The Ascended — Chapter no 60

Chapter 60

After the Collapse

THE PORTAL TO THE BONE SPIRE CLOSED BEHIND US.

We stood in the familiar black stone halls, none of us speaking.

"I need to contact the others," Xül said, already moving. "Aelix, I’m sure my father will call a meeting."

"I’m coming," Aelix assured. "The sooner we understand what happened, the better."

I waited for Xül to look at me, but he kept his gaze fixed on Aelix.

"Xül," I started. “I need to speak with you.”

"Not now, Thais." He still wouldn't look at me. "This takes precedence."

"Come on," Marx said softly, taking my arm. "Let them handle the mysterious god stuff. You and I can raid the kitchen."

I let her lead me away, though my stomach was knotted. Behind us, another portal tore open.

"He's scared," Marx said once we were alone in one of the Spire's sitting rooms. She flopped onto a velvet couch, all sharp elbows and careless grace. "Men always get weird when they're scared."

I sank into a chair across from her. "He’s certainly something."

"You claim he doesn’t care, but he was awfully quick with those death hands," Marx observed. "When he saved Thatcher."

“I don’t really want to talk about that right now.”

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Of course you don’t.” She sighed.

“Can we talk about the other elephant in the room, then? Or is that off limits too?"

I rolled my eyes. “Which elephant are you referring to, exactly?”

"The resistance, Thais. We're both caught up in it now." Her voice

dropped.

I nodded slowly. "It seems that way."

"Being around it and being in it are different things." She picked at a thread on the couch. "Do you think they'll ask us to join officially? After we

ascend?"

"Probably. If we survive."

"When," Marx corrected. "When we survive." She studied me. "You're planning to say yes, aren't you? When they ask."

"My brother's already sworn. I won't leave him to face this alone."

"And Xül?"

"What about him?"

"Don't play dumb. You're involved with the Prince of Death, whose father leads all of this. That's not exactly a neutral position."

"We’re not involved, Marx. Not anymore."

"So, it’s over then, just like that?"

"You've been warning me against him this entire time."

"Yeah, well." Marx had the grace to look sheepish. "That was before."

"So now you're team Xül?"

"I'm team Don't-Die-With-Regrets." She tossed the pillow at me. "Look, we're about to become gods tomorrow. Or die trying. And somehow you've been sneaking around with Death's son without getting caught."

"He’s engaged to be married."

"I'm just saying, if you made it this far without divine retribution raining down, maybe it's meant to be." She waggled her eyebrows. "Plus, have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s absurdly abnormal."

"You're ridiculous."

She shrugged. "But hey, what do I know? I'm just the girl who's been watching you two eye-fuck across every room you're in."

"Marx!"

"What? It's true."

She got serious for a moment. "He chose you today, Thais. When it mattered."

“Well, as I stated rather clearly before,” I murmured. “This is not a topic I want to discuss at the moment.”

Marx held her hands up in mock surrender. “Whatever you say, Morvaren.”

“How many of us made it out? I forgot to count.”

"Four." She unfolded from the couch. "Aelix says the Forging is unlike the other Trials. Olinthar himself oversees it. No games, no tricks, just a test of whether we can handle divine power without being destroyed by it."

"Comforting."

“I can’t imagine what it’s like for you,” Marx said. “Having to be in his presence.”

“Nearly unbearable, really. But I have it easy compared to Thatcher.”

Marx simply nodded.

"Any idea what domain you’ll choose?" she asked, moving to the window and looking out at the crimson sky.

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

Would it even make sense to stay here?

It was Xül who had made this place feel like home. His domineering presence in the black castle. Our sessions on the beach overlooking the midnight sea. The Eternal City and its roaring gardens, where beauty bloomed even in darkness. The way he'd gradually transformed from jailer to mentor to… whatever he was now.

And he still felt like a huge uncertainty. It was hard to believe that all of this was finally coming to an end. That I could be leaving this domain and sleeping in another tomorrow.

My heart throbbed at the thought. Leaving, after everything that had happened. Not waking up to crimson skies or black seas. Not knowing he was just down the hall, his presence a constant, complicated comfort.

I wondered if the other domains had places like the cliffs where Xül and I had stood watching the stars, if I could find one with an ocean, something that would tie me back to Saltcrest, to here.

