“She’s here,” I said, feeling a combination of relief and despair. “Somewhere in this realm, or Eversus. I can see the thread still, but now that I’ve been to both, I have no idea which realm she’s actually in. It looks exactly the same. My magic can’t seem to distinguish between the two.”
“That answers our earlier question then.” His shoulders tightened slightly. “We should keep going. Follow the thread until something happens.”
“Something happens?” I repeated.
“Until we find Sadie, or until the land shifts again.”
“Awesome,” I muttered, adjusting the straps on my backpack before I followed the thread once more.
We walked in silence for a while, the glow of the forest lighting our way in shades of cerulean. It should’ve been beautiful. But unease scratched at my psyche, like an itch beneath my skin.
I broke the silence. “You said Evorsus tries to lure you in. What did you mean?”
He glanced sideways. “Eversus will kill you directly with heatstroke or dehydration. Evorsus makes you comfortable. Complacent. It plays with your mind, because it doesn't want to kill you. It wants to keep you.”
“Lovely. A hell realm with aesthetic.”
Despite the tension, his mouth twitched. “You’re not wrong.”
We kept moving, the forest thickening. Somewhere in the distance, a howl echoed, low and mournful. I stiffened.
Vareck placed a hand on my lower back. “We’re not alone in these woods. Don’t engage with anything. Some creatures here look harmless but aren’t. Others are worse.”
“Worse than not being harmless? That’s vague,” I said, and he sighed. “Worsehow?”
Vareck worked his jaw, considering my question. His hesitation made me worried, but what he settled on surprised me. “Among other things, furies originated from Evorsus.”
“I thought you said—” I broke off, trying to recall his words.
“They’re not from Eversus,” he said.
“Who named this stupid place? Eversus. Evorsus. Fricken twin hells. It might as well be the same place. One has two suns, the other two moons. It’s literally day and night.”
He caught me by the elbow, his expression solemn. “They are very much not the same, day and night aside. Don’t make the mistake of confusing them just because of their unfortunatenaming being so similar. One is designed to kill the body. The other is designed to kill the mind.”
“Okay, but if this one screws with people’s heads, I’m kind of surprised furies come from here and not Eversus.” I ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair, scratching my scalp.
“Some would think that.”
I cocked my head. “It’s obviously wrong, so fill me in.”
His lips twisted, like he was debating on what to say. “The way furies are thought of it doesn’t surprise me that you’d make that connection. What truly makes them dangerous—makesmedangerous—is not the black eyes or the claws or the jagged wings. It’s our ability to curse with our blood.”
I reeled back. “You can do that?”
Vareck stilled, his gaze piercing me. “I can, but you have no reason to fear me. I would never do that to you.”
I was somewhat taken aback that he assumed that was where my thoughts went. “I didn’t think you would.” Vareck could have hurt me a number of times since we met, but apart from putting that cursed necklace on me, he never did. Even then, that wasn’t a physical or permanent sort of pain. It made my heart hurt because it felt like betrayal.
“Good.” He dipped his chin. “Because there is nothing you could do to me that would make me use that power on you, including letting the mate bond die. You understand that, right?”
“I believe you, Vareck.” And by the gods, I did. He sounded pained, like it hurt to even consider a universe where I chose that. My heart tightened in my chest, and I nodded. A question came to me, but I almost didn’t want to ask. “Have you ever used it?”
He paused, and that answered my question before he even spoke. “Twice.”
I could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it, so despite my curiosity I thought it best to let it go.
“So furies come from Evorsus,” I mused, not really sure where I was going with my pivot in the conversation. I wanted to keep him talking. Learning about furies and fae and all things Vareck was quickly becoming a favorite pastime of mine. That thought was more than a little scary. I buried it, masking the vulnerability with an easy smile.
