Quinn #3
“You’ve faced plenty of your fears here, and found a way through,” I reminded him. “But there’s no rush to this kind of healing. When we get home, we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Taking his face in my hands, I kissed him, trying not to think that it might be our last chance to do so. There was an urgency in the way he kissed me back, his mouth demanding like he was thinking the same.
Reluctantly, I pulled away. Light streaked across his irises, flitting from eyelash to eyelash as if mutinying before being stifled.
Tobias pressed a kiss against my forehead. “As long as you’re with me, I think I can manage that.”
I walked around the mirror, careful not to get too close this time. Its surface slowly undulated like it was reading my intention. Tobias’s face tightened, no doubt doing the same.
“We can’t wait for reinforcements,” I said grimly. Dread twisted in my gut, though I tried not to let it cross our bond. “The mirror could close at any second. Even if it’s still open by the time Yael gets here, there are too many people at risk. We need that cure.”
Rivan’s desperate face flashed in my mind along with the pure terror in his voice as he begged me to help Pari.
Even if there was more between them as I suspected, Pari had no anima bond to protect her from the effects of the virus like Eva did, nor did any of the patients waiting for the cure in the hospital ward.
And there was no telling how quickly this new version of it would progress.
A shout rang out down the tunnel. The metallic ring of a sword being unsheathed filled the room a second later as we drew our blades in unison, Tobias’s sword gleaming brightly.
The tension was palpable across our bond.
It was too soon for reinforcements, as much as I hoped Yael’s voice was about to announce her arrival.
The sound of a single pair of footsteps stumbled forward.
Tobias shot me a look—a warning not to say anything before we knew what we were up against. Light blossomed in the palm of his free hand, a spinning orb growing larger as his power built behind it.
One false move and I knew our opponent would be eviscerated before he could take another step.
A figure stumbled through the mouth of the tunnel, his sword clanging against the stone. He wore the uniform of the Mayimite guards, though it was soddened and stained with blood like he had come straight from a battle. With the way he leaned forward, his hood blocked his face from sight.
There was no telling whose side he was on.
Tobias’s voice was deadly as he demanded, “Not another step.”
The stranger came to a halt, swaying as he did so. As he straightened, his hood fell back. Blood ran down his chin, his eyes cloudy.
My gasp echoed through the hall. “He’s infected. Recently, considering he’s still conscious.”
The light disappeared from Tobias’s hand in an instant. “He must’ve been guarding the mirror.”
The stranger let out a strangled yell, then charged forward, swinging his sword wildly.
I raised my hands, stepping in front of Tobias. “Don’t hurt him, he thinks he’s fighting.”
“Yes, he’s fighting us,” Tobias said exasperatedly, but he lowered his sword.
The guard stumbled, nearly falling as he came within striking distance.
He lunged toward Tobias, missing him entirely.
Tobias seized the opportunity. Ducking under the next wild swing, he expertly plucked the sword from the guard’s hands.
The guard whipped around, but I darted behind him, placing my hands on his sweat-slick temples.
The guard crumpled into my arms. His weight nearly toppled me before Tobias helped me lay him down.
“He’ll be out for a bit,” I murmured as my magic surged to check the virus’s progress.
The fog was so thick it felt impenetrable. There was nothing I could do for him. Not until I had that cure back.
Tobias reached out a hand, helping me to my feet. My eyes fixed on the mirror. I took a step forward, then another, my hand curling around my dagger as I eyed the ripples on its edges for any sign they might freeze over.
A message appeared by Tobias’s hand. He snatched it from midair, his eyes scanning the paper. “They doubled back to enter through the tunnels since it was closer. It shouldn’t be much longer, if we want to wait for backup.”
I hated waiting, hated the feeling of inaction when there were people that needed my help—but it was the smart thing to do as long as the mirror stayed open. My eyes fell to where a pool of blood lay in front of the mirror.
Or at least, I thought there had been. The floor was now clean.
Tobias’s voice sharpened. “What is it?”
My eyes narrowed as I walked closer, trying to make sense of it. There was a strange familiarity I couldn’t quite identify; a nagging feeling in the back of my mind like a whisper in the dark.
“Wasn’t there a bloodstain there—”
I realized my mistake a moment too late.
My foot went through the solid ground, my momentum propelling me forward. A scream tore from my throat as I fell through the glamour.
I twisted midair, reaching for Tobias.
He lunged across the distance, wrapping himself around me.
Then we plunged into the darkness.