71. Everett
Everett
Once we were outside the wards of the catacombs, Vera used her striding magic to get us back to where she and Tessa had come from.
It looked like an underground bunker, with stone surrounding us on all sides and bunk beds built into the wall itself.
People milled about the space, carrying small plates of food or piles of notes back and forth in the tunnel system.
“What is this place?” I asked Vera and Tessa.
“A shelter, kind of,” Vera said, voice haggard. “Sloane found me in my room at the palace after you were taken. Said she was there to spy on the High Elders, and then she brought us here to help find you. It’s their base.”
My mind struggled to put all the pieces together. “A shelter for who? Who are these people?”
Vera shared a look with Tessa. Vera looked more tired than I’d ever seen her.
Her skin was pale, and her golden eyes had lost their spark.
Losing Sloane and then Starke’s disappearance had done a number on her.
It took Tessa and me both to convince her not to go looking for him in the caves—that was exactly what the Elders wanted: to keep her in their grip.
“Come here,” Vera said quietly, and she pulled against the wall, away from the strangers walking around. Tessa stayed behind to talk with one of the rebels.
“Look, you were right not to trust the Elders,” Vera said. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve listened to you from the beginning.”
My gut churned. Flashes of that altar and the painful, golden light burst across my mind. “What have they been doing, Vera? I know it’s something horrible, but I still don’t understand.”
Her brow furrowed. “Remember those bodies in the catacombs, where I found you?” She picked anxiously at the hem of her shirt. “Those are all bodies of dead Pyraethis. People the High Elders killed in a ritual, just like—just like the one they tried to do to you.”
I blinked slowly. Their cracked skin, the darkness beneath their flesh, faces frozen in anguish. They had all once been in my place. That could have so easily been me.
“What did they do to them?” I asked hoarsely.
“They drained their life force,” she said.
“What? Why would they do that?”
“To take it for themselves. It’s a ritual that helps them live longer,” Vera explained.
“The Elders want to be immortal. The rebels told us how the Elders are actually the firstborn children of the original demithes, and when their parents died, they became obsessed with eternal life. They’ve lived for centuries by siphoning life force from others. ”
“Even from their own people?” I asked, mouth agape. Vera nodded with a wince. “So they’re murdering them.” Sourness coated my stomach, filling me with both sorrow and rage. I looked around at the Pyraethis walking through the tunnels. “Are they safe down here?”
“As safe as they can be. Everyone who’s left has used their magic to keep themselves hidden.”
My gaze sharpened on her. “What do you mean, everyone who’s left?”
She closed her eyes. “The people in this base are all that’s left of Pyraeth, Everett.”
It was as if the air had been sucked from my lungs. “What?”
“The Elders murdered almost every single person in the kingdom,” she said, so quiet I could hardly hear. “Those left are the ones who got away.”
Blood rushed in my ears. “That’s not possible. We saw villages full of people, and the palace was packed.”
“I said the same thing. But the people we saw weren’t real.
” When my lips parted in confusion, Vera nodded grimly.
“I know, it was hard for me to believe, too. But the rebels made me see the truth. Think about it—every time we saw people in the streets, every time servants walked around us in the palace, we were always with the Elders. It was all their illusion. An incredibly powerful one they used to trick us. There’s hardly anyone actually living in the kingdom anymore. ”
I blinked several times, dumbfounded. Now that I thought about it, I remembered how eerie it felt yesterday in the library, how empty the palace seemed.
But this elaborate ruse…it was almost too much to believe.
That these people had tricked us into believing we were seeing entire crowds of people?
That we could even interact with them? The idea of someone having that kind of power was overwhelming.
Vera stepped closer to me, and her fingers closed around my clenched fist. “I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said. “You should rest. You’ve been through so much. We’ll have time to talk more later. Right now—”
She was cut off by a middle-aged man with rumpled brown hair running through the cavern. “Sloane?” he called. “Sloane? Is she back yet?”
Vera’s breath caught. Grief swarmed her eyes. I uncurled my fingers and grasped her hand, squeezing tight. The man scanned the room, and when his eyes landed on Vera, she slowly shook her head. The man sank to the ground, head held in his hands.
“I’m so sorry, Dom,” Vera said, releasing my hand and rushing to him. She lowered herself to the ground before him. People around us paused to watch, their faces morphing from confusion to heartache as they caught on. “She didn’t make it.”
The man, Dom, removed his glasses and wiped his face, where silent tears streaked down his cheeks.
“I—I only knew her for a short time, but she was incredible,” Vera continued. “She was so brave. I could see how much she cared about everyone here. I promise you, I will get justice for her. For all of them.”
Dom didn’t respond. He merely put a hand on her shoulder, and they both bowed their heads.
The entire cavern came to a halt. A moment later, the other rebels all bent a knee and lowered themselves to the floor, bowing their heads as Dom had.
I followed suit. We stayed like that for a minute, in melancholy silence, doing what we could to honor Sloane.
Finally, Dom cleared his throat and rose to his feet. Vera looked up at him. “Your friend,” he asked. “Did you find him?”
Vera nodded and beckoned me closer. “Dom, this is Everett. Everett, Dom is one of the ones who helped us find you.”
I shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. I can’t begin to apologize for your loss, but I’m forever indebted to your people.”
“Just help us end this,” he said, arm trembling. “That’s all she ever wanted.”