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CHAPTER TWO

“ T he Keep is secure – return to your Vaults!” the Grand Maester bellowed, his voice amplified with magic, and the walls trembled with its power.

My mind raced with what I’d seen beneath the Keep, the bodies strewn before the archways, Dalia, Moraine, the metallic scent of blood still lingering with me now.

Kaiser Brimtheon had drawn me away from that pit of carnage before I’d had time to seek out any more of the dead, his hand still latched around mine.

The likelihood was, the Sky Witch and Cayde had met an equally bloody end.

Of all their deaths, Vesper’s was the one that struck me like an anvil, the loss of her finding its way into my soul and tearing off a piece of it.

She may not have been a friend, but I had respected what she was despite the lines drawn between us.

She had deserved so much more than an end like that.

She should have died in glory on a battlefield, not in the bowels of this forsaken place at the hands of a lawless monster.

The injustice of it made me mentally hurl a curse at Libra for allowing the unbalance to occur against its own elemental creature.

Perhaps I should have laughed at the foolishness of the deities of Air, and hailed my own elemental creators as far superior, but the tight knot of loss in my chest only allowed for outrage.

The moment Kaiser guided me out of the Reapers’ Quarters into the chaos of the Heliacal Courtyard, his hand fell from mine and his power of possession withdrew a little, giving me back the ability to speak – though he still kept a firm hold on the movements of my body, ensuring I didn’t turn and race back in the direction I had left Harlon.

Regardless, no words passed my lips, all of them silenced by the unfolding havoc before me.

The wounded were screaming, crying out for help where they lay in pools of blood while Reapers and conscripts alike worked to secure the Night Gate which was now shut tight. Snow was falling, creating a swirling tempest that carried those screams up towards the unforgiving sky.

The Grand Maester stood at the heart of the chaos with his gold cloak billowing out around him, shouting commands while he worked to restore order.

“All who are not mortally wounded return to your Vaults and do not come out again until you are given the word to do so! Never Keep has been secured and our gifts as prophets of the stars shall now be focused on healing those who lay upon the cusp of death in this yard. If your injuries are not dire, retreat now. Praise to the stars!”

“Praise to those who tread their destined path!” some called out the natural answer, but many were still regaining their senses after the fight.

A rush of movement marked the retreat, and a mixture of excited chatter and horrified whispers reached me, helping me piece together what had happened here.

“Why did they leave?”

“They drank plenty of blood, perhaps that was all they wanted.”

“Do you think they could have killed everyone here?”

“Not even the Reapers seemed able to stop them. Did you see how many of them it took to kill just one Vampire?”

Kaiser willed me to move with a jolt of his possession, and I hurried aside as a group of Reapers raced into their quarters, ensuring there was no chance of me returning that way for Harlon.

My chest crushed at the thought of abandoning him down there, all too close to that dark entity which had brutally murdered some of his fellow acolytes.

The words Harlon had spoken to me echoed in my head, making me fear for him with a deep kind of terror. “Run, Ever. Never stop running.”

He had spoken as if his fate was set, like there was no escape for him, and he only hoped there was still one for me.

Whatever he had witnessed during his time under the Reapers’ instruction was perhaps even worse than the glimpse I’d stolen of their dealings.

I could have sworn I still felt the aura of the beastly thing which lurked in that cavern with the acolytes.

Kaiser Brimtheon hadn’t witnessed its terrible power, but if he had, I was sure he wouldn’t have declared me the Void. He would know the truth as I did and he would see how preposterous his accusation was, but instead I was his captive for the sake of his mad claims.

My upper lip curled, my gaze fixed on Kaiser’s back as he strode away from me without a word, making a line for North and a group of Flamebringers who looked amped up from the fight.

North embraced Kaiser with a ferocity that proved his relief at finding his brother well, and Kaiser clapped him on the shoulder before they began speaking in low voices that I had no chance of hearing from my position.

My sneer grew. Wicked, unhinged thoughts of bloody murder flitted through my mind before I tore my gaze from the man who had tethered my soul to his. My expression softened when my eyes fell on a large figure who was being swept along with the retreating crowd.

