My chest heaved. “What more must I do for Galen to live?” I asked, my voice small and trembling.
He made a sound low in his throat. “Oh, dear Tristan. Nothing. Because you see, Galen’s a liability. He knows the truth, and unfortunately he has neither a face, nor a name that is of use to us now. My uncle’s murderer must be punished. Justice must be served. So, Galen will be named a traitor and made into an example.”
“B-But,” I stammered, “I did what you asked. I—” I’d followed his directions. Fuck. FUCK! I did everything he asked.
“This was merely punishment for your betrayal,” the Emperor drawled. “Not a bargain for his life. You’ll be signing a blood contract with the Bastardmaker, doing whatever he commands you from now on. I see now you needed a far tighter leash than we first gave to you. You will have tonight to heal, get a cast for that hand. Tomorrow night, you’ll return to Bamaria. There you are to begin your duties.” He ran his knuckles down Galen’s cheek. “And poor Galen here,” he jerked his chin at his brother.
“NO!” I roared.
But the Bastardmaker’s sword was pointed right at Galen’s waist. His eyes widened, and his face tightened like he was bracing for what was about to come. The Bastardmaker’s muscles tensed as he pulled his arm back, and then with a rageful cry, he drove the sword into Galen’s side.
I screamed, but no sound could escape my lips. I was three years old again, terrified of the vorakh tearing my parents apart.
Galen made a final pained, wet, wheezing sound, like he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. His eyes lifted, focusing on me as the sword drove in further, the point tearing through him. Blood dripped down his side, his body convulsing as it was impaled. Left to right.
“Galen,” I screamed in silence. “Galen!”
For a second, there was a light in his eyes as they reached mine. But the light vanished, his head rolling forward.
My heart cracked in two.
“You can take your hand off your cock now,” the Emperor sneered, his eyes dipping between my legs with disdain. “You’ll need it. You have papers to sign.”
Chapter
Seven
LYRIANA
Wind howled across the shore, as I wiped at tears with the back of my hand. My heart thundered as loud as the rain. It was still pouring, pounding against the cave. I gripped the rough-hewn stone of the wall, feeling the cold of the wind and raindrops against my face. My stomach was twisting, growing more painful with every second I stayed back.
Rhyan was out there. Rhyan was out there—an akadim. Alone in the world, without his soul. He could be hurt. Or he could be the one hurting someone. Every scenario made me ill. And I knew every second I delayed, that I waited, that I allowed him to exist in this state—it was only prolonging my suffering, My grief. And his—in whatever way that he was connected to the part of him that still existed. The part of him that I had to believe still existed. Auriel said it did, and so did my heart.
“Lyriana,” Auriel said. He came up behind me where I stood at the mouth of the cave. He’d given me some space. Let me be for a while. Grieving. Waiting. But I was done.
“I can’t do this,” I said. “I can’t wait. Every second that passes doing nothing, letting Rhyan suffer, feels like torture.”
“There’s nothing you can do for him. Not yet, at least.”
I whirled around on him. “Yes, there is! Gods! Of course there is.”
All I could see when I closed my eyes was the look of pain on Rhyan’s face when he told me he was dying. All I could feel was the utter horror of seeing him powerless, being killed, changed, taken by an akadim.
“Look,” I said, “I know you haven’t been mortal in a while, and you forgot how time works down here, but it’s passing and quickly, and it’s not in my favor. And it’s not in his!”
“I can feel the time passing,” he said quietly. “It’s faster than you know. I feel the mortality wrapped around me. But the storm is still out there, and you’re still recovering from using all of your power. Have some patience. The storm will end soon,” he said.
“Patience?” I gritted through my teeth. “Patience!”
I stepped beyond the threshold, right outside the cave, and the storm was even louder. Waves crashed against the shore, as raindrops fell in thick, heavy pellets, beating against me. I was soaked within seconds. My hair, my tunic, everything. My soturion cloak would have protected me. But it was gone.
I’d given it to Rhyan before ... Before.
My boots slid into the sand and another round of thunder clapped. Lightning struck, bringing the beach to life. The headless gryphon’s body was illuminated in the distance, before darkness descended again, and the wind began to scream, blowing wildly.
“Wait!” Auriel yelled, stepping out and reaching for my hand.
I dodged, avoiding his touch.
