“Why not?”
“Because he’s my brother’s best friend,” Benji replied. “And it would be weird.”
“You should show him sometime,” I said through a chuckle. “Take it from someone with enough regrets of their own, you should tell others how important they are to you as often as you can. Life is often cruel and deprives you of the chance to do it later.”
Benji was quiet as we rounded the last corner, finding ourselves standing across the street from the Cradle’s entrance. Billowing tendrils of darkness poured from every orifice ofthe building, and it was difficult not to imagine whatever this phenomenon was as a creature, grasping for anything it could get within its reach. The dread in my stomach swelled as the fabric-like material moved silently in the non-existent breeze.
“It’s been like this since yesterday morning,” Benji said after a moment, hesitating at the edge of the sidewalk. His pale orange eyes scanned the Cradle warily. “There were a few City Guard that tried to get in first. Then a whole bunch of official-looking brutes from the Council came after, but they weren’t dumb enough to go inside.”
“No one else has come round?”
“Nope. At least, not that I’ve noticed.”
“Strange. The Cardinal and probably half of the Church’s bishops are trapped in there. You’d think that would motivate a stronger response.”
Benji’s brow drooped. “Are you saying that the Council doesn’t care about the Cardinal?”
“Could be. From what I’ve heard, they’re more than content letting things carry on as they are for as long as possible. If the Cardinal was stirring things up too much for their taste, this would be an all-too-convenient?—”
A pang in my chest squeezed my throat shut, and a flurry of movement in the undulating darkness across the street drew both of our attentions. The sound of shattered glass filled the street as one of the panes of stained glass high above the arched entrance exploded into a swarm of radiant shards that sprayed across the street. A dark shadow was caught in the middle of the swarm, and my muscles coiled before I could even second-guess. Suffusing myself with a bit of magic, I sprang from my spot, wincing from the angry bites of glass across my skin as I soared to collide with the human-shaped shadow. Wrapping my arms around it, I braced for the landing, square in the middle of the street. My knees threatened to buckle as we slammed into theground, the extra weight of the body in my clutches throwing me off center, but I managed to stay upright as the force of gravity caught up.
With an exhale, I gently lowered the figure, the fabric concealing their face falling away. My blood ran cold as I took in their features. It was as if their entire being had been dipped in the darkest of inks, staining their flesh and hair alongside their clothing. Their body was cold to the touch, and it seemed to sap the warmth from my own limbs the longer I held onto them.
Benji appeared at my side, breathless with excitement. “That was incredible! I’ve never seen someone move so fast—are they dead?”
Kneeling, I set the figure gingerly onto the ground, careful to avoid any of the larger shards of glass. Their head lolled to the side as I did so, and I held a finger beneath their nostrils, waiting for the warmth of their breath. But it didn’t come.
“I don’t know,” I said, digging through the folds of fabric that surrounded the figure in search of their arm. “Have you seen anyone around here that looks like this?”
Benji shook his head, prodding at the body with the toe of his shoe.
“Careful,” I warned him, looking up from the figure. “We don’t know what this thing is or what it’s capable of?—”
Benji let out a yelp as the body lurched, a ragged, wet breath sounding in its lungs as it sucked in air like a drowning man. Hands shot out from the fabric, latching onto the front of my jacket and pulling me down till their colorless eyes held me in place.
“Run,” the figure croaked. “It knows you’re here.”
Before I could ask further, a pang in my chest and a cord of violet light burst into existence between me and the figure. The inky darkness peeled away from the spot where it connected to their chest, rippling like water.
“Cirian,” I breathed the name, that horrid ache in my gut lessening at the sight of him. “How did you escape?”
“Sancha,” he sputtered, the inky darkness bleeding into the air around him like a miasma. It stung my nostrils, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand. “She’s still in there, with Bast. They’re all still inside?—”
Behind us, a terrible groaning noise emanated from the Cradle, drowning out Cirian’s words. Benji slapped his hands over his ears, folding them down.
“What is that?” he shouted over the din, but Cirian was clawing at my arm.
“Move!”
The ground shook beneath our feet as I scooped Cirian up into my arms once more, more darkness squeezing from his skin, revealing ivory complexion and his vestments underneath. Benji was already running as I regained my footing. Glass splintered beneath my feet as I dug my heels into the pavement, taking off after the boy.
The groaning had evolved into a deafening roar from behind as we ran, clearing the opposite side of the street before turning in one direction and continuing away from the Cradle.
“This way!” Benji shouted as the sound of grinding metal and stone pursued. In my periphery, tendrils of that shadowy darkness had begun to move, and as we rounded the corner, I allowed myself a glance back at the Cradle.
“Azzy!”
The voice stopped me in my tracks. It was Tobias. I believed it without a second thought. I spun around, facing the Cradle and following the direction of the outcry. From every window and door of the towering building, more of the shadowy limbs emerged. Stretching, reaching out to me as if to welcome me into an embrace.
