It would come to pass.
But not in the way she, nor the gods, expected.
A hero must suffer before the end. That was how the stories always went, wasn’t it?
“Do it,” Ryan growled.
And I had suffered.
“Sam, do it. Do it, godsdamn you! If this is who you are, then fucking do it!”
“Don’t curse like that,” I said mildly. “You need to think of the children.”
The green and gold came swiftly. They always had.
There was a sharp crack and Ryan stumbled forward, hands going to his throat. He fell to his knees. His mouth opened and closed. Opened and closed. He let out a harsh breath. One hand went to the ground as he slumped over. His armor clanked as it touched the ground. His face was red, eyes bulging.
And then he fell forward, facedown on the ground.
His left leg kicked once. Twice.
I felt the moment he died. I felt like I had been torn in two. My magic burst from me wildly, and I struggled to control it, my mind shrieking. Everything was overbright and loud, blood rushing in my ears. I could hear Gary screaming a
nd Tiggy bellowing.
I gasped as I bent over, gagging, a thin string of bile dripping from my open mouth.
A hand dropped onto my shoulder, the fingers digging into my skin.
Myrin.
“Impressive,” he whispered near my ear. “I must admit, I didn’t think you’d do it. I thought you’d… well. It doesn’t matter now. Tell me, Sam. What did you do to him?”
“Stopped his heart,” I managed to spit out above all the noise in my head. I felt as if I’d been dropped into some great storm with no end in sight.
“Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating. Ruv. If you don’t mind.”
Ruv rushed past us to kneel down next to Ryan. He looked shocked and pale as he reached down and turned Ryan onto his back. Armor scraped against the ground. He put a hand on Ryan’s throat. Then, “I—he’s dead.”
Myrin laughed. “Oh, Sam. If only Morgan could see you now and everything you’ve become. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure he’ll welcome Ryan with open arms when he crosses the veil. They can mourn what has become of you together.”
Tiggy was crying.
Gary looked devastated.
Kevin didn’t say a word.
Dimitri’s wings buzzed angrily.
I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and never rise again. It felt like I was shattering.
“Yes,” Myrin said. He ran his fingers along the slope of my spine. “I know. I know. I understand, perhaps better than anyone, Sam. The way it burns. The way it feels like little pieces of you are breaking off. If you are strong enough, it will pass. I… underestimated you. Again. I didn’t know what you were capable of. Now I do. And I am pleased.”
I gasped as a tremor rolled through me.