60. Krait
Chapter 60
Krait
“ T hen fight for me. And don’t you dare fucking die.” Her voice reached me, just before Ryn swung his sword. She was alive.
And she had ripped Death’s grip on me away. No longer frozen, I ducked and felt the swoosh of the blade against the hairs atop my head. Caym roared and pointed a hand at Ryn. Amber smoke leaked out toward my friend, and his eyes widened.
With only a moment to spare, I Shadowed to Ryn. Grabbing him by the tunic, I pulled him back. Caym’s magic hit the vase of flowers behind us in an amber flash. The glass shattered, and the flowers wilted.
I held Ryn’s arm. Caym grabbed my shoulder just before I Shadowed us away.
We tumbled and fought through the Shadows. I tried to kick Caym off me. Death’s hold prevailed, and he dragged us off course. I’d been too slow to decide where we should escape to.
So instead of traveling a few blocks, we crashed through the darkness—a lusterless heap of flailing bodies. I cried out and tried to regain control, but I could no longer guide us. Everything turned to amber smoke as we plummeted and hit sand with a horrid thud.
Ryn clung to my forearm as we rose together.
We stood at the center of the amphitheater in Sahlmsara.
No, please not here.
I’d led him right into my city. I felt too weak to Shadow back to Sahlmkar now. My only thought of hope was that Sybilla had escaped—she’d spoken to me. I hoped she had found a way to Lymrasi without me.
The bells of Umber House rang, and horns blared. They were evacuating.
Caym was no longer at our side. Instead, he stood on the flat marble stage above one of the entry archways. The iron gates had been drawn shut and, judging from the faint amber glimmer across their surface, also warded. The Death Origin held out his arms on both sides, looking like a horrid gray-cloaked statue.
I gasped, trying to regain my strength.
“And now we wait for the show. ” Caym’s voice boomed down on us. “I tried to serve you a quick, humane death, nephew. Let us wait for your Isleen to come so she can watch her loved ones fall. She will learn how futile her fight against me will be.”
He was luring her here.
I tried to step toward him—tried to push Shadows out. My legs refused to move for the second time, and I roared in protest. The most horrific pain I’d ever felt encased my whole body, and I crumbled.
The agony had me blind to any reason to live.
Ryn kept running toward the podium, making it a few paces before he, too, dropped and writhed. Our pained shrieks mirrored one another.
My hands grasped at the sand, taking fistfuls of it and squeezing.
A cold feeling crept up the back of my neck, and everything grew dark. A gray veil had clouded my vision.
No matter how hard I fought, control no longer belonged to me.