“No, no,no.You promised. You promised me you’d see this through. That you’d follow me into the new world.” My voice rises to a wail that I barely recognize as my own. “You’re my brother, and you swore you’d never abandon me! You can’t leave me, too.”
Blood seeps between my fingers—so much blood from wounds I didn’t even notice.
Behind me, everyone in the room slows what they’re doing. Halting. Quieting. I feel every set of eyes. But they’re so far away now.
I’ve been plunged back into the icy waters of the Farlum River. All I can focus on is the terrible stillness of the man who taught me how to fight, how to hope, how to keep going when the world felt like it was ending.
And now the world really is ending, and he’s gone. The Stone Citadel has fallen. Ravin has the vessel. The last of my crew and one of the few to come with me into the new world with his memories intact isgone.
I lean forward until my forehead touches his, and the sob that tears from my chest feels like it might split me in half.
Chapter 65
I remain hunched over Gregor’s still form, sobs tearing from my throat as I beg him to return. But silence answers me. He lies motionless, the warmth already beginning to fade from his skin.
Footsteps land softly on the plush rug, soiled now with soot and blood. I know it’s Kaelis before he kneels beside me, his hand settling warm against my spine. I flinch at the contact, then slowly raise my tear-streaked face.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers.
I launch myself into his arms, and he catches me without hesitation. His embrace tightens as a shuddering breath escapes him. It’s not grief for Gregor—he never loved the man as I did—but pain for my pain. My hurt manifesting within him. As though the mere idea of my ache could tear him apart.
“I must go,” he murmurs against my hair. Yet even as he says it, his grip doesn’t loosen.
“No, please.” The words break from me even as I know they’re futile. After everything that’s happened, he’s right.
Kaelis gives me one more minute and then pulls back, anguish carved across his features. For a heartbeat, he wavers—almost reconsidering.
“Heal yourself.” His words are steeped in desperation. He pushes back my hood and splits the seams of the mask, ripping it from my face. He then cradles my cheeks and with his thumbs sweeps away the grime and my tears. “Please.”
“I will.” They’re the only words that could make him leave me. Though it feels like a part of my soul is tearing away when he releases me. Still, I let him go. I must.
My hands fall limp to my knees. I bow my head as he stands.
“She is my proxy,” Kaelis declares to the room. “In these chambers, in my academy, consider her word law, an extension of my own.” He starts for the closet door.
“What will you do next?” Vaduin wheezes from across the room. With everyone’s decks depleted, his wounds remain unhealed.
Kaelis’s eyes sweep across Vaduin with a withering stare. But he quickly banishes the expression. The prince remembers what Gregor said Vaduin told him. But he also knows now isn’t the time.
“I am delaying All Coins Day,” he announces.
“The nobles would never permit it,” Vaduin counters. “The festival days are fixed around the apexes of the seasons, when magic is at its strongest.”
“They will permit a few hours’ delay. I can do it with the excuse of needing to investigate what’s happened in the mountains, given it’s so close to the academy.” Kaelis has already worked through the logistics—his mind racing steps ahead in seconds. “That gives you time to pull yourselves together and present yourselves as teachers, and student.”
I look up and meet his eyes. Guilt shines within them. But he still stands tall, despite the chaos and uncertainty. He’s doing what must be done. I harden my expression, though he likely sees through the mask.
Sophie Veillgar had nothing to do with the mountain’s collapse. She didn’t lose a friend. So she must report for work as if nothing has changed.
Without another word, Kaelis is gone.
I turn back to Gregor.I cannot bring you back. Forgive me.
Silence stretches between us, then breaks like a spell. Everyone begins to move. The surviving Worldkeepers exchange glances before turning to me expectantly following Kaelis’s declaration.
I force myself to stand and cross to Kaelis’s study. The second I open the door, Priss lifts her head, instantly alert, arching her back in a contented purr. Her obliviousness to everything that’s transpired makes me want to both smile and weep. I scratch under her chin, drawing comfort from the simple gesture for a second. At least one thing remains fixed in this broken world.
“We need to return,” one of the few remaining Worldkeepers says to Vaduin, who leans against the doorframe for support, as if the private space of Kaelis’s study creates an impassable barrier.
