Chapter 23

Fear washed over Zev at the elf's words, time seeming to freeze as all the implications broke on him at once.

His family.

"But we came straight from Zev's home," Marieke said, aghast. "Do you mean she can track her way back there using just magic?"

Marieke's eyes flew to Zev's, a shadow of his own fear in them. They hadn't acknowledged it aloud in their recent moment of revelation, but he knew she'd realized the same thing he had.

Jade knew who he was. Or at least, strongly suspected, like the Imperator clearly did. And Jade hadn't seemed surprised by the information. She knew about heartsong already, whatever that meant to her.

"My family." He heard the hollowness of his voice. The same fear that had gripped him when Marieke was in danger held him in its clutches again.

"We have to go," Marieke said. "We have to reach them before she does."

"Unlikely," Kiarana commented. "She won't be traveling by normal means. From the frequency with which she zips in and out of here, I'd guess she's perfected magical travel."

"You have to help us," Marieke said, seeming just as desperate as Zev felt.

Kiarana raised a thin eyebrow, her tone suddenly frigid. "I do not have to do anything."

"I didn't mean to offend," Marieke said quickly. "I misspoke. I should have said, please help us."

The elf considered her. "I could get you to the coast via doorways and send you north on the ships our mining parties take to Sundering Canyon. They're powered by magic, and probably as fast as however Jade is traveling."

Zev started to thank her, but she cut him off with an upraised hand.

"I said I could , not that I will. It would take considerable power."

"And you won't do it for free," Zev finished for her.

"I am an elf," she reminded him.

"But what do you want?" His mind was too panicked to frame his questions more carefully. She would surely ask for confirmation of his identity, and although he'd rather not officially acknowledge it, it hardly seemed to matter much now.

"I want certain assurances from you," Kiarana said, her words directed to Zev. "About the future."

"How can I promise anything about the future?" Zev said. "I don't know what's yet to happen."

"No," Kiarana agreed. "And nor do I, with certainty. But," she gave a slightly unnerving smile that increased her resemblance to her grandmother, "those of us elves with what you humans might call royal blood do have certain gifts, you know. We sometimes see things."

"You see the future?" Marieke demanded.

"I didn't say that," Kiarana said. "It's never so simple. "

"So what is it you want from me in exchange for helping us travel fast enough to beat Jade to my home?" Zev asked.

Kiarana held up a restraining hand. "I didn't offer that. I said I could help you travel swiftly. I offer no guarantee that you'll arrive before Jade does."

"In exchange for what, though?" Marieke said impatiently.

Kiarana tilted her head again, her eyes on Zev. "I want you to agree that when you come into a position of power and influence over Aeltas—"

"I have no expectation of ever coming into a position of power and influence over Aeltas," Zev cut her off.

The tips of her ears wobbled in annoyance as she straightened her head. "I want you to agree that if you come into a position of power and influence over Aeltas, you will assist the elves to come out of hiding safely, if we should wish to do so, and to protect the secret of our existence if we should not wish to emerge."

Zev frowned. "What if I never have influence?"

"Then the bargain would not be activated."

Zev tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword, uneasy. "There are a lot of ifs in that bargain which, from my understanding, doesn't make for a safe bargain."

"It doesn't," Kiarana acknowledged. "But it's the only bargain I offer."

Zev exchanged a look with Marieke, who shrugged helplessly. The decision was his.

"I agree to the bargain," he said. "With the ifs you added."

"Very good." Kiarana rubbed her fingers together in a businesslike manner. "I will make the arrangements at once."

On the words, she strode from the building, leaving Marieke and Zev alone.

"Are you all right?" Marieke asked, the question tentative.

"I don't know," Zev admitted. "If I've led harm to them… "

"I know," Marieke whispered.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know if the bargain was wise, but I had to try."

Marieke nodded. "I felt the magic that surged up and bound you both when you agreed. It's not something to be taken lightly."

Zev nodded in acknowledgment, not needing the warning. If there had been a safer way, he would have taken it, but not if it might cost his family their lives.

Within minutes, Kiarana was back, surprising them with the information that she would personally lead them through the doorways that would take them to the point where the jungle met the eastern coast.

The journey required more than one doorway, but thanks to the magical innovation, it was completed in a matter of minutes. Before they knew it, they were standing on a cliff, the air tasting of salt, and a wind from the ocean giving welcome relief to the humid stillness. A gull swooped past, its cry more haunting than the birds usually sounded, as if it knew the gravity of their situation.

