I prop my elbow on the table and rest my face against my palm. My eyelids flutter south.
Ky’s voice lowers, awe weighing his next words. “‘The Garden itself was a treasure, and the man had no inclination to leave. He was entranced by the beauty of it all. Little did he realize he was not alone. No, the man was being watched.’” Ky turns another page. “‘Watched by a rainbow of light. A light with a voice like a song.’”
My breath hitches. I so nailed it. Rainbow light? I was the only one who saw the Verity’s true form when it deserted Joshua and Ky, became one within me. The swirling prism left me breathless. And the voice like a song? I never heard the Verity speak, but a Mirror’s song is created by a Kiss of Infinity bestowed by the Verity’s vessel. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Verity itself had a beautiful voice as well. Even the poem at the beginning of this tale has lyrics written all over it.
“‘The light was so entranced by the Scrib—the purest soul she had ever beheld—that a longing began in her own soul. She ached to hold the man, to love him, and kiss him, and die beside him. Her soul was the treasure, you see. A treasure any man would have been honored to receive. But it could only be given to one pure of heart and worthy. This Scrib was such a man. And so the light made a choice and took on humanity, sacrificing her perfect state for the flawed body of a mortal.’”
Intuition kicks me in the gut. Ky’s mouth turns down and he draws in a deep breath. I ready for what comes next, for the tragic end I’m sure will close this tale.
Another page turn. The last page. “‘She bestowed on him the most perfect of kisses, a Kiss of Infinity. But like all men, the Scrib carried his flaws too. Though he’d searched far and wide for true love, and though the light that had become woman was the most stunning creature he had ever seen, alas, he did not love her, and alas, her Kiss of Infinity was not returned.’”
Anger burns. Jerk.
“You can’t be forced to love someone, Em. A Kiss of Infinity comes from the deepest part of you.”
I can’t counter Ky’s thought. Because there’s nothing to say. He’s right. Again.
“‘So heartbroken was the woman that darkness descended upon her soul. The great power of the light within was twisted, and soon an evil that had never been known in the Garden formed. Such evil could not exist there. The woman had to rid herself of it or be forced to leave and ne’er return. So though she loved the man despite his unrequited sentiment, the woman had no option but to send the darkness into the one to whom her soul was linked. The Void must have a vessel and the Scrib was the nearest option.’”
The first vessel of the Void. Whoa.
“‘And this was the Scrib’s fate, cursed to walk the earth consumed with darkness crafted by the woman he did not love. Eventually he grew old and the darkness left him for another, latching onto one who loved the soul infused with light. The switch had to occur, for the light’s purpose was to be loved.’”
The Void enters the one who loves the Verity? This makes so much more sense. Ky and Joshua both love me, but my love for Ky isn’t something caused by the Verity. It’s not a result of some forced phenomenon.
I love him because I love him. I loved him before I linked my soul to his. I just didn’t know it.
“‘And the woman?’” Ky goes on, reeling me in to the final bit of the tale. “‘She suffered a fate far worse than death. For she remained immortal, doomed to wander the Reflections forever, lacking the one thing she’d eternally yearned for, the one treasure she had to offer but would not receive—true love. Bitter she became, and so the light could no longer dwell within her. Just like the man, the light abandoned her, searching for a pure soul in which it would thrive. It is said now only death can release the light, for it is through the death of an unloved soul the light abandoned its first vessel.’”
Ky shuts the book.
I sink back in my chair. A tear slides down my cheek and I swipe it with my sweatshirt. This is truly the tale of the Void and the Verity. And two things stand out among every other.
The man—he’d been searching for true love but could not find it. It’s Dimitri. He didn’t just write this story, this is his story. I’m positive. But what happened to the woman? If she remained immortal, is she out there somewhere? Destined to mourn the loss of love and light for all eternity?
What a horrible, despicable fate. My heart breaks for her, whoever she is. I kind of hate Dimitri. His journal remains tucked into my jeans. The feeling of it against my skin causes my stomach to churn.
The second thing, and perhaps the most pertinent, is how the Void chooses a soul. The story says the darkness latches onto the soul who loves light, not the other way around. Which means it is not the one I care for most who took on the Void, but the one—ones—who care most for me.
Ky.
Joshua.
And here it is. The ugly truth. The only thing that can kill an Ever is a broken heart. Joshua is vulnerable now without his Calling, but even if he regains the power in his blood, it won’t matter. Because Joshua still holds half the Void, which means he loves me just as much as Ky does. No matter what he’s done, or the bad decisions he’s made, deep down Joshua still loves me. And breaking his heart? It will destroy him. If the Void doesn’t take over, the heartbreak will.
And then I’m sobbing, right here in front of everyone. Head in my hands, snot on my face, sobbing.
I will always care for Joshua, but it’s Ky I’ve grown to love.
And when Joshua realizes this, if he hasn’t already . . .
He. Will. Die.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Joshua
I tear off a piece of my shirt and wrap it around my cut palm. Stupid Fairies and their stupid lagoon infested with stalagmites.
I squeeze my eyes and blink away the blur. Instruct myself not to waver, to remain focused. I love El and she loves me. Taking off the ring means nothing. She was upset and confused. Any other would have acted the same. It’s the Void in my brother clouding her judgment. I cannot allow it to win. I must be vigilant, attend to the task at hand.
Deliver rose. Take mirrorglass bottle. Acquire final ingredient. Serve Elixir to El.
I stifle a cough with my hand. When I pull it away, blackened blood drips from my fingers.
“You get used to it.” Gage cleans his knife on his pant leg. “Same thing happened to me when Crowe injected the Void. You either learn to control it, keep the symptoms at bay, or live with it.” He props a foot against a stalagmite and double knots his bootlaces. “I selected the latter, of course. Thanks to your girlfriend it didn’t make much difference. Whatever she did to Crowe unfastened the Void from my soul. Give her my regards next time you see her, will you? I doubt she’ll hear it from me.”
What I wouldn’t pay to punch him in his rotten face right now. “You know, I’m getting sick and tired of your moronic comments, Jonathan. Why don’t you go throw yourself off a cliff?”
Gage laughs. “We are more similar than you care to admit, my friend. Seems you’ve chosen the latter as well.”
I pick up a stone the size of my tape measure back home and chuck it at him. He dodges it, diving into the fountain at the island’s core where we entered.
It is several moments before I’m able to follow. My throwing hand shakes and I grasp my hair to steady the trembling. Whatever Jonathan has done, it is unlike me to lose control. Bile burns my throat and I swallow, bounding into the water after him.