Page 132 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

The blade arced again, forcing her to retreat. The gate loomed just behind her, and the tunnel walls boxed her in. She feinted to slip past him, but he’d expected the move, striking her with his forearm. Before she could regain her footing, he kicked her square in the stomach.

Her body hurtled backwards, slamming into the gate. A metallic clang reverberated through the tunnel.

Could it be…?

Kathrine’s fingers grasped one of the bars. She pulled, and the gate creaked open, revealing the gaping chasm below.

The gate was unlocked.

“Jump and you’ll crack your skull,” Sevar’s voice coiled behind her, as cold as the night air. In seconds, he would swing again – and this time, he wouldn’t miss.

Kathrine leapt to her feet, savouring the salty breeze. She wished to preserve its essence forever. Without breaking eye contact with her fiancé, she took a hesitant step backwards.

The curve of his lips mirrored the lethal arc of the blade in his hand.

“You don’t have the nerve, violet love. If you did, you’d have left Antambazi long ago. But you’re not one of those, are you, Kathrine? You prefer underhanded tricks.Cowardlytricks…”

She took another step back. Her heel met only empty air, and the weight of her body caused her to teeter into the void. Sevar’s smug expression was the last thing she saw.

49

Amelia

Amelia crouched beside a narrow stream, its gentle whisper having lured her as she wandered through the woods instead of heading to her training session with Mikhail. She dipped her fingers into the icy water. When would she be able to bury the past?

Though she’d walked away, she still waited forhim. Each accidental touch sent shivers down her skin; his voice stirred vibrations deep within her core. His lingering glances tricked her into believing he desired her, yet his words froze every fragile illusion she dared to entertain.

She snatched a stone from the bank and hurled it into the water, watching the skipping ripples it created. She would have traded her very soul to turn back time and prevent the bewitching connection between her and Mikhail from ever forming. Better never to have loved him than to be shackled to a past that clouded her focus and pulled her from the war that demanded all of her.

A gentle breeze brushed the fine hairs on her neck.

“A fallen angel, bathed in the rays of late spring…”

Amelia jumped to her feet. Activating her Oracle sight, she spun around towards the voice. Callan stepped out from behind a trunk, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark-blue jeans, with a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Don’t hide your silver tears in the stream,” he said.

She wasn’t sure what he meant. “I’m not crying, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Callan reached out and brushed her cheek. When he lifted his finger, a single droplet glistened on his skin. He scrutinised it before returning his attention to Amelia.

“You’re staring at me like I’m some sort of circus animal,” she said.

An unidentified immortal.Not that it mattered what Mikhail or Callan – or anyone else, for that matter – thought of her. Her sole focus now was the Sacreds and triumphing over the Queen. If others considered her an enigma, well, that was their prerogative.

“Quite the opposite,” he said. “I’ve never encountered more extraordinary beings than the Oracles. Each of you possesses unique gifts. You’re all distinct. And being different is a tremendous strength.”

“In plain modern language, we call that afreak,” she said.

“The masses point fingers at outsiders because deep down they sense their power.”

Amelia took a step back, shifting her gaze to the stream. She wasn’t seeking anyone’s approval, yet his words kindled unexpected warmth within her.

“Did you manage to connect with the gloves?” Callan asked.

She shook her head. “No matter how hard I try, it’s as if they’re walled off, inaccessible to me. Maybe if I had clearer guidance, like the insights from the ayradjakli… And then there’s the matter of travelling to Hell.”

“Have you tried focusing on the Sacreds in Antambazi?”