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The scene shrank to nothing more than a pinprick.
* * *
The sound of a woman crying out in pain reached the black void, and I opened my eyes to the floor of the hovel, where pools of blood lay scattered. Confused, I lifted my hands and found blood staining my palms.
The scent of carnage clung to the air, and I turned to find the woman writhing on the floor, blood pouring out of small tube-like structures sticking out from her skin, which must’ve been where the strands had been attached. They lay completely severed from her on the ground. The cloth dress she wore was saturated in dark red blood, clinging to her figure.
Behind me, Vespyr hung from the webs, eyes closed, head cocked to the side. On a jolt of panic, I swiped up my fallen blade and went to work, slicing her binds.
The movement seemed to wake her, and she startled on a gasp, but let out a long exhale. “Oh, God. What the hell did you do?”
I set her arms free, and then her ankles, and glanced back at the woman, still twitching and writhing. “I did this?”
“Yeah. You kind of went crazy.” Vespyr rubbed her wrist where a ligature mark remained. “Thought you were going to kill me, for a second there.”
Behind me, the boy still clawed at the strands that had worked their way up to his knees. I knelt down, and began slicing away at them, careful not to cut his legs.
Once he was free, I pulled him to his feet, and the three of us made a run for the door.
55
JERICHO
The closest Adimus could get us through the portal, without the Noxerians detecting him from the sky, was about a mile from the asylum. A mile I’d had to walk, thanks to not having my fucking wings. A thought that grated on me.
We strode through the sandy stretch of land toward Mount Obsidia, the late morning sun beating down on the black armor I wore and creating an infernal heat that had me damn near panting.
“So, what does Soreth intend with her, exactly?” I asked, the words like bitter acid in my mouth.
“He intends to turn her over to the A’ryakai, which will propel his status amongst them. I suspect he will keep her for himself, to ensure his position.”
“Is it not forbidden for anangelto take from a human?”
Adimus glanced back at me and forward. “It is. As you’re aware, the A’ryakai do not play by the rules.”
“And yet, many an angel has turned Fallen for such an offense.”
“It is their bloodline which affords them certain privileges, yes.”
Which meant Soreth would suffer no more than a slap to the wrist, if he violated Farryn. “Hypocritical cunts. All of you.”
Vaszhago snorted beside me.
“Tell me what happens to the Met’Lazan after they perish. Their souls do not end up in Heaven, or Hell.”
“No. They do not.” Brows furrowed, Adimus shook his head. “Come, Jericho. Why do this to yourself?”
The question only set fire to my curiosity and goaded my need to know . “I want to know what happened to her. After the day Lustina drowned. What happened to her soul?”
“For centuries, the Met’Lazan returned here, to the ancient temple of the gods. To be cleansed of their knowledge of the Omni. It was a means of safeguarding the sigil. However, the gods fled this realm, forsaking the Met’Lazan. Eventually, the temple crumbled. And Infernium now stands in its place.”
I skidded to a halt. “Are you telling me Lustina was sent to Infernium after her death?”
“I believe she was, yes. But it was not the blood moon prophecy which killed her. It was Bishop Venable.”
“Yet, she died on the night of the blood moon.”
“Merely coincidence.” He lowered his gaze from mine, the sight of his sudden discomfort setting off alarms inside my head. “She was with child.”
