“I felt you,” General Pahlavi said. “I know that now. I felt shock and pain, and I reached for you on instinct. You took a lot of strength from me, and I could barely stand when it was over. But when I tried to seek you out again, your thoughts disappeared from mine. And when we learned Kalen died and Likh was injured beyond healing…I searched for you for months. I didn’t know if you were hiding yourself deliberately, or if you were being held against your will.”

“I am sorry. I thought to do what was best for us. We both did. I had no other recourse. The elders would have hunted me down. Druj would have done the same. I am sorry for causing you pain, but I am also glad for it. My choices were not kind to Mykkie or Polaire or Kalen, but I can save you at least. That’s all I want.”

The bone witch staggered to her feet and, with Lord Kalen’s careful guidance, approached Druj, who was still being restrained by both the daeva and the fallen soldiers. Painfully, she crouched beside the creature, who snapped in vain at her face. The Lady Tea’s hands plunged into the creature’s chest and plucked out the blighted’s silver heartsglass. Druj howled.

“Well now,” she mimicked the Faceless’s words from a lifetime that had been folded between the pages of an epic letter. “Shall we see what unfolds here?”

She wove a rune invisible to my eyes, and Druj screamed, horrific, bloodcurdling screams that bounced from one mountain to the next, until the Ring of Worship echoed with the sounds of its torment. Before the sounds died, I watched her body crumble to ashes, borne back into dust to mix with the dark sand surrounding us.

Wordlessly, the bone witch walked back to the ruined entrance of the Ring of Worship, and we followed closely. This time, the daeva showed no fear, limping at our heels. At Lady Tea’s gesture, we halted on the edge of the corpse-laden sand, remaining in the shadows of the mountains that surrounded us while the asha moved into the circle of light.

She stumbled. Lord Kalen caught her before she hit the ground, and Lord Fox clambered forward despite his own injuries, the rest of us not far behind.

“Stay there!” she commanded. “I do not know how far down the roots of the First Harvest goes. Should any of you come into contact…”

“And why should you take the risk?” Lady Zoya shot back.

“The First Harvest can only be reaped in the radiance of both lightsglass and darksglass. Only Kalen and I are protected.” She gestured at her own black heartsglass and that of Lord Kalen’s heartsglass, the same silver that the Faceless Usij once wore. “Stay there, and let me end this.”

She sank to her knees before the strange, withering plant. One of the berries broke off easily in her hand, its juices seeping into her palm. “Rashnu the Just talked of a powerful sound like thunder,” she wheezed in between deep breaths, her strength seeping more quickly than any of us feared, “and saw his comrades disappear in a cloud of light. How many Dark asha have traveled here, hoping to bring back their loved ones with the juices of this accursed plant only to join them in death? What were Vernasha’s final words? But I—I’ve done it.” Her voice lilted, softened—a happy sound. “Fox, I did it.”

Tea of the Embers walked toward her brother, knelt. The unseen rune she created in the air sent blood dripping down her finger, mixing with the fruit’s dark juices. Lord Fox inhaled sharply, and his face changed, healed. His horrific burns faded, replaced with unblemished skin, and healthy flesh once more crept over the bones of his jaw, repairing his deformity until he was the royal consort of old. Her purple-stained hand pressed one of the berries against his silver heartsglass. “Let it work,” she pleaded. “Please—by all that is holy and good, let this work…”

The runeberry gleamed brightly, leaching into the silver. Lord Fox’s eyes widened, and for the first time in years, his lungs truly took in air. His nostrils flared, and he made a gagging sound.

“I can breathe,” he gasped, bending over from the rush. “I can breathe…” And then, pained, horrified, “I can’t feel you with me.”

“Kalen,” the bone witch said, “you could—I could also be—”

“You idiot.” Lord Kalen had never sounded more affectionate. “I crawled out of my grave, as I promised. Do you think I’d let you get away again? You promised me daughters with your eyes. Where you go, I will follow.”

