“Fine,” Callan snarls. “Esme. Riordan. Go now.”
My face threatens to crumple as I look at Esme. To Rio. “Get them to safety. Please And you too.”
The tears trickle down Esme’s face. “Stay safe. Matthias, you eejit. Don’t die, or I’ll kill you myself.”
His laugh sounds choked. “I love you too. Both of you. Go.”
Rio shifts, his eyes darting between us.
But Callan is already pushing the door closed, nudging him back. “You know where the lanterns are.Go.They’re going to find this. You don’t have much time.”
Esme nods. “See you on the other side.”
The wall seals up, and they’re gone. My sisters with them. The sob breaks free as I turn.
“You fool,” Callan breathes. He cups my face tightly, lips crashing into mine. “Stay with me.”
Our hands entwine as we wait. Matthias takes up a space on my other side. He tugs at his sleeve. “Sol is going to kill all of us. I hope you know that.”
Gods, I hope that’s true.
The scratching, whirring noises feel as though they carry on forever. The three of us wait in silence.
When Callan’s wall crumples, we brace. My hands fly up. But the creatures on the other side are still. The male who sweeps through the rubble wears no metal, even as he glowers at Callan. His voice rises. “You’re a gods-damned fool. What have youdone?”
Callan stares at Petyr. “What have I done? What in Ellas—what is this, Petyr? What the fuck arethose?”
He gestures to the creatures. They watch us with eyes of metal, unmoving. I catch sight of amethyst eyes gleaming from behind them, and my body stiffens.
My hands begin to raise.
The shadows form in my palms without any urging, the rage creeping back up my throat. “You hurt them.”
And I am going to hurthim.
Petyr turns to me. He sighs. “Such a pity. You really do have a habit of fucking up my plans, brother.”
The punch to my stomach shocks the air from my lungs.
Nobody moved—and yet—
Callan roars. And I… Istumble, my hands pressing against my middle and coming away sticky and red, the shadows vanishing. I stare down at the familiar color, even as Matthias pushes in front of me.
His hand slams over the injury, holding the arrow in place. “Don’t pull it out.”
A bluish-white arrow. It begins to burn as I stare down at it. Matthias hisses at the sting, but he doesn’t move his hand. “What type of copper is that?”
The walls around us begins to shake. And Callan—Callan is trembling, as his arms steady me. I am falling, I realize. And he’s holding me. “Selene. Look at me. Right at me.”
But I can’t focus. Not when the burning grows worse, flaring out from that spot in my stomach.
“It won’t kill her,” Petyr muses. “She’s far too useful for that.”
The next arrow lands in Callan’s arm, punching through the skin. He barely flinches, but the stones stop moving. Stop shifting.
His maegis just…stops.
And Petyr smiles. “Just a little insurance.”