A rocky path led down the cliffside, and at its base a small boat bobbed in a cove. It would be cramped for the two of them to fit their human forms into it alongside the elven helmsman who would steer them, but they would make it work.

"Thank you," Zev said, turning to Kiarana, who was to return through the doorways.

"Thanks are not necessary when assistance is given as part of a bargain," she reminded him.

"I know," said Zev. "But I also know that you took a chance on this bargain. My end of it may never become relevant. I told you, I don't expect my future to involve influence or power beyond my own life and family."

"I know what you expect," Kiarana said, unconcerned. "But it's not the future I see."

"What future do you see?" Zev asked, frowning.

She met the expression with a smile that was too calculating to be warm. "One in which we work together. Farewell, Zevadiah of Aeltas."

With that she disappeared through the doorway, the anomalous view between the trees disappearing with her until they were looking only at the coastal cliff before them.

"Bye," said Marieke to the empty air, a touch sarcastically. She shot Zev a wry smile. "Good to be reminded of my significance."

He returned the smile mechanically, although he did reach out to squeeze her hand. "You're significant to me, Marieke."

"I know," she said quickly. "My pride isn't really bruised. Much."

Prompted by the elf who remained with them, they hurried down the cliff and into the boat. He wasted no time in pushing off, clearly under instructions from his future Imperator to make the journey as speedy as possible. They headed out far enough for the shore to all but disappear, presumably to avoid detection. Then he turned the boat northward, and activated a talisman attached to the back of the little vessel.

Zev didn't need to be able to sense magic to know that this enchantment must be both powerful and sophisticated. They flew over the water, moving so quickly that the wind whipped his face painfully. And best of all, it didn't require anything from Marieke. She leaned back in the boat, her eyes closed against the rushing air and spray, her voice silent as she conserved all her energy for whatever lay ahead.

They traveled through the night, both humans managing catches of uneasy slumber as the elf guided them silently on. By the time dawn was breaking, they had turned back toward the shore. Thanks to the magic, the journey that had taken them days over land had taken them less than twenty-four hours by sea. Surely Jade couldn't have beaten them there?

Of course, they weren't there yet. Zev's home wasn't on the coast. They still had many hours of travel westward over the land, which Zev knew would feel glacially slow after their time in the boat. They'd debated going through the canyon, but they didn't want to risk being trapped there if Marieke's voice was silenced and they couldn't find a way up.

So instead they pooled their remaining resources to hire horses from the first village they encountered, Zev leaving his smaller blade—an expensive family heirloom—as collateral for their return. He'd never been so glad that Marieke was a competent rider as the two of them thundered over the roads, causing other travelers to pull out of their way with disgruntled expressions.

They didn't even stop to eat, shoving food from their packs into their mouths when they walked their horses. As soon as the animals were rested enough, they pushed them back to a canter.

The afternoon was well advanced when the terrain began to look familiar, and Zev's heart was in his throat by the time they finally reached his front gate. They thundered through it, having urged the poor, weary horses to a gallop for the last stretch of road.

"Mother, Father, Azai!" Zev slid off his horse the moment the animal came to a stop in the dusty yard. He was vaguely aware of Marieke dismounting and taking the reins of both creatures, but he didn't stay to watch her lead them to the barn.

He ran toward the house, stopping in his tracks when he heard a shout from the direction of the field.

"Zev!"

Zev turned, moving swiftly to meet his brother in the center of the yard.

"Azai! Are you all right? Where are Mother and Father?"

"I'm fine," said Azai. "But something's going on. Mother isn't here, the neighbors just slaughtered a pig, and she went to trade for some pork. But some woman just arrived to speak with Father, and I didn't like the look of her."

Fear clutched at Zev's heart, and he grabbed Azai's arm. "Tall, dark-haired, in her thirties?"

"That's right." Azai stared at him. "Who is she?"

"A rogue singer, a murderer," Zev said. "Where is she?"

"Speaking with Father in the smaller barn," said Azai, alarmed. "Father was the one who met her at the gate, and after whatever she said to him, he sent me away and wouldn't let me join the conversation."

"She probably threatened you," Zev said, already running toward the smaller barn, which was set further from the house. "And threatened exposure. I think she knows who we are, Azai. I don't know how, but—"

"Maybe your singer told her," Azai panted darkly as he kept pace.

