I have confirmed mirrorglass may be molded into weapons and tools when melted by the flame of Dragon’s breath. Dragons are sly, vicious creatures. To behold their breath and live to tell the tale would be a rare feat indeed, making items fashioned from mirrorglass a valuable commodity. Should one come across such an item, I would advise he guard it with his life.
My gaze falls to Ky a few feet ahead. His bare back is toward me, his shirt wrapped around his head like a turban. His mirrorglass blade is sheathed at his side. I’ve never asked him who originally gave it to him. I’d search his thoughts, but I have a feeling that’s a story he needs to share when he’s ready. Instead I let my mind wander back to Dimitri’s words. Let them sink in like the last note of a truly profound piece.
What is perhaps truly the most fascinating feature of mirrorglass is its effects on light and darkness. The reverse effect seems to turn darkness into light and vice versa. If I had not witnessed it with my own eyes, I would not believe it myself. But when exposed to light, the mirrorglass turns dark, and when darkness hits it? The stuff reflects back light. It is quite the sight to behold.
And this one revelation explained so much. Ky and I were awake until dawn discussing it. When Joshua wore the crown, it turned his darkness light, keeping the Void dormant as Ky said. But when I took it on? The crown only served to suppress the light. It’s why I felt a sudden loss of warmth and peace at the coronation. The reason my connection to Ky grew stronger. The Verity was silenced for a time, allowing the Void in Ky to work its way in through our intertwined souls. When I finally removed the crown at the brownstone, it was too late. The damage had been done, my connection to Ky and the Void more solid than ever. It found its way into me, latching on through my growing love for the boy before me.
The knowledge brings joy and sorrow in a single wipe of my brow. Joy because it wasn’t some problem with my blemished soul that caused the Verity to grow weak. Sorrow because had I not been connected to Ky by a Kiss of Infinity, the Void never would’ve found its way in to begin with.
When King Aidan wore the crown, his soul was not linked to Jasyn’s, so the crown would not have hurt the Verity within. It may have dimmed it, and I’m guessing because of that Aidan would not have worn the crown often. But even with the light docile, darkness wouldn’t have found a door. It was my soul bond to Ky that made the difference. But how can I regret saving him from becoming Soulless? I don’t know who I’d be without him.
I look at Ky again. His scars shine in the sunlight, his rose and thorn Shield seal standing out among the wreckage of his skin. The image brings another to mind. Joshua bruised and bleeding. Joshua doing everything in his power to protect me from taking on the Void. As selfish and coldly methodical as his actions come off, everything he’s done has always been about one thing.
Saving the people.
Saving me.
Chewing my bottom lip, I mull this over as we make the trek to Dahlia Moon’s. Not because I’m changing my mind. Ky or Joshua? But because Joshua was my best friend—my only friend—for a long time. We have a history. Ky may be my present, my future, but Joshua? He’s my past and that doesn’t change overnight. It never changes.
Because no one can change the past.
Isaach relayed Dahlia lives at the canyon’s east end, only half a day’s walk from the Nitegra Compound. Breckan drew us a map on a flat red stone, pointing out the Reyaub Cliffs to the west and the Nabka Forest to the north, admonishing us to stay along the river’s shore. “As long as ye can find tha river, ye can find yer way east or west. It’s like a path, ye see?” She smiled then bogged us down with packs full of food, supplies, and water.
“The Fifth’s desert is wicked.” She bustled about her hut, riffling through baskets, arms loaded with whatever she could scrap. “Hard ta keep yer wits about ya when that noon sun hits. Rest beneath tha shade when ye find it, and sip at yer canteen every ten minutes er so. And don’t ferget what I said before. Stay near tha river if ya know what’s good fer ya. Good luck.”
With a wave the odd couple sent us on our way. Charley elected to stay behind, whittling our group down another notch. Six of us remain, and everyone’s been filled in on our mission. Ky didn’t see a reason to keep things hidden any longer.
“You all deserve to know what we face in the days ahead.” Mopping his face with his shirt, he made eye contact with each of us. “If anyone wants to stay back, he or she is welcome to do so.”
We listened and some exchanged glances. In the end, only Charley bowed out. I searched Flint’s eyes, looking for something I could trust—or suspect. He hasn’t said much since the Fourth, and Gunner does most of his talking for him. Still, the pilot tagged along, hands shoved in his pockets and back hunched. Now we march in silence, our tasks wheeling through my mind.
Find Dahlia Moon.
Inquire about the first vessel of the Verity.
Locate said vessel.
Destroy. The. Void.
I shared my theory with Ky during our all-nighter. We sat under cover of the Fifth’s stars, legs dangling over the edge of a cliff, sharing a canteen of sweet cactus juice and a handful of grapes.
“Is it possible?” I popped a green grape into my mouth, the juice oozing tartness onto my tongue.
Ky took a swig. Wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “Makes sense. We’ll have to mention it to Dahlia. If the Void was created by lack of love, why wouldn’t true love be its weakness?”
Leaning back on my elbows, I nodded. The night was cool but not uncomfortable. Maybe the desert wasn’t so bad. We sat that way for some time. I didn’t want to fall asleep and give up the moment.
But daylight always reigns. And what did it bring but white-hot doubts beating down with the sun’s rays? What was I thinking? The desert is awful. Everything appears better at night. Now I’m rethinking the notion I know anything about destroying the Void. Maybe this is all pointless.
“The Fifth’s desert is wicked . . . Keep yer wits about ya.”
Breckan’s words are a bucket of ice down my back. Blink. Step. Straighten. Nearly there. We left before dawn and the sun is almost directly above now. I wipe the sweat seeping into my eyes, shade them. Where—?
“I see it! I see it!” Khloe jumps up and down, spunkier than she should be after half a day in the heat.
We pick up our pace, canteens rattling against our packs. My sweatshirt wrapped around my waist loosens and I cinch it snug. We follow the winding hill path, the way jutting into the rocks, then back out. When we near the top, the house comes into full view. In the shade of the canyon wall our destination grows clear. That’s when I stop. Take a step. Crane my neck. And then I’m holding my breath, covering my mouth with both hands. Because I’ve seen this house before. I know it. All at once I don’t care about my aching legs or my heat exhaustion or anything but shoving past the crew and bursting through the door.
This is Mom’s dream house, the one she drew in her sketchbook-slash-journal. The one she labeled “Someday.” The stone chimney. The hedge of rosebushes. The ivy framing the door. The foliage is dried out and the structure is a little dilapidated, but it’s here.
“Mom?” I call once I’m inside. “Mom? Are you here?”
“Eliyana?” Her voice is faint. Muffled. Far.