August watched as a tidal wave of conflicting emotions flowed over Wren’s face. He knew a part of her wanted to stay, to fight alongside Quinn, to ensure her survival, but they were running out of time. So before either one of them could change their minds, August walked away from Quinn, Wren held delicately in his arms, and ran for their lives.
52
EMILIO
All around them, Demiens scattered. Shrieks of terror echoed like a dissonant symphony. Emilio wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but one moment the shadows had been there, and the next, they were gone.
He’d been standing back to back with Olivier, caught in a rather nasty battle with three Demiens. The pair had constructed a shield around them, but it was breaking. Cracks splitting down the middle as the shadows pushed against them. Emilio had been so certain that it wouldn’t hold. That they’d meet their end this way. But then, as if the hands of God had reached down from the heavens and snatched them right out of their veins, the Demiens’ shadows had vanished.
It all blurred together after that. Some Demiens fell to their knees, screaming out in agony, as if caught within a current of pain, though Emilio saw no wound. They clawed at their chests. Their faces. Others simply left, running deeper into the forest, though he hadn’t the faintest idea where they intended to go.
From the looks of it…the Demien Order had fallen apart.
Emilio and Olivier had made their way through the grounds shortly after, eyes frantically searching for a familiar face. They searched through the rubble and carnage. Mounds of dust and ashcovered the ivy-speckled buildings—all that was left of the souls that had been destroyed.
It’s funny, Emilio had thought. After everything…he couldn’t tell them apart. Resistance fighters. Demiens. Ascended. Despite their differences, they all looked the same when they had been destroyed.
Nothing but dust.
Eventually, they found what they were searching for. Catherine and Dina were standing near Bonestrod, out by the main gates, surrounded by other Resistance fighters. Emilio had thrown his arms around them the moment he had found them, unwilling to let go even when Catherine blushed fiercely and huffed something unintelligible under her breath. Dina, whose silver hair was now stained red with blood, nearly broke out into a blubbering mess the moment she laid eyes on them.
“You idiots!” she had cried, punching Emilio squarely in the shoulder, which, in Dina’s language, was as close to sayingI love youas she could possibly have gotten. “Where were you?!”
Olivier let out a low chuckle. “How much time do you have?”
He told them everything. About how they’d found Masika and Irene at the Ascended Quarters. How they’d met up with August to stop Wren. The moment Wren and Silas had plunged their hands into each other’s soul, ripping each other from existence. The moment the Headmaster of Blackwood Academy wasfinallydestroyed.
“But what about the shadows?” asked Olivier now, looking around the group. “They just vanished. How does that even happen?”
“I have no idea.” Catherine shook her head. “The shadows are tethered to the Soulless One. So unless he abandoned them, or was destroyed…” She shrugged, running a hand through her hair.
“Who cares?” Dina barked through a cackle of laughter. “What’s important is that the Demiens are retreating! Their shadows aregone. And if you’re telling me that Silas was well and truly destroyed…” She trailed off, an apprehensive inkling of hope beaming in her eyes. Emilio understood her hesitation. It was almost too good to be true. The Demien Order had seemingly fallen apart only a few moments after Silas had been destroyed.
Which meant—somehow—they had won.
The patter of footsteps echoed behind them. August emerged from the darkness, Wren cradled in his arms. She was barely conscious, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to stay awake.
“A healer!” August bellowed, frantic.“Please!”
Catherine called out to the group of Resistance fighters congregated a few yards away, and a boy with a golden sash wrapped around his arm approached, running up to Wren and placing his hand on her forehead.
His expression turned grave. “Her soul…what happened?”
“Can you fix it?” August’s voice trembled.
The healer pressed his fingers against Wren’s temples. Silver threads of light trickled from his palm, burrowing through Wren’s skin. The healer’s face turned grim before he quickly pulled his hands away.
He shook his head.
“I eased her pain a bit. Offered her one last push of strength, but…there’s nothing else I can do for her. There’s nothing I can do to stop her soul from coming undone.”
“No.” August let out a fragmented breath. “Please.There has to be something.”
Wren placed a shaking hand on his forearm.
“It’s okay,” she muttered softly. “August. Look at me.” But August couldn’t bring himself to face her. Wren groaned, using thelast shred of strength offered to her by the healer to gently peel herself from August’s grip, standing on her own feet. She swayed, and August held her steady by the shoulders. When their eyes met, Emilio could see the agony and adoration swirling between them.
“It’s going…to be okay,” Wren assured him. “We should…we should focus on finding Masika and Irene.”
