Dark One Rising (61 page)
“Me too. I don’t know what will happen or who will survive, but I know that I go forward with a new courage and a new strength. One that comes from you, and from my grandfather, and from knowing, finally, who I really am. I don’t know what will become of our world, but I know that you and I will be together again. Someday. We are kindred spirits now, you and I. I would not have gotten through this without you.” She leaned over and embraced Dallen. When they parted, Dallen pulled the necklace over her head and handed it to Melenthia. Melenthia looked at it in the light. The milky glass glowed under the sunlight streaming through the canopy of the room. She held it up and gazed into it, the cloudy swirls dancing through it. “I can’t take this from you, Dallen. It belongs to you.”
“I want you to have it. My mother gave it to me before she died. It will keep you safe. When the glass glows, danger is near. If you hold it in your hand and ask for help, help will come. I do not need it here. Inside these walls, I am safe. You will need it more than I. Besides, it may give you something to remember me by.”
Melenthia smiled at her. “I don’t need anything to remember you by. I always will, but thank you. I will keep it with me always.” She looped the cord over her head and tucked it inside her tunic with her other necklace, close to her heart. She hugged Dallen one more time, then stood, grabbing her bag and scanning the room once more before leaving. The time had come, and ready or not, her destiny was about to begin. She placed a hand over her chest where the necklaces touched her skin, closed her eyes, and, breathing deeply in, said a small prayer. The Dark One had risen. The Tanith Prophecy had begun. She was the hope for Aelethia now. One way or another, Fallon would die.
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