Something brushes my arm. I jolt, trying to see, but my mind's eye can only show me places I've been. The darkness beyond is a void.
"Pull back if you sense danger," Malachi warns.
"Unless you can pinpoint its location," Kage adds.
"No." Malachi's voice sharpens. "We don't know what's down here."
Naima hisses for silence.
Cold touches the back of my neck. I spin in the darkness, heart pounding. What if he's not here? What if this was all for nothing? The cold pursues me. I move faster, but it stays at my heels.
I'm passing a chamber when I feel it. Not the cold. Something else. The incessant chatter from Mortiana's summons, loud and painful.
But beneath it, underneath all that noise, a familiar hum. Restless energy. Sharp edges. Scattered warmth.
Jordi.
My eyes fly open. "I found him."
Malachi studies my face as Naima presses the torch back into my hand.
"There's something else here," I say as we move. "Something I can't explain."
"The birds?"
"No." I shudder. "Something ... evil."
"Shroudmaidens?"
I shake my head. "They don't feel evil."
"What do they feel like?" Mal asks. There's hesitation in his voice. Something that makes me pause.
"Grief." I meet his eyes. "They feel like grief."
His expression gives nothing away. I file that away for later as we reach a set of double doors. Malachi and Kage push through together. I follow, torch trembling in my grip.
The chamber is smaller than the main rotunda. And every surface, from floor to domed ceiling, is covered in memory stones. At the center, a raised platform bears the symbol of the Everlasting, crafted from the same dark stones. Above it, a white stone table.
And on the table, my brother.
He's pale. Gaunt. He looks like he hasn't been fed in weeks. A sob rises in my throat. I move toward him without thinking.
Malachi's arm catches me around the waist. Hauls me back. "You stay here." His voice is a low growl against my ear.
"But—"
His eyes pin me in place. "I don't want you anywhere near those stones. Do you understand?" His grip tightens. "We're running out of time."
"He's right," Naima says quietly. "Even I can feel them. And I don't have your gift."
I swallow. Nod at her, then at him. "I'll stay. Just ..."
"I'll be careful with him." He releases me and turns toward my brother.
I want to tell him to be careful with himself, too. The words won't come. I push the feeling through the bond instead.Be safe. Please.
If he receives it, he doesn't show it. He and Kage study the room. The stones. The safe paths between them.
