He screams. I pivot around him...and remove his other hand.

    His next scream makes a mockery of his first, Lifeblood pouring from all three wounds.

    Determined to end this, I relock the swords and press the tip of the staff against the pulse at the base of his neck. A flame burns him.

    “Mercy, mercy,” he cries.

    I’m panting, my heart pounding. This boy has caused me all kinds of problems. He has deceived me, hurt me, and killed my friends. If given the chance, he’ll do it all again.

    My heart weeps. Allow him to live. Save the enemy, one at a time... As long as there’s breath, there’s hope.

    ...but I’m tempted, so tempted to finish him. Death is what he deserves.

    A thick beam of Light spreads over us, bright and warm. I glance up and exhale a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. MLs are fleeing. Has Troika won?

    “Mercy.” Victor’s voice weaker, his strength draining as quickly as his Lifeblood. “Mercy. Please, Ten.”

    “If the situation was reversed and I asked you for mercy, you would strike me down with a smile on your smug face.”

    But I am not him. My choice today defines who and what I am tomorrow.

    He flinches, the truth of my words irrefutable.

    I straighten, removing the tip of the staff from his pulse, adding, “I’m not going to kill you. I’m not your judge, and I’m not going to decide your punishment.”

    Footsteps sound in the distance. I spin, ignoring an influx of dread as I lift my weapon, prepared to battle.

    A Troikan army rushes through the Gate, Levi at the helm.

    Relief opens a floodgate, and tears fill my eyes. I pull the staff apart and sheathe the swords as I rush over to Kayla. She’s unconscious, unmoving, but she has a pulse.

    I push every bit of Light I can spare into her and shout, “Help her!” Victor is proof spirits are harder to kill than humans. I think...pray...she can recover from this.

    Levi issues a series of orders. Three soldiers see to Kayla’s care while another two deal with Victor. As both individuals are carted to the Sanatorium, I begin to tremble.

    “Kayla told me Jeremy is safe,” I say. If she lied...

    “He is safe. I’ve seen him.”

    My knees give out, and I topple. My tears spill over and rain down my cheeks. “According to intel, there are—were—nine Myriadian spies in our realm,” I tell Levi. “I killed two. Victor is the third.”

    “The Secondking can do what we can’t, unearthing those who disabled their comms and locking them away until they can be questioned.” He closes the distance and, with a quiet hiss, eases beside me. There’s a wet spot on his rib cage, and it’s growing, his Lifeblood hemorrhaging.

    “You need Light, but I have none left,” I say. “Why don’t you go to the Sanatorium with the others.”

    “I’ll go. Eventually. You’ll be happy to hear we were also able to drive the enemy away...with Killian’s help.”

    My heart skips a beat. He came through. After everything, he came through for me. He chose me, fighting his peers to save me.

    I cry so hard I dry heave.

    I want my arms wrapped around him. I want his heart beating against mine and his scent in my nose. I want his breath fanning my skin, branding me as effectively as the Troikan symbol. I want his lips pressed against mine.

    I want to thank him.

    “What about Clay?” I rip the hem of my shirt and press the material into Levi’s side.

    With another hiss, he takes possession of the cloth to maintain pressure on his wound. “Killian and Deacon found and freed him before joining the battle. Apparently there are Troikan sympathizers inside Myriad. Clay helped them fight outside the walls.”

    Killian kept his promise to me, finding my friend and bringing him home.

    A promise kept is a star in the darkest of nights. A bridge between us. A bridge no one will ever be able to destroy.

    I tell Levi everything that happened. Kayla’s betrayal. Victor’s plots and plans. Sadness fills his eyes.

    “What will happen to Kayla? If she survives?” I ask. Punishment? Banishment?

    “The Secondking will decide.”

    “And Victor? What will happen to him?”

    “His covenant has been broken, his grace period over. He’ll be banished. He wanted Myriad, he can have Myriad.”

    My hope is that he is haunted by the kindnesses shown to him today—and every day he lived here—that he realizes he lost a prize.

    “Our realm...” I say.

    Levi heaves a sigh. “We have much to rebuild.”

    Much is an understatement. “And the casualties?”

    “I would say they are too numerous to count, but I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

    I have no humor to spare. I dig my fingers into the ground, dirt sinking under my nails. “How was Myriad able to do this?”

    “They distracted us with smaller battles in the Land of the Harvest, dividing our focus while launching a bigger battle on our own soil.” He pauses, sighs again. “You did well today, Miss Lockwood. You saw past your emotions, putting the needs of others above your own wants. I’m proud of you.”

    A hard lump clogs my throat.

    Through the Grid, a Light brighter than any other shines. My cells sizzle and snap with new life. Strength blooms inside me, a rose opening for the sun. I’m no longer slumped over but sitting up straight.