Page 181 of War Queen
Norah’s mind drifted to the birds. “He already does this with animals. But he still needs the blood.”
“Probably not for much longer. He needs to be stopped.”
“Can’t have him being like you?” Soren snarked.
“Our power is bound by the forest,” Sana cut back. “Evenwehave limits. But he would not. He would have more power than any one man should hold. And if he has ill intent, there will be no one able to stand against him. You have to stop him before he reaches that point.”
“How?”
“You have to kill him.”
Norah looked at Soren in desperation. “Mikael will never let that happen while we’re still tethered.” She turned back to Sana. “Do you know how to break it?”
“I do.”
She sighed in relief.Thank the gods. “How?”
“The same way Naavi broke the seers’ ability to see you when your father brought you here.”
Norah’s heart caught in her throat. “I would lose my memories again?”
Naavi nodded. “Yes.”
“You are tethered through the Aether,” Sana said. “We would break your connection to the Aether again, and thus break the tether.”
She needed to sit down, but there was no chair. Her lungs called for air, but there wasn’t enough of it. She couldn’t get a breath. To break the tether, she’d have to lose herself again. She’d lose everything. She shook her head.No, there had to be another way.
“There is no other way,” Sana said.
Norah looked back to Soren. How could there be no other way?
He stepped closer to her. His voice came softly. “You probably wouldn’t come to like me again, but I’d understand.”
“What?” she breathed.
“But with Salar, you’d come to love him again. I know you would.”
She shook her head. “No. Soren. No. I’m not losing my memories again. It’s all I have left of those I’ve lost: my grandmother, Alexander, Vitalia. And my memories with Mikael, I won’t have them taken from me.”
He stepped closer. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, I do.”
“If Lucien dies, you’ll die. And you know Salar won’t let that happen. We need to kill him. This is the only way to stop him.”
Norah shook her head again. No. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. “I’ll find another way.”
“The only other way is if the traveler breaks the tether himself,” Sana said.
“Then that’s what I’ll have to get Lucien to do.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Soren asked her.
“He’s not a bad person! He’s just… wrong. And he’s angry. But if I see him again, if I talk to him… I do think he cares about me.”
“Salara, did you just hear them?” Soren asked. “We have to kill him. He’s not going to help us do that, no matter how much you think he cares.” He looked to Naavi and Sana. “Do it. Break the tether.”
“No,” Norah said, stepping back.
