“Once more," he said. "Speak my name once more."
He was ancient, I knew that. But in this moment he was just a boy - brilliant, blessed with too much power, burdened by eternity.
"Aleksander."
His eyelids fluttered shut. "Don't let me be alone," he murmured. And then he was gone.
(Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising)












