At the end of the street, I pause, and when I peek around a corner, I see three black-robed pledges. One laughs and shoves the other. Such normal behaviour. They’re probably kids. Young and full of future promise, instead they are in here staining their souls in ways they can’t even comprehend.
They come this way, and I slowly slide backwards into a doorway, disappearing soundlessly into the shadows. They pass by with no idea of how easily they could die.
The fading light of day is almost gone. I pick up Taryn and run flat out. My heart thunders.
“She must be in the temple before the last of the day’s light disappears or everything is lost.”The prophet’s words slam into my head, booming.
I slam my shoulder into the door, but it’s locked. Taryn groans in pain. I shove at the door, cursing in hisses from between my clenched teeth.
“Please, open. Please,” I sob out.
Cadel slams into the door, and it crashes open. We get inside, and he closes the doors, but I’m running towards the altar. It’s a rectangle bench in the middle of the temple with three bowls. I use one arm to sweep the bowls off and lay her on the mosaic of gods.
She arches her back, letting out a pained moan that screams that the end is close.
“Wolf,” she whispers.
I frown, reaching out, but stop when Cadel creeps into the light, his face harshly outlined by shadows. He looks different; his skin is paler, and it’s tinged blue, like ice.
“Wolf of winter. Winter’s wolf. Chaos season. Bringer of Anarchy,” Taryn hisses.
He shudders and leans over her, his hands clenching the bench and squeezing.
I open my mouth to interrupt when he speaks in a voice I don’t recognise.
“What are you doing here, Omega Night?”
She lets a weak smile slide across her dry and cracked lips, ignoring the way they tear open.
“I’m here to help. We all are.”
He cocks his head to the side. “I thought—”
“That we all fell? No, you need to remember now.”
He frowns and turns, but she reaches out and grabs his wrist, holding him tight. Her fingernails break his skin, but he doesn’t react.
“Anarchy Wolf, Alpha of Winter, High Alpha, you lived in chains, and she set you free. Now you need to save her like you promised.”
Save her? Who? My heart races. Does she mean Kaida?
I back away from them, looking out onto the street. As I watch, the darkness becomes complete, and the light from the day vanishes.
Taryn arches up and lets out a shrill scream. She pants, refusing to let go. “I loved them. I loved them so much. I didn’t know I could. Watch over my…”
She falls back, her eyes open and staring at nothing, and then she fades. Her body literally fades away, right before my eyes. What the fuck? Cadel jerks and flies back into the wall. He struggles, pinned by some imaginary force; his snarls are ferocious, but he can’t get free.
I take a step towards him, but he lets out a savage growl and collapses on the ground.
No! No! This was not supposed to happen. I dive towards him, rolling him over. He’s breathing, but on his forehead, he’s got a capital A, which is glowing a deep crimson red, and there are whorls of colour pulsing in his skin.
“Wake up!”
I shake him, but he doesn’t respond.
“She’s going to die! Fucking help me, she promised you would help me! Get up Cadel! Keres is caught in a trap, and I had to get you both here or she’d die tonight. So, get up and help me!” I roar into his face.
He doesn’t move.
