It isn’t alone. Three more of its kin leap forward. Then ten. A dozen. Too many for me to fight alone. The Pyres nearest us lean forward, readying to close the gap.
Power surges to my hands as I do the same, preparing to do what I must to protect the Huntresses at my back.
“Stop,” Chancellor Bren says plainly while pushing the button a second time.
As one, the Pyres halt in place, their taloned hands writhing towards the collars at their throats.
Gabe steps forward, cradling his still-sore hand to his chest. “Father, what have you done?!”
“What I must to preserve our great city—the same thing you will have to do, when your time comes.” The chancellor lifts the remote. “Control first, above all.”
Gabe shakes his head. “It’s Caligo first.”
“They’re one and the same, son. Caligo would not exist without control. It’s the pulse of the city, and we’re the ones who must keepit alive. Otherwise, our people would disperse into chaos.”
Gem strides up to my side. “You’re controlling the Pyres?”
Chancellor Bren nods. “I am.”
“Then why continue the Hunt?” I ask. “Why keep sending us out here to eliminate the threat if there is no threat? What’s stopping you from liberating our people?”
“I believe I’ve already answered that, dear,” the chancellor says before heaving a sigh. “I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”
“Come to what?” Gabe asks.
Chancellor Bren lifts two fingers in a signal, and Commander Guffian breaks forward from the pack. “Commander, there’s been a change of plans. We cannot have the remaining Huntresses return to Caligo. They’ve witnessed too much and now pose a threat. Kill them.”
“Father, no! They’re innocent!” Gabe shouts, and the chancellor holds up a hand.
“Innocent? Son, do you not see the treason flowing through her body?”
Aruna runs forward, distancing herself from me. “What aboutus? I swear, I won’t say anything!”
Chancellor Bren hesitates a moment before shaking his head. “What if you change your mind? If I allow you to return only for you to slip up? Or worse, find yourself missing the sunlight? Longing to feel its warmth? No. Your bodies may not be contaminated yet, but your minds are, and I cannot allow that to fester.”
Aruna pivots her appeals to Gabe directly. “Gabe, please!”
Gabe tenses, turning his head between Aruna, his father, then finally to me. “Are you still you, Elle?”
“Now isn’t the time, Gabe.” I shake my head while pointing to the navy-clad figure who’s always stood between us. “You have to tell your father to stop.”
The icy rigidity of the chancellor carves through Gabe’s voice. “This is theonlyquestion that matters, Orelle! I followed you up to this sun-damned graveyard to save you. And now you’re standing here—you, but not. Make me believe that you’re the same woman who clung to me in the reservoir when we were sixteen, or the same woman who jumped into my arms before we crossed the threshold into our home on the eve of our wedding. I know your body’s infected, but tell me your mind is yours. That it hasn’t been twisted by those abominations. If you do that, maybe I can find a way to save you.” His voice softens to a plea: “Please, Elle.”
The memories of ignorant bliss haunt my next breaths . . . but I’m not the same. Could I really ever go back? Though I know the answer, the heaviness in my throat grows as I consider what Gabe might do if I say no to him now.
“I can’t deny I’ve changed, but Iamstill me, still human.”
He shifts his weight uneasily, as if sensing the difference in my tone—the firm confidence of a woman who no longer measures her identity based on the perceptions of others. Or is he actually considering his father’s delusions?
The oscillating glow of the light pulsing along my veins quickens with my heartbeat.
Gabe takes a single step backwards, angling towards his father. “I don’t recognizewhatyou are anymore, but it isn’t human.”
Chancellor Bren’s voice rings out. “Step away from the Huntresses, son. I’ll manage this difficult decision for you. Commander Guffian, eliminate the remaining loose ends. Ladies, I’d advise you not to resist. It will be over quickly.”
The chancellor’s host descends in formation from the opposing dune while the chancellor, commander, and Pyres remain along the ridge.
Aruna is the first to run, booted feet sliding as she spins back towards the village. Twilynn and Demi follow. As the first row of guards charge the remaining distance between us, Gem and I turn to flee as well. She leans to grab my arm, relieving some of the weight that hinders my feet.
