Chapter 28

28

TOREN

" S o you're after a soul to appease the bargain," Larek said, looking entirely too interested in the predicament I was in.

"Yes," the goddess of death answered with a hiss.

"But you are a goddess. Can't you change the conditions of the bargain?"

"I can only do that if the original bargainer agrees to make a change."

"Since Toren's mother is dead I can see how that would be a problem, but I have to ask why now? You've had seven years to collect what you are owed."

"This is the first time in seven years that the prince has cared about someone so deeply. It can't be any soul but one that he would be willing to lay down his life for, like his mother gave up hers for him," the Morrigan explained, which made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

I understood her reasoning, but Rhan wasn't something I was willing to give up. For years I'd been consumed with taking care of my people and my court. I hadn't formed many relationships for fear they would be swept away. I cared too much and wouldn't let anyone die to save me. As the future king that was my job.

"Well, there's got to be a way around this. What exactly were the terms of the bargain?"

While Larek had the Morrigan occupied, I turned my attention to Rhan, who was still lying unconscious on the stone floor. Her dark hair was spread out around her head while her face was relaxed. I could almost imagine that she was sleeping but the blood staining her dress made it impossible.

This was all my fault. I shouldn't have developed feelings for her. I should have stuck to the original plan instead of letting my heart get in the way. Now I was facing an impossible choice.How was I going to fix this when my head and my heart were both involved?

"Toren?" Larek asked, startling me back to the present.

"Yes," I answered, refusing to remove my eyes from Rhan's face.

"I might have figured this out," he said, making me blink and turn around to face him.

"How?"

"Firstly, I think the deal between your mother and the Morrigan changed when your mother died and there wasn't a soul exchange."

"That…actually makes sense," I nodded, feeling that the terms of the original agreement had changed since an outside force intervened.

"The magic couldn't be appeased so it changed itself."

"How? Magic can't just change itself because it wants to. It's not a sentient being."

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean ‘are you sure'? It's basic knowledge. Magic is an energy that makes up everything. With enough willpower and a deep rooted connection the world around us can be manipulated."

"What about magic in the human world? That world is not made from magic like this one is, so how can magic work there?"

"I don't know…get to the point, please."

"Whether the magic changed itself or something else, the fact is that it is different."

"Different how?" I wondered, curious despite myself.

"Well, the Morrigan is pretty vague on details, but I believe that the bargain morphed into a curse."

"A curse? How?"

"Think about it. Since the moment you got here you've been drawn to a specific person. Don't deny it," he warned, raising his hand to stop my interruption. "I'm blind but even I could see it. From the moment you saw her on that balcony there's been an undeniable pull with you both. I've been here during your tour and she was pining for you. She denies it but she's happiest when you are near. She had herself fully convinced that this was all some sort of sick joke. From the state of you both when I entered the courtyard I'd say you convinced her that this wasn't a joke?

I felt my cheeks flush with heat as the memory of my face between her thighs, my tongue lapping at her core filled my mind, making my mouth water. Even now I craved her like I knew I shouldn't. I wanted her. There was no denying that now. Not when I'd gotten to know her. She understood my pain, and had felt loss just as acute as I did

"Alright, maybe there is something between us," I agreed, avoiding his gaze, which wasn't difficult. I wasn't comfortable with him knowing…intimate things between Rhan and me. He might be her friend now but I had a chance to hold her heart.

"Rhan cares for you, Toren. Even when you were just Lir she trusted you and came to rely on you quicker than I've ever seen someone accept a person. She did it without question. She probably didn't realize what she was doing until it was done," Larek smiled, and I knew he was quite taken with the Princess. He admired her far more than any other female. I should be jealous but I was just happy that he had found a friend that wasn't me. "The bargain failed when your mother's soul was consumed by the black rot. The magic leeched onto the next best thing, which was you, but it couldn't have your soul so it shifted. Moved. Became something else entirely. Now that you care for someone it's ready to accept the price.

"Well, I'm not," I growled, anger filling me up until the only thing I saw was red. "I won't allow anything to happen to her. If the magic thinks I'm just going to stand by while it takes the only person in this realm that sees me clearly it is sorely mistaken. Do you hear me?" I yelled until my voice echoed through the courtyard. "If you come near her or even touch her," I was seething at this point. Ready to fight magic itself in order to save the Princess who held my heart in her small hands.

"Toren, it's not going to take her," Larek said, quietly, forcing me to calm down so I could hear his explanation. "The magic doesn't want her soul. It's giving her a choice. She has to choose you. Unprompted and in her own words."

"What happens if she doesn't choose me?" My heart clenched as the words left my mouth. I couldn't imagine living without her but if she didn't feel the same way I would walk away. I'd do everything I could to protect but I would force myself to let her go.

"The curse will remain upon you until you find someone who'll choose you."

"How do we even know if all of this is accurate?" I asked, running my hands through my hair as I crouched next to Rhan's prone form.

"We won't know until she wakes," the Morrigan interjected. She was currently sitting cross-legged on the stone floor petting a massive crow that was perched on her knee.

"When will that be?" I snarled, unable to look at the goddess without feeling contempt.

"I'm a goddess, princeling," the Morrigan reminded me, her dark eyes flashing red at my disrespect. "I do not bow to the will of men or fae. Your puny problems are not the gods' only concern. Regardless…the girl will wake when the time is right. She has her own battles to fight and she's doing so right now."

"What did you do?" I hissed, my fists clenching as I lunged for the woman who could easily dispatch me with a snap of her fingers.

"No, stop," Larek said, stepping between us. "Fighting her won't bring Rhan back."

"The Star princeling is right," the Morrigan singsonged, her eyes traveling to Rhan's body. "She'll return when she is ready."