“He reminds me of you,” he told Randall. “Stubborn. Indignant. Mouthy. He speaks before he thinks and is more likely to ignore my orders than to actually follow them.”
I would have objected, but that was pretty much all true.
“He once turned my nose into a phallus,” Randall said, sounding resigned.
“That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. But still, even with all his faults, his heart is resilient. It has been lightning-struck, and made stronger because of it. I’ve never met someone quite like him before.”
“Confounding, isn’t he?”
“Extraordinarily so. Do you think he’s capable?”
“Yes.”
“You believe in him.”
There was no hesitation. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because for all his bravado, for all the sass and the sarcasm, he is still the greatest wizard I’ve ever known. He’s the better part of all of us. And I am humbled to be in his presence.”
I couldn’t find my voice.
The Great White chuckled. “Maybe the gods chose wisely after all.”
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
“You’ve called us here.”
“I did.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Randall began to smile.
I OVERHEARD something not meant for me. I should have kept walking. But I was rooted in place.
“I’m proud of you,” the King said to his son just inside the gates of Camp HaveHeart.
“What?” Justin asked. “I didn’t—”
“What you said. About Verania. And its people.”
Justin sighed. “I was just trying to get them to focus.”
“Were you?”
“Yes.”
The King laughed. “Even when you were a child, you got that same grumpy look on your face when you were caught showing your heart. I always found it to be the most endearing thing.”
“Dad, I’m not—”
“A king puts all others before himself. He does all he can for the weak and the weary, the poor and the hungry. He is kind to those who deserve it. He is firm with those who do not. He defends the Crown with all his might.”
“I know. You’ve told me many times.”
“I suppose I have. A king also inspires. Have I told you that?”
“I—no. I don’t know that you have.”
“Hmm. Well. He inspires, because without hope, all is lost. Hope is a light in the dark, something that can help lead us home. You are a light, my son. And I know that one day you will make a wonderful king. I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”
“Dad.”
“Let an old man have his words.”
“You’re not that old.”
“Very kind of you.”
“You’re going to be around for a long time.”
“I hope so.”
Silence. Then, “How do you know?”
“What?”
“That I’ll be a good king.”
“Because a good king inspires. And you inspire me.”
I left them alone after that.
Chapter 16: The Grimoires Three
MAGIC, I’VE learned, is a gift, capable of the greatest of triumphs. Or, in the wrong hands, the darkest of desires.
I could do things that most others could only dream about.
I was seventeen years old when I brought a bird back to life.
For the longest time, I never told anyone about it.
I sucked the life from the earth and the trees and pushed it into that little bird, causing its lungs to expand, its heart to thrum.
The ground had been scorched beneath my feet, and remained as such to this very day.
Morgan had fallen, and there had been a moment when I stood above his pale body, the eyes of the King’s Court upon me, and thought, I could bring him back. It would be so easy to do so.
Somehow I’d resisted the temptation.
Because I’d been taught by a man far greater than I that just because I could do something didn’t mean that I should.
“It can get away from you if you let it,” Morgan of Shadows had told me once, shortly after I’d come to Castle Lockes. “It can be something unwieldy, growing beyond your control.”
I’d stared at him with wide eyes. “And that’s bad?”
He’d nodded gravely. “Yes, little one. It’s bad. Because your mind could become clouded and you could lose your way. It is why understanding what you’re capable of is very important.”
“I won’t do that,” I’d said. “I won’t be bad.”
He’d smiled then, that smile I thought was just for me. “I know you won’t. And I’ll be here to help you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
SAM.
Soon, Sam.
I promise.
I’ll be there soon.
And then it will end.
I jerked awake, heart pounding, skin slick with sweat.
Ryan slept at my side, chest rising and falling slowly.
I watched him sleep for the longest time.
FROM THE Grimoire of Morgan of Shadows: It’s odd, really, being alone. For the longest time, Myrin and Randall were at my side, ever watchful. My guardians. My protectors. My mentors. I felt… complete. Together, we seemed unstoppable. I’d always heard that two wizards should never be each other’s cornerstone, but why not? If it worked, then why shouldn’t they be as they were?
I know now why. I think. Maybe it played a part in all that came after. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe Myrin was always meant to become mired in shadows. Maybe that was his destiny.
Randall said he’d return to me when he’d healed himself.
I just need to wait.
I hope it’s not long.
But things feel… different. Now. The darkness is gone.
Anya is remarkable. I’m glad she’s not a wizard.
A BREAKTHROUGH.
I wish I could tell Randall.
1 EYE of fire gecko 1 ? cups ground wormwood
2 Kontashi mushrooms
1 tear of a spectacularly agitated troll worm
THERE ARE stories. Coming from the mountains of the North. Of a haunted castle made of ice. Travelers say the mere sight of it brings about a feeling of dread. That screams can be heard from inside, wailing as if in lamentation. Bright lights bursting from within.
Ghosts, they say.
Stay far away, they say.
I can’t.
I have to know.
RANDALL’S DARK. He attacked me. I’d be dead now, except he pulled back at the last moment. He looks… wild. Unhinged. His magic curled around him like fog. He didn’t recognize me at first. I couldn’t have stopped him. Not if he’d truly wanted to end my life.
It wasn’t until I said his name that the fog lifted, if only for a moment.
He saw me, I think.
He really saw me.
“Morgan,” he said. “Morgan, leave—”
“Fight it,” I pleaded. “You have to fight it, because I can’t lose you too.”
He was gone, after that.
But then the screaming resumed from deep within Castle Freesias.
If that’s what losing a cornerstone does to you, what will happen when I lose mine?
WHAT WOULD happen if you combined certain words? Shri and mao and bre are seemingly unconnected, but are they really? What if they were said together? What could that bring?
I DID it.
I helped him on his way back to the light.
I will carry scars of the battle for life, but it’s worth it.
RANDALL’S RETURNED.
He’s different than he was a decade ago.
But then so am I.
I reintroduced him to Anya. She’s older now.
He smiled.
But not before I caught the look of fear in his eyes.
It’s not the same.
It’s not.
GLANDUR PASSED beyond the veil.
Randall is Head Wizard now.
There’s not many of us left.
Randall doesn’t seem concerned.
“You’re young yet,” he said. “More will come if needed.”
But what if they don’t? Will magic just… die?
HE TOLD me once it would be better if Myrin’s name was wiped from history.
I didn’t believe him.
I never tried to stop him.
I NEVER thought there’d come a day when I realized I haven’t thought about Myrin in years.
Today was that day.
Now I can’t shake him from my mind.
We should check the seal. Just to be safe.
SOMETIMES I still doubt myself.
Anya laughed at me. Her hair is gray now, the lines around her face and mouth more pronounced. She’s still the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.
“You can do this,” she chided me gently. “I know it. I believe in you.”
She believes in me.
She believes in me.
Thank you, Anya.
MORGAN OF Shadows.
My name. I’ve never thought of it much.
But doesn’t Randall just have the most curious sense of humor?
ANYA’S SICK.
I knew this day would come.
Gods, how I wish I’d prepared for it better.
Maybe she’ll—