Zev ignored the surge of irritation at this injustice to Marieke. It wasn't important right now. But it did remind him that Marieke didn't know what was going on.

His stride faltered for one step, then he surged forward. He didn't want to waste a moment redirecting to get Marieke. Besides which, now he knew Jade was here, the idea of Marieke facing her was terrifying. He could still hear the older singer's icy voice.

The next time I see her, I will kill her, and there's nothing you can do to stop me.

He and Azai were only a few paces from the smaller barn when the stillness of the afternoon was slashed by a cry of agony.

Zev's breath caught in his throat as the brothers burst into the smaller barn together. His worst fears were realized at the sight of Jade standing over his father, who knelt at her feet with his hand clutched to his heart. The posture was just what Zev would imagine for a man who'd had a blade plunged into his chest, but no weapon was visible.

Zev let out a cry of pure rage, surging forward with Azai close behind.

Jade's head came whipping up, her voice raised in a swift song that crashed into the brothers like a solid wall. Knocked off his feet, Zev struggled back up, throwing himself forward again only to meet an invisible barrier. He pounded his fists against it in impotent fury, terrified by the agony twisting his father's silent features.

"You deserve this," Jade told the man at her feet, her voice sad in a detached way. "You had the chance to work with me to make it right, but you've chosen the coward's way."

Azai roared in outrage at the woman daring to call their father a coward, but he was as unable to break through the barrier as Zev was. Zev turned, intending to run out of the barn and find another way around, only to realize that the invisible wall hemmed him in on all sides.

"Turning on…my land…could never make…anything right," their father gasped.

"If you let the land prosper in spite of the crimes of its leaders, they will never be brought to justice," Jade said. She shook her head, continuing to ignore the trapped brothers. "You are a traitor. I betrayed my own to right the wrongs done to your kind. Your choice betrays your ancestors and cheapens my sacrifice."

She turned at last to her audience, her eyes lingering on Zev. "I don't know how you followed so swiftly. I'm impressed." Her eyes passed between them, her tone almost weary. "I know this is a hard necessity. I hope it motivates you to make a better choice than your father. The future rests with you now. We will meet again, and when we do, I will ask for your decision. I'm not afraid to obliterate your line if it's become tainted by the lies of the councils and paralyzed into inaction."

"Father!" Azai screamed beside Zev, ignoring Jade's words, which must have made even less sense to him than they did to Zev.

Their father didn't respond, showing no sign that he could hear his sons' desperate cries. Perhaps their voices were held in by the barrier just as their bodies were. Their father keeled over as Jade stepped past him, climbing out a window on the far side of the barn. Not until she was fully out of sight did the barrier drop.

"MARIEKE!" Zev screamed, as he threw himself toward his father's form. "MARIEKE, HELP!"

"Father!" Azai cried, carefully turning their father over and searching for signs of injury. None were visible, but the older man's broken moans were becoming fainter.

Marieke appeared at Zev's side, her hand gripping his arm. "I was already coming," she said. "I felt the surge of magic, and I saw Jade."

"Where is she?" Azai's voice trembled with anger.

"She's gone," said Marieke. "She summoned a wind, and it carried her like a bird. What did she do?" Her face was pale as her gaze found Zev's father.

"She attacked him," Zev said desperately. "I don't know how, but I think he's dying. Help him, please!"

"I…I'm not trained in healing song." Marieke's voice shook. "I can do a simple diagnostic song, but… "

Her words trailed off, turning smoothly into a song. Zev's heart twisted in fear at the look that came over her face.

"Zev." Her voice was a whisper. "Zev, I'm sorry. I think she's pierced his heart. There's nothing I can—"

"You must be able to do something !" Azai cried, his voice passionate with misdirected anger. "What's the use of magic if it can't do anything?"

"I don't think even a skilled healer could reverse this." Marieke was keeping her tears at bay with a heroic effort. A flash of memory came across her face. "I might be able to take his pain away. It won't fix the injury, and I don't know how to put it in place perpetually. But if I keep singing…"

"Do it," said Zev, his throat tight and his lips numb.

Marieke nodded, clearing her own throat before raising her voice in a soft melody.

"Peace in your heart, peace for your body.

You're home and at rest, all is as it should be."

The tune was low and gentle, the soothing note jarring in the horror of the moment.

