Page 49

SARIAH

I jerk awake, heart hammering so fiercely it rattles my ribs.

My breath rasps through my raw throat. For a moment, I think I’m in the cave where Kaelith and I huddled together last night—or was it days ago?

—but the surroundings blur, shifting into stark reality.

I’m alone, sprawled on hard ground near the remnants of a cold fire.

The sky overhead has just begun to lighten, gray streaks of dawn creeping across the bare cliffs.

Instantly, panic seizes me. My gaze flicks around the makeshift camp, searching for the hulking silhouette of the gargoyle who’s become my partner, my anchor.

Kaelith. But there’s no sign of him: no broad-shouldered figure in chipped armor, no faint glow of runes.

Only empty space and scattered footprints in the dust. My chest constricts. Where is he?

“Kaelith?” My voice echoes, ragged and small in the hush.

A cold wind rustles over the rocks, offering no answer.

I scramble to my feet, nearly tripping over a fallen branch.

My staff lies within arm’s reach, but that’s the only comfort.

The tether inside my chest—our connection that has guided me through so many perils—simmers with a dull throb, as if subdued by distance.

He’s gone. The realization slams into me, stealing my breath.

For a few heartbeats, I stand rooted in shock.

My brand on my wrist itches painfully, reminding me of the synergy we shared, the battles we survived side by side.

He wouldn’t just leave me, would he? Not after everything.

My heart stutters. Unless Nerezza forced him, or twisted illusions so potent he believed he had no choice.

Anger, laced with heartbreak, flares. Or maybe he went willingly, convinced it would protect me. The possibilities churn in my mind.

My vision blurs with tears as I rake my gaze across the empty camp.

My entire body throbs with leftover exhaustion from the frantic synergy that nearly broke us.

Devastation seeps in, heavier than any physical wound.

He’s truly gone. I want to scream, but my throat seizes, no sound escaping except a choked whimper.

The man I love has disappeared, leaving me with only the echo of the tether’s weakened beat.

“Coward,” I whisper, tears slipping down my cheeks.

It’s not fair to label him that, but fury coils in my belly, fueled by betrayal and fear.

He might have abandoned me for Nerezza. He said he feared I’d become her, but he’s the one who vanished without a word.

A sob bubbles in my chest. How could he?

Before I can fully collapse into despair, the crunch of footsteps behind me jolts me from my misery.

I spin, staff raised, adrenaline surging.

My brand flares, half-expecting Nerezza’s brood or Drayveth’s purna to pounce.

Instead, Drayveth himself emerges from behind a jagged boulder, his expression guarded.

Two of his subordinates linger behind him, both sporting fresh bruises and wary stares.

I bristle, hatred and heartbreak mingling in my veins. My battered relationship with Drayveth teeters between truce and condemnation; he once threatened to brand me a Nyxari if I didn’t kill Kaelith. My pulse spikes. What does he want now?

“Sariah,” he says evenly, voice carrying across the rocky expanse. The wind buffets his dark cloak. “We heard shouting.” His gaze sweeps around the camp, lingering on the empty bedroll Kaelith used. A flicker of understanding crosses his face. “Your gargoyle is gone, isn’t he?”

The question drives salt into my fresh wound. My gargoyle. I want to lash out, but I clamp my jaws shut, tears still burning my eyes. “Yes,” I manage, voice taut. “He left. Or was taken. I don’t know.” My anger surges again, twisting with grief. “Why do you care?”

He exhales, staff shifting in his hand. “You saved me from Nerezza’s brood.

I owe you at least civility.” A faint note of regret weaves through his tone.

Then he glances at his subordinates, who remain a few paces behind, scanning for threats.

“We saw tracks leading away from here, fresh. Gargoyle footprints, accompanied by… something else. Possibly illusions. We suspect Nerezza drew him out.”

My heart lurches. “She must have enthralled him again.” I recall the illusions she conjured last time we saw her, how she nearly trapped Kaelith’s mind.

But is that the entire story? A darker voice hisses, What if he went willingly, believing Nerezza’s promises?

I squeeze my eyes shut, breath shaking. “I should have been awake,” I murmur, heartbreak suffusing every word. “I could’ve stopped him.”

Drayveth regards me with an unexpected gentleness, though behind it smolders old distrust. “Nerezza’s illusions are powerful.

Perhaps he thought he was protecting you by leaving.

” His gaze flicks to the brand on my wrist, the same brand that once marked me as part of his coven.

