Page 78 of Black Hearted
He was going to drink the potion. He was going to sacrifice himself.
“Zane, no.” I sobbed as the realization hit me, struggling harder against the restraints. I tripped and fell forward, tears blurring my vision.
He caught me, lowering me gently to the ground. “Forgive me,” he whispered. “And take care of Nellie. You promised.” He kissed my forehead, then turned away.
“Zane, don’t do this!” I screamed until my voice went hoarse. “It’s me. I’m supposed to do this, not you.”
But he began to walk away. As he disappeared over the hill toward the Tree of Transformation, I realized with heartbreaking clarity that I’d fallen in love with him, too. Now, I would have to watch him die. I would have to live on with a hole in my heart that could never be filled.
I could think of no crueler fate.
“Zane, please don’t do this to me,” I begged, sobbing as uncontrollable grief overwhelmed me. When I read the Wise Ones’ letter, I had accepted my own death—but not his.
I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not now.
The man who had traveled across the realm to rescue me. The man who bought me a puppy because I said I liked them. A man of such noble character, he would take my ill fate and make it his own.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Zane
My heart ached as I heard Lorelei’s screams. The way she yelled my name, filled with so much anguish, was killing me. But I had to do this. I couldn’t let her sacrifice herself. I wasn’t capable of sitting back and watching her die.
As I crested the hill leading to the Tree of Transformation, I spotted it—a massive green tree nestled at the bottom of a wide ravine. For a moment, I paused in awe, realizing I was looking at the curse’s birthplace.
A bird’s piercing screech shattered my thoughts.
I glanced up just in time to see a raven, the size of a large house cat, dive-bombing straight for my face. Throwing up an arm to shield myself, I batted the bird away. But it quickly changed course, circling back to attack me again.
I fought off the creature, but the sound of flapping wings drew my attention over my shoulder. My stomach dropped as I saw over two dozen ravens descending upon me, their caws and croaks creating a deafening roar.
Where in the fates did they come from?
The swarm enveloped me. The birds dove at me in groups of three to five at a time, their sharp talons raking across my skin, their beaks pecking relentlessly. I punched, swung, and blocked, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed me. Pain seared through my arms and face as their attacks landed, scoring my flesh.
This forsaken land was trying to kill me before I reached the cursed tree. But I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Summoning my power, I thrust out my hand, releasing a bolt of lightning that struck a raven squarely in the chest. Its body seized mid-air and fell lifelessly to the ground at my feet.
The remaining birds, startled by the sudden storm of magic, scattered, fleeing into the skies.
Panting, I stared at the dead bird, frowning. The Wise Ones’ warning replayed in my mind:Come for the curse and the curse will come for you.
The attack made no sense, not without the curse’s influence. These birds hadn’t come out of nowhere—they were sent.
“Sorry, little guy,” I murmured, feeling slightly foolish for apologizing to a dead animal. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Hearing Lorelei’s grief-stricken screams in the distance and seeing the lifeless bird at my feet only fueled my resolve. I needed to end this curse once and for all. No one—not Lorelei, not anyone—should have to suffer under its malevolent shadow any longer.
Without hesitation, I sprinted down the hill toward the Tree of Transformation. My gaze flicked briefly to the black droplets of blood dotting my arms where the birds had scratched me. Black blood.
In this land, it was seen as a mark of evil, a sign of darkness. But in Ethereum, black blood was the mark of power, of royalty—a birthright that carried both privilege and duty.
As I ran, I couldn’t help but wonder if once this curse was destroyed, the seelie here in Faerie could finally shed their centuries of prejudice. Could they end their hatred toward black bleeders? Toward the unseelie?
Would this curse’s end be enough to change everything?
If I had a dying wish, it would be that breaking this curse and healing our two worlds might somehow unite everyone as equals. That we could all learn to accept one another despite our differences.
