CHAPTER THIRTY #2
He didn’t even get a chance to respond before she shoved him through like some misbehaving child.
Once outside the cottage, they descended into a dark tunnel.
And she was right, there was no bloodlace.
As they walked, her grip lessened, and she eventually released him to stroll alongside each other.
This was much better than the knife aimed between his eyes.
As the tunnel expanded to a cavern, easily the vastness of Ellynne’s capital, he could barely breathe let alone believe his own eyes.
Tiny homes and quaint shops wove in a spiderweb of livelihood inside the cavern.
People with a variety of complexions and vestige colours moved among the buildings, carrying the buzz of conversation.
The town teemed with life, and joy, something the town above was entirely devoid of.
And as he took in the magnitude of this place, he realized there had to be hundreds living here.
But when his attention flicked to the center of the cavern, he truly believed he may be dreaming.
Over the heart of the town, colossal roots hung from the ceiling, as if they anchored the civilization below.
It was the Tree of Eternal Blood he’d seen above—the one Morana resided in.
At the base, Kenna with the blessing of earth healed it.
Their vestiges, like Cal’s, pulsed in a blur of bronze, pumping their magic in great bursts as they cut themselves and bled.
And their offerings sank into the tree’s root, which drank and shrank the people’s vestiges as the seconds ticked on.
It was grotesque, unsettling, and so fucking beautiful.
These people sacrificed their blood for this strange magic he’d always been shamed for. A pit formed in his throat and he had to swallow around it.
“They’re saving it,” Vesper said, his voice gravelly. “Why?”
“What did you expect? You think we would all sit around and let the world perish?” She snorted at the ridiculousness of it. “All magic is sacred.”
But yes. He had thought that. At least from the life, and selfishness that existed above them.
At the far end of the cavern, down the road that wound through the center of the civilization, a vast waterfall cascaded over the side. It led out into an expanse of crashing cerulean ocean, the same shade as the woman’s eye.
As Vesper gazed out at the sight of it all, this place didn’t seem possible.
But here it was. Thriving.
His eyes slid to the woman watching the town with such pride it took him aback. “It’s all so stunning,” Vesper breathed.
“It’s not bad, right? We call it Rensburrow.” As she strolled ahead, she grabbed his sleeve to yank him along. “When the bloodlace invaded Morana, some sought refuge here.”
She led him down the main street, across a wooden bridge that hovered above the knee-height water, and he trailed behind her, mostly due to her hold on his tunic.
Vesper studied the reflections of dappled lantern light in the crystalline water trickling beneath the bridge. “I suspect the bloodlace needs sunlight?”
“The bloodlace may be relentless, but, like everything in this world, it has weaknesses. The first being darkness. The other fire.”
Flame and shadow. As an idea surged, he bit back a smile, rubbed his chest, and pocketed the ludicrous, or brilliant, notion for later.
She snuck a glance back at him. “Luckily we had this place before Delmira turned everyone away and subjected them to that fate. Before they tried to destroy the bloodlace by burning the earth to a crisp.”
A cold shiver worked its way up Vesper’s spine. That land had certainly been barren. Was that why? He assumed it had been the bloodlace eating away at the soil but maybe they had burned it out of desperation. And if Delmira had—that was despicable.
“What do you mean they turned people away?” he asked. That wasn’t how the innkeeper had made it sound. But if that was the case—
“They rounded up those with the burden of shield like sheep. Promised them safety in exchange for their magic. But they didn’t know the cost. How they would have to drain themselves each day to the point of Collapse.
All to maintain this ghastly shield that only some have the privilege of enjoying. ”
As Vesper glanced around the cavern, his stomach twisted. To have those people on the cusp of burnout each and every day was a pain like no other. And had they let them die? How far would they push if one of them failed? What if the barrier slipped and bloodlace bled through?
Callias’s parents had commanded the order. Maybe like his own father, there was more to all of this than he’d thought.
“Why didn’t you take advantage of that safety?” he asked. “Not that this place isn’t great but the lack of sunlight is a bit dismal.”
“They turned us away. Told us if we were to cohabitate, it was mandatory for Hollows to take blood oaths and either become Scarlets or serve the crown.” She clenched her jaw. “For such a dismal situation, I think we’ve done well.”
That statement resided in his bones. He liked to think he would have done the same, but he let his people down.
He’d been alive over a century and had done nothing to move his father’s agenda forward.
He had merely dwelled in vengeance all this time, and now had nothing to show for his family’s work.
His eyes wandered to her chest to check for her scar but her high neck tunic hid it beneath.
“So, if Delmira wasn’t exactly welcoming, what about Tsillah? ”
“They're far enough off the coast the bloodlace hasn’t reached them. We’re not sure why. Could be the water, might only be a matter of time, or could be their pisspoor attitude.”
Vesper had no desire to touch that comment with the way she snarled it. They must have turned everyone away too.
A fierceness threaded her gaze. “We’ve done everything to keep the bloodlace at bay. But it’s spreading.”
He spun to catch the eye of a man with a head of flaming-red hair who hustled a little girl with pigtails the same colour as they exited their cottage.
Vesper’s heart hurt as he noticed the sheen to her skin.
The fever had likely taken hold of her and, judging by her age, she didn’t have long.
At least they weren’t trapped in that bloody town above.
“And those that still live on the surface, what’s their deal? ” Vesper asked.
“They refused to play nice so they aren’t allowed here.
We only bring those we trust. If everyone knew, this place would be overrun.
” She sighed and looked around the cavern as if her life’s work lived within these walls.
“Everyone settled here contributes. It’s the one unnegotiable condition.
That and no skinny-ass boys with brains the size and capacity of a walnut. ”
That tugged at his lips. “Should I leave now?”
“Ah, so you do have some self-awareness.” She snorted a laugh. “Guess you’re not a total moron.”
Vesper rolled his eyes, but couldn’t fight back his smile at her jab. He halted in the middle of the wooden walkway and glanced around him.
This had to be what Zyphira wanted him to find. Not that festering pit of despair above them.
“There are people you need to meet,” she said. “Try to hold onto those two brain cells while you do.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Vesper said, a smug tilt to his lips
Her nose scrunched. “Ugh, don’t call me ma’am like some old lady,” she groaned then snuck a peek at him over her shoulder. “Call me Kyrith.”