Ch.22

Melanther stood at the edge of the woods, staring down at the unconscious mage lying at her feet. He looked so much like the boy she had seen lying outside the tent back in Denerim‌—the one who had saved her life. And now he was going to die.

She glanced toward the large set of steps that led up to the great library. There were other people around, but no guards. They seemed content to wait here until she gave the signal, and then they would run in and steal the ring back. But even if she said nothing, eventually someone would come by and investigate. They all wanted it badly.

Besides, she knew full well what would happen should someone else make it inside without the ring. The tower‌—and possibly the entire continent‌—would collapse in upon itself. It would be far too powerful for anyone to control.

In this moment, though, she had already decided the consequences of stealing the ring.

I was supposed to have the ring myself. I'm meant to be the one to rule it, not them. That's why the tower chose me to lead the Mage's College‌—why we needed it so badly. The only reason I don't have it yet is because my father wouldn't let go of it.

And that made her angry.

"Don't worry, my dear," she whispered. "It will soon be your turn to enjoy its power." She looked back up, meeting the gaze of her mother and the others standing beside her. "Goodbye .‌.‌."

Then she pushed her sword through Evander's heart.

The boy blinked in the darkness, staring at the place where Elestra had once stood. His eyes flashed open, his face creasing with alarm. He coughed, seeing no one in the room. Then he glanced at the shadows. "El?"

He heard someone laughing‌—a deep, amused sound, emanating from somewhere nearby. Then a voice spoke: "Why are you calling for her? She's dead. Like all of us. But mostly her."

"You must‌—wait! Stop‌—"

Another voice interrupted him. "Quiet! You've been very quiet." A man stepped into the light, staring at him with a half-smile. "Let's see‌—if you're going to play like this, you'll never get to the fun part. Don't disappoint me now."

His mind raced as he struggled to piece together what had happened. His vision blurred‌—he kept blinking, trying to refocus. And then he saw it: an old man holding the ring in front of him.

He raised his hands toward the young mage, reaching out to grasp him. Ardis glared at the two people sitting beside her. "I don't understand‌—what is happening?"

"None of you do."

The figure clasped the ring against the palm of his hand, but instead of wearing it on his finger, he held it in one hand while balancing the other over Evander's chest.

Evander gasped as he saw a blade slice through his body, stopping short near his hip. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. What had they done to him?

Melanther pointed her knife at them. "You bastards!"

"Quiet."

She stared, shocked, before glancing back down at Evander. There was a bruise on her face, and she noticed that her arm was bruised as well. "What have you done?"

The old man smiled, licking his lips. "It's time for us to finish what we started‌—you and me. We were meant to be together forever, my dear, but now we're ending our time here. It's been nice to see you again‌—even if you stole what you thought was rightfully mine."

Ardis reached out, touching the wound. "No, please‌—"

Another shadow stepped out from behind the old man, his hands empty. She recognized him instantly as the thief who had taken the book at the great library. But instead of removing it from the shelf, he had simply returned to its place.

Ardis blinked, looking around. "I .‌.‌. I didn't .‌.‌"

The man pointed the handle of his sword toward her, making her stop. "You didn't, did you? Because that's the only reason why you weren't the one who took it first. So let me ask you again‌—how many people have you killed this day? Two? Three? Tell me, where is your weapon?"

"It was probably outside. I put it down for a moment."

The young mage sat up, rubbing his neck. His voice went soft as he began to understand what was happening. "Where are they?"

The two men exchanged glances before both nodding in unison. Then they moved closer, trying to be calm despite the fact that they were surrounded by three mages. They went to their knees, lining up in front of the bookshelves‌—but Ardis remained seated. She stared at them with wide eyes, feeling stunned‌—as if she was witnessing some twisted version of herself from the future.

A loud squeal filled the air as two children, dressed in fine clothes, flew into the room. The younger child clung to the arm of an older woman, sobbing as his mother gently stroked his hair. Evander quickly rushed toward the parents, reaching for the boy‌—but he hesitated. He was almost within reach when the dark-haired woman started to scream‌—screaming at the top of her lungs as her son crawled under the table.

He felt a hand grab hold of his shoulder‌—a heavy, sturdy grip.

Then a sharp, cold blade entered his body, piercing his abdomen‌—stopping just short of his spine.

Evander closed his eyes, gripped by pain and the realization of his fate.

And then everything went black.

***

Elestra screamed as Ardis lunged forward, slashing her knife across the old woman's arm. A sudden explosion rocked the entire tower‌—a blast of wind, lightning, and fire, sending debris raining down upon the floor below. A gaping hole appeared in the side of the library, black smoke billowing from its remains.

But that wasn't what had made Elaric stumble backward.

Ardis knelt beside him, the book held over Evander's chest. Her breath came out in long gasps as she placed pressure against his wound, still bleeding badly.

Elestra took several deep breaths, holding her hand over the cut, reaching her fingers toward Evander's open mouth. He stilled, staring up at her. Then she lifted her wrist, turning her palm upward‌—and as if conjured by her own will, light blazed on her hand. The wizard watched in amazement as the wound closed itself, leaving only a faint scar behind.