He couldn’t possibly be saying this, not him, demon in the shadows, ruler of darkness. Not him, looking at her as if she was the answer to all his dreams. “My entire world was night, and you lit a match. No matter what happens to me in this life, I’ll find you in the next one. I’ll always find you. What I feel for you can never be extinguished. Like the nighttime sky, it is infinite. You and me ... we’re infinite.”
Tears streamed down her face. Why did it sound like he was saying goodbye forever?
“No. Don’t go,” she said. “I can help you. We can figure this out, whatever it is, Grim,together. Let me go with you. We can try the sword. Let me go.”
“Okay, Hearteater,” he finally said. “You can come.”
He kissed her. It was quick, and brutal, and then soft—
She didn’t even notice when he slid a hand down her spine. By the time she did, it was too late.
He had taken her starstick and vanished, making sure she wouldn’t be able to follow.
DAY AND NIGHT
Grim stepped onto the bridge. Exactly where they needed him. He was wearing his full armor, the one she had seen in her memories. Spikes everywhere. On his shoulders. On his helmet. He looked the part of a demon. Shadows swirled and lashed out around him.
But the ones at his feet puddled. “This is obviously a trap,” he said, taking a step forward. “You knew I’d find you.” He smiled. “You knew nothing could ever keep me from you.”
“Even certain death couldn’t keep you away?” she asked, voice trembling.
He smiled wider. “Oh, Hearteater,” he said. “You and me ... we’re infinite. Death doesn’t stand a chance.”
Isla couldn’t breathe. She was drowning from the inside out, knowing what was about to happen. Knowing what she must do—
Oro landed in front of her, and power rumbled across the island.
Grim only smirked at the king. “And neither do you.”
And then he struck. A burst of shadows erupted from him, right at Oro, but the king shielded it with a covering of flames so saturated, they were tinged in blue.
Isla prepared to block herself from the shadows too, her Starling shield forming, but they moved around her almost gently, like extensions of Grim himself.
Oro burst forth with a thick cord of power—a mix of silver energy, water rushing from the sea, and flashing flames. Grim met it with a chain of pure darkness.
Their powers clashed and reverberated in waves. The bridge below them shook. Isla barely kept herself on her feet. She felt the force of their strength in her bones.
Both were too powerful. They roared, fighting, each with equal hatred clear on their faces.
Grim was gone—then, he was right behind Oro. He hit him with a wave of shadows, and Oro only just barely blocked it with a shield of crackling Starling energy. Still, the impact knocked him onto his back.
Before Grim could take another step, Oro’s arms went wide, and the sea rushed from hundreds of feet below. It hit Grim, then hardened, then cracked as he fought to melt through it with his shadows. He couldn’t move his arms. Oro shot enough fire to char Grim through the ice, but, at the last moment, he portaled away, leaving the frost behind. It fell back onto the bridge and shattered.
“Behind you!” Isla shouted, and Oro turned just in time to block Grim’s blade. Oro created a sword out of Starling energy, and they dueled across the bridge.
Grim grinned as if he was having the time of his life. “It’s been a long time since we fought, Oro,” he said, advancing. “What a shame that it will also be the last time.”
Oro let his sword disappear and shot up into the air.
Grim followed. He portaled so quickly that it was as if he were also flying, appearing then disappearing in wild spurts. They dueled in the sky, this time with streams of power.
Isla watched from below, finding herself cringing at every blow the other landed. She bit the inside of her mouth, dread churning in her chest.
There was no winning.
A rumble sounded before the sea below spiraled up, becoming a massive snake that lunged at Grim. In response, he spun a wolf formed of shadows. The creatures battled, mauling each other, protecting their creators.
Oro shot out his hand, releasing a dozen throwing blades made from flames. Grim blocked them with a dark curl of smoke before that shield became a dozen arrows all aimed at Oro’s chest.
