Page 25

I don’t remember walking out of the chamber.

One moment, I’m standing in front of my sister, watching the last pieces of her slip through my fingers, listening to her voice break apart my resolve like cracks spreading through glass.

The next, I’m moving through the stone corridor, the air thick and damp around me, torches flickering along the walls, throwing my shadow into jagged shapes I barely recognize. My legs are carrying me forward, but my mind is still back there—stuck in the way Lara’s voice slithered over my skin, in the way her eyes devoured the light.

She’s gone. It’s solidified now.

The thought presses against my ribs, sharp and cruel, leaving no room to breathe.

I don’t realize I’m shaking until I hit the top of the stairs and nearly collapse. My knees buckle, the weight of everything sinking into me all at once, and I brace a hand against the cold stone wall to steady myself. My breath is coming too fast, uneven, my body threatening to unravel under the crushing weight of what ifs and should haves?—

And then he’s there.

Lucian.

I don’t hear him approach, but I feel him, like a shift in the air, like gravity itself recognizes his presence. His arms are around me before I can fall, a steady force grounding me, pulling me back before I can spiral too far.

“Love,” he murmurs, his voice rough with something unreadable.

I let myself sink into him, pressing my face against the smooth fabric of his coat, my fingers gripping the lapels like a lifeline. The scent of him—old leather, cedar, the faintest trace of something darker—wraps around me, comforting in a way I can’t explain.

I can’t keep doing this.

To myself. To him. To any of us.

The thought rises, unbidden. Not just because I’m exhausted, not just because my body is still weak from breaking the Mirror, but because I feel like I’m continuously losing pieces of myself.

Lucian’s hand moves to the back of my head, his fingers threading into my hair, holding me close. He doesn’t speak at first, doesn’t rush me to say anything. He just lets me breathe.

The silence stretches between us, heavy and fragile, until finally, I whisper, “She’s not coming back, is she?”

His arms tighten around me. “We don’t know that.”

I pull back enough to meet his gaze, my throat tight. “Did you see her? She’s… she’s something else. Like she’s been hollowed out and replaced with someone I don’t know. And she looked at me, Lucian. She looked at me and told me I should have let her die.”

His expression darkens, his jaw clenching. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

I let out a humorless laugh, stepping away, rubbing a shaky hand over my face. “I think she knows exactly what she’s saying.”

Lucian exhales slowly, his fingers curling at his sides like he’s fighting something in himself. “Then we will make her remember.”

I shake my head, my eyes burning. “What if she doesn’t want to be saved?” The words scrape against my throat, raw and painful. “What if I’m just dragging her back into something she’s already accepted?”

Lucian’s expression doesn’t change, but there’s something fierce in his gaze, something unyielding. “And what if you’re the only one who can stop her from becoming something worse?”

His words settle into my chest like a stone, heavy with truth.

Lucian studies me, his fingers twitching slightly at his sides, like he’s resisting the urge to reach for me again. “You need to rest, Sylvie.”

I shake my head. “No. I need to know what happens next. I need to be done with this before it consumes me in the same way it’s consumed my sister.”

* * *

Ravenna’s office at the Guild is dimly lit, the scent of burning sage curling through the air. The space is small, lined with shelves filled with books bound in cracked leather, ancient scrolls stacked in neat piles. A single candle flickers in the center of the desk, its wax pooling at the base like melting gold.

Nicole and Rebecca are already inside when I arrive, their expressions tight with unease. Lucian follows behind me, taking his place near the door, arms crossed, silent but watching.

Ravenna and Calidora stand across from us, the weight of their presence alone commanding the room.

“We need to discuss the next step,” I say, skipping past any pleasantries. My voice is steadier now, but I can still feel the remnants of my breakdown clinging to me.

Calidora nods once, her sharp gaze assessing. “You’ve seen her.”

I nod. “She’s worse than I imagined possible.” I shake my head, thinking about how she got me expelled from school. “Maybe I should’ve known. But I didn’t.”

Ravenna folds her arms. “At this point, we have no choice. The Mirror is gone, but there may still be a way to sever what’s been done to her. The longer we stay in limbo, the more the humanity curse takes from her.”

She pauses, and I already know I’m not going to like what she says next.

“We need to use your blood.”

A thick silence falls over the room.

Lucian straightens beside me, his entire body tensing. “No.” He places his palms up. “Absolutely not.”

Ravenna ignores him, her focus on me. “You and Lara were born of the same bloodline, and with the prophecy of the ‘hunter born of twins,’ it is likely that your magic is the key to restoring what was taken from her. We may not have a relic or an artifact or any tangible item. What we do have, however, is you, dear.”

Nicole leans forward slightly. “So what? We just make her drink Sylvie’s blood and hope for the best?”

Calidora shakes her head. “No. It will require a ritual—a dangerous one that is paired with the original incantation Sylvie has practiced.” She flicks her gaze to me. “If we do this, it could alter you permanently as well, and that is something you will either have to accept or we will not move forward. Your magic, your strength. It might bind you to her in ways we can’t predict.”

Lucian takes a step forward. “As I’ve stated, not happening.”

I swallow hard, keeping my voice even, refusing to look at Lucian in this moment. Right now, it’s about me. It’s my choice.

“And if we don’t do it?” I ask.

Ravenna’s lips press together. “Then whatever is inside of her will consume her completely. And there will be no saving her.”

A heavy silence stretches between us.

Rebecca glances at me. “Sylvie…” Whatever she was going to say dies on her lips.

Lucian is seething beside me. I can feel the fury radiating off him in waves, his teeth clenched so tightly I can practically feel his tension.

“I need time,” I say finally, the words barely above a whisper. “I need to think.”

Ravenna nods. “Understandable. But we don’t have long.”

“Give me twenty minutes and then everyone can meet me back in Lara’s chamber. I’ll have my answer, and we can move forward however the elders believe we should.”

I exhale slowly, my fingers curling into the fabric of my sleeves.

There is no good choice.

Either I risk losing everything—including myself—to save Lara…

Or I lose her forever.

And I don’t know which one terrifies me more.