Chapter 53
Chapter
Fifty-Three
Ryker
The portal behind us closes. Half a dozen mage lights Sofia sent in first should have lit our way. Smoke grabs hold of them, dimming our vision. Hot cinders burn our lungs.
“Ryker!” Adrian coughs. Our magic ignites, winds stir, pushing the smoke down a long tunnel.
Sofia’s cough turns thick and congested. I push fresh wind around her face. Then, I put the mage cuffs back on her. Adrian and I take a tactical position.
Sofia truly brought us to Caldara—a jail for broken things, including my brother.
We have men marching to the mountains where Hector told us the hidden escape tunnel still existed.
That’s how he and Sofia found this place.
They never brought Sable here till the final day, just in case she came by herself to steal the book.
Hector spewed his story. As soon as Everett was mentioned, Adrian believed him. I have many reservations. All I care about is making sure Tristen opens his eyes and Titus is back. I don’t care what shape either of them is in. We’ll fix them. I just need them in my arms to mend.
“Ry… Ryker.”
Why is Adrian’s voice so anxious? I swing my hand towards him. Wind glides over the tiny grooves of my fingerprints, ready to attack.
Oh, no… the enemy isn’t one I can fight. It’s mental.
I guide Sofia to Adrian. I don’t step forward.
Don’t be dead! Please! I swallow. Titus lies on the floor in a fetal position.
Black smoke curls around him like a blanket.
He’s completely naked. Exposed. Everything has been burned away.
His flesh shows no new scars. That worries me the most. Invisible scars are the roughest to mend.
You can’t see the extent of their damage, so how do you know how many bandages to apply?
Too many and you suffocate the patient; too little and they bleed out.
It’s a guessing game, one that takes decades to play.
There! His chest moved. He’s alive.
No, Sofia is right. He’s a shell. Shells are neither living nor dead; they are lost in the middle. A home made of calcified walls with no soul to fill it.
My body sways as I step closer. To the left of Titus, a few feet away, something demands my attention. The Vitalis, and there, that’s the sword Sofia warned us about.
Selene? I peer back at Titus. It’s just him.
I glare at Sofia. “You said Selene died. Where is her body?” I demand. All my fury is aimed at her, the easiest target. Her lips tremble, her finger shakes as she points to Titus. No, under him.
I glance back. No trace of Titus's clothing or armor remain. I inhale. I’ve learned to smell details on the wind. That’s burnt leather, and that’s… flesh and bones. I know that smell better than my own scent. My life has been a series of battles; the only highlight is returning to my family.
Titus’s skin is red, raw in some spots, but still whole, not burnt off. When his magic first evolved, it used to burn his clothing off; it took him practice until he controlled the flames.
He lost control here. Sofia told the truth. I shake my head, not wanting to accept that his mate died.
“Titus, it’s me, Ryker.” My next steps don’t land on the stone floor. What’s that? Sand. My forehead furrows. Realization slaps my mouth open. That’s what Sofia pointed at. Ashes.
Titus is lying on a pile of ashes.
I jolt back, unsure where to step. But the only way to reach him is to step on those burnt bones. I freeze, caught off guard. If this were a battle, I’d be dead.
My gaze falls upon Adrian. He’s realized it, too. Sofia’s eyes meet mine as if they were helping hands. I peer back at Titus, forced to step on his dead mate to reach him. Using my wind magic, I gently try to clear a path for my feet. Crouching down, I touch his back. “Brother,”
Nothing. His eyes are red, swollen, unblinking slits as they look at something I do not see. It takes me two attempts to swallow.
“I’m going to get you out of here.” I rub his back.
He’s catatonic.
“Adrian, get the book and the sword,” I order him. We should have brought a bag, like Sofia said.
Adrian pauses as he hovers over the Vitalis. “One book has changed so many lives,” he mutters to himself.
“That’s the power of a book,” Sofia warns.
I’m scared to move Titus, worried my touch will make him crumble. “Brother, I’m here. Tristen needs you. I need you.” I run my hand through his hair. Cinders fly out; it’s smoking hot but still shining with life.
A sharp inhale has me grabbing his shoulders, trying to sit him up. The ashes under him hold his impression. He’s boneless, limp, but his eyes stay open.
For the first time in my life, I cry. Not tears of sorrow, but fury. I was too late to run through the portal to help him. I stood across the bed so I could watch Selene, but I should have stood by Titus’s side. The distance of those few feet changed his life.
I grunt, grabbing him, hugging him. I slap his back. Hard. “Titus!” I shout in his ear.
Talk to me. Fight me. Cry in my arms. Do something. Don’t be a shell.
Sofia is right. I’m empty, too. How am I going to fill you?
I use my wind to help give me a boost, deadlifting him as I stand. Crouching down, I press his stomach into my shoulder and roar my fury as I heave him over my shoulder. Adrian returns to Sofia, Vitalis in hand, the sword strapped to his back. He grabs Sofia’s wrist, removing her cuffs.
She looks past me with grief. Then she grabs the hem of her shirt and rips off a large section.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. Adrian, dagger in hand, aims at her. My wind helps keep Titus lifted. I was drained after the battle with Galen. Once Titus ran through the portal, I drank more, then I drank again before we came here. I should rest so I don’t slip into bloodlust.
Sofia ignores Adrian’s dagger. “That’s… it’s Sel… it’s… her ashes.”
Sofia takes a step, opening the ripped material in her hand. “This is not a resting place meant for a queen. This is a prison. Let me take her so Titus can spread her ashes.”
A chill hollows me. Sofia's affection towards my brother’s turmoil fills it. I dip my chin, still shocked at her attempts to heal my brother. Her eyes trace over my face as she passes me. Eyes that are like layers of the earth.
If I keep digging, I’ll discover her core, but like she said, empty men can’t fill others.