Because Meera leapt in to intercept the Nox, her papers flying everywhere, and in less than four moves, she had them both on the ground, unconscious.
Her jade eyes skewered Viri, her mental voice curt with warning as she said,“You have five seconds before I raise the alarm. Make them count.”Her eyes slitted.“And don’t make me regret this.”
Gratitude swept through Viri at the gravity of what her mentor had just done, at the trust Meera was showing without demanding any answers. “Thank you,” she croaked out.
“Thank me by saying nice things at my funeral. I might be able to accept that you’re following some half-baked plan to save the kids, but Darik is going to kill me for letting you get away,”Meera said flatly, then jerkedher head at the door.“Now go. And be prepared to face the longest debriefing of your life once this mess is over.”
Viri nodded and couldn’t resist rushing forward to hug her mentor, never before so grateful that Meera had a hunter’s heart and was willing to bend the rules—and the laws—to do what had to be done. Or in this case, to allow Viri to do it.
There was so much Viri wished she could tell both Meera and Sarielle—so much they needed to know about the comets and the sacrifice and the plan to destroy the obelisks—just as she wished she could spare a moment to make sure Sarielle knew about Jessalyn and reassure her that Soren was already out searching. But every minute Viri delayed was another Braedan could use to reach the Guardian first, dooming them all. So as hard as it was, she forced her feet toward the door, turning back just once to blow a kiss at Sarielle, who caught it and pressed it to her heart.
That was the last Viri saw of them as she and Reeve hurried from the room, their pace increasing to a run as they passed Galen’s still-empty desk and headed toward the glass-doored exit. People were milling about now, councilors and Guild heads who had finished with their meeting, some crying out in startled recognition as Viri and Reeve rushed by—which in turn drew the notice of two waiting Nox guards, likely the partners of those Meera had knocked unconscious.
Viri cursed as the Nox sprang forward in pursuit, yelling at her and Reeve to stop. She pushed her legs harder toward the exit, her heart hammering in her chest as she sprinted through the doors with Reeve at her heels, both of them barreling along the Summit’s inner-mountain tunnel toward the wayportal as the Nox’s yells continued ringing out behind them.
But Viri and Reeve were too fast, their desperation too strong,and with an extra burst of speed, they made it to the magestone arch, where Viri leapt through first and guided it straight to the still-bustling market district. She waited only as long as it took for Reeve to appear before grabbing him and jumping back into it again, confident that one of the many busy shoppers would activate the portal next—which would keep the Nox from following them to their actual destination: the uppercity’s southernmost wayportal.
The moment Viri hurtled out the other side, bright sunlight seared her vision, causing her to hiss with pain. Reeve’s arrival was less dramatic, though he quickly shielded his eyes from the glare, both of them breathing hard from their mad dash.
That was close,Viri thought, knowing that a few more seconds and those Nox might have caught them. If not for Sarielle being so understanding…If not for Meera helping them get away…
Viri didn’t want to think about what might have happened, had the timing or circumstances been any different.
“Let’s not do that again,” Reeve panted, rolling the tension from his shoulders.
“Agreed,” Viri murmured, assuming he was talking about being chased by the Nox, though he could have been referring to any part of their Summit infiltration. Everything they’d done…There would be repercussions, she was sure of it. But she would deal with the fallout later. For now, their mission was all that mattered.
Inhaling deeply to steady herself, Viri peered around to get her bearings, taking in the vast farmland stretching out to the east—the animals all safely inside the wards—and the ancient white mausoleums peeking out from within the craggy trees to the west. There was something else, too—something resting inbetween the farms and the necropolis, standing tall and proud beneath the sunshine.
The Southern Obelisk.
Viri shivered at the sight of it in the distance, unable to forget the last time she’d been this close to the tapered obsidian stone that rose as high as any building. It might have been seven years, but the tragedy of her Impartation day was still fresh enough that a lump formed in her throat, and she hastily tore her gaze away.
“This way,” she said hoarsely, avoiding Reeve’s probing eyes as she strode west toward the necropolis, pulling the map out to confirm their magical path began at the farthest border of the ancient cemetery.
Keeping pace at her side, Reeve glanced from her to the shadowy obelisk and asked, hesitantly, “Do you want to talk about—”
“No,” Viri said sharply. He was the last person she would ever want to talk to about what happened that day.
He let it drop, almost as if he didn’t want to discuss it either, though that was unsurprising given the choices he’d made in the wake of her parents’ deaths.
Viri’s pain and rage rose so swiftly that she could taste them, like a bitter, coppery film coating her tongue. She couldn’t bear to look at Reeve as they stepped through the pillared entrance into the necropolis, needing space, needingdistance, hating that neither would be possible until they stopped her brother and could go their separate ways.
Digging her fingernails into her palms, Viri used the sting to ground herself, then forcefully pushed her emotions—and memories—away. Only when the urge to lash out at Reeve had passed did she take the time to look around, her boots crunchingover rocks and dirt as they moved quickly through the eerily quiet necropolis.
It had been over a decade since Viri had last visited, but her surroundings were just as unnerving now as they’d been then, the sunshine struggling to trickle through the twisting canopy of trees, creating shadows that were often mistaken for wandering spirits. Once known as the City of Tombs, the expansive burial grounds contained a variety of vaults and crypts and catacombs both above and beneath the earth, all carved out of pure white stone. Many of the structures were so old that they were little more than crumbling monuments—some as large as houses, others mere grave markers small enough to trip over—and at the heart of them all was a towering cathedral sitting atop a grassy knoll, said to be haunted by the ghosts of the ancient mages.
Viri wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but even she couldn’t keep from shivering as they passed the rusted gates at the base of the small rise, the spired white cathedral looming over them like something straight out of a nightmare. She could almost swear she heard screams coming from within, the cries of the ancient dead calling from beyond the sealed front doors. Goosebumps prickled her skin, but she gritted her teeth against her unease, refusing to be spooked by what was surely a combination of creaking branches, whistling wind, and all-around creepiness of the necropolis.
“I hate it here,” Reeve murmured, visibly shuddering as he stared up at the spooky cathedral. “My dad used to say they buried people alive in there—the White Tomb, he called it. He said anyone who dared pass through the doors never came out again.” A sad smile touched his lips. “I’m pretty sure he was just trying to scare me away from exploring. Probably worried I would disturbthe dead and end up cursed or something. He was superstitious like that.”
Viri was surprised to hear him speak about his father, since he rarely had when they were young. “Parents tell their kids all kinds of stories to keep them from sneaking around out here,” she said. “Not just to respect the dead, but because we’re so close to the Mistwood.” She indicated the trees surrounding them, which were becoming denser as they neared the far edge of the necropolis, where the Southern Obelisk’s wards ended. “One step too far, and that’s it. There’s no coming back from blackmist exposure.”
“Not without a magewish,” Reeve said wryly, reminding her of the Guardian legend and her supposedly revived-from-the-dead ancestor.
“I still find it hard to believe that happened,” Viri said, picking her way around a crumbling staircase that led to an underground crypt.
Reeve shrugged, the gesture strangely stiff. “We can ask him ourselves soon enough.”
