He nodded before holding the wrapped present out to me. “Your turn.”
I took the box, my smile widening as I lifted the lid. My hands stilled as I found a dagger nestled inside, a mirror image of the one he’d given me a month ago, but...
My brows furrowed, and I lifted my gaze to him.
“A twin to your dagger,” he said, as if in explanation. “The way you pulled my dagger and used it and yours, against me, I thought you might be well suited for dual wielding.”
“You really think I could?” I asked.
“Won’t know until you try,” he said with a shrug. “You can start practicing, feel it out.”
Something swelled in my chest, a combination of excitement, pride, and adoration building until I wasn’t sure I could contain it. I set the present aside to wrap my arms around his neck.
“Thank you,” I breathed, tears dotting my lashes.
“For what?” he asked, his arms coming around me.
“For everything,” I said, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my cheek. “I felt so lost after everything happened. I know it’s not over, that it’s gonna take time to work through it all, but I’m getting there. Thank you for reaching out, for helping me find my way out.”
He squeezed me tighter. “I will always find you, no matter how tightly the darkness holds you. I will always be there to pull you out.”
To be continued...
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE – SELENE
Something was wrong.
Something was...corrupted.
Something that should have never been touched by anyone had somehow been defiled in a way that would make Celestia herself weep.
The acrid, tainted feeling had clawed its way deep into my bones, lingering far longer than it should, and I feared it was beginning to manifest into something I would be powerless to stop. Powerless to face.
I pushed myself from my bed, sleep evading me once more. How many days had it been since I had last found rest? Ten? Twenty? There was no true way to judge the passage of time here, no rise or fall of a sun to mark the beginning and end. It changed nothing, though. There was no beginning anymore, not for me. Only an end. And I wondered how much longer it would be before what I had done finally caught up with me.
The room spun as I stood, and tiny clawed hands grabbed hold of mine to steady me. My eyes fell to the astral sprites gathering around my legs, their bodies made of pure night sky—galaxies, stars and constellations dancing in the dark, misty depths, their glowing eyes like distant suns staring up at me in quiet concern.
I lifted my gaze to the gold framed mirror leaning against the wall, finding the ghostly reflection of what I once was. My hair dragged along the marble in silver waves as I stepped closer to the glass, the strands laying over my shoulders and back like a cloak, barely revealing the pale undergarments I wore. The astral sprites hurried around my legs, brushing through the silver locks, climbing onto one another to reach higher places as they worked their way through the tangles. Their chitters sent warmth through my chest, one of the only things to give me a sense of joy in this place.
A presence brushed over my skin, one I’d avoided a little over a week ago, and I turned. My magic resisted as I attempted to summon my gown, and I let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion as I failed to manifest it. An astral sprite tapped at my leg, and I looked down to find it and several others offering a silver slip.
“Thank you,” I whispered with a soft smile before stepping into the gown and pulling the straps over my shoulders. It would have to do.
On weak legs, I started for the door, and the sprites hurried before me, opening it to let me onto the dais where Damien stood, looking for me. I straightened my posture, shoving back the exhaustion as I stepped toward the stairs, my hands folded neatly in front of me.
He knelt at the foot of the steps. “Goddess.”
“You may rise, warrior,” I said, my gaze sweeping over him. He looked healthier than the last time I had seen him, the color returning to his olive skin, and I couldn’t stifle the hint of relief.
“Apologies for not coming to you sooner,” he said as he rose. “I’ve been busy. I tried to see you a little over a week ago, but—”
“I was attending to something of importance,” I said, the lie slipping from my tongue all too easily, the words joining the other lies as they festered deep within me like poison.
“I figured I might give you an update on—”
“It is Solstice,” I said, noting the scent of jasmine and citrus on his skin, the hint of... My brows furrowed. Chaza berries? I ignored it. “I will not ask you to work tonight. It can wait until tomorrow.”
