“I’m sorry. The wounds are too severe. All I can do is ease his pain,” he said, looking up at Adesh. The commander of the militia appeared unhurt, though his red hair was disheveled, and his once pristine uniform was now drenched in blood. The captain’s face darkened with sorrow at the healer’s grim words.
“I haven’t broken my vow, have I, Captain?” Calder’s voice was barely a whisper, his breath labored. “To protect the village and its people. In the end, I kept my vow.”
“You did well, soldier.” Adesh knelt beside Calder, taking his hand. “Don’t worry, they’re all safe. You can rest now.”
A sob escaped lithe Ria, her arm hanging uselessly at her side, a similarly worn-down Ursa hovering next to her protectively.
“Stars!” My shocked exclamation at the sight of Tristan’s blood-covered face drew everyone’s gaze.
“Rada!” Tristan rushed to me, wrapping his arms around me firmly. When I reached for his face, he shook his head, wincing. “Just a broken nose. Kyree already set it.”
“Though he won’t be as handsome as before,” Ursa called out, attempting some levity, though her voice was thick with tears.
Icy dread trickled through me as I stepped out of Tristan’s embrace, my eyes scanning the clearing frantically. He wasn’t here. Why wasn’t he here?
“Where is Bele?” I barely remembered to use Noctis’s mortal name.
“Rada…” Briseis appeared next to me, her blue eyes filled with compassion. “I am so sorry. Deira had us all at her mercy; we were outnumbered and overpowered. If he hadn’t acted when he did—”
“What has he done?” My voice was hoarse, my throat tightening with panic.
Briseis took a deep breath. “He opened a gate to the Other with one of those daggers, pulling the two Chiasma through with him.”
No. That impossible, foolish, utterly insane man. Why had he done that?
Because you asked him to,something inside me answered grimly.Because you asked him to protect your friends, and he didn’t want to disappoint you.
I spun around without saying another word, marching back to Nacin. My hands were as steady as my resolve as I retrieved Starfire. I had to get him back. It was as simple as that.
“No!” Briseis must have realized my intent and rushed after me, her eyes wide. “You can’t follow them.” Her gaze darted down to my leg, taking in the makeshift bandage and my torn skirt. “You are in no condition to fight the Chiasma. There’s no way to know what awaits you in the Other, or if you’ll ever find a way back.”
“I will not leave him there,” I said calmly, brushing past her and drawing the Chaosdagger from my belt. Thelyr-stone in the hilt glowed, sensing the threads of wild magic in the air around us. The memory of my last look at Noctis flashed through my mind. How hehad stood in the door of the stable, face flushed from the desperate kiss we had shared, his dark eyes burning with resolve.
I had never chosen him. Instead, I had betrayed him, had abandoned him when it mattered most. I would not make that mistake again. This time, I would fight for him, whatever the cost.
Chaos came to me eagerly, like a long-neglected lover, its touch both thrilling and dangerous as I raised the dagger and drew power through it. Ignoring the frantic outcries of my friends and Bane’s terrified mewl, I skillfully wove the magic into shape, the shadow of a gate materializing before me. Darkness tinged with Chaos erupted from it, reaching for me with greedy tendrils, their cold whispers ghosting over my skin.
Steeling myself, I stepped into the Other without hesitation.
CHAPTER
49
Noctis
It was cold. An icy bite into my skin that wrenched me out of blessed oblivion. My body tensed, instinctively recognizing the danger before my mind could catch up. I remained utterly still, eyes closed, relying on my other senses to assess my surroundings.
The ground beneath me was hard, jagged stones digging into my back. The chill of the Other was unmistakable; its harsh winds tugged at my hair and clothes, and the incessant whisper of Chaos magic hummed in my ears. Something constricted my arms and chest, binding me.
My mind scrambled to piece together what must have happened, just as a sickeningly pleasant voice rang out above me.
“Ah, you’re back. I was starting to worry you might have overtaxed yourself.”
The Chiasma had exploited the drain from opening a portal to the Other to subdue me. My eyes snapped open. No point in feigning unconsciousness any longer.
“Deira!” I spat, glaring at the curly-haired Dryad standing overme, her face illuminated by the chaotic glow of the Abyss just a few feet away. Curse it! The unpredictable rules governing the connection between Aron-Lyr and the Other made it impossible to know exactly where one would end up when crossing the Veil. Still, had it been too much to hope that we wouldn’t land directly at the edge of the Abyss?
“I have to thank you,” Deira commented. “Bringing us to the one place where Chaos rules unchallenged. We could not have planned it any better.”
