terrible mistake.
“Listen, Connor . . .” she began hesitantly.
“I know, I know,” he said quickly. “Back off, Connor. Give it a rest!”
“I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
“You’re still in love with Edric, aren’t you?”
“I am. Yes, I really am.” She attempted a smile. “Friends, huh? That would mean so much to me.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Friends. Friends is good.” He gave a crooked grin. “Boyfriends come and go— friends are forever, right?”
“I’m not sure that’s—”
“Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a total jerk with the come-ons and all that,” he interrupted. “It’s just me being an idiot. Am I forgiven?” He stood up, one hand closing around the bowline as the boat lifted and fell.
“You’re forgiven,” said Tania. “Of course you are.”
“Great.”
He made his way down the boat. Tania watched him thoughtfully as he checked the rigging at the mast and then moved to the stern to speak with Rathina. He’s a good guy. . . . Look how he jumped in to help us when any other person would have run for the hills. And the thing is, the idea of getting together with him isn’t exactly off-the-scale gross. But I can’t. I really can’t. If the circumstances were different . . .
Her fingers came up to touch the teardrop-shaped pendant that Edric had given her. The stone was a bond between them—not just an emotional bond but a mystical one, too. By tracking the black onyx stone Edric had been able to follow her into the Mortal Realm.
A disturbing thought hit her.
Could it have been Edric who had used the Dark Arts to follow them to Hymnal? Was he still using the stone to trace her movements? Was it the pendant that had drawn the horsemen from Caer Liel to Hymnal at dead of night?
Was Edric capable of betraying her like that? The thought pressed hard against her heart.
From love everlasting to hunting her down for his cruel master?
Edric? Could you do that to me?
She got unsteadily to her feet, and suddenly the stone felt as if it was burning hot against her flesh. With a fierce, violent movement she tore the necklace from around her neck and threw it into the sea.
A fist squeezed her heart, forcing the breath from her lungs as the necklace sank beneath the dark green waves.
Edric was gone from her—and now she had cast away the only reminder she had of him.
Would the agony of lost love never fade?
She closed her eyes.
Please let it get better , she begged. Please don’t let it hurt this bad for always.
The night was ebbing slowly away. The coast of Faerie was a black ribbon along the eastern horizon, and above it the sky was pearly white.
The sea was lively still, but the spite seemed to have gone out of it, and Tania had even dared now and then to stand and stretch her legs.
She noticed that Connor was squatting, hunched with his back to the mast. He was half turned away from her and he seemed to be holding his stomach.
Seasick, maybe?
Odd, though—he’d shown no sign of it earlier, and the sea was a lot less rough now. All the same . . .
She got up and made her way toward him, the heavy gown encumbering her legs as she clung to the rigging with both hands.
“Connor? Are you okay?”
He twisted around, giving her a startled look. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“You looked like you might not be feeling too good.”
He stood up, his hands pushed into his pockets. “No, I’m doing great. How about you?”
“Better now that it’s calmed down a bit.” She turned to Rathina, sitting in the stern with the tiller held firm under her arm. “How’s it going?” she called.
“All’s well,” Rathina replied. “Eden’s wind is a boon to us; steady from the east, it pushes us on a fine western course.”
“Actually we’re heading more west-northwest than absolutely due west,” Connor said. “Not that it matters, really.”
Tania looked at him. “What does west-northwest mean, exactly?”
He threw out a straight arm, his hand pointing ahead
“Listen, Connor . . .” she began hesitantly.
“I know, I know,” he said quickly. “Back off, Connor. Give it a rest!”
“I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
“You’re still in love with Edric, aren’t you?”
“I am. Yes, I really am.” She attempted a smile. “Friends, huh? That would mean so much to me.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Friends. Friends is good.” He gave a crooked grin. “Boyfriends come and go— friends are forever, right?”
“I’m not sure that’s—”
“Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a total jerk with the come-ons and all that,” he interrupted. “It’s just me being an idiot. Am I forgiven?” He stood up, one hand closing around the bowline as the boat lifted and fell.
“You’re forgiven,” said Tania. “Of course you are.”
“Great.”
He made his way down the boat. Tania watched him thoughtfully as he checked the rigging at the mast and then moved to the stern to speak with Rathina. He’s a good guy. . . . Look how he jumped in to help us when any other person would have run for the hills. And the thing is, the idea of getting together with him isn’t exactly off-the-scale gross. But I can’t. I really can’t. If the circumstances were different . . .
Her fingers came up to touch the teardrop-shaped pendant that Edric had given her. The stone was a bond between them—not just an emotional bond but a mystical one, too. By tracking the black onyx stone Edric had been able to follow her into the Mortal Realm.
A disturbing thought hit her.
Could it have been Edric who had used the Dark Arts to follow them to Hymnal? Was he still using the stone to trace her movements? Was it the pendant that had drawn the horsemen from Caer Liel to Hymnal at dead of night?
Was Edric capable of betraying her like that? The thought pressed hard against her heart.
From love everlasting to hunting her down for his cruel master?
Edric? Could you do that to me?
She got unsteadily to her feet, and suddenly the stone felt as if it was burning hot against her flesh. With a fierce, violent movement she tore the necklace from around her neck and threw it into the sea.
A fist squeezed her heart, forcing the breath from her lungs as the necklace sank beneath the dark green waves.
Edric was gone from her—and now she had cast away the only reminder she had of him.
Would the agony of lost love never fade?
She closed her eyes.
Please let it get better , she begged. Please don’t let it hurt this bad for always.
The night was ebbing slowly away. The coast of Faerie was a black ribbon along the eastern horizon, and above it the sky was pearly white.
The sea was lively still, but the spite seemed to have gone out of it, and Tania had even dared now and then to stand and stretch her legs.
She noticed that Connor was squatting, hunched with his back to the mast. He was half turned away from her and he seemed to be holding his stomach.
Seasick, maybe?
Odd, though—he’d shown no sign of it earlier, and the sea was a lot less rough now. All the same . . .
She got up and made her way toward him, the heavy gown encumbering her legs as she clung to the rigging with both hands.
“Connor? Are you okay?”
He twisted around, giving her a startled look. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“You looked like you might not be feeling too good.”
He stood up, his hands pushed into his pockets. “No, I’m doing great. How about you?”
“Better now that it’s calmed down a bit.” She turned to Rathina, sitting in the stern with the tiller held firm under her arm. “How’s it going?” she called.
“All’s well,” Rathina replied. “Eden’s wind is a boon to us; steady from the east, it pushes us on a fine western course.”
“Actually we’re heading more west-northwest than absolutely due west,” Connor said. “Not that it matters, really.”
Tania looked at him. “What does west-northwest mean, exactly?”
He threw out a straight arm, his hand pointing ahead
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