I found myself in his form, in a field, where it looked like giants had danced, so much of the earth had been moved.
But there were no more Deathless.
My little moth had done it—and I was alive.
Like this.
Covered in fur.
I strained, to change my form, but couldn’t—and then I tried to listen for creatures, and I couldn’t do that, either—but none of that mattered right now. I loped for the gates of the castle and soared over them, racing on all fours towards a strange tree that was now there. I used it and the elaborate carvings to haul myself up the building’s side until I could burst through an open window to see Lisane standing in a pool of blood, in front of a still-smoking corpse.
And when she looked up and saw me, I expected to see horror in her eyes—but didn’t.
I stormed her at once, was upset at her for not listening, and then once I started holding her, I realized I would never have to let her go.
She was mine now, forever, no matter what. And I knew she was feeling and thinking the exact same thing from the way she clung to me, her arms only barely wrapping around my neck, as her happy tears stained my furred cheek.
I didn’t know how much time passed, and I didn’t care, so long as I was with her—but I did need to keep her safe. I pulled back, looking up at her briefly before I stood, looming over her in this much larger size. “You Ascended, didn’t you, little moth?”
“I did,” she agreed, her whole face lighting up with a pleased smile. “How could you tell?” she asked.
“Your mage-mark,” I said. “It’s here,” I told her, and then wrapped my hand over it, where it lay above her throat.
Her brand was the same size and shape as my paw.
Lisane
“Yay!” Finx said, running around in excited circles, cheering us both on. I gave Rhaim a look, and he laughed, his whole body shaking with the motion as I fell into his arms again. All of his fur was sticky, and he stank, but I didn’t care, because he was here again.
With me.
“Brilliant little moth,” he said, holding me tight. He picked me up and spun me in his joy. “But—how?” he asked, setting me down.
“I don’t really know,” I confessed, reaching a hand up for his toothsome jaw. “I thought you were dead, so there was nothing left to wish for, except that nothing like this could ever happen again. ” I turned to look around at the vast destruction behind me. “I just wanted to have a real choice in my life. So I wished for that,” I told him, watching his brow rise.
“You wished for it?” he asked, somehow managing to give me an incredulous look, even though he had a muzzle.
“I did,” I said lightly, with a laugh. And then I heard the sound of someone shouting from below.
“Can I get some help?” I heard Jelena—Jelena?—calling.
Rhaim was as startled as I was. He stepped away from me, toward the window, then paused, as Finx surged past him.
“I’ll go the long way!” I shouted, running for the halls and stairs.
I heard a surprised shriek echoing up, but by the time I arrived, Rhaim had convinced Jelena of his usefulness, and they were both pulling on a rope inside a well. Rhaim wound it around his arm until a bald man emerged on the far end.
“Lisane!” Jelena shouted, running for me, once Sibyi’s rescue was handled. “I decided to take my chances with the mages. ”
“You didn’t want to be a noblewoman anymore?” I teased.
She stopped before hugging me, looking me up and down with a laugh. “No—but there’s no way I’m doing that laundry. ” I grinned at her, as Sibyi quickly untied himself.
“I’m . . . alive?” The very wet mage looked at himself like he couldn’t believe it. “I’m alive!” he whooped and did a little dance. Finx joined in at his feet, mimicking him.
“Whatever were you doing in the well?” I asked him, as Rhaim set the rope down and came back to hold me.
“I had to keep drinking water to make the storm work—it was the only thing I could think of to do,” he said, then gave Rhaim a crazed look. “But that was how I died, Rhaim,” he said, pointing back, and sounding firm. “I’m not complaining, but—how?”
“I can’t explain it either,” Rhaim said from behind me—then he looked to the tree that’d overgrown half the castle’s side. “Wyrval?” he said with alarm.
The mage was far more tree than man now, although I could still make out a face-like shape on the tree’s trunk. Rhaim was stunned, and I was completely uncertain.
“Are you okay?” Sibyi walked up to the tree and demanded.
The tree laughed with a voice like breaking wood, making its leaves shake, and a tide of tiny rocks came cascading down. “This is as a good a place as any to finally set down roots,” Wyrval said, and then the features on the wood went away.
“Wyrval!” Rhaim shouted—but the tree-mage didn’t answer him.
“What’s going on, Rhaim?” Sibyi asked in confusion.
Rhaim looked to him. “Try to call up a storm. ”
“Ugh, no, I’m dry—”
“Try it,” Rhaim commanded with a growl, and Sibyi groaned but did something with his hands.
