When they had retreated, Rose stepped up to the pyre and put her hand against the wood. Smoke began to rise, and as she pulled her hand away, I saw a flash of light so bright it would have blinded anyone nearby. Then it was gone.
The wood had been coated in oil, and as the oil caught fire, the flames spread. A plume of smoke rose into the air as the wood was slowly engulfed. Rose stepped back beside me, and I could see tears falling down her cheek.
“Enivyn is the kindest person I have ever met. He was the first one to trust me, the first to welcome me into the Immortal Realm. He was a friend. Always quick with a joke, and always ready to help when there was work to be done.”
“I’ve never felt at home anywhere, but Enivyn showed me that this village could be home. He showed me that the people here were not the same as everywhere else. They could be more than friends. They could be family. I will never forget the first person to show me that I could have a family. I will never forget Enivyn.”
As she stepped back, I stepped forward. “Enivyn was a gnome, and gnomes are not warriors. They’re not soldiers or guards are even assassins. Gnomes hide and find things. Yet, when our Queen was in danger, he did what I couldn’t do. He protected her. He kept her safe so that she could keep everyone else safe.”
“Without Enivyn, everyone in this village would have died. Even me. He’s not just a gnome. He’s a hero. And, no one will ever forget his name. I think that he’d like to know that. Even while he rests between worlds.”
John stepped forward, tears streaming from his face. “I will miss my brother’s smile most of all. He was always there to brighten my day with his smile and laugh. He was the Prince of Smiles. I don’t know if there’s anyone in the world who can smile as well as Enivyn.”
Sinivyn said, “He was an annoying gnome, but I loved him. He stole my food, but I didn’t even mind very much. The world is worse now. I wish my brother had not died.”
One by one, each of the villagers stepped forward to remember Enivyn. We all stood and watched as the fires consumed his body. The smell of burnt rowan wood filled the air.
Tears fell, a gift to the departed. This was the first person in the village to die since I had built it. He was also the first person that I’d brought here. Without Enivyn and his brothers, this village wouldn’t have been safe. They’d have been found by seers or sensed by passing Fae.
“This will never happen again, Sebastian,” Rose said, turning to me. Her eyes glowed with an inner fire, dancing from black to ice blue.
“People die, Rose. Even in the Immortal Realm, everyone dies eventually.” I wanted to reach out and hold her, to comfort her, but she wasn’t sad. She was furious.
“Not like this. Enivyn never did anything to hurt anyone. He didn’t deserve this, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“You can’t stop bad people from doing bad things. No one can.” I could feel the rage boiling inside her. So much anger. I’d never felt anyone so filled with it.
“The Queen can.”
I stared at her for a few seconds and nodded. “Yes, the Queen can stop a lot of it.”
“Then I’ll become Queen.” She turned away from me and looked at the fire that released her first real friend.
In this moment, I was sure that touching that fire would hurt a lot less than touching the one that burned inside the woman I loved.
Chapter 37
Rose
The pain of losing Enivyn was still there. Every time I ate. Every time I saw John or Sinivyn. Every time I went into the forest. It was getting better, though.
I wasn’t going to let this happen to my friends again. I would let Queen Seraphina target me instead of the ones I cared about. I would be the wall standing between her and the Dark Court, and if that wasn’t enough, I would destroy her and any who stood with her.
Sebastian had tried to explain that the Courts thought of things like this as games. Build the better army. Eliminate rivals. Trick people into disgracing themselves. Slowly move up the hierarchy.
I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to crush the hierarchy. I felt the power inside me. I’d seen what I could do. From what Sebastian said, there was no one in the world who would be able to stand toe-to-toe with me in a battle. Not even Seraphina.
But there were new rules to play by. Yes, I could start a war, but that would cost many lives on both sides. Instead, I was going to have to play their games to some extent.
Sebastian promised to teach me, to guide me. He had friends in Court that would help as well. But before we could do anything, we needed to travel to the Dark Court.
I wasn’t going to let this village become a bargaining chip for them. We would break the portal and only after I could protect the village would we open it back up. That meant years most likely.
“We’ll miss you,” Cara said. Her eyes turned milky white as she held my hand. “There is a room that you will find before it is too late. A room where lies do not exist. A room filled with pain and anguish. Find it and the truth will be yours.”
A goodbye from a seer. Advice that I knew that I’d never understand until I needed it. I tried my best to set it in my memory, but already, the words seemed to fade as all prophecies did.
“I’ll