Or maybe I didn't want that. Maybe I needed something new. Something that didn’t remind me of everything I'd lost.

Thatcher would be in Sundralis.

Maybe I'd follow him there.

My head spun with possibilities, and my mind wandered to darker futures. The wedding that would seal Xül's political alliance. Nyvora claiming him as her own. Would she move to Draknavor, turning this place into a daily reminder of what I couldn't have? Would Xül leave, abandoning

his sanctuary on the edge of the world? Maybe they'd split their time between domains.

I couldn't imagine watching them together. Not for a long while. I couldn't have it shoved in my face decade after decade.

My chest seized as the concept took root. Time, and the passing of it.

Eternity. I couldn't fathom what that meant. Would I feel heartbroken forever, or would time heal, as so many stories suggested? Or was it different once immortality sank its claws in, making every feeling bright and burning and terrible forever?

I'd seen Xül's library, filled with journals documenting centuries of existence. How many of those pages held heartbreak? How many recorded loves lost or loves never realized at all?

Hours passed before a portal tore open. I was on my feet immediately, Marx right behind me.

Xül and Aelix stepped through, and one look at their faces told me the news wasn't good.

"Well?" Marx asked when neither of them spoke.

"Vorinar never showed," Aelix said grimly. "His seat at the meeting was

empty."

"That's concerning," I said.

"Indeed." Xül's voice was tight with control. "And unlike him."

"How did the others feel?" Marx asked.

"Confusion. Concern. Suspicion." Aelix ran a hand through his hair.

"Some think he's behind the domain's collapse. Others worry something's happened to him."

Aelix moved to Marx's side. "We should go. You need rest before tomorrow."

Marx glanced between Xül and me, clearly reluctant to leave. "You

sure?"

"Go," I said.

She hugged me quickly. "Don't die before you become immortal, okay?

Would be terribly anticlimactic."

Despite everything, I smiled. "I'll do my best."

After they left, Xül sauntered off without a word. I followed him all the way to his study, biting back the wince as his desk came into view. Those memories were still too painful.

He was already moving about, pulling books down from his personal

collection.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

He didn't look up.

I moved closer, reading the spines of the books he'd gathered. Divine Architecture. Realm Stability through the Ages. "You left so quickly

earlier."

"The situation required haste."

"You're worried about more than just Vorinar."

Finally, he looked at me, and the mask cracked. "The domains don't just… break, Thais. Divine infrastructure has existed for millennia without

failing."

"So, what could cause it?"

"That's what concerns me." He gestured at the texts. "Either something is fundamentally wrong with the domain itself, or—"

"What?"

"Or something powerful enough to break a god's domain is among us."

We looked at each other across the chaos of his research, both thinking thoughts we didn't want to voice. The resistance existed because Olinthar had become a tyrant. But what if the threat was bigger than that?

"I need to tell you what I saw in the sanctum," I finally said, keeping my voice steady.

He looked up, his mismatched eyes finding mine. Then they hardened.

"Being honest now?"

The edge in his voice made my jaw tighten. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Act like you have the moral high ground here."

"I wasn't aware I was acting." He set down his book with deliberate care. "Please, tell me about the sanctum."

“A prophecy unfolded while I was in there. Before everything went to shit.”

His attention sharpened. "What did you find?"

"More like something found me." I took a breath, then told him everything. The living prophecy, the visions of reality breaking, the hordes of creatures. And the woman.

Xül went very still as I described everything. When I finished, he moved to a different shelf, pulling out a tome that looked older than the

others. The binding was some kind of scaled hide.

"Those sound like…" He flipped through pages. "But that's impossible."

"What is?"

He turned the tome towards me. The drawing was crude, ancient, but I recognized the wrongness immediately. Creatures that defied explanation— too many joints, too many legs, too many teeth.

"These were fabled monsters from the Cursed Lands of Vaerhuun," he said. "But those lands had been sealed for millennia, even before the four realms were separated. The creatures are long dead."

"Why did I see them?"

"I don't know." He studied the page intently.

I leaned back against the desk, careful not to let my eyes linger on it for too long. “The line of fate that led me to the door, it was intertwined with mine. Intertwined with Thatcher’s.”

"And this woman you saw—you said she looked directly at you?"

