Page 1 of Eternal Ruin

1.

KIDAN

Death waited in Kidan Adane’s house, and tonight it would regret ever visiting her.

Locked in one of the private wood-and-metal workshop rooms in the School of Art building, Kidan finished her reread ofWeapons of the Darkand picked up the tool that would kill vampires.

An impala horn.

Tonight, Samson Sagad would die.

And Kidan would finally use hellfire to snap her sister free from his hold.

The thought of June made her fingers tremble, and a familiar square appeared on top of her desk. Kidan shook her head, adjusted her safety glasses, and focused.

Samson had to die first.

Kidan’s fingers smelled like the ash of cigars, but even the ghost of Mama Anoet couldn’t reach her in this place. For three hours each day, Kidan came to the fourth-floor room that looked out onto Ahnd Cemetery, locked herself inside, and ground a curved impala horn against a whetstone, creating curling peels of animal remains. It was tough work, but the process of deconstructing an object, even one such as this, gave her peace of mind. Sometimes, she imagined using just her bare hands to shatter an object. It almost happened a few days ago, when June appeared on her doorstep with fucking Samson. The metal doorknob had bent under Kidan’s hold. Since then, she kept searching for that wisp of power again, willing things to break at her mere touch. But it seemed only her anger at June could call forth that power.

Cupping a hand on the edge of the desk, Kidan scraped the shavings into her palm with the other and deposited them in a small black cup. Reaching for a blowtorch and a pair of thick gloves, she paused to glance at the empty desk across from her.

A memory came to her, Susenyos bent over the artifacts she’d shattered, a frown between his straight brows as he taught her how to piece broken objects back together.

The last time they’d spoken had been four days ago, the start of winter break, the day June arrived on her doorstep. They were allies now, had agreed to work on mastering the house together. So why did he suddenly leave?

He’d told her to wait until he got back, and nothing else.

Kidan’s hand drifted to her neck, remembering his burning bite in the Bath of Arowa. The solid outline of his body under his drenched shirt, impossibly close to hers. She shook her head, trying to stop the images. But the longer he stayed away, the more she went back to their old conversations and burning touches, slid them under a microscope, and tried to understand where they stood.

He’d said he didn’t blame her for the loss of his immortality in Adane House. But he also hadn’t touched her since.

In her darkest moments, Kidan thought he’d left her behind. Susenyos was running from something. A danger he wouldn’t tell her about. It had worried her parents enough for them to set a punishing law on him, preventing him from leaving Uxlay. But fear of the Adane House law couldn’t keep Susenyos in place forever.

He was human now.

In all the rooms of Adane House. He had nothing left to lose.

Kidan’s hand shook slightly as the whirring blue flame of the torch sparked like a small spear, illuminating her face.

Wait for me before you do anything, he’d said.

Patience wasn’t really Kidan’s strong suit.

She brought the fire to the bottom of the cup, watching as the shavings writhed in an effort to escape the heat before becoming ash.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she worked. Going through the motions—shave, burn, collect ash—and letting her thoughts fade. She needed a large amount of impala horn ash. At least a full bag’s worth.

And today, it was ready.

Next came the tricky part.

Kidan stretched the opening of a black balloon apart and funneled the impala ash inside. Once she tied the balloon, she held it up with a smile. She now had seven balloons filled with impala horn ash.

After wiping her desk down with disinfectant, Kidan exited the room with her hand around the balloon strings.

Uxlay’s campus was a ghost town. Most students were vacationing in Africa, visiting distant relatives. Slen and Yusef were here, though, waiting on Kidan’s call.

She checked her watch again. As previously rogue vampires, Samson, Arin, and Warde had to attend three hours of compulsory induction every day. Kidan could weep before Professor Andreyas for giving her such freedom.