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CHAPTER FORTY ONE

I waited in the Astral Sanctuary with bated breath.

The Seers had seen an impending battle and mayhem had broken out in the Reapers’ quarters over some truth that had come to light.

Among the chaos, Solomon had sent me here to wait for him and I hadn’t managed to grasp the knowledge before I’d left.

My golden cloak spilled around me, catching the light of the everflames that shivered in jars laid upon the zodiac wheel carved into the floor of the sanctuary.

Never Keep was alive with the arrival of new neophytes and Solomon had come and gone over the past weeks, demanding I stay here and continue to assist the other Reapers in training them.

I had hoped to be travelling south to Cascada already, but upon Solomon’s most recent visit to the Keep he’d suggested I take the Reapers’ Pilgrimage with the other newly-made prophets, travelling from land to land and visiting the Astral Sanctuaries to better acclimatise to this new way of life before rooting myself to one location.

All I really wanted was to go home. But it seemed his promise of a permanent position in Cascada was conditional and I couldn’t exactly go against his wishes.

Especially while I was still helping to gather information on the Never Keep Reapers who were up to dark deeds.

Though it was hard to gain access to their inner circle when they gathered in secret so often and rarely invited the newer ranks to join them.

Finally, the wooden doors parted at the far end of the sanctuary and the Cardinal Reaper swept toward me through the flickering everflame jars.

He cast a silencing shield as he closed in on me, a frantic gleam in his eyes telling me that the bedlam was only just getting started.

“Harlon Brook, you have been my only confidant in these darkened halls since my arrival at the Keep. You have kept your vow of secrecy and proven true devotion to myself and the stars. What I impart to you now can never leave your lips lest I command it, do you understand?”

“I do,” I breathed. “And I have practiced my mental shields daily like you asked. I believe I can contain certain memories now and keep them from being taken by a Cyclops.”

“Good,” he sighed. “That is very good. Now listen.”

I moved nearer to him, unblinking as I waited to learn what he knew.

“The Seers have seen a terrible battle breaking out in Pyros. News has travelled from ear to ear across The Waning Lands. News of the Void’s emergence, the one spoken of in the Elysium Prophecy. Pyros has laid claim to this almighty weapon and will wield it upon the coming of the full moon.”

“What can we do to stop them?” I asked anxiously.

If what he said was true, Pyros would win the war. They would take over The Waning Lands. My home. I simply couldn’t let it happen.

“Then you agree they must be stopped?” he whispered.

“Yes, of course.”

“And would you declare the same if Cascada was privy to the Void?”

The question hung in the air, muting me. Because the answer was, of course, no. I would be overjoyed if my land had claimed such a power.

“This is your sin, Harlon,” Solomon said gently. “You are no longer a civilian of the Cascadian land. Your loyalty must lie with me. With the stars.”

“It does,” I said. “But I can’t forget my roots.”

“No, I do not wish you to. But you must think in terms of the greater cause now. And I think you will see it clearer when you know who the Void is.”

“What do you mean ‘who’? Isn’t it a weapon? Some sort of magic?”

“No, it appears not. The stars do not lie. The Seers have confirmed it. The Void is no weapon, it is a Fae. A woman.”

“Who?” I demanded, my tone gruffer than it should have been with a man so holy, but I had to know.

“Everest Arcadia.” He watched my reaction closely as shock dawned on me.

“Pyros has her?” I blurted in fear.

“Yes.”

“Then she needs help. And she can’t be the Void. There’s been a mistake-”

He cut over me. “The Seers have seen her face. And they have seen what she is capable of.”

“Which is what exactly?” I pressed, my pulse rioting in my ears.

“She can counter all magic. She can suppress it, halt it entirely, it seems. If Pyros wields her against the other lands, she will nullify their powers and they will slaughter them in droves.”

I grabbed him by the collar, yanking him nose to nose with me as a bearish growl left my throat. “She would never be their puppet.”

“Do not forget your place, boy,” Solomon warned, and I released him, recomposing myself. But when it came to her, I never had much sense.

I was starting to understand it all now. Why Kaiser Brimtheon had been hunting her. He must have caught up to her despite my efforts and taken her to Pyros.

“Forgive me,” I muttered, pained by all this knowledge. “But she is the closest thing I have ever had to family. I love her. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her.”

Solomon relaxed. “Which is exactly why I told you this truth. I saw what you were to one another when she came here to answer my summons.”

I nodded, saying nothing as I thought on the time she had lied to the Cardinal Reaper.

“They have found a way to wield her, the Seers have seen it,” he said and my throat constricted.

I knew the answer before he said it, the truth shiningly obvious now. The Fury who had captured her had the power of possession; I’d been snared by it myself and felt the potency of his Order’s magic.

“The Matriarch’s son, Kaiser Brimtheon, will wield her beneath the rising moon,” Solomon said darkly. “Unless…”

“Unless what?” I snarled. “How can we stop this?”

“You must go to her, Harlon. You are the only one she will trust. You must find a way to free her from the Flamebringers and bring her here to me where she will be guarded from harm. I will not let her be wielded by any of the four lands.”

“How will I get there in time? The full moon is tomorrow. I can’t travel to Pyros overnight.”

“Oh but you can,” Solomon whispered, taking my arm and guiding me to the centre of the zodiac wheel on the floor.

He crouched down and placed his palm at its heart, a flash of magic igniting at his touch.

The wheel began to lower beneath our feet, revealing a stairway into a hidden chamber beneath us.

At its centre was a stone archway beside a plinth with a bowl containing glittering black grit.

“What is that?” I breathed as Solomon placed a hand on my back and guided me down the steps into the room. The zodiac wheel rose back into place above us, sealing us in the confined space.

“The Reapers have long been privy to secret magics, Harlon. This here is one of them.” He took a handful of the grit and tossed it into the archway.

Glittering light was cast through it and the feeling of flames warmed my face, beckoning me forward.

I marvelled at the magic, unsure what I was witnessing as I crept closer.

“Go,” he urged. “This portal will transport you to Pyros.” He scooped another small handful of the grit into a pouch and offered it to me. “Carry this with you and use it to bring her back here.”

“I can’t just wander through Pyros,” I hissed.

“You are a Reaper now, Harlon. You have power and respect in all lands. They will not see you as a Raincarver any longer, and Pyros will let you move freely through their territory. But be careful, for the ruling monarchs will fight tooth and nail to seize a prize such as the Void. They may not bow to your commands as they rightfully should when the battle is ripe. You will have to use cunning and stealth to claim the prize they all covet so dearly. So be swift to find your friend and bring her to me.”

“Alright, I will, I promise,” I vowed, stepping toward that glittering light and trusting in the Cardinal Reaper.

“Hurry,” he urged at my back. “The fate of The Waning Lands depends on you.”

I walked into the light, placing my destiny in the hands of the stars and hoping I could get to Everest before the whole world fell to the hands of the Flamebringers.