"Right at me. Like she could see me watching."

"That shouldn't be possible." His frown deepened. "Prophecies are echoes of potential futures, not windows. For her to see you would mean…"

"What?"

"She exists outside normal temporal constraints." He closed the book carefully. "Or she's powerful enough to perceive across time itself."

“Well, that’s only mildly terrifying.”

He set the book aside. "I really hope that this was just some random

anomaly."

"What if it's not?"

"We've been focused on Olinthar. On getting him out." His voice was controlled, but I could hear the edge beneath. "But if something from Vaerhuun is stirring—that's not political. That's existential."

"You're afraid."

His eyes snapped to mine. "I'm practical. There's a difference."

The silence that followed felt heavy, charged with unspoken accusations. I traced my finger along the markings etched into the table's surface, memories of the past weeks flooding back.

"I find it funny that we're discussing the end of the world," I said finally, "when I can barely look at this desk without remembering…"

His expression softened. "I know."

"Everything's so complicated now." I looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

"Thais…" The way he said my name held a weight I couldn't decipher.

"No, let me finish." I took a breath, forcing myself to meet his eyes.

"We've both kept secrets. We've both had our reasons. But now, with everything that's happening—the domain breaking, the forging tomorrow— I don't want to leave things unsaid between us."

He studied me for a long moment, the hostility fading from his expression. "Do you think you could forgive me?" The words came unexpectedly as he ran a hand down his face. "I don’t know what I’ll do with myself if you can’t."

I looked into his eyes. My heart—the wretched thing—it needed the same. I needed for things to be right with us again, or at least as right as they could be.

"Only if you forgive me too," I whispered.

"For what it's worth, hurting you is the worst thing I've ever done," he murmured. "I don't plan on repeating it. Ever."

"And I wasn't thinking—wasn't thinking about what it would do to you if our plan went sideways."

"It would have ruined me. I need you to know that."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, starling."

We fell into a shallow silence.

“I’ve dreaded this. I hate this is how we’re spending our last night.” He seemed to look past me. “Even as I knew it was approaching, I hoped it would never come.”

“That doesn’t sound so practical,” I observed.

“The thought of you losing you…” He trailed off. “I don’t know if I can bear it. Not truly.”

Our eyes met, and I saw a fire burning within them. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. What did he expect me to say? Of course this was hard. Everything remained unresolved between us. There was no clean break, only jagged edges. His words were painful and unfair, yet everything I wanted to hear.

“Don’t say things like that,” I whispered. “It makes things so much more difficult for me. I need you to accept it, Xül. And stop playing this game with me.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you think you could be done?” he asked. “Just

like that?”

“We both have to be. You know this.”

In one fluid motion, he turned, backing me against the cool stone wall.

His hands came up to frame my face, fingers sliding into my hair, thumbs brushing my cheekbones with a tenderness. Every fiber of my being was screaming for me to pull away.

"What if I call it all off?" he whispered, eyes searching mine desperately. "What if I refuse to marry her?"

The question hung between us, impossible and electric. I stared at him, unable to find words, my heart thundering against my ribs.

"You can’t just change your mind now." I pushed against him.

"Tell me it wouldn't matter to you," he demanded, his eyes blazing. “If you tell me to walk away, I will. But not until I hear you say it.”

"No!" I shouted, but my voice cracked. "It has to be you. You’re the one who has to choose to walk away. So do it."

He pressed his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. "Then tell me to fight for this. For us."

"You know I can’t," I said, but the words hurt as they fell out. "It will ruin everything. That’s what you’ve been saying the whole time. You can’t just change your mind like this. Not now. Your father won’t allow it."

"My father be damned," he growled. "All of them be damned."

“You don’t mean any of this Xül. You’re scared. It’s getting real. You’re realizing I’ll be gone tomorrow.” I tilted my head, willing for him to hear me. “You will regret this later. And I won’t allow it.”

“Stop trying to reason with me.” His fingers tightened in my hair. “This

is going to break me, Thais.”

“Xül—”

“You don’t understand.” He cut me off. “I love you, starling. I’m in love

with you.”

My heart seized. Love.

I took a deep breath, and then whispered, “but is that enough in the face of everything else, Xül? Is it really?”

