Chapter 34
The battle died down swiftly after the Reaper Lord fled like a coward from the cathedral, his magic dissolving with his hasty exit, allowing the Nox and hunters to overcome the remaining reapers without having to worry about tumbling into coffins and fissures or being crushed by falling stone.
Viri left her colleagues to finish off the stragglers, focusing instead on guiding the shell-shocked Jessalyn over to where the other children were huddled near a broken pillar in the corner of the hall, their bonds having vanished at some stage during the commotion, enabling them to seek shelter from the worst of the fighting.
Miraculously, none were harmed beyond a few minor scrapes, though all were clearly traumatized by what they’d experienced.
They weren’t alone in that—Viri herself would need time to recover from what she’d witnessed that night, the sights, the sounds, the smells. The blood, the screams…the death.
So much death.
Viri shuddered as the battle replayed in her mind, every moment burned into her brain—including the all-too-vivid memory of the Reaper Lord’s bone dagger striking toward Jessalyn’s heart.
She shuddered again and held the young girl close, only releasing her when Soren appeared and drew his sister into his arms, both siblings weeping with relief at being reunited.
Tears burned Viri’s eyes as she watched them, but then she turned away to give them privacy.
The other kids were already being seen to, so she cast her gaze around the mess of the cathedral, searching the moonlit wreckage for Reeve, Braedan, and Wynter, even Sage, Jonas, and Ardin, needing to reassure herself that they were all safe.
It was difficult to see much of anything through the blurs of black and red as the last of the reapers snapped and snarled at the Nox and hunters, but she managed to catch brief glimpses of all six of them—just enough to let her know they were alive and ease the tension from her shoulders.
But a quick glance upward brought the tension straight back again as she watched the purple glow of the Aurora Comet continue to travel slowly across the starry sky.
Her stomach churned with a renewed burst of dread, with it only fading when she reminded herself that the threat had passed.
The children were safe, as were the obelisks.
The Reaper Lord had lost his chance to complete the sacrifice. He’d failed—and he’d run.
Part of her was upset about him fleeing, since he’d been right there, and while she might not have known how to counter his terrifying range of power, she could have attempted to capture him somehow, especially with Reeve’s magic backing her up, and an army of hunters and Nox ready to drag him to the Underlock.
But another part of her couldn’t help remembering how a single wave of his hand had killed dozens at once, and a shiver swept through her as she realized someone like him probably couldn’t be captured.
It was frustrating that he remained free, but at least she and her friends would live to fight another day—and hopefully, the next time they encountered the Reaper Lord, they would have the means to bring him down, forever.
“Viri!” Braedan cried, dragging her gaze from the comet to where he appeared before her, climbing over crumbled stone and withered vines to pull her in for a hug.
“Elders, when we left Nevarnost and couldn’t find you—” He cut himself off, his arms tightening around her, making it clear how worried he’d been.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured into his torn green cloak, unsure if she was apologizing for scaring him or for leaving the castle without him.
Either way, she embraced him just as fiercely, then drew away to glance around for Reeve and the others again.
All she saw was a cathedral full of reapers, Nox, and hunters—the latter of whom made her belatedly shove Braedan behind the broken pillar and whisper, “Can you be here right now?”
A smile quirked his lips. “No one knows who I am, so as long as you don’t start calling me ‘Reaper Priest’ ”—he lowered his voice for the two words—“then I’ll be fine.”
Viri winced at the title, but shook off everything it made her feel, and said, “Still, you are a reaper.” She eyed the black veins on his blood-smeared hands. “And we’re in the middle of a hall filled with people who would lock you away without a second thought.”
“Little sis has a point,” Sage said, striding confidently into sight, then ducking behind the pillar with them.
Her beige leathers were covered in almost as much muck as the night of the thunderstorm skirmish, her purple hair splattered with a sickening amount of red.
To Braedan, she added, “The confusion of the battle kept us hidden—there were too many reapers for hunters to see and sense anyone individually—but we’re pushing our luck now as they thin out.
Ardin and Jonas are waiting outside. We need to go before we draw attention.
” She swiveled to give Viri a surprisingly respectful nod.
