Nïx abruptly dropped her arm, wiping her hand on her pants. "She's been condemned."
"Condemned? What the f**k are you talking about?"
"This is the morsus, the crudest poison-because it causes inconceivable pain upon the withdrawal. Sabine would have had to take a regular dose of this poison to keep it at bay."
"Ah, gods, she'd been trying to get back to Omort days ago. I . . . stopped her."
"Then he's the one who has done this to her. It makes sense that he'd use this to control her for all these years."
"What will happen to her?"
"Have you touched her skin? Did you feel that pain?" When he nodded, she said, "You're experiencing possibly a percent of what Sabine is. There's supposed to be
no greater agony. It feels like being scalded and stabbed, as if your skin is being pincered from your body. Demon, this will get a thousand times worse. The pain will become so great, it will prove a shock to her body, so intense that her heart will stop."
"It already has!" Inhaling deeply, he tried to calm his tone. "What can I do?"
Nïx shook her head sadly. "Absolutely nothing help her. The only person who can save her is the one who poisoned her. Rydstrom, you need to prepare yourself. Sabine will have one heart attack after another
"No! No, someone has to be able to help her," he said, his voice breaking. "Tera, Mariketa-" "Will only confirm what I've said." "What about Sabine's sister-she's saved her
before!"
"Ah, Melanthe, the potential Queen of Persuasion. Healing another is one of the hardest processes to effect. And her power is weak, only manifesting itself in unpredictable fits and spurts."
Rydstrom rested his forehead against Sabine's, desperate to take this pain from her. "There has to be something I can do for her." He gazed up at the Valkyrie, unashamed to beseech her. "Nïx, please ..."
"There is something you must do. Rydstrom, if you care anything about Sabine," she said, "you will kill her now."
In between fevered waves of agony, she'd heard Rydstrom speaking to her.
With his voice growing thick, he'd pleaded, "Cwena,
fight this forme." He'd threatened, "What am I supposed to do without you? You can't leave me like this! I'll fol-low you to the gods damned grave, Sabine."
And when another wave had crashed down and she'd thrown back her head and shrieked, he'd roared with his own pain and confusion, clutching her so tightly, until her screams died down....
Sometimes, she heard other voices. The brother was
often here. Two females came and went.
Now she perceived Rydstrom sitting beside her on
the bed, stroking her hair. But another wave was build-
ing.... building . . . And each one was worse than the
last.
"Rydstrom..."
"I'm here, Sabine." He kissed her palm, then rubbed
his face into it. "I'm right here."
"Kill me," she begged as residual pain seared through her body. "Please..."
His dark eyes were frantic. "Never!"
"You say . . . you care about me," she whispered. "But if you did ... you would kill me."
"I don't f**king care about you! I'm in love with you, Sabine. You told me I needed you," he said desperately. "I do. Freely, I admit it." He held her face, seeming to grit his teeth against the pain of the contact. "We'll fight this together."
"You . . . love me?" She'd known, had felt it every minute with him. But to hear him say it. . .
"Ah, gods, cwena. You have my heart. Anything that I possess is yours. Just heal. Just feel no pain."
"Then let me go." Damp tendrils of red hair framed Sabine's pale face. "Please . .. I'm begging you ..."
He couldn't hear these words, couldn't imagine the pain that would drive her to speak them-
She seized again, her back arching, more blood gurgling from her lips as she screamed again and again. Nïx and Cadeon rushed inside just as her body fell limp.
But her eyes were open.
They were sightless, staring at nothing.
Nïx said, "She takes no breath, demon. She's gone."
"No!" Rydstrom roared, clutching Sabine's shoulders shaking her.
"Rydstrom!" Cadeon gripped his arm. "She's gone, brother. She wants you to let her go."
"Never!" More shaking . . . "You come back to n Sabine!"
Sabine's lids twitched, her muscles visibly knotting.
She lives.
"No . . . no more," Sabine moaned in despair, real' izing she hadn't died. She gave Rydstrom a look of utter betrayal then fell unconscious in his arms.
"You've only saved her until the next wave hits," Nïx said. "Demon, next time, you must let her go."
No, there is another way. "There won't be a next time." He narrowed his eyes at the Valkyrie. "You knew this would happen. You knew all those nights ago when you asked me if I could pick one, which would' I choose-my kingdom or my queen. And you asked for a reason. I can sacrifice all hope for one to save the other."
"You answered your kingdom so easily back then. I was amused."
"Whoa, whoa," Cadeon said. "What the hell are you two talking about?"
Rydstrom asked Nïx, "How do I get to Tornin tonight?"
"It's being, uh, taken care of."
"If you've seen all this, then tell me-will she live?"
Nïx gazed at the ceiling, then back. "I don't know about her. But you might want to have a talk with your successor here and let him know what's about to happen."
Rydstrom nodded, accepting death-or worse.
"Yeah, let me know what's going on!"
"I'm going to Omort for the antidote. The sorcerer will likely kill me this time," he said matter-of-factly. "Cadeon, you're my heir. Nïx said this was my last chance to claim my crown. She didn't say you had no chance."
"What-the-fuck?" Cadeon thundered. "No way! No goddamn way!"
"This will happen, brother," Rydstrom snapped. "I wasn't asking you-I was informing you."
"Okay, then, so we make this a trap," Cadeon said, plainly wrestling with his temper. "You can't go there without a battle plan."
"You told me Groot hit at your mental blocks like a sledgehammer. Omort will demand I open my thoughts to his probes. I have to be utterly free of conspiracy, else I risk her."