Chapter 38 #2
They slithered from the darkness like liquid shadows, their forms barely solid, their eyes empty voids of endless black. Their limbs were too long, too thin, and their fingers ended in curved claws that dripped with inky darkness. They moved without sound, but their hunger screamed in my mind.
They fed on fear.
And I was drowning in it.
I sent a kick toward the Nyxwraith holding me, straight toward its core. It released me, dropping back enough for me to wrench my wrists away.
The Nyxwraith lunged, its claws slicing through the air with a hiss that sent terror surging through my veins. I stumbled back, barely dodging the swipe, but another was already there, its shadowy form flickering like smoke as it reached for me.
I couldn’t fight them. Not like this. Not when my mind was unraveling, my heart gripped in icy claws of doubt.
I dropped to my knees, my breath ragged, my vision blurring with tears I couldn’t hold back. The Nyxwraiths closed in, their whispers merging with my own.
I squeezed my eyes shut and through the darkness, I felt a tether.
The bond between Rykr and me. Always there. Always shimmering beneath the surface of my mind, entangled in the very fibers of my soul. He had a solid wall up, blocking me from him … to protect me.
Because he loved me.
Because even amid all this ugliness, we’d found love. Real love. Love that didn’t make sense and shouldn’t be but love all the same. A love that had brought me hope during my fears, during the worst betrayals I’d ever known.
The Nyxwraiths’ claws dug into my skin, their voices louder in my ears.
“I won’t stay.”
“You’re pathetic.”
And yet the bond, the feel of him, there, in my heart. In my soul. He had brought me calm. Fear could destroy everything, yes, but not where love and hope existed.
But it couldn’t be that simple, could it?
Or maybe it was. Maybe fear had sufficient force that it could swallow some people whole.
“He doesn’t have to choose me over his kingdom. That’s not what matters,” I whispered in a trembling voice. “I don’t have long left to live anyway. Those fears don’t matter. I love him. Our love is enough to survive this trial.”
The shadows thickened, twisting around my throat, squeezing.
“You’re weak.”
The words wrapped around me like a noose.
“You could have saved her.”
A clawed hand plunged into my chest, gripping my heart. My vision blurred, black spots spreading across my gaze. The Nyxwraith was pulling something from me—my very soul.
It’s not real. But the pain was. The terror was real.
I squeezed my eyes shut. What if I stopped fighting? What if I let them take me, so Esme could live?
The whispers shuddered, faltering.
That was it. They didn’t fear love—they feared self-sacrifice.
“I will give my life to save Esme,” I screamed in a shaking voice. “I will save Rykr, Ciaran, Amahle, Tara—everyone I love—even if it kills me.”
The Nyxwraiths screamed.
Then, the entire space shattered.
The illusions burned away, leaving only a long, empty corridor.
I was alone.
A sob wrenched free from my chest, shaking uncontrollably from the horror of what I’d just experienced.
Was Rykr going through this? Gods, this is terrifying.
I wiped my face. If they’d brought him here, maybe I could find him. Help him.
I struggled onto my feet once again, feeling drained of life.
The sound of footsteps drew closer and Ciaran stood before me, his face wary, hard, untrusting.
Shit. It wasn’t over after all.
“You’re fake,” he said, his eyes narrowing at me.
Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I wiped them away, waiting for him to taunt me with my failures. If I answered, the Nyxwraiths would only grow stronger.
“Seren is dead,” he shouted. “Leave me alone!”
I lifted my head sharply, my eyes widening. He felt real. So real. Not like the other illusions I’d encountered here. Esme had looked different.
And Rykr would never condemn me the way the Nyxwraiths had.
But Ciaran …
Was it possible?
Could he be real? Or would the Nyxwraiths only grow more convincing the more I believed in them?
“Do you remember the harpies, Ciaran?”
His brow drew together in grief. “No.” He wiped his eyes. “No, you don’t get to talk to me about her like this. I loved her. I loved her! And she loved him instead. She picked him, instead of me.”
Gods.
I swallowed hard.
A fake Ciaran might say this, if I was honest. Torment me with the guilt of what I’d done to him by choosing Rykr.
But Ciaran felt real.
The sharp bite of my nails into my palms grounded me in the present and I forced myself to my feet. “I said I would always catch you when you were falling, Ciaran. And I always will. Because I do love you. You’re my best friend. And that’s just as valuable as a lover.”
Ciaran stared at me, eyes wide with shock, then took a hesitant step forward. “Ser?”
I released a cry, then tumbled against him, my arms wrapping around him.
Rather than the cold, scaly grasp of a Nyxwraith, Ciaran’s arms were warm, his embrace tight as he wept against my neck. “Gods, Seren, it is you. Fuck. I thought you were dead. I thought Seth killed you.” His body shook, his chest racked with sobs.
All around us, a sharp hiss filled the air, more Nyxwraiths dissipating into the shadows, until the corridor brightened, the oppressive weight lifting from my chest like a vise torn away.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling away. I gasped with pain again, clutching my chest.
“You’re bleeding.” Ciaran gaped.
“I’ll be fine,” I lied. He didn’t need to know how much pain I was in—or that I’d been poisoned.
“Seth dragged us all here. Left us in different cells. I guess we’re all in the Skorn trial together.” Ciaran mopped his brow with the back of his hand. “I wouldn’t have even known what the hell was going on if I hadn’t heard you and Rykr talking today. Those things … they’re fucking terrifying.”
“We have to find the others. If we were able to find each other, chances are these corridors are connected. And who knows how many other people are in the Skorn this year.” I took Ciaran by the hand, unwilling to let him go.
“You were right,” Ciaran said as we hurried through the space. “We shouldn’t have trusted Seth.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” My teeth chattered, and my legs were weaker. I’d lost blood, and maybe too much of it.
A familiar hiss made my feet stumble, then the space in front of us lightened.
Rykr stood at the end of the corridor, his chest heaving, his eyes wide with something between relief and disbelief. Sweat clung to his brow, his shirt was torn, but his eyes—those fierce, blue-green eyes—were alive.
Our gazes locked, and for a moment, the world stilled.
“Are you another test?” Rykr asked suspiciously, staring at my grasp on Ciaran’s hand.
My chest ached. “No, it’s me.”
“That’s what she said,” he muttered.
My stomach twisted. “What?”
He exhaled sharply. “They made me see you, Seren. Over and over. Each time, you stabbed me. Betrayed me. And each time, I had to kill you.”
My breath hitched.
“I don’t trust what’s real anymore,” he admitted, his voice hoarse.
My heart clenched. I had to break through to him.
“Then let me prove it,” I whispered. “Touch my wound. I’m still bleeding. If I were a Nyxwraith, I’d be whole.”
Slowly, he reached out. The moment his fingers brushed my skin, the bond flared—familiar, undeniable. His breath left him in a choked sound, a haunted look in his eyes.
“Seren.” His arms crushed me against him. “Gods, it really is you. You don’t move like them, you know—the Nyxwraiths.”
His words reminded me of the first time we’d met in that forest. “And you know how Nyxwraiths move?”
His eyes held a tired smile. “I’ve seen enough.” Then he added, “You talk too much for someone who’s bleeding out.”
I inhaled his familiar scent, felt the heartbeat of the man I loved. “And you’re too kind for someone who doesn’t run.”