The siblings have created a barrier, protecting us.“GET LUCY OUT OF HERE,” he yells.
But Lucy is fighting me now, desperate to reach our friend.Lex and I hold her back.
Bastien’s hand slides into his sister’s shadowy one and the strangest thing happens.Instead of coming for Lucy, the moths surge around him and Calyx, smacking into the pair of them.They plume and swarm, making what would be a beautiful murmuration of moths if it weren’t so horrifying witnessing the disgusting fluttering parasites swallowing chunks of my friend’s sister.
Bastien roars.The moths have covered his sister.They’re consuming huge portions of her dark, sinuous wraith body.
“We have to get to Bastien,” Lucy shrieks.
“He risked his life for you, we can’t,” I say as she pushes and shoves at me to let her through.
Some of the moths have already latched on to him even as he stands and fights and makes mesh after mesh.Nets and barriers, using all the magic he can draw from the campus.
The three of us watch in horror as the last pieces of Calyx’s wraith form dissolves, and she’s left standing as a shade once more.
“You saved me,” Calyx says.
“Oh gods,” I breathe as the moths realise there’s nothing left to eat of the wraith and they turn on Bastien.
“RUN, BASTIEN,” Lex shouts.
But he shakes his head.“Get Lucy to safety.I’ve got this,” he says.
But he’s almost entirely covered in moths.Lex is screaming at me and screaming at him and the professors and… I don’t think she knows what she’s saying.
Lucy is begging me to do something.Pleading with Bastien to save himself.
It’s chaos.Bodies are slashed.Magic ripped, torn, shredded.Everything is numb.
I can’t hear anything.My fingers are tingling.
My heart is slamming against my ribs.
The moths surround Bastien.This isn’t happening.
Every part of me wants to go to Bastien.To drag him free of the swarm.But if I go, they’ll attack me, too.And across the courtyard, Architecti is losing to Interitus.She’s stolen too much of Lucy’s power.She’s too strong.
We need to help Architecti.But I’m drawn back to Bastien.The last thing I see of my friend is his eyes.
So blue, so bright, so beautiful.
They plead with Lex, Lucy and I to run.
And I think my heart shatters.
“Bastien,” I whisper, it’s a plea to the gods that have abandoned us.And like all my prayers, it goes unanswered.
He’s swallowed.
I only know he’s there because of the bellow coming from the heart of the moth swarm.
I snap to attention.“GO!”I shriek at Lex.
“We have to help him,” she begs.
“LEX, RUN.”
But Interitus crosses our path, Architecti landing in front of her.
