“Indeed,” Kiryan said darkly. “Aolis was incensed. He viewed the broken betrothal as a betrayal—after everything he had done to serve his country, after all he had lost, his bride-to-be was taken from him, too. Nox had already been whispering to him in his dreams, and she came to him with promises of power, triple-fold what he’d already been granted, enough to eradicate all dragons. All he had to do was let her inside his head.”
Einar shook his head, disgusted. “All that death and destruction, and he didn’t even get his precious Olette in the end.”
“Okay, but where do you come in?” Mavlyn asked the Radiant. “Why did you put Einar to sleep?”
“It was his last request,” Kiryan said simply. “I couldn’t stand by and let Nox and King Aolis kill all the dragons, so I used Einar’s blood to open a portal and send the remaining dragons to a new realm, then sealed it behind them. Einar is the keeper of that portal—it is tied to his blood, and will remain closed so long as he or one of his descendants remains alive.”
“Which was why I asked you to put me to sleep,” Einar said pointedly. “It wasn’t just so I wouldn’t have to suffer the rest of my existence alone. It was so I could remain out of harm’s way, so the lives of my people would not be at risk.” He raked a hand through his hair as he glanced at me, a torn expression on his face. “I don’t understand why you would jeopardize that, after all you’ve done to help us.”
I took a step back, hurt ricocheting through my chest. After everything we’d been through, did Einar still regret that I woke him up?
“Then you are a fool,” Kiryan snapped, echoing my exact sentiments. Einar blinked, drawn up short by the ire in the Radiant’s voice, but Kiryan didn’t give him a chance to respond. “I put you to sleep at the time because there was nothing more you could do, but I never intended for you to remain that way.”
“Funny,” Einar sneered, his lip curled. “I don’t remember you mentioning that before you cast the enchantment.”
“So you truly would have preferred to remain asleep, then?”
Einar whipped his head toward me, shock slackening his face like he’d forgotten I was there. “I—”
“You would have rather stayed in that crumbling ruin I found you in, while I faced King Aolis on my own?” I fisted my hands at my sides, my voice rising as the anguish I’d stoppered up inside me bubbled over, scalding the corners of my eyes and choking my voice. “To end up enslaved to him by marriage, while you peacefully dream away, safe and sound and untouched, as shadow magic destroys the world around you?”
“No, of course not,” Einar said, looking stricken. He took a step toward me, hand extended, expression pleading. “I don’t regret anything that happened between us, Adara.”
“I don’t buy that for a second.” My voice warbled slightly, and I gritted my teeth, refusing to cry. I didn’t know what Einar’s game was, but I’d made the mistake of turning a blind eye to red flags in a male before, and I refused to do it again. “The only reason you even agreed to help me was so my mother would make a potion to put you back to sleep. You made that clear on multiple occasions.”
An exasperated look darkened Einar’s features. “Yes, that was true in the beginning, but—”
“Can we put this on hold for a second?” Mavlyn interrupted, her voice tinged with exasperation. “I don’t know about you all, but I have questions. Specifically about this Nox being that’s taken over Gelsyne’s body. Who exactly is she? And what does she want?”
“Right.” Kiryan cleared his throat, somewhat awkwardly. “Nox is a powerful Shadow, one of the oldest of her kind, hence why she is known as the ‘Mother of Shadows’ even though it’s unclear whether she truly did birth the rest of her race. The Shadows are to the darkness what Radiants are to the light, but unlike Radiants, who are givers by nature, Shadows can only take. They thrive on chaos and destruction, and while they can use their influence in small ways in your world, just as we do, it is not enough for them. Nox has long been searching for an opportunity to tear a hole between our worlds, so she and her legion can devour Ediria. There is powerful magic steeped in these lands, and if she succeeds, the balance of power between Radiants and Shadows—”
Kiryan gasped in pain and clutched at his head, the rest of his words lost in his obvious agony. Black veins pulsed at his temples, and he clenched his jaw as that same blackness began to bleed back into his eyes. Was the shadow soldier fighting back against his possession?
“Kiryan.” I lunged forward, reaching for him—though I wasn’t sure how to help—but he held up a hand to ward me off. “Are you okay?”
“I cannot remain in this body for much longer, so I’m afraid I will have to be brief,” Kiryan gasped. He turned to Einar, his eyes glazed with pain. “Adara needs your help to defeat Nox, and it is in the best interest of the dragons that you aid her, Einar. If she fails, Nox and the shadow creatures will devour every living thing in the kingdom, including you.”
The blood drained from Einar’s face as realization dawned in his golden eyes. “My people would be next,” he said in a hollow voice.
“Exactly so,” Kiryan said. He grimaced as another wave of pain wracked him. “I must go before this body is further damaged.”
“Why do you care if he’s damaged?” I demanded. “He’s a shadow soldier—he’s already been corrupted.”
“Exactly, which means he’s even less viable than other hosts,” Kiryan said. “The presence of shadow magic in this world has gotten to where I cannot remain long without compromising my own integrity—inhabiting a corrupted host only puts me at further risk. I will check on you again when I can, Adara, but in the meantime, complete the coming-of-age ritual as fast as you can. It’s the only hope you have of defeating Nox.”
He blinked, and when the soldier’s eyes opened, they were pitch black, not a hint of green or gold to be seen. He opened his mouth, confusion settling into the lines of his face, but Einar moved in a blur. Before the fae could utter a single word, the dragon warrior snapped his neck.
A deathly silence settled over the forest, punctuated only by a crash as the fae’s body hit the forest floor. Mavlyn and I stared at the fresh corpse, and even though I knew killing him was the right thing to do, the awful sense of finality felt like a premonition of things to come.
“All right, that’s taken care of.” Einar dusted off his hands, the way one might after taking out the trash. “Now, who’s ready for dinner?”
3
Einar
After we disposed of the body, the three of us set off into the forest, looking for someplace secluded and safe to make camp.
The back of my head prickled from the heat of Adara’s accusing stare as we marched through the forest, accusation searing the hairs on my nape. I wanted to kick myself for being so stupid, for not thinking before I opened my big mouth, but I hadn’t been able to help myself.