Chapter Thirty-Eight
Aethier left me kneeling in Eurok’s blood, weeping over his chest. I prayed to the gods to trade places with him. He didn’t deserve this. He deserved none of the pain I caused him.
Now all I had was a gaping vacancy in my chest, as cold as his skin beneath my fingertips. All of that sweet, tender warmth that I spent too long craving from afar leached from his body. How could things have gone so wrong? What was left untouched of the world I loved?
Raising my gaze, dismay and fury consumed me. A fervent impulse drowned every thought—grab a weapon, eliminate as many wretched humans as I could. But the corridor was silent. Aethier abandoned me to my despair, voiding all hope of escape. What horrors awaited me if I tried to run?
A faint commotion echoed from somewhere below the hall. I didn’t care. There was nothing left. I couldn’t leave Eurok’s side, leave him in this horrible place.
My groggy, aching thoughts drifted to the moments before I woke, when Erezos held me in that inner recess of mind to convey his message. His words were lost now—their significance diminished.
A clamor of metal and shrieks echoed from the corridors, followed by the slicing squelch of flesh and steel. Body trembling, I stood and pulled my blood-soaked gown away from my legs. I waited with bated breath as the voices dwindled, one by one.
A pause of silence stretched—and the oak doors blasted open. Mira stepped inside with Balis tight on her heels. Both bore the marks of battle, their breaths labored. Their gazes fixed on the captain’s lifeless body.
“No!”
Mira’s scream shattered the quiet. She sprinted toward him, reigniting the sinking despair that enveloped me.
“Heal him!” she demanded. “Sidelle!”
My throat bobbled as I swallowed against the tightness and shook my head. “I can’t.”
Balis dropped beside his captain. His agonizing pain matched my own as his palm settled on Eurok’s still chest.
“Aethier–” A tight sob cut me short.
Their deploring stares found my face, drawn and pale in silent question.
I forced the words, every syllable foreign and strained. “Aethier has assumed control over Atreus.”
Mira wiped large tears from her eyes with the heel of her palm and grasped my wrist to pull me from the room. “There’s no time. We need to get out of here.”
Balis didn’t move, kneeling in his silent grief.
“I can’t leave him.” I sank to my knees again. “And I can’t help you fight our way out.”
A reluctant tug snared my chest to stay, to remain by his side for eternity. My gods, how far I’ve fallen. The sole person I trusted, my safety net, was dead. Because of me.
The clang of shifting metal echoed as reinforcements rushed down the hall. They’d kill us all. Erezos’ message came too late.
She dropped beside me, hands settled on my shoulders. “We don’t have to fight. I can veil.”
She nodded to Balis, who returned the gesture and lifted Eurok’s large body into his arms.
Mira retrieved a small vial from her pocket and held it out. “See? Saura gave me this. It’s how we got here.”
I gawked at the shimmering tincture within. Diablerie elixir—distilled from the ash of the Diablerie tree. One of maybe half a dozen left in the entire world. My mother, who guarded this sacred liquid for centuries, ensured Mira would find us.
I stood in a flash, Erezos’ words filling my mind. You saw where your girl must go. I stared at the vial as she pressed it to her lips. “Stop!”
She did, brows furrowed tight with concern.
“Listen to me. You have to leave us.”
“What?” Her eyes narrowed, searching mine with incredulous disbelief, her voice a sharp hiss. “We can all get home.”
“Balis, leave Eurok.” Despite the anguish it caused me, it was our only chance.
The warrior’s hesitant, heartbroken gaze fell upon his captain’s lifeless form braced in his arms.
“Sidelle!”
Mira’s fingers dug into my shoulders, giving a firm shake. I ignored her, my hard stare fixed on Balis until he relented. He lowered his lifelong mentor to the floor, features twisted with depthless grief, tears wetting his cheeks.
“Sidelle!” Mira demanded my attention again. “We have to go. Now, before Atreus gets back.”
“No, you have to find her.” My shaking, bloody hand settled on her cheek. “Erezos found his way to me. He gave me a message.”
She stared, a rebuttal on the edge of her tongue.
“Mira—I was wrong. You are not Annorah. You have never been anything other than you. A fierce, strong, radiant young woman capable of incredible things. I’m so very sorry if I ever made you feel like that wasn’t enough.”
Tears spilled from those garnet eyes. “Sidelle, it’s okay.”
I shook my head. “It’s not. My girl, you have everything you’ve ever needed inside of you. You can do this. You are all that stands in his way.”
She straightened herself from my grasp and swiped at the wet streaks staining her cheeks. “What are you saying?”
“You must go. Use the elixir to cross the veil and find the girl from your dreams. She’s the answer.”
Mira and Balis shared a long, silent look before she returned her gaze to me. She was resilient, admirable, and determined. She could do this.
I gave a firm nod. “The girl will lead you to where Aethier hid Erezos and Annorah’s power. You’ll need to find your own way back, but I’ll do everything I can from here to–”
“I’ll go with her,” Balis said.
“You can’t. She has to cross alone or risk drawing too much attention.”
His panicked stare flew between me and Mira, knowing exactly what held her back any longer. His hold found my wrist. “I’ll get her out.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to him, voice tight.
He wrapped a hand around the nape of her neck, pulling her toward him. “This kingdom deserves you, remember? You can do this. But you come back to me. Do you hear me?”
She nodded, the motion jerky and frantic.
He pressed one long kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”
Then he stood, pulling me with him while he drew his ax.
A small sob escaped her throat, but she reined it in and wiped her eyes again.
“The elixir won’t let you fail,” I said.
I wished I had more time to prepare her for whatever lay ahead. Eurok was right all along. I underestimated her, held her hostage to a comparison she was never meant for. She wasn’t Annorah—but she was strong, a fighter. I could see it in her eyes, even through the despair gripping her like a vise.
She acknowledged my easement with another quick nod, stronger than before. A rumble stirred the castle, rattling the floors beneath our feet. A storm of armed soldiers charged in, weapons drawn.
Balis pushed me behind his large frame, putting himself between me and their threat. Two men made a hasty dash for Mira, and my heart leapt to my throat. Before they reached her, she swallowed the shimmering liquid in one gulp, lifted a veil with a smooth sweep of her wrist, and stepped through.