For an arsehole, he can be rather sweet.
“He needs a funeral,” Lex says, but her eyes fall away from mine.
“We will make it the best funeral ever,” Midnight says.
“Are you okay?”I mouth and squeeze her hand.
She shrugs.“Just exhausted, and out of sorts.”
Two women waltz into the room, followed by a rather dishevelled Alistair.One of the women has a streak of silver through the front of her hair, the other has loose, mousy waves.They seem middle-aged, older than me, though not by much, and yet they carry a wisdom of eons in their eyes.
“Professor St Clair?”I ask the one with the streak in her hair.
“Call me Cordelia, this is Eleanor, my partner.”
“How can I help?”I say.
“Actually, we thought we might be able to help you.”
They sit and explain that they’re visiting professors from Sangui City.Alistair makes everyone watery, cheap hospital coffee.While it’s beyond abysmal, everyone accepts it willingly.
“We used to be immortal,” Cordelia explains.
And launches into a story explaining that while they appear mid- to late forties, they’re actually over a thousand years old.Which also means they have a thousand years of war against each other under their belts.They have to explain the ex-immortal thing a couple of times because Lex keeps asking questions about the curse and how it was phrased before Midnight tells her to pipe down and let them discuss what they can do to help.
“Interitus found her way back,” Cordelia says.
I nod and wince as I take a sip of the godsawful coffee.“Architecti flew off last night saying the fact she threw her into the underworld wouldn’t hold her for long.”
Eleanor presses her lips thin.“Indeed.Well, unfortunately the angels are tearing up the city.If you don’t contain this situation, they’re going to rip the city in half, and with it all three realms.”
Alistair nods.“There are Veil tears appearing constantly.Wraiths and ashspawn are infiltrating the city.Like last night, the cuts are also appearing from here to the Celestial Realm and in the worst cases, some of the tears are cutting through all three realms.
“Interitus is trying to siphon any and all power she can.She tried to take it from you.She’s stolen it from campus and when she can’t get that, she’s taking it from mortals and demons in the city.”
“And Architecti?”I whisper.
“She’s attempting to stop her sister,” Eleanor says.
“You think Interitus will come back for me?”I ask the room.
There’s an awkward silence, but it’s Lex who responds from the bed.
“Without doubt.”
“Interitus wants to siphon my power to unravel the fabric of all three realms in order to get rid of the system of fate,” I say and frown.
“How do you know that?”Midnight says.
“I—” but I cut myself off.How do I know that?
She said she wanted rid of the system of fate last night.But the rest?It’s so wrong, and awful, and yet I know with absolute certainty that it’s what I want.
No.Not what I want, whatshewants.
“She’s inside me.I’m sure of it.I think a piece of her rebounded when Architecti saved me.”
My fingers brush the bruises where she yanked me to her and siphoned from me.
