Page 32

Arina didn’t tell me much about the secret passage she’d found through the bridge.

I also never asked. Part of it was my trust and faith in her—and probably an excess of it, given how reckless I knew my sister could be.

But another reason I didn’t ask was that I didn’t want to know.

The more details I had, the more of a weapon I could be against her.

Even what little I did know probably put her in danger.

If she’s not on the outside…if Kaelis did something to her…

The thoughts have my blood hotter than the warm air of the greenhouse as I emerge from the Sanctum of the Majors.

Kaelis might feign that her name is unfamiliar to him, but I know better.

I know his nature and have seen firsthand how closely he keeps watch over his precious academy.

He’s toying with me, and I’m not going to allow it a second longer.

Yet, as the dark halls of the academy unfurl before me, my thoughts linger on him longer than I’d like.

The feeling of his arms wound tight around me, pulling me out of that nightmare world.

The worry in his voice, and the reassurance his presence unexpectedly brought—the same feeling as when his hand rested on my hip with Ravin and with the Halazar guards.

Protected. Safe. No doubt that’s how he wants me to feel. Kaelis is a master manipulator. An expert at control. The longer I stay here, the more at risk I am of falling prey to his ploys. The invisible threads of his influence are already wrapping around me, as unyielding as his grip.

Students, initiates, faculty, and staff alike are all busy with dinner in the main hall, making now the perfect moment for me to slip away. Briefly, I consider going back to my room to collect supplies, but I don’t risk it. I don’t want to risk drawing attention to myself.

The one thing I wish I had done was scavenge some food.

The snacks Myrion brought helped, but weren’t a sufficient replacement for a meal.

My stomach is screaming at me. Three proper meals and it’s been reminded of how good it feels to be full again.

The world tilts slightly as I descend a winding staircase.

There will be time to eat once I’m out of here. I’ll savor Jura’s cooking with Twino over a pot of piping hot tea. The ingredients will cost half as much as what they serve here and taste twice as good.

Knowing little about Arina’s passage beyond its existence and a few vague mentions, I’m left to reason where it might be on my own.

Using the windows as guidance, I navigate in the direction of Eclipse City and the mighty bridge that extends between it and the academy.

The bridge is low compared to the rest of the academy, so I head down in search of the base of the fortress.

One passageway spills into the next. I use the Two of Wands to guide me. The card burns away, leaving trails of glittering orange light to point in the direction of my intent whenever I’m at a crossroads. But I’d inked only three of the card, and soon I’m left traversing on instinct alone.

The rooms become progressively darker as the magic sconces and lanterns that illuminate the academy become fewer in these unused and forgotten spaces.

It’s hard to keep my focus when slightly ajar doors beckon with the mystery of whatever secrets lie within.

My thoughts wander to the machine Kaelis made it a point to bar me from.

How many more secrets are locked away in the depths of the academy?

What skeletons does the void-born prince keep entombed?

The farther I go, the higher the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

The sense that someone is watching me won’t abate.

I keep glancing over my shoulders and stopping behind doors, back pressed against the wall, ears straining.

Once I even think I hear footsteps. But they’re gone so quickly that I can’t be certain whether the sound was the soles of boots against threadbare rugs or the beating of my heart.

Move faster.

Every step is propelled by those two words. The shadows become thicker. My breath quicker. Rooms blur in my haste. Fading away.

You will never leave this place.

The thought is so vivid it’s as if someone whispered it in my ear. I can almost feel cool breath on the nape of my sweat-slicked neck. Faster. Faster still. The walls are closing in, trying to squeeze me out—crush me.

Luck is on my side. Luck is on my side. Luck is on my side.

Shadows come alive in the same way as when Kaelis is near. My head is on a swivel. The sensation of being watched has yet to leave. Is someone chasing me? Or is it just the echoes of my footsteps? These mind games are exactly what Kaelis would play.

“Enough!” I snap, whirling in place. But nothing is there. I can hardly even see the hallway I’ve just been down. “No more games, Kaelis!”

As if in response, all light vanishes.

I run.

My teeth begin to chatter from cold and fear. Invisible hands push against my shoulders. They try to pull me back. I want to scream, but I won’t give him—wherever he is—the satisfaction. My knees knock and lock. I stumble, nearly tumbling down a decrepit staircase and breaking my neck.

But sheer will and my hatred of Kaelis and this whole fortress are enough to hold my bones together. My lungs burn from the cold. My heart pounds from the sensation of hands upon me. Pushing. Pulling. Grabbing like the guards of Halazar would manhandle.

All at once, I stumble into a vast space. I can see nothing, but the claustrophobia yields. I gasp, chest heaving, side aching. The air here is so cold it stings my eyes.

I put my hands out, fumbling in the now complete darkness, and my palms meet the stone of one of the walls.

I follow it along, still waiting for Kaelis to reveal himself with a roar of laughter and taunts.

Halazar has made me no stranger to the absence of light.

But there’s something about this that’s unnatural.

Magic hangs in the stale air, sizzling across my skin.

It cracks to the surface as my palm glides across ornate carvings.

Cold silver flames spring to life in iron braziers that flank a massive doorway. The flames give off no scent or smoke. Light dances off the imposing door, its carved surface adorned with an odd amalgamation of card symbolism.

