Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Malachi storms through the doorway. All black. Vida strapped to his back. His expression is murderous as he scans the room for threats. When his eyes find my face, they soften.
But the Flame's words crawl back into my mind. He's spent the last two centuries sacrificing healers to the Bratus. Stasis has a way of obscuring memories. He may not remember. Or perhaps he does.
Countless healers have been sacrificed. The Flame said I need to understand what lurks within the Shroud. And I can't stop wondering if the Shroudmaidens were once like me. Healers led to slaughter.
Is that how Malachi sees me? Another sacrifice waiting to happen? I want to reject the thought. I can't. The Flame laughed at me, as if I were naive to think he could see me as anything else. When he discovers whose daughter I am, that's exactly what I'll become to him. A means to an end.
My stomach lurches. I scramble out of bed and barely make it to the bathroom before my knees hit the cold tile. I retch into the toilet. Nothing comes up, but my body heaves anyway, trying to expel something it can't name. The thought of Cato makes me double over again.
I flinch when I feel him behind me. His hands gather my hair, holding it back from my face.
My eyes squeeze shut. The gesture is so gentle.
So at odds with everything the Flame told me.
I want to summon Mortiana and curse her for what she said about him.
I remind myself that she's a trickster. She lies.
For all I know, she was lying about the healers. She must know that's the one thing I could never forgive. I can't even forgive myself for the damage I caused unknowingly. How could I forgive him for doing it on purpose?
I sink back onto my heels. His hand moves to my shoulder, warm and steady.
"Better?" His thumb brushes the back of my neck.
I shudder. Not from disgust. From how badly I want to lean into his touch despite everything. I manage a nod. He backs away, giving me space, but I feel the weight of his gaze as I rise and move to the sink.
I brush my teeth. Wash my hands. Wash them again. And again. I'm stalling, hoping he'll leave. He doesn't. He just stands there, silent. Watching. It's unnerving.
"Does that usually happen when you dream?"
I glance at his reflection in the mirror. He's watching my black-stained fingers as I scrub them for the hundredth time.
"I don't know. It used to happen when I made the elixirs." I shut off the water. Reach for a towel.
"It hasn't happened since I've been here." His eyes narrow slightly. "Not after dreams."
I hadn't noticed. Of course he would. I wonder if this is what happens when Mortiana summons someone. I wonder if he knows, and if he's waiting for me to admit it. I don't. That conversation leads somewhere I'm not ready to go.
I shrug and set the towel down. Turn to face him. "Maybe I woke up before it could."
"Maybe." He doesn't sound convinced.
Loud pounding at the front door breaks the tension. Malachi's expression darkens as he moves to answer it. I exhale in relief and finish dressing.
The tunnel descends far deeper than any I've traveled before. My ears pop as we take the stairs down. And down. And down.
When we finally reach the bottom, I realize the depth is only the beginning of what's wrong. The Veritas tunnels are clean. Well-lit. Maintained.
This place is none of those things. The air is cold and thick with something I can't name. A disquiet energy that prickles along my skin. I can't shake the feeling that something is watching us. Waiting.
I lift my lantern toward the ceiling. The vaulted stone glistens with moisture, pale ridges arching overhead like ribs. Like we're walking through the carcass of something massive. Something that died here long ago and never fully decomposed.
Warmth pulses through the bond. Deliberate. Reassuring. My head turns toward Malachi.
He's nodding at something Kage says, but his eyes are on me. I can't help but wonder if he knows what I am. Has he known from the beginning? From the moment he appeared in my life, or rescued me on that bridge?
I remember his expression when I first told him I was a healer. There was a gleam in his eyes. Recognition? Hunger?
I push the thought away. He's helped me. Protected me. Countless times. Because of the bond, that voice whispers. Unease coils tighter in my gut. I force myself to look away.
"Are you alright?" Naima appears at my side, bumping my shoulder. I flinch.
"Fine." The lie tastes sour. "I just want to find Jordi. This place feels wrong."
"I'm taking the rear." Kage falls into step beside us.
I frown. "Shouldn't you lead? You have the shadows."
"That's what I said." He pitches his voice louder. "But lover boy wants me back here. Ready to hide you in my shadows if things go wrong." A grin. "I'm not sure why he trusts that I won't try anything."
"I trust that you don't want to die in these tunnels after everything you've survived,” Mal responds without looking back.
My stomach swoops.
Draven shoots Kage a bewildered look. Kage just laughs.
Margot leans toward Naima. "Told you I would have won that bet."
Naima snorts. "Why do you think I never took it?"
I gape at them, but don’t say a word.
Draven glances back. "Next right. Then we hope for the best."
"Why are these tunnels so different from the ones in Veritas?" I ask quietly.
"Hard to say. These were built first. Centuries before the others." He pauses. "Some texts claim they stretch all the way to Vindariel."
"Jordi mentioned that." I keep my voice low. "Do you think it's true?"
"It's a long way north. But anything is possible."
"Gods." Margot shivers as we round the corner. "Imagine making that journey through here."
This passage is different. The air shifts. It's not the same stillness as the Shroud, but it's close. By the way everyone slows, I know I'm not the only one who feels it.
Cold brushes the back of my neck. I freeze.
We've been waiting for your return, empath. The voice is inhuman. It speaks directly into my mind.
I bite my tongue to keep from screaming. My eyes lock on Malachi and I yank on the bond. Hard. He stops instantly. Everyone stops with him.
He turns. His eyes sweep the tunnel before landing on Kage. A nod passes between them. Malachi holds my gaze for a moment, then he turns and keeps moving.
Something lands on my back. I barely swallow my shriek.
"Just me," Kage breathes against my ear. "Give me your lantern. Walk straight to Bain. I'll guide you." His shadow settles over my shoulders like a cloak. "Don't look back. Don't touch the walls."
Heart pounding, I nod and surrender the lantern. The shadows guide me forward, threading me between my friends until I reach Malachi. He doesn't look at me. He simply lifts his arm and tucks me against his side. The motion is swift. Sure. As if we've done this a thousand times before.
"Did you see this?" Draven's voice is barely audible as he lifts his lantern to the wall.
We all stop and turn towards it.
"What the … " Naima raises her own light. "Are those memory stones?"
"Something's growing over them," Draven murmurs. "Vines, maybe."
I stare, trying to make sense of it. Memory stones. There are hundreds of them, maybe thousands, embedded in the wall. And covering each one, thin black lines spreading outward like veins. Margot pokes my back and points down.
My breath catches. The black lines cover the floor. They spread in all directions like a spiderweb. Or the roots of a tree. They climb the stairs leading up to the Hall of Gratitude. They snake down the dark hallway to our left.
They're everywhere.
Everyone swings their lanterns toward the hallway.
The light reaches the darkness. And the darkness reaches back.