Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“Wait. What? You pulled out Nate?”
I stall, because it doesn’t seem to matter when it was Gloombane who bonded with Nate. “Yes. It was a long night, I was helping. I always try to help, only for it to end up a disaster. And I did it again, Sabine. Gloombane’s dead, so I took a thread of Nate’s shadow and made him my promised, so no one could hurt him again. But I didn’t ask. And now we’re stuck, and the bond is the last thing he wants after what he’s been through.”
Sabine shakes her head and takes her arm away to rub at her face as she stares ahead, toward the sculpture of Lord Kyran’s mother. “Then you did right a wrong. If you were the one to save him, he was never Captain Gloombane’s to begin with. Destiny brought you together. He will yet come around,” she says in a soothing whisper.
I let out a trembling breath. “You don’t understand the depth of my mistakes. I promised him that if it’s his wish, I will find a way to break the shadow bond.”
She frowns, eyes whipping my way. “Tristan. You know that’s impossible.”
“I know! But I’d promise him anything. So I lied. Once more I promised what I can’t give. I’m fucking useless. I guess there is one way I could rid him of the bond. Gloombane’s proof that it works. At least I’d be true to my word.” I have to bite my cheek to keep in another sob.
I could do it even tonight. Just stand at the top of the highest tower in the castle and jump onto the rocks below. It’s low tide. I’d be gone before I could suffer any further, and Nate would be free to live out the rest of his life as a free man.
I could give that to him. The ultimate proof of my commitment.
Save both him and my honor in one swoop.
“Tristan, don’t you even think about that,” Sabine hisses, and she pulls my face toward her, fingers digging into my jaw. Her brows are pinched, face even paler than usual. “You know very well it would just leave him open to more abuse.”
She’s right. I’m such a fool. I can’t die until he’s back in the human realm, where there are no elves to claim him. But as I start building a plan to whisk him away as soon as he’s feeling more like himself, my sister shakes her head. “You’re as easy to read as when you were a boy, and the answer is no! I won’t let you do something so unimaginably daft! Just look at this library,” she says, gesturing at the rows of books. “There must be a better answer on one of the shelves.”
I take a deep breath and manage to fill my lungs this time. I’ve never liked reading much, but I’d do it for Nate. I’d spend the rest of my life reading, if that’s what it takes. “He read this… We spent the night at Unicorn’s Rest, and we got this idea, based on the tavern’s history, that maybe a unicorn could break the bond.”
Sabine cocks her head at me with a serious expression, and I can almost see the cogs turning in her head. “I’ve never heard of that being done, but that’s not even so outlandish. Its horn is supposed to be the sharpest thing in existence, and if it can cut something as abstract as a blood oath, why not a shadow bond? It’s worth investigating. I could ask Lord Kyran—”
“He can’t know!”
“Right.” She hums. I don’t think I even need to explain why. “But it’s not a bad idea, Tristan. I’ll help you research it, and we could even engage others under a different pretense. And in the meanwhile, Nate will heal, you two will talk, and who knows where you will stand on this matter in a month.”
I sigh deeply and nod. Now that she’s so fired up, it’s not even worth mentioning that Nate doesn’t want to see me.
Sabine wraps her arms around my neck tightly, and it does help to have her on my side. She’s the smartest person I know.
“We will work it out, Tristan, so no more stupid ideas,” she whispers, and my defences once more break as I sob into her hair.
Chapter 23
Nate
Elven medicine is miraculous. Sure, I am still very much underweight, but within the span of six weeks they’ve healed all my bruises, and the messed-up ankle. I can again move without constant pain, and while I’ve been advised not to jump or run yet, I’m confident that I could. I was even gifted a new pair of glasses, made out of ‘moonshard’, which not only help with my vision issue, but also allow me to see well in the dark.