A sound between laughter and crying tore out of her. Another rune flickered against her palm. I could almost see the edges of it, a symbol like the branches of a heavy oak, the magic so concentrated that even a red heartsglass could perceive the enormity of its strength. It braided itself around the runeberry patch and, for a moment, the world stood still.

Then the plant grew. Budding shoots sprouted out from hidden seeds, the fruits growing plump. Vines wrapped around a rapidly forming trunk, which rose out of the sands until a fully formed tree was splayed proudly before us. Silver leaves fanned from multiple branches, rich and bright against the glare of the Drychta sun.

“The Sacred Tree,” Lord Khalad whispered.

The Dark asha dropped a hand to her side. She was deathly pale now, her black heartsglass pulsing erratically against her breast. Lord Kalen held tightly to his lover, face strained as his own strength battled to support hers a little longer. Lady Zoya began to cry.

“I have to finish this,” the Dark asha murmured, feverish. “You understand, don’t you, Fox? I can’t stay here. Not like this, not after knowing who I am, not after what they did to Kalen. But I wanted to make sure you could. Are you still angry at me, Fox? About the wars, about Daisy?”

Weeping now, Lord Fox lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them. “I’ve always loved you, Tea. Even though I was too foolish to show it. There must be something else…”

“I had months to understand that there is nothing else. Don’t you see, Fox? I’m happy. This is what I want. Zoya, it won’t do Shadi any good to see you blubbering on like this.”

“You fool,” the other asha sobbed. “They will write songs about you, even if your bard will not.”

“I will.” My own words were choked, wrung from my throat. “I will honor you, milady. I will spend the rest of my life singing.”

“Perhaps one day you will do more than sing, Your Highness.” She focused on the Heartforger. “Khalad. She will be safe now.”

There were tears in the man’s eyes. “I didn’t help you solely for Likh, Tea.”

“I know. I will always be grateful nonetheless. Give her my love when she wakes.” The bone witch tried to stand, but Lord Fox wouldn’t release her. “I can’t let you go. I can’t. We have to… It isn’t fair. You gave up everything and now you’re—”

She touched his face affectionately, and his hold on her tightened. “I’ll go with you.” He cried against her unharmed shoulder. “Don’t tell me to stay. You can’t order me around anymore, Tea. I can’t ask you to do this without me. We’ve been by each other’s side for so long. You’ve given me a new lifetime, so let me spend it apologizing. Let me make it up to you. Please. I can’t… Tea, I can’t—”

“Fox,” her voice was soft, sweet. “Let me go.”

He froze.

“Inessa would hate me.” She pressed a kiss upon his stricken face. “And I would hate me as well. I love you, Fox. And if you want to prove that you love me, then live every day with meaning. Wherever I am, Kalen and I will watch over you.”

Lord Kalen offered her his hand. “Are you ready, love?”

Her smile was blinding. “Always.”

The azi approached them, its three snouts nuzzling against her, protective. Like her, it was dying. They were all dying, bone showing and blood flowing, maimed deeply by the Faceless, but all seven of the great beasts looked at peace as they began their final journey.

“Are you scared?” I thought I heard the Deathseeker ask, but I could not hear her quiet reply, her laughter the only sound floating back to us.

We could only watch as they and their pet daeva walked toward that beautiful tree. Lady Tea and Lord Kalen turned back to smile at us, and then he bent down to kiss her, fiercely and ferociously and lovingly, until they were swallowed by the holy light.

The tree continued its upward spiral into the sky, climbing higher into the clouds until I thought it could reach the heavens. The landscape changed. Streaks of light shone around us, and for the briefest of moments, I felt serenity within the depths of my soul like I had never known before.

Then the light disappeared and the tree along with it. We were left in the empty field of sand, which started blooming to life as ponds of water formed and small green shoots grew around us, restoring the place to what must have been its ancient beauty. I looked down in wonder and discovered the Lady Tea’s letters at my feet.