Chapter 39
I felt my heart stop.
Raine rushed over to me, with Draven and Briar trailing close behind.
My mind was racing as Raine pulled me out of my chair and dragged me to our room to pack. My lips couldn’t form words. I began pushing uniforms, tools, and the last of my healing tonics into my bag.
Healing tonics.
Ma.
My heart jolted back into action as I fastened my bag and spun around.
“I have to go. I need you to cover for me. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I directed, not leaving room for disagreement.
“Whatever it is, just make it quick.” Raine’s eyes were heavy.
I nodded before grabbing my bag and rushing out of the room, stopping in the hall as realization washed over me.
The blood oath .
I couldn’t warn Ma about anything. She wouldn’t even know it was coming before it was too late.
My mind raced, stomach lurching at the thought of leaving her unaware.
The two sides of me warred, my old life slamming into my new one. But I didn’t have time to think about it.
I didn’t need an oath to keep my promise to Sídhe. I had sworn that fealty just hours before, and I had meant it. Even without my blood. My loyalty to Ma didn’t negate my loyalty to the Guard. Both could exist at once.
That blood vial was the only thing standing in my way.
I had to destroy it.
I recalled watching the emerald-uniformed guard walking the vials past the infirmary. I began moving in that direction, easily navigating the chaos of bodies readying for departure, using their distraction to remain unseen. It was mostly the new initiates. Everyone else had already been deployed.
When I finally reached the corridor leading to the lobby, I turned right towards the Immunity wing and paused, flattening myself against the wall as a few guards in beige robes hurried out the door, dragging crates towards the front gate.
Even through the slit of the door, I could tell the hall was cramped with healers fumbling with equipment, readying themselves for the journey West. I shifted, impatiently waiting for the space to clear.
Even for just a few seconds. Enough time that I could make it to the end of the hall. I prayed the door would be open.
The healers began to filter out, loading wagons at the front gate with hordes of medical supplies. Finally, the last one left.This was my moment.
I stopped the door to the hall with my foot, slipping inside. Then I was off, racing down the corridor, eyes darting over my shoulder to make sure I hadn’t been followed.
As soon as I reached the door I was looking for, it opened, and I slammed into the blonde guard, sending us both tumbling to the ground.
My heart lurched.
Her wide eyes locked on me as my breath caught in my throat. My instincts took over, engulfing my mind with translucent webbing. The fibers were seared into my spine.
I had never channeled so quickly.
The web shot out of me as if by its own command, latching onto her mind with a certainty I’d never felt before, finding the access point in a flash.
Her expression changed, nearly going blank, now void of the confusion it bore just seconds before.
“Leave. You didn’t see me here. And you’ll tell no one about this,” I said, feeling the words burn down the bond.
She nodded, rose to her feet, and began walking calmly to the end of the corridor.
I let myself take a deep breath as the tendrils found their way back to me. My heart was still racing.
I could be killed for this. I fucking hope it worked.
Climbing to my feet, I looked behind me once more before slipping into the dimly lit room, closing the door and securing the lock.
The room was small, illuminated by violet-blue light that pulsed through the space.
Arcanite crystals were half-buried into planters, and platters of vials lined tables.
But the most shocking sight were the inky vines that grew from the planter.
They twisted and curled around the tiny bottles. They seemed… possessive.
What the fuck?
Nearing the table with the smallest platter of vials, I reached out to examine the vine. My fingers grazed the leaves, flying back when I felt something thick and sticky coating the surface.
My eyes shot down to find blood covering my fingers.
What the hell is this? I’d seen nearly every plant from across the realm, in some form or another. But never anything that looked like that.
And the arcanite… Was it helping the the vines grow?
My mind shifted to Ma’s failed experiment with the crystal, how all of her plants had the life sucked from them. This didn’t make any sense. This vine was enormous, and healthy from what I could tell. But now was not the time to investigate.
I kneeled down, my eyes scanning the names etched into the glasses, cringing as my sleeve brushed against the vine. Draven… Raine…. Fia Riftborne . I snatched the vial and could have sworn the vine reared in resistance, but I didn’t dare a glance back.
I sprinted out of that room as fast as I could and didn’t stop until the commotion of the mess hall slammed into me.
People whipped past, transporting supplies, bags, and weapons.
The energy was stifling. No one spoke. I even saw a few tears slide down clenched jaws as I made a path through the madness.
I had to find a way out of the Compound.
I would take the eastern exit. It was the least guarded, and I could escape without too many eyes on me. I ran across the mess hall towards the training gyms, taking the small corridor at the end near the initiate lodging.
I flew up the stairs as fast as I could without making too much noise; and looked around the corridor before darting to the gate.
Fuck .
There were guards swarming it. My pace slowed.
“Going somewhere, initiate?” I heard a velvet voice ask from behind me.
I whipped around to find Laryk leaning against the wall, twirling a dagger through his fingers.
My mind flashed back to the first night I had ever seen him.
When we were near the woods. When he saw my focus for the first time. The event that started all of this.
“I’m not running, but I’m not leaving without seeing Ma one last time,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. The vial weighed heavily in my hand, and I quickly slipped it into my pocket. He could never know about this.
“I thought you two had parted ways,” he said, returning the dagger to his chest and crossing his arms.
“It doesn’t matter. I have to see her before we go. If I don’t come back…” My voice trailed off. “I can’t leave things how they are now.”
“I can’t let you leave.”
“I wasn’t asking.” I narrowed my eyes, motioning toward the gate. “Tell them to let me go. I promise I’ll be back before we deploy.”
Laryk pondered my demand, running a hand through his hair. He clicked his teeth.
“I know you will. Because I’ll escort you there and drag your ass out if I must. We have to leave before sundown.”
“Deal,” I said flatly and hurried toward the gate, shooting him a look of annoyance when he didn’t immediately match my speed.
The city was buzzing with an electric kind of energy as we made our way to the central district.
Almost as if it reflected the frenzy currently taking place at the Compound.
Every face we passed made guilt bubble up in my gut.
If we failed on our mission, they’d never be prepared for what was to come.
I couldn’t tell everyone. But I could tell Ma.
Laryk waited around the corner as I approached the doors to the Apothecary. The familiar scent of rosemary filled my lungs, and I paused. It had been so long since I’d been here. So much had changed. I had changed.
I stopped right before I made it to the door, retrieving the vial from my pocket and looking around before placing it on the cobblestones below.
I slammed the bottom of my boot into the tiny bottle, hearing it crack with the blow.
The sensation of air returning to my lungs nearly knocked me over. I stepped back.
The vial lay cracked on the pavement, little blood soaked papers caught between the shards. I knelt down to see the blood turn from bright crimson to muddy brown as whatever enchantment affecting it evaporated.
I stood and kicked the remains into the canal before turning back to the door of the Apothecary.
The scared girl who’d wandered into this shop six years ago felt like a stranger now. Back then, I’d turned my back on the world, resigning myself to the shadows.
I took a deep breath and reached for the handle.
That girl didn’t exist anymore.