Only the sky above was clearing.
“I can’t,” Sibyi said, looking at his fingertips like they’d betrayed him. “Why not?”
“Because,” Rhaim said, looking wisely down at me.
“Because . . . I wanted a choice,” I reasoned out, pacing away before turning toward them. “My father threatened there’d be a cost—that’s why my mother died when he made his wish, I’m sure of it—along with all the others the Deathless killed. And while the only thing I wished for was to have a choice in my own future, the only way that was possible was . . . ” I put a hand across my mouth in astonishment.
“If no one were able to perform magic again,” Rhaim said, squinting. “Including yourself?” he asked.
I briefly tried, then nodded. “Including myself. ”
I’d wanted to change the world—and I finally had.
“It makes sense,” Rhaim said. “Because as long as fate only propelled certain people in the world, others had no say in their own destiny. But now that fate is gone, the world will be what people make of it. You’ve given many more people a choice than just yourself, little moth. ”
Sibyi tsked. “Wait, so I’m normal again?” he complained.
Jelena whirled on him, having taken all of this very well. “Some of us never got the chance to be special. ”
“Yeah!” Finx said from near my feet, jumping in to take her side. I laughed and knelt to pet him.
“If you’d still been a creature of fate—you would have drowned,” Rhaim told him, jerking his chin back at the well. “Lisane saved your life,” he said with pride, and then looked to me with a sly grin across his muzzle. It was funny how easy it was to read his moods on this beastly version of him—perhaps because now he felt free to express them. “Filigro warned me you might bring about the end of the world. ”
I slowly stood again, as my jaw dropped. “And you didn’t tell me?”
Rhaim held out open hands, with clawed fingertips. “I was a man of science. I wanted to see what would happen. ”
“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen—I’m going to yell at you a lot,” I said. Jelena laughed, Sibyi snickered, and Rhaim only grinned wider, showing more and more teeth.
“It’s all about perspective,” he explained. “To a mage, the end of the world is losing magic. So the future with you in it, the one that ancient mage feared, was utterly accurate, though not for the reason he assumed. ”
“And now everyone’s vision of the end’s been canceled out?” Sibyi asked.
“I suspect so,” Rhaim said, shrugging. “The rest of us will have to wait and die like any man. ”
Jelena clucked the mages back from their philosophy. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be alive, but—how are we going to explain any of this?”
Rhaim held his furred hand out to me while answering her. “We’re not. That’s not our job anymore. I, for one, would like to go back to my former life and as much as I am able ignore the rest of everything,” he said, smiling down at me. “Unless you wanted to stay and rule?”
“Absolutely not,” I told him, letting him pull me to his side.
We started walking for the gate, and I saw the webbed ladder Finx must have created for Jelena hanging down, as Rhaim moved to crush the gate’s lock open with one hand. “Don’t deny all your heritage though, little moth,” he told me, after he’d tossed it aside.
“Why not?” I asked.
He gave me a wolfish grin. “Because from here on out, you will be the queen of my heart. ”
Jelena groaned. “Ooooh, that’s a good one,” she said, looking at me. “And I’m a connoisseur of these things. But how are you going to kiss him with all those teeth?” she finished up, in an intentionally not-very-quiet whisper.
“I’ll figure something out,” I said, beaming at him as Sibyi drew even with Jelena’s side.
“You know, you could probably still be pretty special,” he said.
Her eyes rolled back instantly as she laughed. “Aye, and where have I heard that before?”
“Well, you did save my life, so technically I’m in your debt,” Sibyi said, smiling brightly at her. “Also, I suddenly find myself with no other goals or plans. ”
“Hmph. And I suppose someone will have to show you how to be a mere mortal again?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“I am a studious man,” Sibyi promised as Rhaim herded me a little away, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close as we both walked, him shortening his stride to match mine. We listened to their conversation, and Finx zipped this way and that way ahead of us, inspecting each new pile of dirt we walked by, as I slowly realized . . . I was outside.
Where I would be, for forever, and there was nothing that would change that.
“The air, Rhaim!” I said, running out in front of him. “And the ground, and the sky!”
I spun to show him.
He laughed and bounded after me on all fours for a moment before catching up, grabbing me and hoisting me aloft.
“I am glad you didn’t burn, moth,” he whispered in my ear, as he carefully set me down.
I closed my eyes and leaned against him. “Me too. ”