“Nice job tonight, hunter. Maybe you’re not as useless as I thought. ”
Viri snorted at the backhanded compliment. “A pleasure, as always, Sage.” She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Reeve’s—and Braedan’s—reaper friends, but they had helped save everyone, so she settled on being grateful they’d survived. She would figure out the rest later.
A quick flash of a grin was all Sage offered in reply before she tugged at Braedan’s sleeve to draw him away. But he resisted.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” he asked Viri.
“I’ll join you later,” she promised, her nerves igniting as she peered through a missing chunk of the pillar and spotted Meera heading their way.
Both Braedan and Sage wore cloaks that hid most of their veined arms, and there were still too many other reapers around for hunters to sense them specifically, but even so…
It would be nearly impossible to convince Meera that they were good reapers, not without having time to explain, so Viri hurriedly said, “Meet you at Wynter’s lab? ”
“Don’t take too long,” Braedan warned, “or I’ll come find you, risks be damned.”
Outwardly, Viri huffed her annoyance, but inwardly, she was filled with warmth at having her big brother back, something she’d never imagined would be possible—or that she’d even want.
There was a lot they needed to work through—not the least of which was him being a reaper, and she a hunter—but they had time now, and knowing that brought a sense of peace to her for the first time in seven years.
“Reeve’s still around here somewhere, using his magic to help the wounded,” Sage told Viri. Her hazel eyes narrowed in threat. “Don’t let him get arrested. Again.”
“The first time was his own choice,” Viri pointed out. “If he’s stupid enough to let it happen again, then that’s on him.”
They both knew she didn’t mean it, her gaze already doing another scan of the vast cathedral.
Unlike earlier, she couldn’t see Reeve anymore, and she felt a niggle of concern, before reminding herself that he’d managed to stay clear of hunters and Nox for years.
Some might recognize him now, those who had laid eyes on him during his imprisonment, but he could use his magic to defend himself, if needed.
He also wasn’t at risk of being sensed by a hunter’s mark, unlike the rest of his friends. Braedan and Sage, however…
“You need to go,” Viri urged as Meera neared, and this time, the two reapers heeded wisdom, vanishing into the crowd of Nox and hunters who were slapping nullicuffs on any struggling survivors.
Viri didn’t breathe easy until she saw her brother and Sage slip out into the night.
She then turned her attention to her mentor just as Meera climbed over some debris and moved around the crumbling pillar to halt in front of her.
Much like Viri, she was covered in cuts and bruises, her clothes torn and her magical amulet slightly askew around her scarred neck, but there was triumph in her eyes—and pride, too.
“Looks like your half-baked plan ended up fully cooked,” Meera said, reminding Viri of her parting words in the Summit.
With a wry smile, Viri said, “Turns out it just needed a little seasoning before it was ready.” Or a lot of seasoning, she admitted to herself, as shocked as anyone by the success of the night.
Her smile spread as she realized, “Darik is going to hate that he won’t have an excuse to lock me up anymore.
” She had saved the kids and the city, after all.
Surely that was enough to earn her some grace with the difficult Nox captain.
“Where is he, anyway? I assumed you’d want to question me together? ”
Her mentor’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t seen—”
“I’m here,” Darik announced as he strode into view, straightening his uniform.
Unlike Viri and Meera, he looked as if he hadn’t lifted a finger in the fight, his attire as immaculate as always, from his boots to his gloves, even his polished buttons and buckles.
There wasn’t so much as a strand of his salt-and-pepper hair out of place, making Viri aware of just how bloody and bedraggled she was in comparison.
“It seems you have quite the story to tell us, Solace,” Darik noted, glancing toward the gathered children, where Soren and Jessy were still huddled on the ground in front of the group. “There’s obviously much to discuss.” He paused, then declared, “We’ll debrief first thing tomorrow.”
Viri started. “Tomorrow?” she repeated, unsure what she’d expected but definitely not that.
Darik hadn’t said one word about her freeing Reeve from the Underlock—or how he himself had been attacked in the process—let alone how they’d broken into the Summit afterward and then vanished for days without a trace.