Her words were like arrows to my chest. Everything hurt.
Pulling her toward me, I kissed her. “You’re not going to die today, Ryllae. I won’t let that happen.”
“You foolish Fortune Elf,” she murmured, her tone filled with affection. “You can’t promise me that.” Sad eyes met mine. “I told you that staying by my side meant death. It’s always been my companion. My birth caused my mother’s demise, and death has been by my side ever since. It never leaves me, always haunting me. And now… now there is no hope.”
“There’s always hope,” I growled. “You can’t think like that, Princess.”
Ryllae sighed, and through the bond, a staggering amount of sadness washed over me. “My sweet Daegal.” She placed a hand on my chest. “Death comes for all. But I won’t stop fighting. Not until it’s all over.”
“None of us will,” Kysha said, and Maiela agreed.
The bravery of these three females astounded me. It was an honor to stand here with them, even if it was the end. I said as much to them, and my twin forced a smile.
Maiela said, “It is nice, isn’t it?”
“There is no one I would rather die beside,” Kysha said, leaning against her wife.
The two of them shared a final kiss, pressing their foreheads together as they murmured to each other.
“I love you,” I said to my dark princess.
“I know.” Ryllae smiled as she patted her breast. “I can feel it.”
Just then, a roar came from where Aileana and Xander remained shielded by the Earth Elf magic. The green ribbons flickered, revealing glimpses of the dragon shifter. He was still on the ground, but his legs twitched, straightening. The Earth Elf stood by his side, brandishing a dagger in one hand and a spear made of green magic in the other.
“Maiela.” Waiting until my sister met my eye, I raised a brow. “I’m going to Look ahead.”
There was a high probability that this was my last chance to See what was coming.
She nodded; her mouth pinched in a firm line. “Be careful. Don’t be gone for long.”
“What over my mate?” I asked.
“With our lives.” Kysha placed a fist over her breast and dipped her head.
Drawing in a deep breath, I pulled myself to the silver plane. It was dangerous, going to See the future, while chaos threatened to erupt, but I had to know what was coming.
The moment my eyes opened, I gasped. Opaque mist covered everything in sight, corrupting the paths and rendering the very task I came here to do nearly impossible.
I wouldn’t let the darkness deter me.
Bending, I ran my fingers over the closest ribbon. Visions flashed before my eyes. Death. Darkness. Blood. Disaster. Dropping that one, I moved onto the next. Death again. I grabbed a third. Then a fourth. A fifth. With each passing moment, my heart tightened and a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
Death was everywhere.
Again and again. Ten paths. Twenty. Thirty. They all told the same story.
Darkness was spreading in the Four Kingdoms.
Every single path was nearly solid, the opportunities for change disappearing with every passing moment. Fear and horror tangled within me, chilling my blood as I Saw what was to come.
Of all the paths, all the possibilities that lay before us, there was only one way out of this.
And if what I Saw took place…
Heartbreak or death.
Those were the two options that lay before us. They weren’t true options at all. Instead, they were two sides of the same coin.