He exhales, and the sound is as old as the planet. “The world is changing. The Concord Stone—” He shakes his head. “When I touched the pool, I knew. You were righter than you know. It is failing. The Council knows. The High Lord knows. If it breaks, there will be no more law.”
I try to picture the world without him. I can’t.
“You think Xytheos is going to fall. You think we’ll never get to use this place.”
He shrugs, massive shoulders rolling. “I don’t know. But I know the future is not what we planned.”
CHAPTER 39
A NEW PRESENCE
ELENA – THE HEART OF THE GREEN REACH
I’m sittingon the broad lip of the central pool in the heart of the Green Reach, toes dipping into the heat, watching the water swirl and flex in patterns. I’m trying to get used to the feeling of the connection before I use it again.
Rythar stands on the far side of the chamber, back to me, every line of him locked. Arms braced on the ledge, head low, the scar on his chin tight. He’s been like this for a full half hour.
I want to say something. But the words tangle on my tongue. My body aches from the last connection—Dana’s psychic pulse still ringing in my nerves.
Rythar finally moves, pacing the rim of the pool in light, graceful steps. Green lines under his skin light up, traceries of power running to his fingertips. He keeps his gaze fixed on the water, but I feel him looking. The bond tugs at my ribs every time he passes closer.
“You’re angry,” I say, to break the silence. My voice sounds small in the room.
He growls as he paces. “Not at you.”
“Then what?”
He stops, frowns. “At myself. At the world. At everything.”
I exhale. “That narrows it down.”
He shakes his head, then looks up at the ceiling, at the maze of roots, or maybe at the world above us. “I have never wanted anything for myself,” he says, voice raw. “Not since I was young. Everything I ever did was for the Reach. For the warriors. For my fathers and mothers before.”
I wait.
He comes around the pool, sits across from me, legs spread, arms on his knees. His head hangs between his shoulders, eyes burning gold in the half-light.
“When the Stone matched us, I thought I would break you,” he says. “Bend you to the Reach, make you my trophy for the world.” He glances up and meets my eyes. “But every time I tried, you bent me instead.”
I don’t know what to say to that. My face goes hot.
He reaches across the pool, scoops a handful of water, and lets it trickle down his wrist. “I thought I could control this. You. The bond. But you are my complication.”
I let the words hang. “Is that so bad?”
He grins, but it’s a flash of teeth, no humor. “Yes. For a warlord, yes. The moment you have a weakness, the world will conquer you. And the Stone is failing, Elena.”
He shakes the water off his hand. The drops bead on his copper skin, glow blue, then fade. “I am supposed to be the shield. But now, every time you risk yourself, every time you reach for the other Starfallen, every time you risk Jarrett seeing what you’re doing, I…” He breaks off.
“What?” My voice cracks on the word.
He looks up. The vulnerability in his face is hard to look at. “I locked you away to keep you safe.” He slams a fist into the floor. “I hid you from the world, even though you hate being caged. Even though you would never forgive me.”
I feel the confession hit me physically.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, head bowed. “It is not the Concord Stone I fear. Or the High Lord. It is losing you. I have never had a weakness before.” His voice goes hoarse, barely above a whisper. “Now I do. And it is at the worst possible time. It is the time when you need my protection the most.”
I hug my knees to my chest, not for comfort but because my body doesn’t know what else to do.