“You’re not the only one of us with a hypocrite as a father. Mine chose love over duty—nearly sent the entire realm crashing down around him.”

Xül inhaled, moving closer. “And I’ll be damned for eternity if I’m not willing to do the same. I’d burn Voldaris to the ground for you.”

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The raw confession stripped me bare, left me defenseless against the tidal wave rising in my chest.

He surged forward, his lips finding mine with a desperate hunger. His hands left my face, sliding down to my waist, pulling me against him. I gasped against his mouth as our bodies pressed together.

"Xül," I breathed as his lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw, then down my throat. "If you mean this—"

He groaned against my mouth. "I’d wage wars for you," he murmured, his breathing ragged. "I won’t hide from it anymore. I’m done doing what everyone else requires of me. Done. I’m choosing me now. And I’m choosing you. Tell me that you want this too," he murmured against my neck, his hands already working at the fastenings of my dress. "That you’ll be mine."

In answer, I pulled his face back down. My fingers tangled in his braids.

It was everything I wanted. The taste of him, the feel of his hands on my skin, the strength in his body as he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist.

"You’re the only thing I’ll ever want," he confessed between kisses. “I’ll be yours for as long as you want me, Thais. Eternity is a long time, and I know I’m asking a lot of you. And that there’s a chance that you’ll change your mind, a year from now—a thousand years from now.” He paused, looking directly into my eyes. “But when that day comes, my heart will stop. It will only ever beat for you, Thais."

“I’m yours, already, Xül.” I murmured. “I have been for a while.”

"Tomorrow, I tell him everything," he growled, fingers digging into my thighs. "After the forging, I'm done being his puppet."

"He won’t take it well," I warned, already breathless.

"Probably not," Xül replied. "But I’ve played his games for too long.

Now I'm taking what I want." His gaze raked over me, hungry and possessive.

When our mouths collided, it wasn't with tenderness but with bone-deep certainty, teeth clashing, tongues battling for dominance. I bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, and he groaned into my mouth, the coppery taste making my head spin.

He lifted me effortlessly, hands gripping my ass as he carried me across the room. With a violent sweep of his arm, he cleared the massive desk,

sending scrolls and inkwells crashing to the floor. He tossed me onto the polished surface, the wood cold against my fevered skin.

"We certainly have a proclivity for desks, don’t we starling?" he murmured, teeth grazing my ear. "During every tedious council meeting, every negotiation—all I could think about was that night."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

His eyes darkened as he reached for the fastenings of my shirt, fingers working impatiently. "I should rip this off you," he muttered, tugging at the delicate fabric.

"Do it," I challenged, arching into his touch. "I want to hear it tear."

A wicked smile curved his lips before he gripped the bodice and yanked, the sound filling the room. The rush of cool air against my exposed skin made me shiver, but it was nothing compared to the reverence in his gaze as he looked at me.

"Fucking perfect," he growled, hands immediately finding bare flesh.

I reached for his own shirt, frustrated by the complexity. "Get this off," I demanded. "Now."

He chuckled darkly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "So impatient." But his own hands moved to help, tearing at fasteners until he could shrug out of it.

The sight of his bare chest made my mouth water. Bronze skin stretched over hard muscle, his broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist in a perfect V. His abdomen was a landscape of ridges and valleys that tightened with each breath, and a tantalizing trail of dark hair disappeared beneath his waistband, drawing my gaze down.

A wicked thought flashed through my mind. I pushed against his chest and slid from the desk, dropping to my knees before he could stop me.

His sharp intake of breath was immensely satisfying. "Thais—"

"Shhh," I interrupted, looking up. "I want to taste you."

The muscle in his jaw ticked as I traced my lips over his erection straining against the fabric of his trousers. "You're playing with fire, starling."

"Good," I replied, freeing him. My eyes widened at the sight of him. "I want to burn."

I wrapped my hand around him, unable to fully encircle his girth. "Tell me how you want it," I demanded, giving him a teasing stroke. "Do you

want it slow and gentle?" I demonstrated with a feather-light touch that had

him hissing through his teeth.

"Harder," he ground out.

I increased the pressure, maintaining an agonizingly slow pace. "Like this?"

A growl rumbled from his chest. "You know damn well that's not what I want."

"Then tell me," I taunted, deliberately provoking him. "I want to hear you say it."

