Page 23

Chapter 21

Aaliyah

T he shadows that had snuffed out the light at the ruthless beckoning of that voice in my head faded. It was barely a second before my feet touched the ground again, and I was left in a familiar room, with rolling mercury beneath me and a flickering of stars in the vast expanse of pitch-black sky above me.

My muscles tensed until they screamed, only getting worse as I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to stabilize my footing. My throat closed next, eyes darting from one endless stretch to another as I waited for the bite of Sebek's hand, for another growled command or the splash of more hot blood across my face.

For the deaths I was sure I'd caused.

But the Void was quiet, filled with a blistering silence I couldn't get away from. It hugged close to my skin, like the gentle embrace of a mother, careful yet insistent as it seemed to check me over. I managed two deep breaths, enough to stop the shaking in my hands and feel the ache that still lingered in the junction of my neck.

That I hurt told me I wasn't here as a ghost. So, this wasn't a memory.

I looked at my hands. The soft white of my skin was hinted with enough color to tell me I was here in the flesh . Though, I had no idea how. There was a tug at my chest, like the air was testing me, trying to see if I was still alive.

Was I?

Somewhere in me, my soul stirred, and the pressure behind my eyes had me swaying on my feet. It was grueling, but it wasn't enough of a distraction to keep my mind from the lack of warmth at my wrist anymore, the bitter cold making my lips numb. Adrenaline left me in a vicious rush, sending me spiraling as I wiped away a streak of blood that slid out of my nose. Everything ached, everything burned, and all I felt was dread.

All that grief and pain just to lead to this; me alone in the Void. I'd spent so much time in survival mode since Sebek had taken me that the impact of his actions suddenly had ground to stand on. They weren't just in my head; they were real .

Adrian and Fallon were gone.

They. They ?—

I couldn't do this.

Not alone, not like this. Not in the silence. I hated the silence?—

"Aaliyah?" a voice whispered, the gentle timbre a light in the endless tunnel of night that had stretched out in front of me.

Like finding water after a long drought, the weight of solitude lifted off me as I sagged and turned. "Osiris?"

He looked battered, a gouge in his side cutting through suit and flesh, his eyes sunken and dim, as lifeless as his lack of breath. And quiet … so quiet . Motionless in a way that made the hair on my arms raise, meaning to caution me against a predator in the room.

I wasn't sure how he was here, in the Void with me, but I'd never in my life been so happy to see him.

It was as if I were watching the snowfall from the dining table, a drop of peaceful silence as he went from unbreathing to drawing in a gasping breath. He was on me in an instant, no hesitation as he pulled me into his arms, crushing me to his chest as he shook. His fingers sought out skin, tension draining from him with every spark that lit where he touched. One hand found my hair, sliding deftly through the strands, the other a strong band around my waist. I clung to him greedily. The chill of him replaced the weight of loss, and in that moment, in his arms, I fell apart.

"They're gone, Osiris. They're gone, " I whispered, choking on the words and the tears that burned in the back of my throat. "They can't be gone."

A shudder racked its way through his body, one that ended at his hands as they trembled. He didn't let me go, not even long enough for him to breathe himself.

"I know, lux mea. I know," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He swallowed, the sound echoing in my ear. A few seconds of silence followed as he just held me, his hands roaming, his movements unflinching. I looked up at him, his gaze far away, like I'd seen so many times before.

The numb consumed us both. The implications of the faded marks on my wrist a weight neither of us had the strength to bear.

"Archon?" I asked, even as the word caught.

Denial had me firmly by the throat, even as I said his name. Some part of me was still convinced that when we got out of this mess, the others would be waiting for us. Sitting by the fire in the library with hot chocolate and cookies, warm smiles waiting to welcome us home … We were supposed to go home. So we could set up the Christmas tree like Adrian had promised. All of us.

"They never made it back," Osiris confirmed, his head dipping. His eyes were on the floor, the silver seeming to bubble under his feet, as if agitated by his presence. I covered my wrist, suddenly sickened just by the thought of it.

Loss warped you, broke off pieces you'd never thought you'd lose. Sebek had told me of their fate, had told me what he'd planned … but somewhere, I'd still hoped he was lying. Begged that it had all been an elaborate ploy.

"Aaliyah—" Osiris started.

"They were in so much pain, Osiris. I can still feel it in my chest." Or maybe it was just the roaring of my heart, like a devastating wave of grief that I couldn't fight. I still didn't look down or let go of my wrist. "They were suffering, and we were there , just?—"

We let them die.

" Aaliyah ." Osiris's words met me, dragging me kicking and screaming from my mind with his soft tenor. "Look at me, my light."

Cold hands cupped my cheeks, and the brush of age-old calluses caused me to lift my head. The press of his skin was only overshadowed by the raging melody of his heartbeat.

Outwardly, Osiris was a wave of calm, one I hadn't expected to see. There had been a volatility in him since Kali had shown up, one that left both of us off center, but this Osiris reminded me much more of the one who had saved me at the auction house. Though … that wasn't quite right either.

He seemed free of the burdens that had drowned him. Free of the rage and the pain that came from a past you couldn't change, a past that had broken off bits and pieces of him, parts he was still trying to mend.

