He began to tremble, a jarring sight for a man as powerful as him.
“You’ve been poisoned, too,” he whispered. “Someone turned you against us.”
The light finally let him go.
Ryker flinched back, eyes sparking until the pupils were no longer visible, a soundless scream pulling at his lips.
Breathing heavily, he squeezed my hand reassuringly just as I was about to lose my mind with worry.
“You’re wrong.” His eyes sparked harder. “About Allie and I. We’ve protected you and your people.”
The purple light pulsed harder.
“Heart to Heart. You can see mine and you’ve shown me yours,” Ryker went on. “You witnessed every victory and misstep. You know me and I know you. This is not you. Whoever’s bleeding you has twisted everything.”
The light hummed louder, aggravated.
“We have a pact. You have protected us, yes. ButIhave protectedyou, too,” he said. “Never took more than you wanted to give. Kept bloodshed away from you. Made sure everyone respected you and your power. Whoever’s poisoning you to be displeased with me is lying. Weigh my heart against the ones invading and tainting the crater right now. They are the ones who will follow once I am gone.”
Purple light flashed underneath our feet in quick rivulets, rushing over the stairs and through the ceiling.
Searching.
I felt a scrape against my heart. Cold claws grazed it.
I shuddered at the sensation.
Solkar’s Heart burned brighter. Hotter.
My fingers begged for me to yank them back from the stone, my skin stinging.
I didn’t move.
“The ones who’ve soaked your earth with blood and poisoned your air,” he said, voice mesmerizing me. “Whowillbleed you dry.”
The hum turned into a screech as the rivulets rushed back into the fallen star. I didn’t know what it had wanted to find, but whatever it was, it didn’t like it.
“My ancestors and I have served you diligently for generations. We will mend your wound,” he whispered. “I promise. But you need to help and give us a chance to do that.”
The star pulsed for a few more moments, turning incandescent.
It glowed brighter still, veins of light rushing out of it.
Then it went still, the barest pulse illuminating our palms. It finally felt like a heartbeat again, yes, but a shallow one.
“What did it say?” I asked urgently.
Ryker shook his head in disbelief. His hand fell from the rock, limp. “Nothing.”
I sucked in a stuttered breath.
No help was coming.
“I can kill at least a dozen attackers before the mist gets me,” Ryker said with quiet resignation. “If you can dispel the rest of the poison long enough, the last of the warriors–”
“No!” I cried out. “We’ll think of something else. You’re not going out there to die.”
“There’s no other way, we have–”
