I don’t turn. I can’t face him. I can’t believe he’d even think of this right now and all that it implies. Yet…part of me still clings to his words and the glimmer of hope they offer. The final option.
“Jura died so you could fight. So fight—rebuild this world.” His voice softens, almost pleading. “Makeourworld.”
I finally shift to look at him. The prince barely has a hair out of place. His clothing is soiled only from where he clutched me to it. The contrast between us couldn’t be starker. Even down in the underbelly of Eclipse City, he’s composed and elegant. Whereas I’m about to crumble in a way that can never be put back together.
“Come back with me.” Kaelis extends a hand, palm up, an invitation rather than a demand. “Come back to the academy. Its halls will protect you. I kept you safe before, and I can do it again.”
For a breath, I consider it. The idea is so tempting that I nearly give in. I don’t know how he would, but I want it more than anything.
“I can’t.” My voice is barely audible. Though my body betrays me by swaying toward him.
“Where else could you go? You will be safer with me than anywhere else in the world,” he insists. His voice’s deep resonance sends a shiver down my spine. The voids of his eyes never leave mine.
“My fake identity is gone.”
“I will hide you.”
Fuck, I want to believe him. I want to retreat to the last place I had any sense of security and believe that Kaelis can make all the pain and hardship go away as easily as casting a card. But my sister isn’t even here. I don’t have even half of the story of what’s happened from my crew. Gregor is still out there—I hope—as are Twino and Ren. I don’t even know if they’re safe.
A wry and weary smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You trusted me—you began to trust me once. Trust me again. Put your faith in me fully, now until forever, and I will never let you down.” Kaelis lifts his hand, still holding it out. “Bring your sister and come home with me.”
Bring your sister.The words stick in my brain a bit sharp. In a way I know he didn’t intend. They carve a small wound that makes space for a seed of doubt to worm its way into me.
“Is that all you want? Is that really why you’re here?” The question is fragile.
“Clara—”
“Do you want me, or the power she has?”
“I want you,” he says without hesitation. Without even a heartbeat passing. “But you know as well as I that we need her power. Not just for ourselves, but for her benefit, too.”
A chill sweeps through me. I shake my head and look away. Logically, I know he’s right.
“Didn’t you tell me to take her to where I thought was safe?” I ask.
“That was before my brother mobilized the full force of Eclipse City and Clan Tower to find you,” he says gravely.
There’s a shared breath where we merely stare at each other. All the instincts I’ve ever known war with my better sense. Maybe Arcana Academy is the safest place for us.
“I can’t make this decision right now,” I whisper. Never have I sounded more frail. “Let me see my sister and sleep on it.”
There’s a flash of pain in his eyes. He wants me to say yes. To run to him. I can see it written all over him. But he sighs softly and nods, banishing the notion with a sag of his shoulders.
“Return to me when you are ready.” Kaelis steps backward, holding my gaze, as if tempting me to run back into his arms.
I almost do.
Without another word, he leaves. Disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel, lantern in hand, heading for whatever passage he entered from. I stand, watching the space where he was, wondering if I made the right decision.
Kaelis can wait. For now, I head back toward the epicenter of Jura’s sacrifice. I need to find Gregor. He might not even be alive…But I have to try.
The Queen of Cups mended some of my wounds, but the majority still ache. I’m not well. I’ve lost blood. I’m starving. But I must find my friend. I can’t lose him, too.
In the distance, I think I hear his voice echoing from a different direction. I begin to race toward it, heart pounding with hope and fear. Gregor stands with two people I’ve never seen—their faces are covered by a strip of fabric that’s sewn into the lower portion of their hoods, covering their mouth and nose. Their clothing is mismatched and form-fitting. They look like the assassins who tried to kill the king on All Coins Day. He speaks to them with a tired but relaxed expression.
All their eyes turn to me as I emerge from the shadows.
“Clara,” Gregor breathes, relief washing over his grimy, tear-streaked face. “Thank the Twenty.”
