Shock ricocheted through me. Not because I couldn’t believe it, but because I hadn’t even considered he might not be what he seemed. That was the trick of that brand of slipperygoodnessthe Authority loved. The way what they called “normal” acted as a mask for evil. A mask that had fooled even me.
“Why?” I breathed. “Why would you betray your people?”
Cromvale chuckled. “Mypeople? What people? Parapsychs are weak. Losers. I’d rather win for once.”
He was one of those. There was no way to argue with his type, no way to reason with them or change their minds. Speaking was a waste of energy, so I stayed quiet, trying my best to see a way out of this that could surprise him. Without knowing exactly how his power worked, I had no way to fight back.
But I knew enough about seeing the future to know that there were infinite possibilities. That no Cognoscenti, no matter how powerful, ever really knew what would transpire. Lux had always said that the worst quality a Seer could have was hubris—that keeping humble made it easier to trace the threads of what might come to pass.
But how could I use that against Cromvale?
“There’s nothing you can do,” he said, his voice syrupy sweet now. “Nowhere to run that I won’t find you, your cohort, and that sweet little girl. She’s going to make the best sacrifice, Ember.”
Bile rose in my throat at his words as I ducked away from him. It was time to run. But before I could gather the strength to move, a frigid wind cut straight to my bones, driving me to my knees. No, not wind. A murder of spirits. Spirits of all kinds. Shades, Poltergeists, Riders. Even a few Echoes, though they lagged a bit behind.
Though I could barely see them, the spirits were impossible to miss. Most were Shades, unable to affect anything physical, but their mere presence seemed to distract Cromvale. And then they began to drain him. The process was slow, but as they became more visible, they fed off whatever power the thrysos gave him.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough. I got up off the ground and stumbled away from him, using the last of the energy I had. I was too used to my wounds healing fast enough that there wasno risk of bleeding out. But even non-fatal wounds from the thrysos were different—they simply did not close, nor did my blood begin to clot at even a normal human rate. The weapon was utter destruction.
The more energy he had to use to fight the spirits, the better off I would be. Right now, I was just buying myself and my friends more time. I had no real hope of living through this, but audacity thrummed through me, a drumbeat of delusion that said I could make it. That I would see my sistren again, and feel Ares’ arms around me before the night was through. I just had to make it long enough for him to find me.
Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that somewhere, no matter what complications there were, Ares was trying to get here. To get to me. He wouldn’t leave me here to die alone. That much I knew. I just had to live long enough for him to get here, for my friends to arrive and end Cromvale together.
I moved as quickly as I could towards the darker part of the river, hiding in the thick brush along the steep banks further down. I peeked back at the National Gallery to survey the damage the Ceti had done. The building was stronger than I’d assumed it to be, but it was most definitely caved in at its center.
That would take millions to fix. I was spiraling, losing my grip on reality. There was a pool of blood growing around me that should probably concern me, but I was too lightheaded and dizzy to really grasp what was happening.
Ares, get here faster.
It was difficult to stay conscious, but I was grateful for the dark, grateful for the fog that descended on this cold autumn night, obscuring the blood I most certainly trailed behind me. A spirit appeared at my side, a young man dressed in a tunic, perhaps nightclothes.
He was a Shade, but there was something odd about him, something almost solid as he pressed his hand into mine. Spirits usually drained the living of energy, but apparently this one hadfound a way to give some back, because I immediately felt clearer, more conscious.
Ares is on his way, the boy said, not aloud, but in my head.
I smiled. Some spirits could read the surface thoughts in your mind, and this one was kind and had obviously read my plea for my lover. It was a kind thing to say, but it hadn’t been long enough. Ares couldn’t be on his way. Not yet, anyway. The spirit smiled again, before fading from sight.
Above me, Cromvale screamed, frustrated with my disappearance.Why couldn’t he predict where I was?The ghost child… Had it done more than pass energy along to me?
The thick, heavy feeling of the spirits disappeared in a flash of sickly green light. “That was cute,” Cromvale called down to me. “Getting spirits to help you. But I have tricks of my own.”
Obviously, I wasn’t going to respond. I could never figure out what it was about the despotic types that made them want to talk so bloody much while they tried to kill you, but it was practically a stereotype at this point. Those that lived to oppress also seemed to have a desperate, fucked up need to tell you their plans as well. In fact, Cromvale was blathering on still.
Rhi would be so annoyed with me. He was giving away all the secrets of Project Hierophant. Something about the way power was more important than parapsychs or humans, and that he was going to usher in a new age of something-or-other… It wasn’t altogether that tough to understand. Just the usual selfish bullshit I’d come to expect from the Authority.
His type were all the same: bullies with very little imagination, but a shitload of energy for their bizarrely oppressive passions. It wasn’t worth paying attention to with my last bit of life and energy. I wasn’t going to fade out of existence while absorbing that hogwash.
Besides, I’d been distracted by what might be a hallucination. I’d never been injured like this before. Maybe hallucinating was a part of things. But I was certain that something wasmoving in the river. Was it the Ceti? It would make sense that it might be in the river now, looking for me.
If I could lure it onto the riverbank, it might be able to distract Cromvale long enough for me to get away for real. I glanced at my phone. It had been nearly twenty minutes. If they didn’t have the swords by now, something had gone very wrong, and I’d be better off finding my people and helping them than dying here like a godsdamned martyr.
I dragged myself down to the river and waited. A great reptilian head emerged from the water, not one of the Ceti, but a sea dragon. The hallucination was beautiful, a dream, really. I’d longed to see a dragon again since I left the island. Four more heads followed, and then finally, Ares Necroline strode off the beast’s back, carrying my sword.
Yes, this was most definitely a hallucination. It had to be. Sea dragons no longer existed near the Three Cities. These were Ceti waters and the two species were mortal enemies, the sea dragons ending up as food more often than not. Still, I smiled at Ares as my vision blurred at the edges.
“Hi,” I murmured as I stumbled towards the water. “So glad you could make it.”
Ares rushed off the dragon’s back, which sank back into the water, out of sight. Only the heads remained, creating a ring of safety around us. Yes, this was a divine hallucination. The best my brain could conjure up, I reckoned. Might as well say what was on my heart. I was surely about to die if I was seeing my sword, sea dragons, and Ares Necroline.
