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SILIA

Staring down at us is the lifeless body of Rein.

Dried blood cakes the poorly sewn-up gash across his neck, and his arms are pinned up on either side of his head as if he’s being crucified. My throat constricts, and tears escape my eyes at the sight of my lifelong best friend dangling by his hands, on display in front of the whole realm.

A couple next to me lets out a loud gasp as their hands move to cover their mouths. I cover my own mouth as I look between them and Rein. The resemblance is uncanny, but his parents are dead. This could not be them.

“My boy… Talia, that’s our boy,” the older man manages to say through his sobs.

His parents are alive and gazing upon their dead son’s body nailed to the wall. This can’t be happening.

Chaos floods the ballroom as the guests scream in horror and make to run for the doors. But as if on cue, the ceiling-tall wooden doors slam shut. People furiously pull on the handles, begging the guards to open them.

“Silence!” Erebus’ voice sounds high above the commotion, and the entire room falls quiet. “Unless you want to end up like this man here, I suggest you all stop your wailing.”

The guards standing next to the door leave their posts and fly up to the stage, grabbing hold of Diana and Odious. Everything is happening too fast. The room begins to spin as my mind tries to catch up with the scene unfolding in front of me. My gaze falls to Lars, only to find him motionless, staring at Rein’s body. It occurs to me that he was the only one who did not know Rein was dead.

“Lars, do something!” I silently plead with him in the eather. I don’t even know if there’s anything he can do to stop this, but my mind subconsciously reaches out to him in this dire time of need.

“He’s dead. He— It’s all my fault.”

I rip my eyes from him and snake my way through the crowd, towards the door. Erebus and his guards are distracted enough by Diana and Odious, and I know this is my only chance to escape.

Against my better judgment, I stop with my hand hovering just above the door handle and turn back to face Lars across the room.

I suck in a breath and send one last message to him. “ Come with me. Come home to Eza .”

His head snaps to me, and he stumbles back a bit.

One moment goes by.

Another.

Then another.

I come to my senses as his silence flows through the eather. He has no intention of leaving with me. He wants to stay.

For the second time tonight, I almost tricked myself into believing he truly does care for me.

“ Goodbye, Lars .”

He reaches his hand out for me just as I turn back to the door and push it open.

“Silia, wait!”

But it’s too late. I’m through the door and running at a lung-crushing pace for the back entrance of the palace. I need to get to the stables and find a horse to ride home.

All the guards are busy with the ball, so the hallways are empty as I stumble through them, finally reaching the exit. The doors fly open, then slam shut behind me as I make my way through the palace gardens and find the stables. I rush to the first horse I can find and quickly untie him from his post. I don’t bother with saddling him as I jump up and swing my leg over his back.

In the distance, I can see Lars—no longer masked—come to a skittering halt at the exit doors. He doesn’t make a move to stop me. He just stands still as a statue as his disheveled hair flows through the night air. “Please, don’t leave me.”

The same words I once said to him echo back at me through the eather.

With a heavy conscience and a broken heart, I give him one last glance, then back to the palace where my sister is currently being taken prisoner, and then I whip the reins.

“ Forget me, Lars.”

The horse takes off as I watch the palace fade from view in the foggy night, like a bad dream slowly dissipating.