Chapter 30
Flames burst from the dungeons’ doors, shooting out into the night like a pair of phoenix wings. Seraphim strode down the steps to the courtyard, bloody scythe in hand, facing the knights gathered outside.
Several armored men, clad in the silver and blue of House Cynthus, blocked each entrance to the square—there would be no escaping without a fight.
Seraphim turned her head, eyeing the western road. Slashing the scythe across her wrist, she thrust her wounded arm forward, and the blood surged through the air. Flames crackled to life as the blood solidified into two spinning scythes.
Seeing the whirling death heading their way, the men scrambled. Stone fractured where the scythes impaled, bursting into pillars of flame.
“Get to the harbor,” Seraphim ordered.
Nodding, I darted past her, whistling for Whisper. The hound burst from its hiding place and dashed to my side, skirting between my legs to reach Seth. Skidding to a stop, I whirled around, staring past the men and flames toward the hitching post where I’d left Athena.
Seth followed my gaze and cursed. “I’ll get her. Go.” He shouted, spinning on his heel and darting away.
I moved to follow him, but Eleos caught my arm and dragged me away. “He’s going to get himself killed if he has to protect you, too.” He pressed a scabbard into my hand, filched from a passed-out guard.
Shoving the sword into my belt, I squeezed between the pillars of flame left by Seraphim’s magic. Trusting Eleos’s sense of direction, I kept pace with him as he slid down a steeply sloping path.
The lighthouse glowed with fire in the distance, a beacon to light our way. Gut churning, I glanced behind me, wishing I hadn’t left the others behind. Percy ran into my back as we reached the bottom of the hill, nearly knocking us both over.
“I know what you’re thinking.” He said. “If Seraphim can’t handle it, no one can.”
“But-” I cut off, gazing back up the slope. Several knights appeared above us, spears drawn as they gave chase.
“Time to go!” Percy shoved me, and I obeyed.
Alarm bells rang above us, resonating throughout the city. We ran for our lives, darting into alleys when resistance appeared, weaving through narrow roads to lose their pursuit. Salt carried on the breeze, and the crash of waves sounded on the horizon—we were nearly to the sea.
Eleos squeezed through the narrow crack separating two buildings, and I followed. We emerged on an ancient stone dock, where the ocean crashed into the piers, sending white foam into the sky.
Clinking armor and pounding footsteps sounded to my right, and I barely had time to turn my head before a guard was upon me, thrusting his spear toward my flank. Skidding backward, I tried to avoid the attack, but his spear grazed my side, drawing blood.
Grabbing the sword Eleos had given me, I yanked it loose from its scabbard, thrusting it forward into the defensive position Seth had beaten into my head.
Every muscle in my body quivered as the man charged again, this time trying to sweep the spear across my feet. I tried to block it, thrusting forward. Steel rang against steel. Pain rang through my arm, but I managed to knock his attack aside.
With my attacker thrown off balance, an opening appeared for me to step back, escaping his reach. Raising my sword, I prepared for him to charge again.
A spear whirled past me, striking the guard in the thigh. Blood spurted from the wound, and he gasped, falling to a knee. His weapon clattered to the ground, and Eleos slid past me, snatching it up.
“Not bad,” he said, twirling the spear. “Maybe you’ll be a warrior after all.”
“I thought you couldn’t fight!” I chattered, nerves running up and down my limbs like lightning.
“This way.” He shouted, running off.
Another guard lay unconscious behind me. Swallowing, I waited for Percy to squeeze through and pushed him ahead of me, watching behind for pursuit.
The ship we were supposed to take was moored in a cove beneath the lord’s manor. Here at the south shore, we couldn’t be further from our goal—only an array of fishing boats bobbed along the docks.
Eleos halted before the only ship in sight with two decks. Percy ran to his side and doubled over, panting. “Why did you stop?” He gasped.
“I think this is our escape route,” Eleos said calmly.
“What?” Percy repeated. “Only one ship can survive the Lethe, and I don’t think this is it!”
