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Dusk was having a hard time sleeping. Thoughts about Tiernan, Nedarya, and Tephyss ran rampant in his mind. All along, without any reason, he’d been accepting the lies that Tiernan had been feeding him. He’d seemed too cocky to lie, like some villain who was sure he was going to win. It had been so similar to Maxon, who never needed to lie, that Dusk had just believed him without question. Sure he knew that Tiernan was never forthright with all his information, but he assumed the majority of it was true. Then, out of nowhere, Nedarya showed up and shattered his ideas of what they were dealing with. Tiernan wasn’t just looking to take over the entire continent, he had discovered a new source of magic that made him more powerful than anyone alive in the world and cut it off from everyone else. And to top it off, Dusk had used up Tephyss and his gifts, making him unreachable for the foreseeable future. He had cried out when Dusk tried to see what Nedarya was hiding, but his voice faded immediately.
Those words still echoed in his mind. Shattered. Twisted. Abomination. He wasn’t sure exactly what Tephyss had meant, but whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. Tephyss didn’t speak the words in relief, his voice had almost seemed worried or scared at what he saw. No information had come to Dusk’s mind when the spell completed, so all they had to go on was Nedarya’s story.
Dusk rolled over on his bedding, pulling the blanket up near his chin to block the cold night air. He felt a shiver go down his spine remembering what Lex had said afterward. That he’d been chosen to do this task. Lex knew the story. The crystal was just some rock he’d found in a cavern where he’d been sent ahead first because his life was expendable. Nothing about that felt like fate or destiny. But even so, Tephyss had said there was something special about him, a reason that he was allowed to keep the eye and use its power. He sighed, clenching his eyes shut. That wasn’t something he’d ever wanted. He just wanted to find a quiet place in the wilderness and disappear for the rest of his life. Going on some crazy adventure and being chased by a madman running a cult wasn’t his idea of a better life.
He pushed the blanket back and sat up in the dark. It was a cloudless night and Gartha was high in the sky, casting a warm light across everything. If he wanted, he could walk away right now, into the wilderness. They wouldn’t know he’d gone until morning. Reaching down he picked up his bow, pushing himself to his feet.
“Can’t sleep?” a gravelly voice asked.
Dusk nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning on the spot to see Tara sitting up as well, her hair sticking out oddly on one side. He clutched a hand to his chest, forcing himself to breathe normally. He looked down at her, shaking his head.
“Me either,” she replied, pushing herself up. She was careful to place the blanket back on Nedarya before walking over to him. “Walk with me,” she said, stepping beyond the edge of the campsite towards the ocean.
Dusk followed silently, his bow still grasped at his side. He watched the dark shape of Tara lead the way as the seagrass slowly transitioned to white sands strewn with dark stones. The waves crashed lightly on the shore, millions of stars sparkling on the undulating surface. The breeze was cold and he shivered, having left his cloak and the blanket back at the camp. Tara came to a stop just a few feet out of the wave’s reach and he stepped up beside her, his boot heels sinking into the sand. Together they were silent for a few minutes, just watching the shimmering stars on the surface of the sea, the night cold and silent.
“Today was a lot of information,” Tara stated with a sigh. “For everyone it seems. My guess is that’s what’s been keeping you awake.”
“Yeah,” Dusk replied, his head drooping slightly. Both were silent for a moment. “I’m sorry I put Nedarya through that.”
“It had to be done, but it wasn’t just you that did it,” Tara nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. “All of us needed the information and I’m sorry we had to do it too, but we couldn’t help her without knowing.” She gazed at him for a moment. “Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the key to moving forward.”
Dusk nodded in reply, staying silent. He knew those words were meant for everyone on the journey north, not just Nedarya or himself. Everyone had been through something life-changing in the past few months, whether they wanted to or not.
“But she’ll be okay. Nedarya is a lot tougher than she looks.”
“I can’t believe the magic she did... that kind of power would have put me out for days, if I would have even survived.”
“She’s had a hard life, even if she was a princess. She learned to fight at a young age to keep up with her brother Arius. It came in handy later when she started escaping the guard after being told that proper ladies don’t challenge their suitors to duels.”
“She did that?” Dusk chuckled, glancing at the smile on Tara’s face.
“More than once,” she laughed. “I’m surprised she never challenged Lex, but then again, she never really saw him as much of a threat.”
Dusk stifled a smile. “But he’s definitely a threat now.”
“Holy shit,” Tara murmured, turning to Dusk. “Did you see that amazing move he did when he killed that guy? He didn’t even look at him. Just WHAM, right through the face!” Tara made a jabbing motion with her arm, as if she were fencing. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s going to be hard to tease him as much now about that flimsy sword of his.”
