I wanted to believe her, I wanted to accept that my hero complex was a strength rather than a weakness. But standing there in the darkness, knowing five children were suffering because of me, it was hard to see it as anything but a curse.
"If I go to this duel and lose," I said quietly, voicing the fear I had not spoken aloud to anyone. "If Lydia takes my abilities, promise me you will stop her. Promise me you will do whatever it takes to destroy The Inheritors before they can rebuild The Covenant."
"I promise," Aurora said without hesitation. "But you are not going to lose. You are stronger than Lydia. More experienced. More determined. And you have something she does not have."
"What is that?"
"People who love you. People who believe in you. That kind of support makes you powerful in
