Finale (Caraval 3)

“But he must have another weakness—one he doesn’t want anyone to know about.” A way that would get her sister out of danger, because if love was the Fallen Star’s only weakness, then Scarlett was the most likely person to defeat him, or die trying.

Tella couldn’t let her sister die. And yet she felt as if she could hear the clock on Scarlett’s life ticking as the younger, blue-haired sister continued kick-kick-kicking her feet while the older one closed her eyes in thought.

“I do have one of his secrets,” she said after a time. Then she turned to her younger sibling. “Millicent, dear, open the vault.”

The youthful girl pulled on a brassy tassel that Tella hadn’t noticed before and the heavy curtains behind the older woman immediately parted, revealing row after row after row of shelves lined in ancient treasure chests. They came in all sizes and colors. Some appeared to be crumbling with age, others shined with wet varnish. A few looked no bigger than Tella’s palm while several were large enough to fit dead bodies.

After a minute or so the older sister returned from between the shelves holding a square chest of red jasper with a heart on top of it that had fire painted around it. At a glance the orange and yellow paint appeared slightly chipped, and a little dull. But when Tella lifted her gaze up toward the older sister’s face, the image flickered and for a moment she saw genuine flames lick the heart.

“If you use the secret inside correctly, it will help you defeat the Fallen Star. However”—the woman held the box closer to her chest—“before I can let you have it, I will need a secret from you.”

“Do I get to choose the secret?” Tella asked.

The woman gave her a peculiar smile, one that lit her eyes without actually moving her mouth. “I’m afraid your secrets aren’t valuable enough to trade, Miss Dragna. The secret we want belongs to your daughter.”

“I don’t have a daughter.”

“You will. We have met you in our past and in your future, and we know you will have a daughter someday.”

“Do you know who the father of this daughter is?” The new voice was low and deep and the sound of it made Tella’s heart race twice as fast.

She spun around.

Everything in the Vanished Market blurred, colors merging together as if the world around her was moving too fast, except for the handsome boy standing in front of her, taking up the entire doorway to the tent.

Legend was there.

33

Donatella

Legend was there, and alive, so very alive that the sight of him made Tella grin until her cheeks hurt.

“You’re back.” She didn’t even care that the words came out breathless.

She was beyond pretending that the sight of him didn’t steal her breath. He looked like a wish that had just woken up. His eyes were full of stars, his bronze skin was faintly glowing, and his dark hair was a little mussed. He didn’t wear a cravat at his throat, and the top buttons of his black shirt were undone, as if he’d been in a rush to leave—to get to her.

If her smile hadn’t been stretched as far as it could go, she would have grinned even wider.

“Did you think I wasn’t coming back?” His eyes met hers and the corner of his mouth hitched up into the arrogant twist she loved so much.

“I’ve—” Tella broke off. The words been worried became lodged in her throat. There was only one reason to have worried about him.

She swallowed the words as she fought to keep her smile. He was alive. He was alive and there. That was all that mattered. He was alive. She would have never gotten over it if he’d died because he loved her. And yet it hurt so very much to realize that he was only standing there now, looking like a dream come true, because he didn’t love her, and she so des

perately loved him.

“Ahem,” said the older sister. “In case the two of you have forgotten, time moves differently here and I was in the middle of speaking.”

Legend’s lips formed a flat line as he turned toward the woman, eyes narrowing slightly as if he’d liked to have used an illusion to make her disappear. Maybe he was even trying, but his magic didn’t work quite the same inside this Fated place.

Which was good, because Tella needed this place and this woman.

“You said that I would have a daughter,” Tella said.

“Yes. The father of your child will possess magic,” the woman replied. “Your daughter will be born with a very powerful gift. But this child will have one fatal weakness. In exchange for the Fallen Star’s most closely guarded secret, we want you to discover your daughter’s secret weakness and then return to the market and give this knowledge to us.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any of my secrets?” Tella asked.