Panic surged sharp and immediate. I had just survived an entity that had nearly destroyed the world. I had pushed it back through the Veil with precision that should have been impossible.
But the thought of Daemon dying while I slept was worse than anything I had faced in that throne room.
The door opened behind me.
I spun too fast. Lost my balance and caught myself against the balustrade with my remaining hand.
Daemon stepped through the doorway.
Alive.
Whole.
Different.
The deathly pallor that had haunted him for weeks was gone. He looked healthier than I had ever seen him. Color had returned to his cheeks. Strength moved through his body with ease. Every line of him spoke of recovery rather than decline.
Relief hit me so hard my knees buckled.
He crossed the distance between us in three strides and caught me before I could fall. His arms wrapped around me carefully, mindful of my missing limb and the bandages stillholding me together. I buried my face against his chest and felt his heartbeat once more. Strong. Steady. Alive. Then, something inside me finally broke.
I wasn’t crying. Instead, my whole body shook with the force of what I’d been holding back since my parents were taken from me. Since Vaelthorne was burned to the ground. Since I had faced my destiny.
"You're safe." Daemon’s voice rumbled against my ear. "The Devourer is gone, Seris. You sent it back. It’s over."
"The curse, "
"Broken." His hand came up to cradle the back of my head. "When the binding severed, when you pushed it through… everything ended. The corruption, the decay, all of it. I felt it lift."
I pulled back just enough to see his face. To confirm with my own eyes that he was telling the truth.
He smiled. Small. Tired. More genuine than anything I’d seen from him before. "You didn’t just save me. You saved everyone."
The words should have made me laugh. Should have brought joy. Instead, they brought a wave of exhaustion so profound I could barely stand.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Two days." His thumb brushed my cheek. "The healers said you’d pushed yourself past every reasonable limit. You should have died from blood loss alone, before even accounting for the magical strain."
"But I didn’t."
"No." Something fierce entered his expression. "You didn’t. Because you’re the most stubborn, reckless, impossibly brave person I’ve ever met. Apparently, even death itself isn’t ready to receive you yet."
I huffed. Almost a laugh. "Flattery."
He smiled briefly, then his face sobered. "Seris, there are… people waiting. Outside. They want to see you. To thank you."
Dread curled in my stomach. "How many people?"
"Most of the city."
I stared at him. "What?"
"You saved them." Daemon’s hand slipped to my shoulder, steadying me. "When you banished the Devourer, every person in this capital woke up and realized what had been happening. What they’d been forced to do under its control. They know you’re the reason they’re still alive."
"That’s not, we had help. The resistance, your team, Kaelen, What happened to the Resistance?"
Memories of the doors closing behind us and the sight of Malzaun’s back flooded my mind.
