“Like Cassiopeia, your body will hang upside down.”
The lake bubbles and splashes around him.
“As punishment for your murder, rage, and pride.”
The waves look like hands reaching for him and pulling him down.
“Here, with this lake as our Eridanus, you will drown.”
He’s swimming now, in too deep to stay standing. Within reach of Marcherie, the siren sings, “Taste the magic of dreams. Sink, sink, sink, far beneath.”
Claudia takes a deep breath to say the final line of the spell.
Just before sinking below the lake’s surface, Triche surprises them all by releasing a louder, more guttural scream that takes physical form in the air. His voice becomes a set of teeth, and they sink deep into Marcherie’s throat, ripping out a chunk of sinewy, fibrous meat.
“NO,” Odette screams. She tries to dive into the water, but Cassius stops her. He knows Triche will kill her if she gets too close.
Marcherie, voiceless, clutches her throat as the blood spurts out. Phantom hands reach out from Triche and pull the siren close to him. He shoves Marcherie under the lake and holds her there, little bubbles of air rising above her. He turns back, smiling as Marcherie’s blood stains the surface around them.
FUCK. Fuck. Claudia can’t finish the spell without trapping them both. There’s no time to reach them, no time to change thespell, no time to make a new plan. Claudia has to decide—is it worth attempting to save Marcherie? Or should they cut their losses now—kill Triche, grieve later?
They knew that one of them wasn’t going to make it out.
They all knew.
This was a fate they were prepared to accept. This is the way it has to be. Marcherie cannot be saved.
Eyes heavy with tears and apology, Claudia looks at Odette.
But Odette is looking at her the exact same way.
“I’m sorry,” Odette says. There’s no time for Claudia to question her before Odette drives a dagger straight through Cassius’s heart. Blood blooms like a flower on his white shirt, around the hilt of the blade sticking out of his chest. He falls to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief as life spills out of him faster than he can scream.
BURN
There are three ways to leave Cygnus University: graduate, fail, or die.
The Book of Cygnus: Graduation 8:37
WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Claudia shrieks, running toward Cassius.
This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.
This is everything they were fighting against.
This is the fate they were supposed to defy.
Heart thundering, she kneels beside him and cradles his head in her lap, pressing on the wound in a feeble attempt to stop the blood gushing out. She feels his heart slowing beneath her hand.
There’s nothing she can do. He’s already lost too much blood.
“NO,” Triche screams. He lets go of Marcherie and she springs to the surface, voicelessly straining for air. Shreds of her mutilated throat—her vocal cords—float around her. Angel dives into the lake and swims toward Marcherie to save her while Triche swims toward Cassius.
Eyes wide with death, Cassius reaches up to touch Claudia’s face, but he doesn’t have the strength. His arm goes limp.
“I—” he heaves. “Love—” he gasps. He can’t finish the sentence as blood swims up his throat, bubbling over his lips.
“Cassius, please don’t go,” she sobs over him.
