It doesn’t matter that my opponents were once my brothers- and sisters-in-arms, nor does it matter that I used to stand among their ranks. Not when they are standing against Wren.
Minutes pass, or they could be hours. I have no idea. I am nothing but a weapon.
A few times, I feel the sting of pain as someone gets close enough to hurt me, but even that does not break my concentration.
There is no time for injuries or to worry about myself.
I am a bringer of death, and death is in each of my movements. I lose myself to my purpose, letting everything else slip away until Mist jerks on our bond. She draws me out of my haze, and the hand that lands on my arm speeds up the process.
“Gabe.” Wren’s eyes sweep over mine. “It’s over.”
What does she see when she looks at me? Will she fear me again now that she’s seen the darkness I’ve been hiding? Will she pull back, taking her growing trust with her?
I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens, but I can’t keep my eyes from crawling over her, searching for injuries. Save for a few shallow cuts on her arms and face, she is unharmed. Her Mark’s glow seems dimmer than before, but she appears to be in one piece.
Still, I must confirm. “You’re all right?”
“I am.”
“And the soldiers?” I can’t bear the thought of looking away long enough to confirm.
“All dead, save four who have been taken in for questioning.”
“Good. That’s good.” A searing pain starts in my chest, and I frown. My sword feels oddly heavy, and for some reason, my thoughts are sluggish.
“Gabriel?” Wren’s voice sounds far away, and I have trouble concentrating on it. It sounds like she called me several times before, but I didn’t hear her. “What’s wrong?”
Looking down is a monumental effort, but when I draw apart the folds of my cloak, my vision swims. My tunic was already brown, but now, a dark stain covers the front of it.
“Oh, fuck,” I whisper. “That’s going to be a problem.”
A tremor starts in my knees, and it spreads through all of me. The pain I was ignoring and all the injuries I sustained while protecting Wren rear their heads at the same moment. They slam into me, stealing my breath. Crushing me.
One moment, I’m standing.
The next, my legs have given out and I’ve fallen onto my knees in the bloody snow.
Everything hurts. There is no centralized point of pain because it feels like I’m breaking.
Blackness edges my vision, and the last thing I hear is an ear-piercing scream. Thatthingbetween Wren and me pulses, and then I careen headfirst into darkness.
25
AN ENDLESS NIGHT
GABRIEL
Cold.
I am so gods-damned cold. It feels as though I’ve been immersed in frigid, icy waters and left there for hours.
My thoughts are moving lethargically, and each one has to be plucked from the recesses of my mind.
Thinking has never been so difficult.
I open my eyes, a strangled moan slipping from my lips. I am lying on a barren, flat, snow-covered expanse that stretches as far as my eyes can see. The air has no scent, no crispness of fresh snow, no trace of winter. It’s completely empty.
This isn’t right. Is it? I’m not sure. What the fuck is happening?
