Isabella gave me a wary look but followed.
“Malakai,” I called.
He paused.
“Why did you help me?” I asked.
He didn’t respond for several moments.
“Because I could not let you die before I see you suffer,” he said.
His words struck like a physical blow.
“What is it that I have done to you that is so unforgivable?” I sneered.
Malakai turned, his eyes a deep red and narrowed in anger.
“My entire life, you have been oblivious to anyone’s pain but your own,” he said. “And when I needed you the most, to be the friend I have been for you, you are distracted by the shiny new toy. If you were paying attention at all, you would have seen through this plot against me—instead, you let me take the fall. Next time, it is your turn.”
I stood there, stunned, watching as he disappeared into the corridor.
Malakai’s wordsstung as I tried to focus on Anna’s everi. The sudden crescendo of pain sliced through my chest again. I hung onto her everi letting it guide me to her. It was intense, vibrant, and warm. I wasn’t an expert at everi sensing, but with Anna, it was easy.
The catacombs were pitch black and I felt my way along the wet stone walls.
What the hell would he bring her down here for?
Fucking Caelan.
What was he up to, and why take Anna?
Anna was unique, and her everi potent, but she was still inexperienced. What reason could he have to cause all of this to get to her?
And Malakai.
Was he telling the truth? Did he not have anything to do with the missing Initiates? Could Caelan have done this?
The faint glow of torchlight and an agonizing scream accompanied the searing pain that shot through my chest.
I clutched my chest and ran.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw before me.
The room was expansive with a stone slab at the center and five pillars surrounding it. It was lit by five glowing stones, four of which rested in the bound hands of the missing Initiates. The fifth was a green glowing crystal that sat in a sconce that was bound with rope to the pillar. It burned the brightest. Anna’s amulet from the play—why was it there?
At the center was Anna, unconscious on the stone slab, her chest covered in red. Caelan sat atop her, blood flecked across his face. He held a bloody dagger in his hand; his clothes covered in blood.
Fury overtook exhaustion as a burst of my everi flooded the room. The glow of the pentagon around them shook and flickered before reforming.
“The barrier is made of her everi,” Caelan said without looking at me. “If you destroy it, you will kill her.”
My veins were pumping viscously.
I touched the glowing shield, feeling Anna’s spirit within. She was unconscious and her chest was a mess of torn, blood-stained fabric.
A deep stabbing pain barreled through me as I watched Caelan drive the dagger into her chest again.
Fury exploded as I yelled, forcing my everi toward Anna, drilling it throughout the barrier.
