes holding me dear, “you are extraordinary. Not just for your connection to magic—which, Mira, make no mistake, is a miracle in and of itself. But for you. Who you are. Your heart. Loyalty. Courage. And yes, care.”
I smile at him and feel myself start to pull away, overcome by the flood of emotions and still raw from the turmoil of these past days.
I place a hand over his heart. The very heartbeat I honed in on praying for him to survive that first fateful night. The steady sound I have so often slumbered to with my head on his chest. His steadfast courage keeps my inner fire lit.
He speaks again. “Whatever fate or enemies have in store for us, our destiny is still our own. Whatever you decide, I will not leave your side. We are in this together, my flame.”
My chin trembles, but the smile that forms is sincere. I don’t want to speak my doubts or my fears, so I say the one thing I know above anything else.
“I love you, Vale.”
“And I love you, Mira. Forevermore.” A gentle kiss seals our most sacred truth. “We are in this together.”
In his arms, I understand it at last—love is not the soft part of me. I once feared loving him might be my ruin. Perhaps it was. I am irrevocably changed—for the better. I allowed myself to follow my heart. Listen to the call. Answer with my heart open. The truth I carry into every darkness: If fate comes for us, it will find us united. And nothing forged of shadow has ever undone the light of two hearts that choose each other.
He wraps his arms around me, and I feel how much stronger we are together. We can face anything. We will face it as one.
“It won’t be easy, will it?” I ask, no longer trembling.
“Probably not. But Mira, I know you well enough to know—anything you set yourself to is absolutely worth it.”
Whether the words of the prophecy are meant for us or merely myth, I already know how they have touched something in my own heart. A truth and responsibility I not only accept but honor.
