I glance at the wasteland of the underworld and then to the lush greenery of the mortal realm.
I cannot stay here.
There is no choice.
But I fear following after Interitus will eventually bring me the same fate as the shade—ruin.
4
Midnight
Iplummet to the ground.
Thick black ribbons spiral out from the tower, whipping underneath me and halting my fall milliseconds before I crash to the cobbles.
I shuck the magic ropes off and stare at the void Interitus vanished through.A beat pounds in my throat: she’s gone after Lucy.
The stain of killing the love of my life burrows into the flesh of my palm and stings.A prickle I’ll wear like a tattoo for the rest of my life.
By rights, I should be happy Interitus is going after her, it’s a karmic justice.And maybe Lucy will be fine.She probably passed straight through the underworld and to whatever comes next.I doubt she’s a shade.
Right?
It will be fine.
Except, my feet are marching me towards Ignatius.My mouth uttering words I can’t seem to keep inside.“Are you going after Interitus?”
“No.We have to help Architecti,” he says.
I blink at him, wondering if he’s had a stroke.“You fought to stop Architecti returning, and now you’re on her side?”
“No.She’s healing the tower and the Veil and therefore our access to campus magic.”
“Are you listening?You need the damn Veil open to go after her.She’s hunting whatever is left of Lucy.”
A muscle ticks in Ignatius’s jaw.“Even if you’re right and Interitus is going for Lucy, what am I going to do?Leave the Veil open and let a million wraiths into Ora?There will be no city left to bring Lucy back to.”
I might not want to go after Lucy after what she’s done to me, but you also don’t get rid of feelings instantly, either.And I don’t want that psycho angel hunting her.
“So you’ll leave her to fend for herself after having her soul reaped?”As usual, I don’t think before I move and land a slap across Ignatius’s cheek.“You heartless cunt.”
I reach back and swing a second time, but he grabs my wrist mid-air.“Regardless of your feelings, Lucy is my daughter, and given you just broke her contract with me, Interitus will have more to deal with than she realises.”
I still.“What does that mean?What use is a shade to Interitus?Lucy is dead.”
Before he can answer, a wraith barrels into him, knocking us apart.I plunge my scythe into its spine.It shrieks, rearing back and then falls limp.
Mortem appears in my periphery.His head swings between me and the Veil opening.
“Mortem?”I shout.
“You’re all useless, taking far too long to clean up campus.I’ll go after her…”
“Not on your own.It’s dangerous.”
“I’m obviously the best choice, you’re not even dead.”He leaps over the rubble bounding towards the Veil tear before I can stop him.His butt wiggles as he waltzes straight through the wraiths and bodies of Societas members, without a single fuck to give about the chaos around him.With a swish of his tail, he scrambles up the final few bricks and flings himself into the darkness.
A sharp lance tears through my chest.What if he doesn’t come back?What if he gets hurt or injured or worse?Can dead cats get injured?Demonsake, I don’t even like cats, and he bites.
