“How do you know she’s here?”
I swallow hard, a fever sweeping over my forehead. “What did she tell you?”
He hesitates, then shrugs. “She sent me to stop you. If I take you out, I’ll win.”
I shake my head. “She’s lying.”
“I’ll take my chances,” he spits. Dephina must have sent him to slow me down. She knows I’ll kill him. Who the fuck else have the elders been manipulating?
“Where are the other competitors?” I ask.
“I killed Cain and Marsilia,” he exclaims. “Her magic showed me where you’d be tonight. Now, enough talking.”
Adrenaline surges through my veins as I wrench my arm back and hurl the dagger towards his silhouette in the darkness. It slices through the air, the blade slicing into a tree trunk as he narrowly dodges it.
With lightning-fast speed, he moves through the air, landing on top of me before my brain can process how fast he fucking moved. I reach for his throat with charred fingers, but he laughs, eyes alight with the darkness of Volan’s incredible strength and speed. His movements are a blur as he slams my wrist against the ground, evading my touch before I can lay a hand on him.
The forest echoes with my grunts as he thuds his fists into my ribs. I twist my torso, his fist connecting with my chest this time, a searing pain ringing through my ears.
I splutter a cough as the world spins for a moment. I lift my throbbing hand, releasing my shadows like a nest of vipers.
Our eyes lock in silent challenge. I need to get to Arabella!
I wipe the blood trickling from my lip, a primal urge to kill numbing the pain until I’m standing.
Energy surges into my fingers with a torrent of force, and I watch as my shadows knot and curl around him. Combining and harnessing the magic inside of me is easier than I thought, despite Azkiel depleting me last night.
“Die, you fucking asshole,” I shout, each breath rattling my aching ribs, knowing he could have cost me my sister’s life.
He spits blood as a shadow tightens around his throat, his eyes bulging scarlet. A sinister smile creeps over my mouth, knowing he’s completely under my control. My darkness ensnares him, and several ribbons of shadows twist around his limbs until he’s on his knees, wrestling against them. But I am far fucking stronger than he is.
My chest purrs as I embrace the magic I’d pushed away for so long. I run to him, landing my hand on his chest.
The sudden scream pierces the peaceful atmosphere, causing birds to scatter from the branches overhead.
His body disintegrates under my touch, his shape crumbling into a wispy cloud of ash. The wind whispers through the air, sweeping away any trace of his existence. The stillness in the air is palpable, occasionally disrupted by the faint sound of leaves rustling and the steady rhythm of my heartbeat.
I swallow hard, holding my ribs. My feet hit the damp soil as I race over the uneven ground, cutting through vines, and finding my way through the maze of trees. Each breath rattles my lungs as pain sears into my abdomen and chest, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Not even for a second. I keep running, despite my body screaming at me to stop.
I let out a shaky exhale when I reach the bridge, and the moonlight offers a reprieve from the denseness of the forest. I race harder, and rain pelts the island, seeping through my cloak and dress. Finally, the temple comes into view, under the overgrowth and poisonous plants of the island.
Please don’t be dead.
Lit torches line the entrance, flickering light onto broken effigies and tall pillars. They’re here.
A sense of doom follows me as I navigate the temple toward the sacrificial room.
I should have known when she wanted to stop for water and had pocketed the poisonous plant. This had been her plan all along, to lure us away from the temple. She knew I would never go unless I believed she was safe.
The slice of treachery cuts through me.
Echoes of voices sound from the sacrificial chamber, and I run inside, then stop when I see Arabella across the room. Her eyes meet mine, and I look from her, to Everist, then Dephina, and finally, Drake…
He stands next to the elders, his chest heaving when our eyes clash, and I realize how deep the betrayal runs.
Memories float back to me—how Drake never asked many questions about the gods, Ari’s potential sacrifice, or prophecy, and how he kept insisting we leave the temple. His hatred for Death ran far deeper than I knew, enough that he’d betray me. His hushed conversations with Ari when they were alone.
“Drake?” I splutter. “Don’t do this.”
I stop walking when I see their weapons so close to my sister. Cautiously, I evaluate the dagger curled in Dephina’s ring fingers. Everist’s hand rests on Ari’s shoulder, and bile rises in my throat when I notice she’s adorned in new, crimson robes, ones meant for a sacrifice.
“You left me no choice!” Drake answers, his voice far colder than I thought possible. “I warned you of Azkiel, yet you took his side. This is the only way to stop him.”
“No, it’s not! You can’t kill her.”
“She’ll be resurrected!”
“She won’t!”
He turns his head, his bloodshot eyes pinning me. “Look at you, Cali. Death has you so tight in his grasp.”
I glance down at my charred fingertips, a constant now the decay magic has a firm hold on my soul. “Azkiel was right. You are a fucking traitor,” I spit. “They won’t bring her back.”
“Because Death said so? I trust the gods over the words of that monster.”
Dephina shushes him, and Drake falls silent. I turn my focus to Dephina and Everist, their hands on my sister. I take a step closer, and Dephina raises the dagger just an inch.
Ari doesn’t notice the slight act of aggression, and I quickly step back into place, next to a tall, ivory pillar. “The gods cannot be awakened,” I state. “They are evil.”
