“Why can’t you break it? You’re the one responsible. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“I cannot undo what I’ve done. I wish I could. But as I said, I’ve seen all the possibilities. I will fail alone. It must be you.”
“Bullshit. You’re just a coward.”
“So you will stop trying? Do nothing?”
“No.”
“That’s what I thought.”
I want to punch this fucker in the face. “Just tell me the rest and quit with the theatrics. At least help us out.”
“I can’t tell you everything—”
“Of course not,” I scoff, cutting him off.
He wears a surprisingly patient look. He should have all the patience, considering he’s responsible for all of this.
“There are certain things I can’t tell you, or the path will change and all will be lost.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“That is how the future works. And speaking of… what I’m about to tell you must stay between us. Otherwise, the dragons die. I’d give them another hundred years, maybe two. Along with a lot of other species. The curse is starting to move faster.”
My warm dragon blood turns to ice. “What do I need to know to succeed, then?”
“We must hurry this along. They’ll come looking for you soon.” He stands and faces me, almost eye-level. “You’re going to die. I won’t tell you when, because telling a person exactly when they’ll die is always a disaster.”
“Okay. We all die eventually.”
“True. Are you not scared?”
“No.” I quirk an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me it’s soon? Like, tomorrow? A month from now? When?”
“You have time.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
I rub my hand down my face. “Why are you even telling me?”
“When you die, I will come to you. I will tie your soul to your body, temporarily, because your part will not yet be done. She will not go on without you. It’s been foreseen. This is also why you mustn’t tell anyone. Not her, not Raef. They won’t let you see it through.”
“O…kay. Who?”
“You have a choice. Stay that way forever, your soul constantly trying to rip away from your body, or, when I perform the ritual, we set a time limit. Only then will your spirit be free.”
“What would life look like?”
“If you choose to stay forever, you’ll eventually, very slowly, wither and become one of my shadow wraiths.”
“I choose death, then.”
“A wise choice.”
“How long will I have?”
