And then, between one blink and the next, the Nullweaver was gone. Shattered to nothing beneath the hands of my Huntress’s wrath. Paesha swayed on her feet, the sudden absence of her target leaving her unmoored.
I caught her before she could fall, pulling her into the shelter of my arms and she came without hesitation, burrowing into my chest as the adrenaline drained from her trembling limbs.
“That was incredibly reckless and equally breathtaking.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I’ve always been a badass.” She groaned, pulling away from me. “Part of my charm.”
I huffed a laugh, and for a single, stolen moment, the darkness felt a little less horrifying.
“Thorne, I…”
“I know.” And I did. In that moment, I understood the war raging behind those fathomless eyes. The longing and the loathing, the desire and the dread. I felt its echo in my half of our shared soul.
“Our story was always fated to be carved in blood and tears. But I’ll be damned if I let the final chapter close in tragedy.” I reached for her again, unable to stop myself. “Not until we’ve rewritten every line, turned every page, and stolen whatever happiness we can from this cursed tale. But I’ll endure it all for these tiny moments. Even when it doesn’t make sense to a single other soul but ours.”
I couldn’t hear the voices that undoubtedly plagued her, but I saw the distant look move in. The blink and short breath as she fought another mental battle, silently. A distant shriek pierced the momentary quiet, shattering the illusion of safety. She stepped farther away, her Remnants coiling defensively around her once more.
“Please tell me that was just the wind.”
“Since when has anything been that easy for us? We need to keep moving. The Nullweaver wasn’t the only monster playing in the dark here.”
She blew out a shaky breath, squaring her shoulders as she fell into step beside me. “If you get us lost, I’m feeding you to the next horror we stumble across.”
“Neither of us know where we are or where we’re going, I think it’s fair to say we started lost and we’ll likely leave this place lost.”
“I almost forgot how annoying your know-it-all personality was.”
“Glad I could remind you,” I said with a smirk.
Her eyes traced my face before she said. “I meant what I said, monster bait.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
The reprieve was temporary with the betrayal foretold by Ezra’s vision still lurking in our future. If locking me away was her choice, then so fucking be it. As long as I could force Irri to protect her from Ezra first, I’d spend eternity here in my own prison. That was the price I’d agreed to pay when I stepped into this realm. Minerva knew it. Tuck knew it. And she’d know it too, before she left this wretched realm. I’d lock myself away if it meant she lived.
We wound deeper into the heart of the Forgotten, the darkness growing thicker. It clung to our skin like oil, seepinginto our pores, our lungs, until it felt like we were drowning in shadows.
“I can’t see a damn thing,” Paesha gritted out, her grip on my hand bordering on painful. “Are we even still on the path?”
I squinted into the gloom, trying to make out the faint glimmer of frost that had been our guide. But there was nothing. Merely an endless sea of black.
“I don’t know. I think… I think the Forgotten is changing around us. Adapting to our presence.”
“Oh, fantastic. A sentient nightmare realm with a grudge. Just what we needed.”
A guttural growl rumbled through the darkness ahead. Paesha froze, her Remnants flaring out in a defensive fan.
“Please tell me that was your stomach.”
“Looks like the welcome wagon is here.”
“I don’t want to be welcomed,” she groaned.
The growl echoed, bouncing off unseen surfaces until it came from everywhere and nowhere. I could feel more than see Paesha’s Remnants swirling around us, lashing at the darkness as if they could tear it apart and reveal the threat hiding within.
“Any ideas, oh wise and powerful Keeper? Or do we stand here and wait to be eaten by whatever nightmare is stalking us?”
“You destroyed the Nullweaver, I think we’ll be fine.”
