Page 264 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

“Can he drain her?” Rika asked. “Empty her out like a husk?”

“If she was the Guardian, yes,” Aren said solemnly, but as his voice wandered off, Jason picked up the explanation.

“Because he is meant to Guard her, the Bond should only give him so much to work with—just enough life force to keep him breathing when he otherwise wouldn’t. Theoretically, it shouldn’t let her die in his stead. Think of it⁠—”

“Like a transfusion,” I muttered, because that was exactly what it felt like—the warmth funneling out of my body.

“Precisely.”

Lana collapsed into the nearest chair, her head falling back with a harrumph. “So, I guess we’re not leaving today.”

“Lana,” Aren scolded.

“What? That wasn’t mean.”

“She’s fine,” I breathed. “No one is more disappointed than I am, trust me.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Ignoring Lana’s grumble, Aren gathered me tighter against his chest, like I might fall away if he loosened his hold. “This is a marathon, not a sprint, little dove. One day’s delay won’t kill us.”

“Hopefully.”

I smirked as Aren did, both of us glancing in Lana’s direction to find her attention firmly planted on the ceiling.

“So,” Jason rumbled, pushing to his feet. “What the hell’s down there?” He peered into the dark passageway. The rest of us leaned forward to do the same, a shiver rolling through me as I stared into the shadows.

Brody grabbed a torch from the wall and ignited it in the same motion, revealing another pristinely preserved stairwell. “Only one way to find out.”

Blythe

The bitch kicked me out.

Once I’d stabilized Moros—and therefore Adrastos—Marlana insisted Barry return me to my quarters. Which was how I found myself pacing a trench into the carpet in front of the windows. Back and forth. A predator trapped behind the glass walls of an observatory.

This was bad.

This was so, so bad.

This complicated everything.

Sensing that flow of life force down the Bond between the betrayer and Mags would’ve been wretched enough. Having him confirm it—having him play the panicked protector one more godsdamn time—was worse. So much worse.

Because he knew.

Because he’d known the Bond would tether them together.

Because he’d…

He’d been livid about it. According to Mags, he’d shouted at her, which was so out of character it threatened to tear a hole in the space-time continuum. I wasn’t sure that was a real thing, but as Bellamy, the only time he raised his voice at us was when we did something spectacularly stupid that put our lives—his prophecy pieces, I corrected internally—at risk. Even then, I wouldn’t qualify his barking as shouting.

So he’d either been genuinely pissed or played his role with startling accuracy.

And I needed to understand.

How it worked.

How far it could dive into Magnolia.