I stood next to the stone slab, my back to the people of Verania.
Vadoma’s vision had been wrong this whole time.
I’d always thought it’d be Ryan Foxheart lying before me, sword clasped to his chest.
As I stood above my mentor, I tried to remember if she’d ever explicitly said my cornerstone would be the one who died.
I didn’t even know if the visions she’d given me had been her own or if Ruv had played a part in them.
I didn’t know that it mattered.
Not now.
I bent over Morgan, pressing a kiss against his forehead. I ignored the single tear that fell from my eye and splashed on his cheek.
And for a moment, I thought of the bird.
It would be so easy.
I could have done it.
It whispered in my head.
Somehow, I pushed it away.
I whispered, “I’m sorry.”
I stood back up.
I took my place next to my King, eyes dry, jaw set.
Good King Anthony of Verania spoke of many things that day. He told his subjects of meeting Morgan for the first time, how nervous he had been, only to find that Morgan had accidentally ingested the spores from a Bentati mushroom that very morning and was actively tripping balls. They’d shaken hands, and then Morgan had so eloquently pointed out the colorful smoke that seemed to be pouring out the King’s nostrils.
He spoke of Morgan’s kindness, of how fair he was, and of how much Morgan loved Verania, how he would have done anything for king and country.
He spoke of Morgan’s strength and power, saying that Morgan had never used his magic in an unjust way. That he protected those who could not protect themselves.
He spoke of Morgan’s friendship, and for a moment his voice broke when he said that losing his wizard was like losing a piece of himself, and he knew that no matter how long he lived, no matter what came next, it was a void that could never be filled.
And then he said, “Morgan of Shadows was many things. The King’s Wizard. My friend and brother. A good, just man. He was bright and funny, sarcastic and sassy when he needed to be. He was a protector and wiser than most of us combined. But if there was one thing he was above all else, one thing he believed himself to be above all his other roles, it was this: he was a mentor.”
The gazes of Verania shifted to me.
Damn him.
“Morgan of Shadows gave his life to protect the one he loved above all others,” the King said. “Many of you might not understand why he did what he did. Some of you might downright hate the decisions he made. But know this: Morgan has been by my side for decades. If he were called upon to lay down his life for his apprentice—for Sam—he would do it again, and again, and again.”
I bowed my head, breath hitching in my chest.
“And know that I would do the same,” the King said, voice stern. “Because I know that Sam of Wilds would do the same for me. And if I have my way, as soon as Randall returns, I will be asking him to appoint Sam of Wilds as the King’s Wizard.”
My head shot up as the crowd gasped.
The King extended his hand toward me.
I stared at it.
“Just take it,” Justin whispered in my ear. “Seriously, don’t been an asshole.”
I turned to glare at him.
He rolled his eyes and shoved me toward his father.
This was wrong.
I hadn’t earned this.
I hadn’t passed the Trials.
I’d failed to collect the last dragon.
I hadn’t beaten Myrin.
Randall had disappeared.
Morgan had sacrificed himself for me.
And Ryan….
“I believe in you,” the King said in a quiet voice, hand still held toward me. “That has never wavered. You may not believe in yourself, but I believe in you. I am asking you to trust me.”
For a moment I considered running back the way I’d come.
Instead I took the hand of the King.
He smiled softly at me. I took a step forward to stand at his side.
He said, “Morgan’s sacrifice will not be in vain. The memory of him will never fade. He will be remembered for the man that he was. A wizard. A brother. A mentor. A friend.”
He squeezed my hand.
“Sometimes villains rise. Heroes fall. But we won’t allow those who gave their lives for us to be forgotten. And those that have taken from us, those that have dared to stand before us and strike at our hearts, know this: you have made a grave mistake. Your actions have led to a declaration of war. You have awoken a slumbering beast, and I, as the King of Verania, will harness it to its full potential. This marks the beginning of your end.”
He raised our joined hands, and the people of Verania roared.
I felt like a fraud.
I WILL do what I can, but he will be stronger than me. You must do what is right, Sam of Wilds. You must do what is necessary, even if your heart is breaking.
“ANY CHANGE?” a voice asked from behind me.
I didn’t bother turning around, just shook my head. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the unconscious man in front of me. His skin was sallow and his eyes a little sunken. His lips were cracked, but his heart was steady and his breaths even.
“What did the healers say?” Gary asked, rubbing his snout on the top of my head.
I halfheartedly tried to push him away. “That they don’t know when he’ll wake up.” Or if had been implied, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.
“He be okay,” Tiggy said, going to his knees on the other side of Ryan’s bed in the healing ward in the lower level of the castle. He reached out and brushed a large finger over Ryan’s forehead and the tip of his nose. “HaveHeart for life, motherfuckers.”
“HaveHeart for life,” I echoed hoarsely.
Tiggy hummed a little under his breath.
“Any news from Randall?” I asked.
Gary shook his head. I wasn’t surprised. “It’s only been five days,” Gary said. “He’s going to be fine. He’ll come back when he can.”
“Unless Myrin consumed him too.”
Gary winced, and I almost felt bad about it. “Maybe a little optimism, huh?”
I snorted. “That’s almost funny, coming from you.”
“Yes, well, I try.”
I squeezed Ryan’s hand, willing him to open his eyes, to look up at me and tell me what to do.
He didn’t. The healers said it was possible he could hear us and that talking to or around him helped.
I didn’t really know what to say.
“You eating?” Tiggy asked.
I shrugged.
“You eat,” Tiggy insisted. “Or you die.”
“I’m not going to die because I missed a few meals, dude.”
“I bring you food?”
“You don’t have to—”
“I bring you food.”
“No, really, you don’t have to—and you’re already gone.”
“He’s worried about you,” Gary said.
“He does that.”
“We all are.”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you are, but okay. Keep telling yourself that.”
“Gary. Don’t.”
“Yeah, because that’s ever worked on me before. It’s like you don’t even know me. Tell me don’t and I just make it my mission to do.”
“I don’t need this right now, okay?”
“No,” he said, suddenly sounding as angry as I’d ever heard him. “Not okay, Sam.”
“Gary—”
“It’s not just you.”