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Back Legendborn Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Dedication
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. THREE MONTHS LATER
  4. PART ONE ORDER
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. PART TWO DISCORD
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. PART THREE ROOTS
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. PART FOUR SPLINTER
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  67. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  68. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I step toward him. “I don’t want this anymore.” I take another. “I don’t want to feel this anymore.”

Understanding floods his features, and after it a pained, sickened expression. “Bree, no.”

I plead with him, “You can do it. Please. I won’t break the mesmer. I’ll—I’ll let it happen.”

When I reach him, his lips curl in something like disgust. “Don’t ask me that.”

“If I can’t have her, I don’t want to remember her.”

“You don’t mean that,” he hisses.

“Yes, I do!” My eyes swim with tears.

He takes a deep breath, holds his ground. “Even if I wanted to—” He shakes his head. “I’m not powerful enough. The older or more traumatic the memory, the stronger the replacement has to be. Like for like. ‘Memories of equal weight.’ ”

Memories of equal weight. There are no memories that could equal this weight. And the last hour has just made them heavier.

I break then. Snap. The tears run hot down my cheeks, and my breathing comes in ragged sobs. Sel watches me with a sad, helpless expression. Almost like he’s worried for me, hurting for me… but if that’s true, it’s another truth I can’t handle.

I open the door and run into the hallway, letting the door slam shut behind me.

Sel lets me go at first. I make it all the way to the foyer and front door before he catches up. I can feel his gaze along the back of my neck. “Leave me alone, Sel.”

He grasps my left shoulder. “You aren’t in any shape to walk home alone.”

I jerk back, but we both know the only reason he lets me go is because he chooses to.

He stands there in the grand foyer, a shadow with searching eyes, and suddenly it all becomes so clear. He was born to this world, for better or for worse. And Nick and the Scions and the Squires and the Pages… they grew up living inside the Order’s legends. Suddenly, all I can see is the hundreds of years of history that don’t belong to me. A war that doesn’t belong to me.

“I never should have come here.”

“Bree—” He reaches for me again right as I open the front door—and come face-to-face with Nick.

40

IT ONLY TAKES a second for Nick’s eyes to take in my tearstained face, Sel’s hand on my shoulder, and Sel standing behind me. Russ and Felicity peer around Nick with wary expressions just as Sel’s hand falls away.

“What the hell is going on here?” Nick demands.