Page 87 of Eternal Ruin

“Me too.” Up close, Yusef’s face was overwrought, tired circles under his eyes. “I can’t help but wonder, you know, if Koril Qaros was dead, Slen wouldn’t be tied up in the 13th.”

Kidan slid him a cautious glance, studying the pain in his eyes. “I wonder what he would think of all this. What’s become of us,” Yusef said.

For a moment, she didn’t know whom he meant. She cast her gaze away, feeling the branches crinkle. GK’s ghost was right behind them, watching.

“I keep thinking about his journal, you know. There are things I didn’t understand before that make sense now. Like why he was always quiet, letting me talk endlessly. Agreeing to my stupid requests. It was almost annoying, how he always put others first. Hell, he barely fought when I drove that knife…” Yusef’s words cleaved, a wince carving his face. He shook his head, as if trying to clear a haunting image. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be as selfless as him, but I want to be better. We have to be better, don’t we? We owe him that.”

Kidan’s eyes squeezed shut, recalling GK’s face among the gravestones at their first meeting, warm eyes, and odd formal language.

All life must be protected, and if you’re in danger, it’s my duty to protect you.

Her fingers traced a circle along Yusef’s upper arm, warm against the breeze. He was the only one who remained from their original group, unchanged.

“You’re doing it again, those symbols.”

“What?”

Yusef studied her finger. “If you weren’t playing with your bracelet, you were tracing those symbols. I debated how to sketch your hand for the exhibition. What do they mean?”

She shook her head, dropping her hand. “Nothing.”

He gave her a curious look, nodding. Kidan had wanted to ask GK what these symbols meant since he drew them in his journal.

Yusef adjusted the silver Umil House pin on his red jacket, looking ahead.

The Arcane Tower lit up with blue flame, the heat of which was so powerful even the cold grass beneath them caught light.

Misery was etched in Yusef’s voice. “Ready to play the twisted game of legacies?”

Kidan scanned the approaching crowd for Slen but she wasn’t here. A moment later, Yusef and Kidan were past the dwarfing curtains and climbing the spiral staircase.

“Wait. What are we supposed to do once we’re in?” he asked.

“Each floor is dedicated to an order,” Kidan responded, recalling Susenyos’s words. “To remain on each floor, you have to partake in the ceremonies. A welcome initiation, a vampire companionship display, and a recital of the Code of the Arcane. Then you will receive interest from prospective bachelors and bachelorettes. If you accept their glove, you announce your intention to court. Don’t accept anything. The rooftop is communal, and where declarations are made.”

They reached the first door, illuminated by two lion statues with blue candles caught in their maws. Kidan went to rub the lion’s mane for strength.

Yusef raised a brow but didn’t say anything. It was part of the Demasus religion to ask for strength and she was still getting used to it.

Welcome to Abyss Order.

A five-petaled flower glowed white on the door. Rosa Abyssinica. The only rose once native to Ethiopia.

They stepped into a dimly lit circular room with people dressed in robes, similar to graduation gowns but altered to reach the thighs. Upon their arrival, a hushfell over the room. Kidan’s palms grew slick, and her eye snagged on a few red-clothed people. She wasn’t the only one here looking for marriage.

An older man dressed in his robes and a silver sash approached. “Name?”

“Kidan Adane.”

His eyes widened, a brightness expanding in his pupils. “Adane. We’ve been waiting.”

She shook his soft hands, thinking of her mother and grandmother. Dressed in red and offered up to the tower like maidens.

Marry. Birth.

Pass down a legacy of blood. The entire idea was archaic.

Susenyos and Iniko slipped into the room a moment later. Visible awe and delight radiated off the members, pointing toward the vampires present.