“Want to run back up to the manor and steal the keys?” Eleos looked up sharply, listening to the alarm bells. “We don’t have time. It’s this or nothing.”
“Wait,” I said. “Seraphim crossed the Lethe—traveled to Duath Nun and back. How?”
“With a better ship than this,” Eleos said. “There’s another way to avoid the storm—but it’s more likely to claim our lives.”
“More likely? Gods.” Percy cursed, drawing his dagger to cut the ropes loose.
It wasn’t a bad ship. Double-masted with an underbelly, it could probably weather rough seas, but not the deadly whirlpool said to haunt the Lethe.
Standing guard at the pier, I glanced up and down the dark docks, hoping to see Seth, Athena, anything.
Something moved out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see blood-red vines streaking across the docks toward me.
The vines shot up, wrapping around my wrist while another grabbed my ankle. Both pulled, yanking me off my feet and twisting the sword from my grip. I hit the ground with a heavy thud and was dragged across the rough ground.
Phaedrus stepped from the building’s shadows, the scarlet blood streaming from his palm a match for his hair. Grabbing my collar, he hauled me up. Sage-green eyes peered at me. Not with anger, but sorrow.
“You’re as slippery as Ainwir.” He said. “He would’ve been proud.”
My mouth twisted into a sneer. I’d never wanted to kill someone before. Not until now.
Phaedrus’ eyes darted behind me, landing on Percy and Eleos.
“If you so much as touch them. . .” I snarled.
Eyes flaring open, Phaedrus threw me aside and leapt back. A greatsword of dripping scarlet whirled between us. Had he not released me, it would have severed his arm.
Seth dashed in front of me, a crimson longsword gripped in one hand, and a scarlet dagger in the other.
The floating great sword impaled the wall behind Phaedrus before launching out of the stone.
Vines sprang from the ground in a rush of blood, blocking the greatsword from cleaving through the nobleman’s neck.
A shower of blood rained from the clash of two chthonic spells. Red splotches darkened my vision.
“Get the hell away from her.” Seth snarled.
The sound of galloping hooves pounded toward me, and I desperately rubbed my eyes, stumbling backward.
My vision cleared. Athena halted beside me, Seraphim mounted on her back. Leaping off the mare, Seraphim grabbed my arms and turned me toward the boat. “Get aboard! We’ll be right behind you.”
Panicked, I searched for Seth. He stood amidst a sea of red flowers and deadly vines, chopping aside the striking whips with his blades while advancing toward Phaedrus.
One tendril found its mark, tearing across Seth’s upper arm. Blood rushed from the wound, quickly gathering into a new blade—a thin rapier that darted toward Phaedrus, grazing his cheek.
Seraphim whirled me around and pushed me. “Go!” She ordered.
Slapping Athena’s rear, I aimed her toward our boat. She took off running, with Whisper at her heels. Eleos ducked out of their way, grabbing my fallen sword to saw through the anchor’s ropes. On the deck, Percy fought with the mast, trying to unfurl the sails.
Forcing my attention away from the battle, I ran for the ship.
My head spun, and I tripped. Unwelcome emotions pounded in my skull. Overwhelming, all-consuming.
Phaedrus’ voice caressed my aching mind like a pleasant breeze. “She’s hidden too much from you. And now, she sends you to your death. To their deaths.”
I fought against the anger boiling in my gut. Against the sore ache of betrayal. These weren’t my emotions.
Phaedrus spoke again, his voice irritable. “She knows what Duath Nun does to your kind. They torment you. Torture you. Condemn you to a fate worse than death.”
My arms moved without my consent, fingers seeking the hilt of my blade.
“Kill her for those she’s murdered. For the suffering she would inflict upon you.”
Drawing the blade from its scabbard, I raised it over my head and brought it down on Seraphim. Her back was turned. Hearing the steel ringing through the air, she spun. Too late.
The sword raked through her forearms as she raised them as a shield. Blood rushed from the wound, coating my blade and her sleeves. My heart pulsed with horror.
