Marasphyr studies the moonlight steel and gives me a wink. "There is a place not far from here that will have the tools you need. Come. Follow me quickly."
She leads the way, past flowers of purple and yellow, past great trees and deep caves, past beams of moonlight and shadow.
Then we arrive at a village.
It is a curious place, of houses dug into the ground, and buildings built on trees. It is small, but intricate. And empty.
No one walks the streets. No one makes a sound.
Something dark covers the center of the village. A pit of ash. It smells of smoke and death.
Fen's eyes go cold. "I have seen this before," he says softly, moving forward, studying the pit. He pulls something from the ash. Bits of bone.
My stomach grows queasy and I turn my head, unable to keep in my sickness.
"Someone performed a ritual here," explains Fen, darting a concerned look at me as I wipe at my mouth and right myself. "A ritual to the Darkness."
Tavian looks at Marasphyr, a frown on his face. "Out here? In the Rift?"
She nods. "It seems the Darkness knows no bounds. Anyone may try to summon it."
Fen studies more bones, then draws his sword. "Be wary. The last time Dean and I came to a place like this, the villagers had summoned a Wraith. If you see any survivors, do not trust their words or their faces. It may be the Wraith in disguise."
Everyone nods.
"We must search the houses," continues Fen. "But we must stay together. Tavian, you said the Wraith is strongest in places of power. Are there any nearby?"
He glances around nervously. "The Rift is a place of power."
Fen growls.
I ask him more about this Wraith they encountered, and he explains the details. "She wanted Tavian Gray."
"Why?" I ask.
"Because," says Tavian, his words heavy. "The Darkness cursed me. And so, I must forever flee from its shadow. This curse also makes it nearly impossible for me to fight it."
I don't know why, but Marasphyr scowls at his words.
Then Tavian tells us the rest of his tale. About how he summoned the Darkness, how it killed his family, and the curse it gave him. "There were three of us," he says. "Three who summoned the shadow. Three who paid the price."
"And who are the other two?" asks Fen.
Tavian looks at him, for a moment smiling, and then frowning. "You would not know them."
There is more to this Tavian Gray than he reveals. I step up to him. "Back in Inferna, you used a power I haven't seen before. Your hands shifted into claws. My mentor, Varis, never taught me anything like that."
"He was right not to," says Tavian, brushing back his white fur cloak. "Most Fae have forgotten the old magic. I have not. It is how I can resist Lucian and the Darkness. Most Fae draw power from the four elements, water, earth, fire, and air. But there is another power. Life and death. Light and darkness."
"The Midnight Star," I say.
He nods. "You are right, in a way. Remember Yami is all things. He is the elements and more. Your mentor would have taught you how to tap into the same powers all Fae possess, the powers that connect them to nature. There is a deeper power, but it is dangerous if not controlled properly. I doubt your mentor, Varis, knew how. Few do. And so, it is best he dissuaded you from its use."
I rub my hands together, remembering my time at the Moonlight Gardens. "I didn't always listen. I tried a ritual once to empower Yami. I lost control."
He nods sagely. "Then you have seen how dangerous the old magic can be."
"Yes." I still remember the screams. The burning forest. "That is why… that is why I want you to teach me."
He freezes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
I stand straighter, gazing into his eyes. "I promised the guardian I will learn control of my powers, and I will."
He doesn't say anything for a while. I notice everyone else has stopped too, looking at us. Hanging on every word. A tension building between us.
"Very well," says Tavian. "I will teach you." He raises a finger. "But only as long as it takes Kayla to make the sword. Then, our training will conclude."
I hold out my hand. "Agreed."
He touches it oddly, slightly shaking it. "By your human customs, yes. Agreed."
We find nothing in the village. No signs of a Wraith. And so Kayla seeks out the forge and begins work on the sword, while Tavian and I train. He teaches me to tap into my emotions, to control them more than ignore them. To use them for my own power. It is a difficult balance, to use rage as fuel and yet not be consumed by anger. To use sorrow as motivation, and yet not break down in tears. It takes days before I make any progress. Days of ignoring everything and everyone except Yami and Tavian. Days of cutting off my feelings about Fen because if I spend even a moment fantasizing about him, I will be lost in those feelings. Because it is so hard to stay focused in this world, I have to let my training consume me or I will fall into an apathy and ease I don't understand. But eventually, I notice a shift in my powers. As my emotions change and weave, so does Yami. If I control my wrath, he grows in size. If I summon my fear, he grows in speed. My terror brings him to breathe blue flame. My happiness calms him, turns him small again.
We are not the only ones who train. Fen and Dean spar in the center square, dueling each other for hours on end. Their bodies slick with sweat. Their muscles glistening in the moonlight. Dean struggles to fight his brother at first. But in time, he begins to notice Fen's strategies, his feints and attacks, and he begins to hold his own. The two almost seem a perfect match, until Fen ups the challenge, increasing his speed and disarming Dean quickly. "Better," says the Prince of War. "But not better enough. Again!"