Bastien slowly lifted his gaze, somber eyes staring back at us.
“We would never have pieced together the clues about the Distortion attacks without you,” said Cirian. “And from what I’ve heard, you didn’t even argue that much when Tobias asked the two of you to sneak my lifeless body out of El Shaddith.”
“Your quick thinking of impersonating Cirian saved many lives that day, ours included.”
“We couldn’t have stopped Lynette without you. And it was you who chased Tobias into the Ether to bring him back. It was all you, Bastien. Without you, we would have watched the man we love drift away to gods only know where.”
He continued to watch us, golden eyes searching our pleas like a drowning man desperate for something to cling to.
“And last night…” Cirian started, but his words faltered, fresh tears building in the corners of his eyes.
A tether, sliver-thin and almost translucent, appeared between them. Bastien let out a sputtering gasp as it connected with him, pulling taut. The two men stared at one another for a moment, a wordless exchange that passed between them.
Bastien opened his mouth to speak, but then his features contorted in pain, and the tether snapped, recoiling to Cirian, who let out a yelp.
“Fuck you, shadowy bastard,” Cirian swore.
Bastien pulled against our hold on him, but neither Cirian nor I relinquished our grip on him, holding him in place as the spark faded from his golden eyes, replaced with that same dull lifelessness from before.
“What happened?” I asked, straining to keep a grip on the thrashing man.
“The Umbral stepped back in,” Cirian explained. “Just when he was starting to listen. He snapped our connection like it was nothing. I can’t—fuck! Stop squirming!”
“Can you tether him again?”
Cirian shook his head, positioning himself a step back, then thrusting his foot into Bastien’s chest, pinning him against the wall, where he continued to struggle.
“The connection isn’t strong enough,” Cirian managed through gritted teeth. “He’ll just break it again.”
“What if we tried together?” I suggested. “Like we did with Tobias.”
“Can you conjure a tether?” Cirian questioned, fighting to maintain his balance on one foot.
“I can try.”
Taking a deep breath, I reached for the magic that brimmed beneath my flesh, thinking back on that fated day in the cemetery when we joined together to pull Tobias back to us. My tether had been tied to the memories we shared—to afternoons of hide and seek and tea in the garden—so I drew on the moments that Bastien and I shared since we’d come into one another’s lives.
One moment drew to the forefront of my mind, shining like a beacon amongst the dark. Bastien, a few years younger, was standing outside my tent at the rebellion camp. Kaine had intercepted him as he tried to enter the encampment, though it seemed he wanted nothing of the violence we’d come to expect from other Magi. When he spoke, I knew at once that he harbored no ill will toward the Unseen. He was a man adrift, lost in the waves of his own uncertainty, and our struggle was a lifeline he could cling to. I welcomed him in without hesitation, not knowing the history we already shared through Tobias.
Emerging from my chest, a tether the color of soft lavender coiled through the air, joining with Cirian’s own and twisting around it till they formed a spiraling cord. Willing it forward, the cord made contact with Bastien, wrapping around his torso before finding purchase on his chest. His struggling ceased atonce, the pain spread across his features, fading into placid stillness.
For a moment, everything was quiet. Then, I heard it. The whisper of Bastien’s consciousness caresses my mind, small and gentle as a spring breeze. He was afraid. The fear sat heavy across my tongue like acrid bile.
Slowly, Cirian brought his foot down to the floor, allowing Bastien to slump against the wall. Our cord held fast over his chest, the melded colors of our tethers pulsing with each pump of my heartbeat.
“Bastien,” he said, still maintaining a distance from the man. “Can you hear me?”
His arms twitched at his side, muscles clenching then releasing just as quickly. His head swiveled around, neck stretching in an unnatural way as a low growl emanated from his chest.
“Careful,” I warned as Cirian edged his way closer.
“Bast,” he said again, his voice pleading. “Please, we’re right here.”
Bastien’s entire body tensed, his head lolling to one side before it snapped into place, his eyes wide and staring at Cirian, his teeth bared. Cirian leaped back to my side, and we both reached out for our tethers, pulling them tight. Bastien let out a howl, the spot on his chest where the tethers anchored swelling.
“What is that?” Cirian breathed.
A small mass of shadow protruded from Bastien’s chest, attached to our braided cord, bubbling with movement.