His eyes burned when they met mine. "It’s rather simple, starling. I want you to take as much of me as you can."

Desire curled through me. "Is that right?"

Without breaking eye contact, I leaned forward and licked him from base to tip, savoring the taste of him. His whole body shuddered, a strangled curse escaping his lips.

"Gods, your mouth," he groaned as I took him between my lips, sucking hard. His hand tangled in my hair, not guiding but holding tight as if he needed an anchor.

I took my time, alternating between torturous gentleness and intense suction, watching his control unravel thread by thread. When his breathing grew ragged, when his grip in my hair became almost painful, I met his gaze deliberately, challenging him.

Understanding flashed in his eyes. The hand in my hair tightened, and he began to move, slowly at first, testing. "Is this what you want?" he asked, voice strained.

I hummed my approval around him, and that small vibration seemed to snap the last thread of his restraint. His grip became firmer, more commanding as he controlled the pace, gradually increasing the depth with each careful thrust.

"Take more," he urged, watching me with blazing intensity. I relaxed my throat, allowing him deeper access, and was rewarded with a guttural

sound.

He released my hair suddenly.

"Stop," he finally commanded, voice harsh. "I'm not finishing like this.

Not tonight."

I pulled back, deliberately licking my lips as I looked up at him. "Too much for you to handle, Prince?"

His eyes were wild and untamed. And the war in them set my blood on

fire.

"Get up. Now."

He practically dragged me across the study toward the tall library ladder. With quick efficiency, he tested the mechanism before locking it into place with a decisive click.

He stepped closer, his chest pressing against my back. His hands ran slowly up my sides, tracing every curve. The warmth of his palms burned through me as they continued their journey upward, skimming over my shoulders and down my arms.

He guided my hands forward, placing them firmly on the wooden rungs at shoulder height. His hands clamped around mine.

"Don't let go." His breath was hot against my ear as he leaned in. My knees weakened.

He released me to trail back down my arms, my sides, eventually settling on my hips. He used his knee to nudge my legs apart, positioning me exactly as he wanted.

He pressed against me from behind, his hardness digging into my lower back. "You enjoy provoking me, don't you?" he murmured, his lips brushing the sensitive spot below my ear.

"Yes," I admitted shamelessly. "Desperation is a great look on you."

His hand slid between my legs. "Look at you," he said, voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Soaked already, starling.”

I moaned as his fingers explored me, teasing but never giving enough pressure where I needed it most. "Xül, please—"

"Please what?" he taunted, echoing my earlier challenge. "Tell me what you need."

"I need you inside me," I gasped, pride abandoned in the face of desperate desire. "I need you to fuck me. Hard."

One hand gripped my hip firmly while the other slid around to trace teasing patterns across my stomach, gradually moving lower. I trembled with anticipation, my knuckles white as I gripped the ladder rungs.

"I've thought about taking you like this," he murmured, his lips brushing against my shoulder.

I could feel him positioning himself behind me. The sensation sent waves of anticipation through my body. When he finally began to push his cock inside me, the size drew a gasp from my lips.

I arched my back, pressing against him, silently urging him to move faster, to take more. His response was a nip at the junction of my neck and shoulder.

"Patience," he warned, though his voice was strained. "I want to feel every inch of you."

When he was fully seated, he paused, his chest pressed against my back, his breath ragged against my ear. For a moment, we remained perfectly still, joined completely, the sensation almost overwhelming.

He pulled back before slamming forward, setting a rhythm that started achingly slow but gradually increased in intensity. Each thrust drove me against the ladder, the wooden rungs pressing into my palms.

"Fuck," he groaned, one hand sliding up to cup my breast, the other still gripping my hip with bruising force.

His pace quickened, each movement becoming more forceful. The sound of our bodies meeting filled the room, punctuated by my gasps and his occasional growls of pleasure.

"More," I begged, pushing back against him. "Harder."

Something seemed to snap within him at my demand. His hand left my breast to tangle in my hair, pulling my head back so he could speak directly into my ear.

"Harder, starling? As if I hadn’t already planned on marking you so thoroughly that every god in every realm would know you belong to me."

He slowed, hesitating before slamming back into me. "Leaving my handprints on your thighs, making sure you carry the evidence of my claim on your body."