Zev's father let out a shuddering gasp, his moans stopping and his eyes fluttering open.

"Thank you, child," he said, as Marieke continued to sing the words over and over.

"Father!" Azai gripped his hand. "You're all right!"

The older man shook his head, but even without the pain, he was clearly too exhausted for explanations.

"I'm proud of you…both," he said, his other hand going to Zev. "I wish this hadn't come…to you. My ancestors got to live out…their lives…in peace. I wish my sons…could do…the same." His b links were becoming long and slow. "Tell your mother…"

He never finished the sentence. His expression became peaceful, and his eyes drifted shut. To the sound of Marieke's gentle song, he let out a breath that was more a sigh, and his frame became still.

"Father!" Azai sobbed, his grip on the older man's hand tightening.

Zev was too devastated for words or tears. He felt numb, but it was a numbness that threatened terrible retribution when it wore off.

"I'm so sorry, Zev." Marieke's song had petered out—she could no doubt tell that her magic was no longer in use.

Zev didn't reply. He had no voice.

"Where is she?" Azai growled. "I'll kill her for this."

"Jade?" Marieke shook her head. "She's gone."

"Surely she can't be out of reach!" Azai's voice was furious, desperate. "Since when can magic make singers fly?"

"It's not exactly flying," Marieke said helplessly. "It's using the wind—manipulating the basic elements is a common type of songcraft. It's how she started the fire." She half shook her head, obviously remembering that Azai didn't know about that incident. "I doubt she'll be able to sustain it long, but it would be long enough to get beyond our reach."

Azai glared at her, his fist clenching and unclenching in impotent anger.

"Where's your mother?" Marieke's voice was hushed. "Is she safe? Is she—?"

"She's at the neighbors'," Zev said, his voice hoarse. "The next gate down the road to the south."

"I'll find her," Marieke promised.

She withdrew, leaving the brothers alone with their father's body .

Azai let out a low moan. Zev expected recriminations, but Azai surprised him, dropping his head into his hands.

"I should have been with him. I should never have let him send me away."

"No." Zev shook his head, gripping his brother's shoulder with one hand. "You saw how powerful she is. She would just have killed you, too."

"Father was wrong to wish peace for us." The feral anger in Azai's voice cut through Zev's numbness. "I don't want peace. I want to burn it to the ground."

"Burn what to the ground?" Zev asked dully.

"Everything the singers built that brought us to this point," Azai said savagely.

"Then you'd be conspiring with Father's murderer," Zev told him. "That's what she wants. She killed Father because he wouldn't help her do it."

Zev shifted his father's body into a more natural position, laying his arms over his chest. In the process, his eyes landed on his father's sword, lying on the hay-strewn floor beside his body. He would never know exactly what had passed between his father and Jade, but it was clear that the farmer hadn't been able to defend himself against the singer's attack.

Zev drew the sword slowly from the floor, raising it up to his eyes.

This became my sword the day my father died.

He could still hear his father's voice. It was the last conversation they'd had before Zev left. He remembered what else his father had said as well.

You're my son, Zev. And I trust you.

Zev swallowed, his eyes still on the sword as his other hand drew his own from where it hung uselessly at his side. He dropped it to the floor with a clatter, then slid his father's sword into its place on his belt.

He turned to see Azai watching him with a face that looked more numb than angry now, but neither brother could find words. The next half an hour passed in a horrible, surreal blur. Zev couldn't remember much of the scene that followed—he didn't even realize until Marieke returned with his mother that he'd let her go out alone, without even considering whether she was right in her guess that Jade was out of reach. He'd barely been aware of his surroundings…he certainly hadn't considered what a terrible burden it was to expect Marieke to deliver the news she carried.

It was hours later, when his father's body had been moved, a few relatives had gathered, and Marieke was safely in her room, that Zev found himself alone with his brother again. The terrible awareness of their loss was tangible between them, as though the image of their father's lifeless body was held up before their eyes. But the grief hadn't fully enveloped Zev yet. It was waiting, ready to pounce, but he'd found as he replayed the scene in the barn that his thoughts were surprisingly clear.

"You said that Father was wrong to wish for peace," Zev said, finding his voice for the first time in an hour.

Azai looked up at him, his arms straining from the tension with which he gripped the porch railing. "I didn't mean—"

"I agree with you," Zev cut him off. "Father was wrong about this one thing. He wasn't wrong to want peace, but he was wrong to live like it's all that matters. We've let inaction take away too much of our power. But no more. We're going to fight."

