Page 194 of Burn of the Everflame

The terrible realization of the choice that lay before her.

The field erupted in chaos. Diem had refused a uniform for our army, wanting to allow each faction to preserve their identity, even in battle. That was proving to be a critical mistake. With the Sophos Descended’s clothing as wide and varied as ours, it became impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Only their vacant, foggy gaze revealed the difference, but the time it took to spot was time our soldiers didn’t have.

Swords swung and magic flew, each with indiscriminate blindness for what they struck. For every step I pushed forward, an attack knocked me two steps back. I let my magic unleash in a violent blast, shredding through bodies with my shadows and scorching the earth with my light to force a bloody pathway to my Queen.

“We have to end this,” I shouted at her. “We’re too outnumbered.”

She could barely spare me a glance. Though the Sophos Descended were still ignoring her presence, her troops were fighting for their lives. Her hands flew in a flurry, casting shields as fast as she could craft them and conjuring bursts of wind to knock the armies apart.

“Tell Alixe to call a retreat,” she yelled back.

“It’s no use. They’ll follow us.”

“We’ll keep moving until Vance calls them back. He can’t chase us forever.”

“Diem, Vance is gone.”

Her eyes shot to the empty space where he’d been standing. “He left them?”

“Can you use your magic to change their orders?”

Her anguished look answered with a truth she wasn’t ready to admit. “I’ll find a way. Give me a little more time.”

“My Queen . . . we don’t have more time.” I started toward her when a teenage boy lurched into my path and beat his fists against my shield. His young age surprised me just enough to make me pause—then his frosted brown eyes struck me like a fist.

“Stuart?” I said.

There was no gleam of recognition in his empty stare.

My stomach dropped. I’d had no fondness for the boy when I’d met him in Sophos and witnessed his shameless infatuation with Diem, but he didn’t deserve this. He was a library clerk, not a soldier. This was either punishment for him, for defending his Descended neighbors—or a punishment for Diem.

I lowered my shield to let him through. He carried no weapons, wielded no magic. His scrawny limbs were little threat as they pounded against my chest.

I grabbed him by the scruff and turned him to Diem. I would have given anything to spare her this pain, but it was a truth she needed to see.

“Stuart,” she cried. “No—he’s a mortal. He’s a boy.” She seized his face in her hands, her voice thrumming with Umbros compulsion. “Tell me you can hear me.”

He didn’t answer.

Her fingers gripped tighter. “Tell me anything. Your favorite color. What realm you come from.” Her eyes frantically searched his. “Tell me your mother’s name.”

“He’s gone, my heart,” I said.

Her head gave a violent shake. “I won’t give up.” I reached for her and she jerked away. “I can save them!”

“Diem, they’re gone. If you don’t accept it, you’re going to lose our people with them.”

Her eyes lifted to the battlefield—to the sea of clashing fighters and the lifeless bodies mounting with every second.

As tenderly as I could, I pried her hands off Stuart. “Remember what Yrselle told us? If their minds are gone, they can’t be saved.” Our hearts thrashed together in mutual protest: Mine, begging me not to speak the words I knew I had to. Hers, begging her not to believe them. “You have to let them go.”

“But they’re innocent.” Her voice was so small.

I would have let the realm fall to spare her this. I would have forsaken the Blessed Mother and laid my soul at the feet of any rival god, if that’s what it took.

But the only god with the power to end this had already reaped their souls. All we could do was bring their purgatory to an end.

Slowly, she closed her eyes. Bowed her head. “Take Stuart. Get him to the woods. Keep him safe.”