“You two are really good friends, aren’t you?”
“That’s enough of that mushy shit,” she smiled, punching him lightly in the arm. “But while we’re on the subject. What else is keeping you awake?”
Dusk felt his chest tighten. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but this was a rare moment with Tara, one he might not get again.
He took a deep breath. “I just realized that I’ve been believing Tiernan this entire time, like a fool,” he shrugged. “He’s seemed so forthright about how shitty he is that I just assumed he was telling the truth. But he’s been misleading us the entire time. And now he has a power none of us understand that once again, is somehow my fault he found in the first place.” Dusk looked out over the sea, staring into the darkness. “Lex said I’m the one that’s been chosen to stop him, but all I seem to be doing is arming him with more magic. I’ve led them to three dragon skeletons assuming they found the one in Calendia, which I’m sure they have. According to Nedarya, the remains of Tephyss had something even more powerful than that and he’s been using it to experiment on people. And, if this keeps up, he’ll have the eye eventually as well.” Dusk sighed, feeling empty now that all of the words had spilled out of his mouth. “I feel like a pawn in his game. He’s using me just like Maxon and the nobles did for all those years.”
“And yet, here you are,” Tara said softly. “Free from the mines, powerful, and on your way to find the last living dragon to help you take him down. Which he doesn’t know about.”
“We think he doesn’t know about it.”
“He doesn’t,” she assured him. “Nedarya had a lot of information she shouldn’t have had. If he had known, she would too. I’ve spent years with her eavesdropping and spying on the noble families she visited. Believe me, she would have known.”
“I hope you’re right,” Dusk sighed again. “I don’t want this world to fall into ruin because of me.”
“It’s not going to,” she replied. “Because you’re going to be the one to stop him.”
“And what if I don’t want that?”
“I’m not sure any of us really have a choice at this point. You say you don’t want to be responsible, but you know that if we give up now, he’ll eventually win. We might as well hand the eye over to him now. The path is set. All we can do is go forward.”
“I don’t think I like that.”
“I’m sure nobody in this position does.” Tara was silent for a moment. “Your path is to stop Tiernan from hurting people, turning them into slaves like you were. And my path is to stay with Nedarya, no matter what.” Her voice lowered as she stared out into the sky. “I lost her once and now that she’s come back to me, I’ll never leave her side again.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
Dusk nodded, the need for further words having passed. Together they stood in the sand, bracing themselves against the cold breeze as the night grew deeper around them. In the distance Dusk saw a fish jump, breaking the glass-like surface of the water.
“It’s fucking freezing out here,” Tara shivered.
“Please, can we go back to the fire?”
“Yeah.”
Both of them scooped up a couple of driftwood logs as they marched back up the beach. When they got back to the campsite the fire was little more than low embers, but the dry wood caught quickly. Tara settled down next to Nedarya, confident they wouldn’t need to keep a watch now that their pursuers had been so definitively dealt with. Dusk pulled his blanket up around his shoulders and sat up for a while, staring into the flames. He was happy for the waves of heat that washed over him, warding off the cold night air. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear Lex stirring to his right.
“Still awake?” he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Yeah,” Dusk replied, still staring into the fire.
“I saw you and Tara walk off a little bit ago. What did you talk about?” Lex sat up, leaning on one arm, he wasn’t wearing a shirt under his blanket. Dusk didn’t understand how he wasn’t freezing to death.
“I don’t know if I have the energy to talk about it all again,” he said. “Maybe later?”
“No problem.” Lex was silent for a moment, still staring up at him. “Dusk?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I... can I sleep next to you tonight?”
Dusk pulled his gaze away from the fire and turned his attention to Lex. He could see the firelight dancing in his eyes. He missed those eyes and the way Lex’s skin felt against his own. There was a longing in his chest he couldn’t name.
“You can say no,” Lex added. “I promise, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No,” Dusk replied. “I want you near me tonight.”
“Are... are you sure?”
Dusk nodded. “I’m sure.”
Without a word, Lex got to his feet and pulled his bedding over next to Dusk’s. He took a seat beside him and Dusk held out the blanket for him to get under. Lex pressed himself up against him, letting his head rest on Dusk’s shoulder. With the blanket wrapped around them both, Dusk held him close, feeling the heat coming off his skin. It was a pleasant feeling that made his heart do a funny sort of jig in his chest. They didn’t say anything to one another as they both stared at the flames for a long while. Eventually, with one last log tossed on the fire, they sank down next to one another, Dusk’s arm thrown over Lex’s torso and pulling him closer. For the first time in a long time, Dusk slipped easily into a dreamless sleep.