Page 46 of Ignite
Willow told us the truth, that they know where Nightfall is. Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to believe them, but there’s something in Willow’s eyes—a pain that shows years of trying to retrieve it and failing.
I don’t know how they figured it out, but right now, I don’t care. What matters is howwe gettoit.
“We don’t need a plan,” Aster growls, snapping my focus back to the room. “If we figure out how to pass through the curse unharmed, then we retrieve the dagger.”
Leda snorts and throws her hands into the air. “That’sit, huh?”
As simple as Aster is making it sound, that isn’t all there is to it. Crea holds more than just Nightfall for me. It’s the place I grew up, the place I chose to leave the first opportunity I got.
I dread the thought of going back there. Of being surrounded by small-minded men who look at women as an accessory instead of a partner. Or running into those I met during the matching, the ones who looked at me as if they only valued me for my last name and who my father was.
Of being the weak girl who allowed herself to stay trapped.
And if we need to find a way back to Crea, where does that leave Adrian and the Lyles? While I don’t owe them anything, leaving them in Penyth is a sure way to get them all killed. Is that something I’m prepared to let happen?
My chest tightens as questions flood my mind, swirling around like a winter storm blanketing everything in its path.
Willow shifts between Leda and Aster, her mouth pinched. “If war is coming, then we need Nightfallhere, not in Crea.” Her gaze flicks between the two of them, her chest heaving with every word. “We don’t have Daimon or Senna this time—don’t have the leaders we did in the last war. Any edge that could tip the scales in our favor is needed.
“It was able to take down Moros.That’sthe kind of weapon we can’t ignore,” Willow breathes.
Brielle’s eyes lock with mine the moment the name leaves Willow’s mouth. We haven’t discussed whether we would keep the information about Moros a secret, but now, I don’t think that would matter.
I haven’t had time to process what it truly means for Morosto have control of Crea, let alone begin to understand whose blood runs in my veins. Not only am I the daughter of the beloved queen, but also the daughter of the guardian of the Vale.
Nightfall isn’t the only weapon. Truth is a double-edged sword, demanding a piece of your soul the longer you contain it. It may hurt to say, but it hurts far worse to keep it in.
We need Willow and Aster. They know the border far better than we do. And they’ve trusted us enough to tell us about Nightfall and Eurydice’s call.
Maybe it’s time we trusted them back.
They don’t know what we do—that Moros is alive. It can’t be a coincidence that he’s in Crea and so is the dagger.
My heart races as I say, “There’s something we haven’t told you two yet.”
Willow and Aster turn to me, and I can feel Leda burning a hole into my forehead. But I ignore her.
“Moros isn’t dead.” My voice comes out cold. “He’s not only alive, but ruling Crea in the king’s absence.”
I don’t mention that the king is absent because he’shere. As much as I hate Adrian right now, I don’t want himdead. And I don’t know how deep the anger toward Creans runs for Willow and Aster.
Willow gasps, and Aster jumps to his feet. They’ve been so secluded on Kauri, so focused on finding this weapon, that they wouldn’t know much of what’s happening on the mainland.
“Of course he’s dead,” Aster snaps. “We all saw him die that night. I refuse to believe he’s anything but rotting in the Vale. Because if he isn’t dead, then that means all of this…” He motions around him. “Looking for Nightfall, believing it had any kind of power, was for nothing—it means the lives lost during the war were fornothing.”
Willow lays a hand on his shoulder, but there’s a shift in the air, like all of the moisture in the room is being pulled toward him. Aster’s chest rises and falls in rapid succession, and I let myshadows wind around my wrists, curling up my arms as he watches me.
His nostrils flare; he shifts just enough to angle his right hand toward me, a pool of water forming in his palm. Leda steps between us, light spilling from her hands. Aster moves toward us, and a growl rips from Leda’s throat.
“Enough,” Brielle snaps, staggering to her feet. She sways, and Willow has an arm around her waist in the blink of an eye, holding her up. “Do you not see, Aster?”
Her gaze pleads with his, and the fury in his eyes begins to dim.
“If Moros didn’t die that night, then that confirms what Nyx told Lu.” Brielle looks at me. “That the wrong person was wielding it.”
My blood turns to ice in my veins, chilling me from the inside out.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Calix mutters, his voice strained.