His words sent a shudder through me. He noticed, of course—those eyes missed nothing.

"You like that idea, don't you?" His voice turned mocking, cruel. "The thought of being marked, owned, used by me?"

"Yes," I gasped, the single word barely coherent as pleasure built within me. "Gods, yes."

“Remind me again who you belong to?” He released my hair to grip both my hips, using the leverage to drive into me with renewed intensity.

The change in angle had me seeing stars, each thrust hitting a spot deep inside that sent shockwaves of pleasure through my body.

"You," I gasped, clinging to the ladder as pleasure built to an almost unbearable peak. "I'm yours, Xül. Only yours."

"And I'm yours," he growled. "Every part of me belongs to you, Thais.

My body, my heart, my fucking soul—it's all yours."

His crude sincerity, coupled with the relentless rhythm of his body against mine, sent me crashing over the edge. I cried out his name as waves of ecstasy tore through me, barely aware of his own release following moments later, his grip tightening as he emptied himself inside me.

For long moments afterward, we remained locked together, his forehead pressed against my shoulder as we fought to catch our breath. My legs trembled uncontrollably, the ladder now the only thing keeping me upright.

His arms wrapped around my waist, supporting me as my strength failed.

When he finally moved, it was to turn me in his embrace. His fingers traced my cheek. Gentle. So gentle now.

He studied my face for a moment before sweeping me into his arms without warning. I let out a startled laugh, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he started walking.

"Taking you to bed," he replied, kicking the door open with his foot.

"Did you think we were finished?"

The path through the darkened corridor was familiar to him, even with the minimal light. His chambers emerged before us, moonlight streaming through the tall windows.

He set me down on the massive bed, but instead of joining me, he stood for a moment, just looking at me with an expression that made my heart race.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious under his intense gaze.

"I'm committing this to memory," he said quietly.

The weight of his words settled over me, reminding me of all that was at stake—and of the conversation we needed to have. I patted the space beside me, and he joined me on the bed, pulling me against his chest as if he couldn't bear any distance between us.

"Tomorrow I break free," he said softly. "No more hiding. No more pretending. Whatever happens, whatever he tries to do to us—we face it together."

The moment had come. I took a deep breath, gathering my courage.

"There's something we need to discuss," I said. "About what happens

after the Forging."

He tensed slightly. "What about it?"

"I know which domain I’ll choose."

"Draknavor," he said immediately, as if it were already settled. "There’s nothing to discuss."

"No," I said firmly. "I'm committing to Sundralis."

His expression darkened. "Have you gone mad?"

"Thatcher's there," I explained, holding his gaze. "And that's where I need to be right now."

"This is quite an idea, starling. A hasty one—"

"I'm not choosing anyone over you," I interrupted. "We've decided on each other, and we have an eternity to explore what that means. But I'm not going to sit idly by in Draknavor while all these plans unfold around me."

He was silent, his jaw clenched tight enough that I could see the muscle working beneath his skin.

"Xül," I said softly. "You and I can be fully together after all of this is over—when Olinthar falls. Until then, I have to be with Thatcher. He needs me, and I need to be there, in the heart of Sundralis, close to Olinthar."

"Where I can't protect you," he said, his voice dangerously low.

"Where I can protect myself," I countered. "Where I can be useful."

He turned away, shoulders rigid with tension. "It's too dangerous."

"More dangerous than falling for Death's son while plotting against the King of Gods?" I asked, a hint of dark humor in my voice. "Everything about this is dangerous, Xül."

He was quiet for so long I thought he might refuse to discuss it further.

Finally, he turned back to me, his expression unreadable.

"You've already decided," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"And nothing I say will change your mind."

I snuggled closer, placing my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath my palm. "Not about this. But it doesn't change anything between us. When Morthus takes the throne, I can come back here. To Draknavor.

This isn't goodbye. It's strategy."

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Using my own tactics against me, starling?"

"I learned from the best," I replied. "Besides, you're the one who always tells me to see the larger picture."

He covered my hand with his own. "I'm beginning to regret that particular lesson."

"No, you're not," I said softly.

His eyes searched mine for a long moment before he nodded, resignation and pride warring in his expression. "When this is over—"

"When this is over," I echoed, "we'll have all the time in the universe."