What was I doing?
Seraphim staggered back. Her scythe reforged from the fresh wound, catching alight with flame. She effortlessly blocked my second strike, though I saw her eyes flare in pain as the weight of my attack bore down on her wounds.
Someone called my name in the distance. I screamed inside my skull, unable to speak, unable to stop myself from pushing against her, trying to break her guard.
Seth yelped in pain. I wanted to search for him, but my head wouldn’t turn. I saw one thing: Seraphim, weakened, a moment from breaking.
Though her arms quaked, Seraphim’s voice was calm. “You’re stronger than he is.” She said. “I know you don’t think so. But we do.”
Biting my lip until blood trickled down my chin, I watched as she lost her grip on the scythe and fell to a knee. My sword swung wildly as I broke her guard, before sweeping back up to bring down on her neck.
Eleos grabbed my arm, drawing my attention away from my prey. “Lady Aethra.” He said calmly. “Stop. Don’t let him in.”
My mouth twisted into a grimace. How dare he? Lies after lies, hiding the truth. He’d taken my heart and torn it to pieces. Twisting my blade, I shifted course to strike him instead. To get him out of my way.
Eleos gazed at me with soft, sage-green eyes. He didn’t move. Didn’t defend himself. Nor did I feel his magic slipping into my mind.
He trusted me.
My sight dulled. The world drained of color. If I killed them, everything would have been for naught. I’d never look back at myself and be glad for the road I tread. We’d never succeed.
Guilt would tear me apart every day until the world ended.
Everything we’d suffered—pointless.
Screaming, I felt the hostile grip on my mind wither. Flinging the sword away, I dropped to my knees as magic surged in my chest. Rushing tempests burst from my breast, enveloping the world in soft blue light.
Flowers sprouted around me, covering the dock in a thick, lush meadow of pale blue petals. The bloody vines were overtaken, their scarlet flowers consumed and replaced. Phaedrus staggered back, staring at his bleeding palm in horror as his spells died beneath the flower’s touch.
Bewildered, Phaedrus dropped his guard, boots sinking into the meadow. Seeing an opening, Seth raised his longsword and threw it toward Phaedrus’ heart.
“No!” Seraphim shouted.
Blood from Phaedrus’ palm gathered into a fiery shield, deflecting Seth’s blade the moment before it struck. It shattered into a rain of scarlet, coating the meadow with blood.
“Onto the ship.” Seraphim barked. “Now!”
Alarm bells rang. Incessant. Growing louder. Thundering steps and galloping hooves approached. We would be boxed in.
Head ringing, I tried to rise to no avail. I saw knights streaming toward us, Phaedrus’ men come to reinforce their lord.
Cursing, Seth rushed to my side and picked me up, carrying me onto the deck. Eleos was a step behind, supporting Seraphim. Herding us aboard, Percy slashed the last thread holding the rope together. Wind caught the sails, and the ship surged away from the dock.
Seraphim dropped to her knees, and Eleos knelt by her side, tearing off his cloak to bind her forearms. Setting me down gently, Seth whirled around to watch the dock.
Several guards had reached the field of flowers, and while many stopped to gape in confusion, many more did not. Raising their spears and bows, they aimed for our ship.
Spears whirled through the air. With a thud, one impaled the mast, splintering a chunk of wood off. The other sailed toward me. Lunging forward, Seth grabbed his floating greatsword from the air and cleaved through the lance.
The shaft splintered, raining wood into the sea. Flinching away from the impact, I was taken off guard when Seth tackled me. My back struck the deck with a painful thud. Arrows whizzed overhead, lost in the waves.
I tried to rise, but Seth pushed me down, shielding my body with his. Twisting my neck to search for the others, I glimpsed Eleos by Seraphim, head ducked as he tended her wounds. Percy cowered at the helm, one hand clutching his hat, the other wrapped protectively around Whisper.
“Are we alive?” He shouted over the crashing waves.
“Not yet,” Seraphim lifted her head. “Now we face the storm.”