“Such blasphemy,” he chided. “You all see, now, what I’ve been forced to endure this past year?”
You should have stayed in the tunnel, Adrian. I tried to warn you,Dante’s voice rang clear in my mind. I pushed him away, too angry to even reply. He’d known about this, about all of this, and he hadn’t told me. What sort of partner was that? What sort of bond did we even have? He’d said he loved me but did the Viper heir even know what love was?
“The girl brings heresy into my home, and I’m required to tolerate it so that my dear, precious grandson can finally realize his magnificent potential,” Cosmo continued. “Though I suppose it was worth it…seeing as she’s actually proven herself rather indispensable as of late. I highly doubt Dante would’ve made it this far with that fool of a granddaughter of yours, Nascha.”
The matriarch of House Avus bristled but remained otherwise perfectly still. Where had her warm smile and open embrace gone? When had she turned so cold against me? And why was she letting Cosmo say such terrible things about her, about her house?
“Perhaps I was the test,” I said aloud. Cosmo faltered, and all eyes fell on me. “For all of you.”
A few mutters of surprised inquiry arose. Clearly, they hadn’t been expecting that. Had they even expected the girl from the Third Ring to address them at all?
I glared back at them, standing firm. “Why else would your precious Geist match me with such a powerful First Ring son? Hm? And one of the Major houses as well. Maybe I was a test of faith. Maybe you’ve failed.”
“You are nothing more than a flea on the ass of Sanctuary, girl,” Cosmo bellowed. “So now you’ll go on to your final Trial. Let the Geist do as they will with you then.”
My bravery faltered. I blinked.
“Go…on?” I asked. Dante stepped up behind me, but I didn’t dare turn to look at him. “What do you mean?”
All eyes turned toward the tenth tunnel, which already stood open.
I shook my head, backing away, retreating to the darkness of the ninth tunnel. Or trying to, at least, but Dante blocked me from going too far.
“No,” I told them. I’d meant for it to sound strong, a firm command, but it came out as a whimpering beg. “Please. I haven’t said goodbye to my family. They don’t know—”
“They’ll find out soon enough,” Cosmo said, a complete lack of empathy in his tone. When I met his gaze, any warmth he may have once shown me, little though it was, was completely, utterly gone. His face was an unreadable mask carved from stone.
Adrian, please don’t fight them,Dante begged. And as furious as I was with him, the comforting tone he used, the way it caressed my mind, a familiar press against my very being, did much to calm me.It’s easier this way, for you and your family. No long drawn-out goodbyes, no crying on each other’sshoulders, counting down the minutes until you depart. It’s a clean break. It’s better. Darius knew that.
Don’t say his name.
I won’t. I promise I won’t ever speak of him again. But you must see that I’m right.
I did. As much as I hated to admit it, I could see the reasoning in his logic. It would be more painful for me, for all of us, if I returned to my family only to have to tell them that they would never see me again. Darius had known that. He’d made the same decision. And I hadn’t judged or blamed him for it. So why was I blaming myself now?
We’ll be together, Adrian. I swear it.
My heart clenched. I turned, looking down the line of priests and acolytes, until I found her.
“Tell them, won’t you?” I called out to Bria. She stood side by side with the rest of them, ready to force me to do this if she needed to, but tears streamed down her cheeks all the same. “Tell Maurice and Warren. Tell my mother. Tell them I did it, I won the Trials. Tell them I’m better off and that I love them.” I almost choked on the weight building in my throat. “Tell them not to mourn for me.”
She didn’t call back but nodded her head once. It was enough.
I tried to swallow my emotions, my panic, my grief as I turned to face Dante. “Well. Let’s do this then, one last time.”
But in our minds, through that mental connection that only existed between the two of us, I added,Whatever waits for us in that tunnel, wherever we end up, whether it’s in paradise with your gods or amidst the abyss of the Culled, I’ll never forgive you for this.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“We all think we’re special. We all think we can make it. But the truth is that the Geist have devised a system which proves to us that we are nothing at all.”
-Journal of Alosia; 394 Genesis Age
There was nothing which distinguished the final Trial from any other. The same dark tunnel leading to the same metal tubes. Only this time, the walk toward them felt more like a death march than a victory lap. Dante was antsy at my side, fidgety, like he was elated for the success. But now that we were actually here, his nerves were threatening to get the best of him. He didn’t deserve my comfort. He didn’t deserve anything from me at all. But still, I took his hand into my own.
“One last time,” I repeated. Because I still needed him to survive whatever was on the other side. I wouldn’t die today. I wouldn’t die like this.
When his eyes met mine, a fierce determination settled over his expression, and he nodded firmly before letting go of me and striding off to his own tube. I climbed inside mine, waiting for the familiar hurtling sensation. A moment later, it came.
