Wildling power.
But she hadn’t been the one to wield it.
Love on Lightlark is a dangerous thing.
Someone she loved was using her abilities.
The thick plant lifted her to the surface, out of the pit that had opened right in the middle of the Place of Mirrors.
When she reached the top, Isla hauled herself over the edge, onto solid stone, panting. Her hair was a wild mess in front of her.
Through it, she saw Oro release his fist.
And the vine around her waist went limp.
Oro was wielding Isla’s power. And she could see in Grim’s face that he knew what that meant.
The look on his face, agony melting into surprise and finally anger, said that he had also tried to access her abilities. And found that he could not.
Isla opened her mouth. Hours before, her feelings had been different. Hours before, she had been ready to run away with Grim, to build a future together. To sacrifice all she wanted, forhim.
But he had betrayed her in every way. He had taken away her memories instead of including her in his plan. Instead of trusting her to make her own decision. He had made the choice for her.
And Oro ... he had been her true partner through the Centennial. He had handed her truths in exchange for her lies. She had cried in front of him. Laughed. Conquered her greatest fears. Faced many dangers. He knew her better than anyone else on the island—except for the friend she had lost.
Before Isla could say a word, Grim backed out of a gaping hole in the glass and disappeared into the night.
Celeste’s blood was still hot on her hand. Down her sleeve. She fell to her knees and retched. Sobbed. Screamed.
The curses were broken.
But so was she.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
BROKEN
They had been joined. One of six had won. A ruler’s familial line had come to an end. The original offense had been committed again.
And on the hundredth day of the Centennial, the island did not vanish beneath the storm.
Isla had not emerged from her room. She only returned to the Wildling realm once, to inject power into the ground, saving it and her people from total ruin. She didn’t know how to use her power yet, but it had been simple. Digging her hands into the ground. Releasing part of herself into its soil. The change had been immediate. Shocking.
Then she had returned to the Mainland castle, using her starstick. She spent her days curled in her tub, the hot water substituting for tears, because she found she had none left. She was empty.
Hollow.
Celeste. Her best and only friend. Hadn’t been a friend at all.
Grim. A year’s worth of forgotten memories. And some she remembered. Huddled together in the rain. Her body pressed against the same glass that had then shattered and sliced her in a thousand places.
She knew now that Ella had never been working against her. The Starling kept her updated through the door of her chamber. Through her, she learned that Cleo had cut away the bridge to Moon Isle, separating her territory from the Mainland. Isla didn’t know what that would mean, what she was planning ... but it couldn’t be good.
Azul had been seen on the beach, watching as the cursed storm finally cleared. Apparently, the storm had held the souls of those killed by the curses. Those were the whispers she had once heard. The bodies trapped inside had supposedly walked just a few steps as specters before disappearing to their peace before they reached shore.
Isla hoped the Skyling had finally gotten to see his husband one last time.
Azul had never been a danger to her—Oro had been right about that. She knew now he had simply been trying to stop Aurora, becoming suspicious of Celeste.
