Smoke drifted into my lungs as I arrived on the third floor. Seraphim’s fire raged down the hall, consuming a pair of curtains and a long rug trailing the corridor. A scarlet blade whizzed past a door frame. I heard the clink of steel and saw armored bodies tumble from one room into the other. Scarlet vines retracted from their limbs and disappeared into the flames.
Shadows drew my attention from the fight.
A man ascended the stairs to the fourth floor. Gripping the banister, he leisurely strolled up their length, his deep sea blue cape trailing behind him.
I knew that gait. Ainwir.
The young man, Nehri, had been with someone in the market that day. Could it have been Ainwir?
I had to find out. This time, he had nowhere to go. No alleys to sprint down, no shadowy nooks to vanish into. If he was real, I would catch him.
Ducking into the stairwell, I flew up the steps, desperate to reach him before he disappeared.
The moment I reached the peak and stepped from the stairwell, heavy footsteps pounded toward me. I barely had time to turn my head before a bloody lion slammed into my chest,throwing me to the ground.
Snarling, scarlet fangs loomed an inch from my face, and I couldn’t move my shoulders beneath the press of its heavy paws. Blood flowed from its body and soaked into my clothes.
I didn’t care. Twisting my neck, I searched for Ainwir. The shadow I’d been chasing loomed over me, but he was not my mentor.
Commander Aeacus removed his helm as he knelt beside me, and for the first time, I beheld his face. From how Seth described his actions, I imagined a monster. Instead, a dignified face with noble features peered down at me, his dark hair kept short and tidy.
Behind him towered a statue of Haimyx, his scythe pointed toward the great window across the foyer.
Remembering my purpose, I blurted out a frightened plea. “Please, my lord, I bring a message from the Oracle.”
Narrowing his eyes, he gripped the hilt of his blade. “What’s going on down there?”
“I don’t know! Someone started attacking the men, our escort.”
The lion stepped off me, and Aeacus drew his blade. “The message can wait. Stay here.”
Nodding, I backed up, bumping into a wall. The commander strode past, placing a hand on the stairwell’s arch. But he hesitated.
“Your voice,” he murmured, turning back to me.
Before I could respond, he lunged toward me and grabbed my mantle, ripping it off my head. My curls spilled loose, and I saw my reflection gleaming in his ebony breastplate.
“You’re the girl they all rushed to rescue.” He scanned my face. “Though there’s nothing remarkable about you at all.”
Swallowing, I tried to think of something to say. My eyes darted to the side. A shadow leaned against the statue, watching us. Ainwir?
Or just another hallucination?
Aeacus followed my gaze. “You would not be the first to see shadows in this land between life and death.”
What? My gaze whippedback to him.
“A redhead with flaming blood.” He hauled me up by my neck. “A chthonic with scarlet eyes. I’ve heard tales of your companions.”
“You know who we are, then?” I choked. “Shouldn’t you be afraid? Knowing Set is coming for you?”
Hearing that name, Aeacus faltered.
“You deserve every second of torture he’ll inflict on you.”
“You think I fear the child I trained?” Aeacus leaned in. “Icelus was certain you were Elpis. The final Maiden—the only one who destroys and heals alike. I didn’t recognize it before. But there can be no mistake, now.”
My fingers curled into a fist. The other maidens could not destroy, as I could?