“Or perhaps he embraced her calls. Either way, you’re alone now. ”

Alone. The word echoes in my chest, gnawing with savage clarity.

I’ve lost Kaelith. My brand throbs, as if mocking me that my synergy partner is out of reach.

My tears threaten to spill anew, but I steel my spine, refusing to break in front of Drayveth.

“Why are you here?” I snap, voice rough.

“If you’re here to kill me or drag me back, do it quickly. I have no reason to fight you now.”

One of Drayveth’s subordinates bristles, eyes narrowing.

But Drayveth silences them with a raised hand.

His expression is grim, lines of worry etched into his face.

“You misunderstood me before. I never wanted your death, only your compliance. But now that you’re alone, I come with one final offer: rejoin the coven.

Help us seal these gargoyles—Kaelith included—and end Nerezza’s plague. You can salvage your life.”

My chest hollows. Help them seal Kaelith away?

The mere thought sends fresh agony slicing through me.

But Drayveth continues, misreading my stricken expression for consideration.

“Think rationally, Sariah. Kaelith’s gone.

If he’s joined Nerezza, you can’t save him.

The gargoyles are unstoppable unless we harness old wards.

If you help me, the coven might forgive your transgressions.

You won’t be hunted as a Nyxari. You can return to our ranks. ”

Return. The word tastes bitter, conjuring memories of training halls, of nights spent studying incantations under Drayveth’s tutelage.

My brand stings, recalling how they turned on me the moment I refused to kill Kaelith.

My emotions swirl: longing for a sense of belonging, hate for their cruelty, and heartbreak that they still demand I seal Kaelith to prove my loyalty.

And if Kaelith truly left me for Nerezza… is Drayveth right?

A heavy silence weighs. Drayveth’s subordinates shift impatiently.

The man with a scar across his cheek fiddles with the runes on his staff, while the woman with shaved hair observes me with suspicion.

My entire body trembles, tears threatening again.

Kaelith is gone. Did he betray me, or was he forced?

I recall the synergy we shared just a day ago, how fiercely we clung to each other. The echo of “I love you” resonates in my mind. A sob lodges in my throat. Could he truly betray that bond?

“Sariah,” Drayveth presses, voice firm. “Help me seal the gargoyles once more. We can end this threat—Nerezza’s brood, Kaelith, all of them. Return to the coven. Let us guide your power so it doesn’t consume you. Otherwise…” He leaves the threat unspoken. Otherwise, they brand me Nyxari for real.

I clench my staff, the polished wood slick in my sweaty grip.

My brand itches fiercely, as though urging me not to turn away from the love I found, no matter how broken it seems now.

But the despair inside me roars: Kaelith left.

Maybe the love was a lie. My tears overflow, sliding down my cheeks.

“I can’t,” I breathe, barely above a whisper.

“Even if he’s gone… I won’t betray him.”

One of Drayveth’s subordinates curses under her breath. “Then you’re a fool,” she spits, stepping forward with menace. “He abandoned you, or worse, he’s joined Nerezza. You owe him nothing.”

Pain flares in my chest. I owe him everything.

The tears intensify, but a fierce anger rises as well.

“You don’t understand,” I snap, voice shaking.

“He risked his life for me so many times. He was the only one who believed I wasn’t some toy or soldier to be manipulated.

I won’t let your coven twist me into a gargoyle-killer. ”

Drayveth’s eyes narrow, a flicker of frustration crossing his brow. “You’d condemn this world to Nerezza’s chaos for one gargoyle? Is that truly what you’re saying?”

I recoil, shame and fury mingling. I’m not condemning the world. Kaelith and I both wanted to stop Nerezza. But Drayveth’s condemnation warps everything. I can’t find the words to explain. My brand pulses in confusion, tears scalding my cheeks.

He exhales, shoulders slumping as if in pity.

“We’re out of time, Sariah. The coven is preparing wards to contain the gargoyles.

If you help, we can reinforce the ancient seals.

If not…” He lifts his staff, the runes etched into it glowing menacingly.

“We mark you Nyxari in truth. No second chances. No illusions of mercy.”

For a heartbeat, the temptation to yield washes over me.

What if Kaelith truly joined Nerezza, enthralled by illusions or old guilt?

Maybe there’s no redemption. My tears blur the bleak mountain scenery.

If that’s the case, could I rejoin the coven, stop living under threat? I’d be safe. I’d belong again.