I spin in place, expecting to use the light to scan the room.

But its glow extends hardly more than a few steps beyond me.

Everything else remains shrouded in obscurity.

My unease has abated but not vanished. I wait to see if Kaelis will emerge, but he never comes.

Perhaps I lost him…I turn back to the door.

It certainly has the appearance of a grand entrance.

I’ve seen the students and faculty parade across the bridge every year for the Fire Festival, so I know the modern academy entrance connects to the top of the bridge.

But, given how old the academy is, this might have once been the standard entry and exit.

I push on the doors, but they don’t budge. Putting my weight into them yields nothing. None of the sculpted edges have any give. There are no hidden levers. No secret buttons nestled among the various carvings of cups and swords.

Stepping back, I assess the sculpted facade. There’s magic at work here. Squinting, I tilt my head and push away all other thoughts and worries, trying to reason what the method to opening this passage might be. I’ve come this far; I’m not going to be thwarted by a lock.

A pattern emerges the longer I stare. Slowly, but it’s clear.

What I thought was pure chaos at first is anything but.

I can make out a hand holding a sword aloft.

Wands at a glance form a crown on a profile that could also be interpreted as a Queen of Cups.

It’s as if four cards have been layered on top of one another.

Artwork blending, mixing in a chaotic but suddenly clear way.

The Four of Wands, Queen of Cups, Ace of Swords, and Six of Coins lift from my deck. As soon as they do, they are drawn into the doors by a force of magic not my own. They explode into silver light that illuminates the hidden patterns.

The doors silently swing inward, opening to yet more darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I step through the wall of living shadow, emerging into a dimly lit room with a floor of smooth sand.

The only sources of light are ten beams. They’re razor-thin, vertical, and set at even intervals like columns.

I squint, trying to ascertain the source, but it’s obscured from my vision.

The rays of light seem to appear from nothing, punching between grooves in the ceiling.

On the distant side of the room is an arched opening. Inviting. I can already imagine the way out is on the opposite side.

It’s too easy, instinct tells me. Especially given how difficult the doors were to get through.

But, then again, perhaps the doors were the primary defense?

No, something is off here. The beams of light with no source.

The stillness that is so present it feels like another person…

Though, Kaelis has yet to emerge, which causes me to doubt my senses.

Skimming through the cards in my deck, I search for something that might help. Once more, I’m left wishing I’d planned my escape better. But it wasn’t as if I knew an opportunity would present itself so soon.

Three of Wands—safety in travel—it’s the best I have. The only thing that might be mildly useful. I return the deck to its holster and drop the card, stepping on it. Magic rushes over my feet, trailing up my body as flaming vines that vanish before they pose any danger.

Gathering my courage, I step forward, easing my weight onto the sand. I’m not immediately sucked down. In fact, nothing changes.

Focus steady on the opposite doorway, I take another step, and another.

A flicker catches the corner of my eye. As soon as it registers that one of the beams of light has vanished, the magic I cast with the Three of Wands surges.

My boots move, feet carried along by virtue of being inside them.

The magic takes me on what would be the “safe” path by taking two steps back.

The beam of light reappears where I was standing.

Avoid the light? The realization has barely had time to register when another beam disappears, reappearing next to me. I pivot, this time using the magic protecting me to my advantage, moving faster than I should. But another beam has moved—or I was closer than I thought to begin with.

My arm clips the light, barely.

A stab of pain rushes straight to my head.

It’s bad enough that I’m left gasping. Stunned.

The sleeve of my jacket has been cut through, perfectly clean.

Blood pours from my forearm onto the sandy ground.

A pale stone catches my eye, distracting me.

I move my foot, shifting the sand around it.

That’s not a stone… What is undeniably a bone shard serves as a stark warning.

The Queen of Cups raises from my deck, flashing. Skin mends, but the pain remains. Another flicker. The light shifts. I dodge.

The beams wink in and out. I dance around them. One step forward, one back. Two forward. Three back. Side to side.

I can’t make any progress, and the magic of the Three of Wands is quickly wearing off.

My muscles are burning, and the fire escapes as a scream as I fail to dodge another beam of light.

This one slices clean through my foot, blood exploding across the sand, the appendage rendered nearly useless instantly.

Fingers twitching, I hunt for another Queen of Cups that isn’t there.

I used the other one I’d inked on the door.

The sheared tendons in my foot put my balance on a tilt.

I try to compensate, and my foot twists in the sand.

I tumble. A beam of light blinks out of existence, reappearing at my back.

Fuck. There’s not even time for my life to flash before my eyes when my shoulder clips the razor-sharp beam mid-fall.

I contort enough that it barely misses the life-sustaining vein in my neck, but it cleaves deep through me.

Deep enough that this time there’s no sound for the pain to escape on, only a bloody gurgle.

As I blink up at the gray ceiling, the lights flicker. Closer each time, like they’re chasing me—mocking me. The edges of my vision blur and darken. Every blink is harder than the last. I can’t even move my right arm. My whole body shudders, going cold.

I want to think of the club, my mother, my sister. But I can’t even muster the strength for a final thought that would bring me some comfort. All I can think is:

I’m going to die here.