He saw the determination flare to life in his brother's eyes. "Yes." It was Azai's turn to grip Zev's shoulder. "We're going to do whatever it takes to bring that woman down."

"She won't be allowed to survive what's coming," Zev promised him. "But it's more than that. She wants to plunge these lands into war, and Father was right to resist that. We won't let her win. We'll fight."

"For our ancestors." Azai curled his hand into a fist, pounding it once against his heart.

"No." Zev shook his head. "Not for the past. For the future." He met his brother's eyes. "For our kingdom."

He could feel the certainty in his own voice, the sense of control which bore no obvious relation to his current situation. And he could see realization flicker into existence behind his brother's eyes.

"Your kingdom," Azai said. "You're the patriarch now. The stolen throne belongs to you. What will you do with it?"

"I don't know," Zev said. "But I won't keep doing nothing. I can't." He gripped the hilt of his father's sword—his sword—so tightly that his knuckles whitened. "Marieke said something to me once, when the elves had us caught in the canyon. She said live today to fight tomorrow."

"I'm familiar with the expression."

"We all are," said Zev. "We live by it. We've been living by it for generations, and for what? We tell ourselves that we live today to fight tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, we're still not willing to fight. I knew it when Marieke used the expression, but I wasn't ready to admit it yet. Now I am."

Azai was silent for a moment.

"And what about Marieke?" he said at last.

Zev met his brother's eye, his expression unyielding. "I won't give her up. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And if I survive that, I'll do whatever it takes to be with her, because I love her." His eyes dared Azai to challenge him. "You're wrong about her, Azai. I'm better when I'm with her—stronger. And she's better when she's with me. We belong together."

He didn't wait for his brother to respond. Leaving Azai to his thoughts, Zev strode into the house. Jade was out there somewhere, intent on taking everything from him, and he didn't intend to let Marieke out of his sight. Ever again, if he could help it.

Zev closed his eyes, breathing in the cool dawn air and willing the peace of his orchard to settle around him.

But peace eluded him, as he'd known it would. He hadn't really expected anything else, even in his orchard. Not on the day of his father's funeral.

The crunch of a stick behind him made him turn to see his mother approaching down the row of trees.

"I thought you'd be here," she said. She looked up at the branches arching over their heads. "I don't come here often enough. It is a beautiful place." She returned her gaze to his face. "Is it bringing you comfort?"

Zev sighed. "No. Not today."

Her smile was sad. "Nothing will today. And that's all right."

All right wasn't a phrase Zev could relate to at that moment, but he didn't say so. It wasn't as if his mother needed him to tell her how devastating their loss was.

"I'm sorry he wasn't able to say whatever he wanted us to pass on to you," he said. He and Azai had told their mother exactly what had happened in the small barn.

The smile lingered on her face, her eyes unseeing as she gazed at the orchard around her. "He didn't need to say it. I already knew. Every day, I know."

Zev's heart ached so acutely it was unbearable. He shifted his gaze away from his mother's face, wondering if it was his imagination that she looked older than she had a week ago. It wasn't right that she would go into old age widowed before her time. It wasn't fair.

Anger against Jade burned within him, hot and barely contained. He didn't let his mother see it, afraid she would speak words of peace or caution. But it was no less powerful for being hidden, and it fueled him night and day.

A new figure appeared at the end of the row, slimmer and softer of tread than the last. His mother followed his gaze to see Marieke, that sad smile curving her lips again.

"It seems all your womenfolk know where to find you this morning."

"I wasn't trying to hide," Zev assured her.

"I know." She patted his cheek with one weathered hand. "Don't linger too long, Zev. The family will be arriving soon."

He nodded, his focus already on Marieke. He knew he was overcautious, but it alarmed him to see her wandering around alone. He waited with impatience while the women exchanged a greeting he couldn't hear, then Marieke continued to meet him while his mother made her way out of the orchard.

As soon as she was out of sight, he held out his arms, receiving Marieke into them as she leaned against his chest.

"I'm sorry I left the house without telling you," said Zev, laying his cheek on the top of her head. "I thought you were still in your room."

"I was," she said. "And it's fine, Zev. I don't need to be supervised at all times."

"Not supervised," he corrected. "Protected. Jade is out there, and she—"

"I know," Marieke said. "Let's not talk about it. Not today."

