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“We have to tell him,” I say with a sigh, and Zane offers me a sad smile.
“Do we take her with us or not?” he asks, and my stomach clenches.
The alternative is to leave her here, and she doesn’t deserve that. She’s already been put through more pain than necessary.
“With us,” I murmur, placing my hand on her one last time to make sure I’m not missing something, and in doing so, I spot a black mark on her chest. “What is that?” I ask, not wanting to snoop on a dead woman’s body, but surely it means something.
Eldon steps closer to get a better look, and the way his face pales tells me it’s not a good sign. “That’s magic at play. Whoever did that marked her with death. It could have happened at any time. I’ve heard my parents talk about it, but I’ve never seen it for myself,” he explains, swiping a hand down his face. “It’s a special kind of magic, one that leaves an invisible imprint on the person without them even knowing, and with a simple snap of the power-wielders fingers, the magic can take effect.”
“So, you’re saying someone marked her with this and pulled the trigger when they wanted to without even being present?” I clarify, and Eldon nods.
Fuck. I didn’t even know something like this could exist.
“Let’s get her out of here. If this was aimed at me, then I’m certain we don’t have much time before Burton decides to make his next move. We need to be as prepared as possible.”
“I’ll carry her and hide myself with my magic until we get to the Gauntlet. Is that okay?” Zane asks, and I nod, mouthing my thanks as we head for the door.
My body is a scrambled mess. I’m not ready to proceed to the next step, whatever or wherever that may fucking be. I need a minute to deal with this heartache first, but our enemies don’t care about that. This just plays to their advantage. Which means I need to get my shit together and fast.
I expect someone to jump out at us as we exit into the hallway then leave the academy building, but to my disbelief, nobody does. It doesn’t fill me with a single ounce of confidence, though. It leaves me even more unnerved, which is exactly what Burton will be going for.
This has to be him. This has to be his move, and now he has me on high alert, looking over my shoulder at every turn, yet I know he’s still going to have the ability to catch me off-guard.
I take the stone steps into the Gauntlet arena two at a time and find Zane already waiting at the bottom with Lyra’s body. He must have run ahead, which is weird as fuck because I had assumed he was at my side the entire time.
Seeing her like this again pours another bucket of sadness over me. I clench my hands tight, my nails digging into my palms as I hold my emotions at bay. I can fall apart later and drown in my feelings then, but for now, I have to power through.
As I reach his side, he drapes an arm around me, pressing his lips to my temple as Eldon silently picks Lyra up. Brax moves through the gateway first and I follow after him, aware the others will be hot on our heels.
A moment later, the familiar forest that was once the compound of the magical creatures comes into view. Yesterday, it was a glimpse at a fresh start, a symbol of hope for Sebastian, whether he deserved it or not. Today, however, it feels like torture.
Stepping over a fallen log, I hear movement from my right, and a moment later, Sebastian’s face comes into view.
His jaw falls slack before he rushes toward me as fast as he can. “Where is she?”
I stare at him bleakly, wiping a hand down my face as my eyebrows pinch and my jaw wobbles.
“What have they done?” he snaps, his eyes searching mine before he glances over my shoulder. I see it the moment he has his answer. The color drains from his face, his jaw hits the floor, and his pupils turn to pinpricks in his eyes.
I’m uncertain whether he’s going to fall to the ground, swarmed with pain, or charge into battle, especially as his nostrils flare and his hands curl into fists.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, not really apologizing to him, but to her. “She was… I couldn’t…”
“This isn’t your fault, Raven. Don’t put the weight of this on your shoulders as well,” Creed says, eyes glued on my brother as he awaits his response.
Sebastian peers at me, then at Lyra, then back at me. Clearing his throat, his mouth opens, but nothing comes out as he moves toward her instead. He takes her from Eldon’s hold, lowering her to the soft earth beneath us as his head hangs between his shoulders.
Silence cascades over us as emotions rise, leaving my heart racing wildly in my chest once again.
“This wasn’t on you, Raven,” Sebastian finally states, stroking a hand down her face before rising to his feet. “None of this is on you,” he repeats, and I feel the tension gripping my men ease, but there’s still an edge that surrounds them. One that I don’t think will ever go away when it comes to my brother. “I will die in her honor, Raven. I swear it. I pledged an oath to you, and I need you to know that this includes her, too. I will right my wrongs in her name. Tell me you understand.”
“She doesn’t have to tell you shi—” Brax’s grunt is cut off when I nod, looking my brother square in the eyes.
“I understand.”
If this was the other way around, if this was one of my men lying on the ground like this, I would be doing the same. The least I can do is understand.
“What now?” he asks, his gaze glancing to Eldon, Creed, Zane, and Brax, as well as mine.