“Galomp!” I called, wanting to run to him, but my limbs were still under Kaiser’s control and apparently, he had decided on me staying right fucking here.

“Miss Everest.” Galomp smiled as he made it to me, wrapping his arms around me and plucking me off the ground to squash me in a hug.

I winced from my injuries, the whip marks the Reaper had left on me searingly sharp, but kaské, it was good to know Galomp had survived the attack.

“Did you get bitten?” I asked, finding I cared far too much for the answer. My heart was meant to be closed to the world, not allowing Sky Witches and Galomps in. It would be a damn parade next if I wasn’t careful, the doors thrown open and a whole marching band tromping in.

“No bites.” Galomp placed me down, looking me over and frowning deeply. “Oh bother, I did not know you were hurt. You look very pale too. Are you well, Miss Everest? Shall I fetch a Reaper?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

My eyes slid to a Stonebreaker on the ground with her neck slashed open as two Reapers worked together to heal her.

I was certainty not in the category of ‘dire’ when it came to my injuries.

There would be no healing touch for me tonight.

Besides, between the shock I was in over everything that had happened and the burn of Kaiser’s Nightfire still simmering in my veins, I could hardly focus on the pain of the whip marks the Reaper had left on me.

I felt Kaiser’s eyes on me again and shot him a glare, finding him watching my interaction with Galomp.

The Fury assessed us with a cold calculation, his silky black hair shifting in the wind, and his eyes glinting red.

I glared back at him but was only served the gift of Kaiser’s possession flooding through me, binding my limbs to his will.

I was forced to start walking away from my fellow Raincarvers and I grabbed Galomp’s arm, dragging him along to wherever Kaiser was sending me.

“Galomp, listen. I need you to do something for me,” I whispered hurriedly.

“Anything for a friend in need.” He nodded and my eyebrows raised at him calling me that.

“Right. Yeah. Friend. Are we friends? Anyway… I left a bag and a cloak under the statue of Taurus across the courtyard. Can you fetch it for me? And keep it hidden until I can come for it?” My legs took a sudden path to the right, away from the stream of Raincarvers and Galomp stumbled after me.

“Yes indeed, oh boy, a mission. But I cannot go back while you are leading me forwards, Miss Everest.”

I reluctantly released him, and he gave me a wide smile before turning abruptly, causing a bunch of Fae to curse as he ploughed his way through them, acting as though they weren’t even there. He was so large and strong that they had no choice but to get out of his way or be mowed down in his path.

“And yes, we are friends!” he bayed back to me, causing me to smile just a little.

I flattened it firmly. This was hardly the thing I should have been focusing on, but Galomp had just saved my ass, and having someone on my side while Harlon was buried away under the Keep didn’t seem like the worst fate dealt to me by the stars, especially now I had a Fury puppeteering my every move.

Kaiser’s possession made me veer further away from the Raincarvers and I was jostled along among a sea of Flamebringers who were so caught up in talking about the Vampire attack that they didn’t notice me among their ranks.

My muscles tensed at the feeling of my enemies surrounding me and I tried to fight against Kaiser’s command over my legs, but there was no stopping it.

I hardly stood out as a Raincarver at least, my black clothes plain and unassuming, making me blend into the background.

Kaiser was clearly happy to risk my neck either way because he walked me straight down the passage into the Vault of Flames, the wooden doors wide and no guards currently manning them.

I gritted my teeth, wondering what the fuck Kaiser was playing at as he forced me to move into enemy territory alone, guiding me down a corridor where everflames danced in sconces on the walls and towering murals of burning trees flanked us on both sides.

Soon, I turned up a stairway, climbing a few floors before stepping into a passage I knew all too well.

No other Flamebringers were with me now and I fought fiercely against the possession that wracked my bones, trying to resist it only to receive a flash of Nightfire searing through my veins.

The burn of it made me stagger, my breath falling heavily from my lungs and pain ratcheting through my bones.

There was no stopping his control. His dominion over me was absolute as he walked me to the door that led into his quarters.

I pressed my hand to the wood and it opened, no magical lock in place to protect the precious Flamebringer’s space.

Perhaps he was arrogant enough to believe no Fae would risk stepping into his private quarters.