Her cheek was warm as she shifted it against his chest, finding a more comfortable position.

"I wish I could take your pain away," she whispered.

Zev's heart ached afresh. If only there was a song to erase grief, the way Marieke had wiped away his father's pain in his last moments. But he knew it would never be that simple.

"Being here with me is enough," he murmured.

She pulled back and met his eyes. "Are you sure? Are you sure it doesn't make it worse? If it wasn't for me—"

"No." His voice came out harsh. "Don't you dare, Mari. None of this is your fault."

She bit her lip, not looking convinced. But she didn't press the point. Zev drew in a deep breath, letting the flowery scent of her hair envelop him. How he wished he could stay here, in this moment, forever. He didn't want to face the crowd of well-meaning friends whom he wished elsewhere, or the somber family who would now be looking at him with hidden expectation in their eyes. Here in his orchard with Marieke in his arms, time stood still and nothing could touch him.

"Can I ask you something?"

Zev broke the silence at last, cradling Marieke's face in his hands as he searched her eyes. Her warmth seeped into him.

"Are you angry with me for not telling you about heartsong sooner? I never wanted to foil you. I didn't know how to be loyal to my family without betraying you."

She shook her head, cushioned by his palms. "Of course I'm not angry. I understand why you didn't explain it. And we still don't even know if heartsong is the answer to my riddle. At best, it's one piece of the puzzle. I can't see how it can be the cause of Oleand's deterioration. That problem is so recent, and the loss of the monarchs is so old."

"I've been thinking about that," Zev said. "And there's an explanation I never thought of until we met Jade."

Marieke frowned at him, one hand resting lightly on his chest, the other bunched absently in the folds of his jacket. "What explanation is that?"

"That Oleand hasn't lost its heartsong at all." He could see her confusion, and he pushed on. "Something Azai said once has been playing on my mind. He said that Oleand's deterioration means it has no power. Which is much the same as your theory that the land is dying because the royal line is absent."

Marieke nodded in acknowledgment.

"But what if you're both wrong?" said Zev. "What if the land does have the power of heartsong? What if heartsong is being used against the land, instead of for it? We've always intentionally tried to bless our land. Even our lifestyle as farmers was chosen with that in mind. Our hands work the ground, which is as direct a way as we know to make it prosper. We didn't know there was a way for our heartsong to interact with songcraft the way it does when I'm with you. But Jade seemed to know."

Marieke frowned. "She did, didn't she? She called the way the magic behaved around us like and yet unlike what she'd experienced."

"How could she have experienced it, though?" Zev pressed. "She didn't know who we were or where to find us until she followed my trail. It can't have been our heartsong she had experience with."

Marieke's eyes widened, her fingertips tightening on his chest as she understood.

"What are you saying? That you think the royal line survived in Oleand, too? And Jade found them?"

"And convinced them to use their power over the land to make Oleand suffer instead of prosper," Zev finished. "I didn't take it all in at the time, but that's the best explanation I can come up with for what she said. She killed him for refusing to do what she was asking. And she didn't just do it out of spite—she must have wanted his power over the land to pass from him to me in the hope she could convince me to yield to her plans. It's why she said I'm more use to her alive. "

Marieke's hand went over her mouth, obviously grasping the enormity of it. Whether she grasped the danger she was in, as the most likely target of any attempts to manipulate Zev, was a different question.

"The land really is turning against itself," she said hollowly. "It's being destroyed from the inside. Zev, we can't possibly fight—"

"Yes we can," Zev said. "We have the strength of two kingdoms, and the power of both heartsong and songcraft."

With gentle fingers, he pulled her hand away from her mouth, willing her not to give in to the despair he saw in her eyes.

"This is my fight too, Mari. You won't be alone. We can fight anything if we do it together."

He saw her tension lessen as she took in his words, and the sight eased his own heart. He ran his thumb across her lips, impossibly soft against his weathered skin. Certainty filled him—if nothing else was, the decision to let Marieke in was the right one.

Zev lowered his head, his thumb trailing onto Marieke's cheek so his lips could take its place. She responded in kind, the kiss tender and achingly sweet as he held her close in the stillness of the orchard.

Grief and hope swirled around them in an intimate dance, the power of the moment in no way weakened by the vulnerability it required. Surely no magic could be more powerful than the nearness Zev felt with Marieke in his arms.

For one more moment, the world could wait.