Finale (Caraval 3)

Tella loved it when he showed off. She loved that he wa

s magical. She loved so many things about him. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone—she didn’t want him to let her go or to leave her alone, not even for a moment. She wanted him to chase her to the ends of the earth, to show up in her dreams every night, and to be there when she woke as well. She wanted him to love her.

But knowing what love would cost Legend, she could never ask again. Tella needed to end this, for both of them.

She knew Legend didn’t love her; he had said he never would. But, just in case that ever changed, the last thing she wanted was to be the reason that he didn’t come back to life when he died.

Tella gave him the sort of smile she usually paired with half-hearted apologies. “I can’t do this.”

Several stars disappeared from the sky.

Tella faltered, but she didn’t stop. “I thought I could consider it. But I actually think I fell more in love with the idea of you than the real you.”

Legend clenched his jaw. “You don’t mean that, Tella.”

“Yes, I do.” She forced the words out, each one tasting worse than the last. But she knew that if she didn’t go through with this now, she wouldn’t be able to do it again.

Legend might not have been able to feel love, but from the way he kept looking at her—from the way his mouth slammed into a taut line and his eyes turned distant and guarded—it was clear he knew how to feel hurt.

Tella made herself continue, her forced smile fading. “It’s sort of like how you wanted to see if you could convince the world you were Elantine’s heir. Only I…” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to see if I could make the Great Master Legend fall in love with me.”

Legend’s face became a mask of perfect calm, but what remained of the stars in their sky went out all at once, cloaking them both in sudden darkness. “If that’s true, Donatella, then we both failed at getting what we wanted.”

Before she could reply, he was gone.

35

Donatella

That night, Tella tried not to think about Legend. She needed to focus. She couldn’t think of the hurtful things she’d said to him, or the way he’d left her in total darkness, as she penned a note to her sister that would either doom them all or save them.

* * *

Scar,

We need a vial of the Fallen Star’s blood. But be very careful getting the blood, and with the Fallen Star—whatever you do, don’t try to make him love you. When I went to the Vanished Market, I learned that the Fallen Star loved our mother once—she was the only human he ever loved, and he killed her.

Be more cautious than you’ve ever been in your life.

Love,

T

* * *

Tella lost track of how many times she reread the note before finally giving it to Jovan, who would deliver it to Scarlett later that day, for it was already after midnight. Tella was beyond tired, but even after she climbed into bed, she fought against sleep, not wanting to face whatever waited for her—or rather, what didn’t wait for her—in her dreams.

36

Donatella

The dreamy sky carriage came into focus slowly. It enveloped Tella like a tucked-away memory laced with hints of apples and magic. The leather cushions beneath her were buttery and trimmed in thick royal blue that matched the heavy curtains lining the oval windows. It was exactly like the first sky carriage she’d ever been in, except for its size. It was about half the size of a regular coach, leaving practically no room between her and the young man who sat opposite her, Jacks.

He grinned like a scoundrel as he tossed a shimmery white apple between his pale fingers. And for the first time Tella was glad that she’d given him permission to enter her dreams.

His apple looked as if its skin had been dipped in glitter, and yet its shine was that of a spark to a flame when compared to the Prince of Hearts. He was a little disheveled, as usual—his light brown trousers were only half tucked into his boots, his rusty-red velvet tailcoat was wrinkled, and his cream cravat was only half tied. But his skin glowed like a star, his golden hair shone brighter than any crown, and his unearthly eyes gleamed with a shade of blue that made Tella think of the most wonderful mistakes.

“What are we doing here?” she asked. She knew they were in a dream, and, like Legend, Jacks appeared to have the ability to control it.