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Why? Why was the veil taking my blood from me?
My mind blurred. Exhaustion took over. Maybe Alek was right; it was too much blood, too much…
I was about to chase after the woman who was now nowhere to be seen when that glimmering green wall flickered in the corner of my vision.
Hell.
I scrambled to my feet, barely able to stand at all, and took those last few steps toward the green veil. It only took a few, but it felt endless, felt impossible.
Still, I somehow managed to reach it—that perfect, terrifying wall that led to life, to Alek, to Narcissa—before collapsing through to the other side. Safe on the forest ground and vaguely aware of Alek’s hands picking me up, I closed my eyes and gave into exhaustion.
CHAPTER 12
Lyra
“Lyra.” Hands shook me, pulling me from the deep recesses of sleep. “Lyra, you have to open your eyes. Wake up!”
I blinked, flinching at the sharp pain in my temple.
“Lyra, you’re safe now. You did it. You made it through.”
Alek knelt directly over me, with Wrath standing behind him, both holding horrified, worried looks on their faces.
I fought to sit up, still supremely drowsy. “What happened?”
“You did it, Lyra. You’re through the veil.”
I looked for Narcissa in the darkness. “It’s done? The veil is closed?”
Narcissa stepped into view near the dwindling fire. “The veil might be closed, child, but the work is far from done.”
I blinked again. “What do you mean?”
Wrath turned to look at Narcissa, but Alek’s eyes were glued to mine. He scanned my face, my neck, my arms, ensuring I wasn’t hurt, ensuring I was here.
I knew the feeling well. When Alek died, a piece of me died with him.
Seeing him in the flesh again was the biggest shock of my life.
“I’m okay, Alek,” I whispered comfortingly. “I’m okay, I’m here. I made it back.”
He bowed his head and exhaled, cursing something beneath his breath. “Never fucking do that again, Lyra Sol.”
I sat up, wrapping him in my arms, pulling myself even closer to him with whatever remaining energy I had left. “Never again,” I promised. “Never again.”
“The boy is next,” Narcissa interrupted.
Alek squeezed me for a second more before we both turned to look at her.
“Next at what?” Alek asked.
Narcissa stepped closer. Wrath tensed, his hand hovering over his hip where I knew his dagger was strapped.
“Lyra,” she began.
Everything was too foggy, I was too tired to decipher exactly what had changed between us, but something had.
We should have all been relieved that the veil was closed, Narcissa included. She wanted it closed just as badly as I did, so why did this clearing in the forest no longer feel safe?
