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“I created you,” my mother says, drawing closer to Alana.
“Yes, you did. But it is time for you to go, now.”
“You are a monster.”
Alana tilts her head and sighs. “I am so very tired of hearing that,” she says. Then she throws a ball of swirling light, and shadow, and magic towards my mother. It circles her throat, and her eyes widen.
“You didn’t think a spirit could be choked?” Alana asks, stalking towards my mother like an animal stalking its prey. “My spirit was choked for years, and years, and years. Until I finally took back control and set myself free.”
My mother reaches up with shaking hands, trying to pry the shadows from her throat.
“I am the Lady of Luminael now,” Alana says. “And you are no longer welcome here.”
She stands back and flicks her wrist.
And just like that, my mother is gone.
The shadows consume her in seconds. Her legacy, her judgement, her hatred, her cowardice. Gone.
When I turn to Alana, she is smiling. I wrap my arms around her waist and turn her face up to mine, kissing her with a fury that makes my wings shudder. “Thank you,” I whisper into her lips.
“What for?” she asks, stepping back and dropping her nightdress to the floor.
“For having the power to rule us all.” I grab her and lift her into my arms.
“Thank you for coaxing it free.” She stares into my eyes. “It was always meant to be this way.” She presses her palm to my chest. “We are the same, Eldrion. You and I.”
“Yes.” I lay my hand on top of hers. “Yes, we are.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Rosalie
The knock at the door startles me, even though it is not the first to have come in the middle of the night. I was not sleeping, just sitting by the fireplace remembering.
It has become a dangerous habit lately, to sit and remember the way things used to be instead of thinking about the way things are now.
As soon as the battle was over, and the sky returned to normal, it was tempting to feel as though we were safe.
Mira brought word from the city. When she told me what Alana had done, I could hardly bring myself to believe it. And yet, somehow, I was not surprised. It felt as though, maybe, everything had always been leading up to this.
I saw Alana the way I had always seen her in my mind’s eye, but then I saw her through a different lens. One that showed every slice of pain that was ever inflicted on her, showed her tossed and turned in the wind of others’ wants and fears.
She didn’t stand a chance.
And neither did we.
I am only pleased Kayan is not here to see what became of her. Because it would break his heart the way it breaks mine.
When I reach the door, I hesitate, my hand hovering over the handle.
“My lady?” a small voice pipes up behind me. I turn to see Lily, the blue-eyed child who arrived on my doorstep just days ago, seeking sanctuary with her friends. “Should I hide?”
I smile reassuringly at her. “No need, little one. Stay close, though.”
Taking a deep breath, I open the door, expecting to see more orphans or waifs or strays because Mira has been passing word that our home is safe.
Whether it truly is or not, I don’t know. But for now, Alana seems to be leaving us alone.
