Not a memory.
An actual, living being who picked up my sword and handed it back to me.
THIRTY-FOUR
Nova
Itook hold of Grimnor in a daze.
Its weight settled in my hand, undeniably real, but even then, I couldn’t believe what was happening.
Lorien didn’t speak, merely studied me for a moment before turning away.
Phantom got to his feet, giving himself a hard shake. He limped to my side, his ears flat against his head and teeth bared as he observed the threats around us.
Lorien moved to the center of the room, inspecting the place where the shards of his soul had rested. There were bits of both light and shadow twisting through the air above the empty pedestal. With a wave of his hand, he bound them together and then pulled them into himself.
Aleks stood against the back wall, his sword hanging loosely in his grip, his expression eerily vacant as he watched the scene unfolding between us.
The seconds pounded by. My chest felt like it was caving in a little deeper every time I looked at Lorien, my heart oddly heavyand sinking. I kept expecting him to disappear. To go back to being that ghost that had haunted my room just days ago.
But he didn’t. He remained solid and real, rolling the tension from his neck and shoulders. As if he’d just woken from a quick nap, rather than from a centuries-long curse.
“…Impossible,” came Severin’s voice—completely devoid of its usual cockiness. Genuinely shocked. Maybe even afraid. Several more Order members crowded the doorway behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of what had happened.
Lorien glanced toward them. His dark eyes took on a murderous gleam, a look that seemed terrifyingly at odds with the slight smile that curved his lips a moment later. White light gathered around his fingertips, crackling with barely contained fury.
A few had enough sense to quickly back away, scurrying and tripping over one another as they retreated into the hall. The ones that didn’t move paid for it an instant later, when lances of bright light speared toward their eyes, blinding them.
Severin moved with almost inhuman speed, avoiding the attack and rolling into the chamber itself. Several others joined him, drawing their weapons and preparing to fight despite their obvious fear.
I finally broke out of my daze.
While they were all distracted by Lorien, I moved, ducking and weaving through bodies and blades, racing toward the ones holding my brother and Thalia captive.
Ignoring the burning pain radiating through my bloody hand, I swung Grimnor in a sweeping, powerful arc. Shadows flew outward, wrapping around the throats of the men guarding Bastian. I didn’t have to put much pressure on them before they were falling backwards, clawing at the darkness, trying to shake off my attack.
Phantom followed my lead. Even with a slight limp, he was still deadly fast as he charged toward Thalia, slamming into the two men holding her arms and knocking them both to the ground.
With our help, both Thalia and Bastian managed to twist entirely free of their captors. They staggered to their feet and ran, hands still bound in chains behind their backs, shouting for me to follow.
I took a few steps after them, but I couldn’t help pausing and looking back toward the vault.
Aleks was still in there.
And Lorien…what the hell was he going to do next?
Phantom whined. (We should regroup someplace safer.)
When I hesitated, his whining turned to insistent growls. He stepped between me and the vault, shifting his form into something larger and more imposing.
As magic flashed and shouts echoed from the vault, I turned and fled. Tears stung my eyes, blurring my vision. It made it difficult to pay attention to where I was running, so I just followed Phantom’s lead through the twisting corridors.
When I finally managed to blink the tears away, I looked up just in time to avoid running into a familiar figure—Zayn.
“There you are.” I breathed a sigh of relief once I’d caught my balance. “Are you okay?”
He glanced from my blood-covered hand to my tear-stained cheeks, frowning. “I could ask you the same question.”