I hadn't realized how many of those pieces Osiris had already fit back together.

Not until now.

"Did you come for me?" was all I could manage.

"Aaliyah, there isn't a thing in this world, living or dead , that could keep me from your side." The Void rippled at his words like it was breathing, as if moved by them. He came to Kri'Valta's alone. Fought the Horror of the Depths while not knowing what might come for him or his brothers, to make sure we didn't lose our chance at Exilium, and based on his state, he'd won. "If I could go back, I'd choose you again without question. I have to believe that's what they would have wanted, too."

There was hesitation in the way he said it, a pain that not even his numb could hide. Osiris's arms gently came around me, and I held him as his body arched in hard breaths.

"We are Vivas," he whispered. "And above all else, my light, we are yours ."

Mine. And what was left of my heart was theirs. The ones still there, and the ones I'd never see again. I took a deep breath, trying to settle myself against his words.

I trembled, still looking into Osiris's eyes, when one of his hands dropped, his fingers ghosting against where I gripped my wrist. The touch was soft, the spark of his skin against mine suddenly an inferno. I looked down, on instinct, dragged along by his tender touch.

"Osiris?"

He didn't look away from me. "If there is anyone to blame for this, it is me. I left them to die. You had no part in it."

His hand began to slip, falling away from my skin, taking that spark of warmth with it.

"They weren't just mine, Osiris. They were yours, too . You loved them, just like I did, and you can't bury your hurt because you want to shield mine. Don't let this destroy you again. That's the last thing they'd want."

The numbness broke, just for a second, just long enough for the tears that clouded his eyes to slip down his cheeks. He set his forehead against mine, shuttering when I raised my hand to cup his cheek.

"We can still save Eirik," I whispered, looking around the silver expanse.

Osiris brushed the hair out of my face. His fingertips lingered on my forehead before he looked around as well. The Void was empty, silent. "How do we get out?"

That … I didn't know. I wasn't even sure how we got here. I held my hand over my chest, searching for the tie to the real world. It wasn't like before; I wasn't dead.

So how was I here?

"You get out by letting yourself out," another voice echoed, one that had Osiris freezing. "Preferably in short order."

My attention snapped to the man that was currently picking his fingernails, flexing his hands like a diva to inspect their color. I knew his face. It was one I still recalled in the few memories I'd had of my mother. It was one I saw in the mirror each day. His startling white hair was cut short on the sides, the long top brushed back, accepting the black streak running through it. And his eyes, a purple so light they almost seemed white, had patchwork pieces of gold shimmering inside them.

"Not that this hasn't been … touching , but it's a nightmare to maintain living souls in this plane. Not that I don't appreciate that darling piece of art you pulled in there—it was a sight . "

The room shook, and Osiris was standing between me and the man in an instant. He held his hand up, pinky and ring finger down in a fighting stance, head held high even as he shook. His magic was a sluggish beast, and sweat pooled on his brow, but that didn't stop the swell as his gift came crashing down on us.

The man didn't blink, looking Osiris up and down with a bored expression.

"Oh , please. Put it away, would you? Even if you had any juice left after that show, you wouldn't be able to fight me here." The man rolled his eyes as he spoke.

The Void, as if responding to those words, pulsed. It went from a dancing cadence to vicious energy in a blink, but it didn't move, didn't go further than that. As if it were testing our limits.

"Yet you haven't attacked me yet," Osiris said, unflinching at the display, his eyes hardening as his jaw clenched tightly. His lips pulled back to show bloodied teeth. "This may be your domain, but that doesn't make me a non-threat. I can promise that if you go for her, you will die here."

The tension rose, the Void circling harder, the pokes at my soul suddenly intentional. My wrist felt raw, my soul bruised from the loss of the others, and as quickly as it had happened before, the weight of that loss sank onto me.

I wouldn't let it happen again.

The Void bent when I stood straighter, stepping to Osiris's side. It lost its pointed edge, and in the next breath, it fell away completely. I waited for an attack, just for the man to tip his head back and laugh.

"Well, aren't you a spoilsport?" he said, brushing his hair back. "You can calm down. I'm not going to hurt him."

He looked me in the eye when he said it, not even bothering to give Osiris the time of day. The ease that he'd spit back insults at a man with centuries of power slipped away when he looked at me. His shoulders bunched tight, his face going blank like he prepped for a fight.

He didn't keep his distance because of Osiris; he kept it because of me.

The black faded from my eyes, and I blinked. I'd ended up completely in front of Osiris, his hand on my shoulder as he looked warily forward. The Void had listened to my call, had turned on the man that seemed to know it so well.

"You're the one from before," I started, still wary. "I saw you in the Void after Sebek took me. Who are you?"

My question must have thrown him off guard, as his confusion quickly spiraled into anger as he snarled.

"What, does the white hair and stunning eyes not give it away? Come on, use that brain of yours, darling. I know you can at least come up with a guess." His huff was met with silence. He looked between us. "And no, not our first party, though I do wish you would stop crashing my favorite getaway spot."

The white hair and violet eyes were hint enough, but it was the way he stood that would solidify it. That, and the face of my mother.

"You're an Imperial," I said.

"No, I just love the look," the man drawled, a fake laugh following his words. He smiled, like we were going to applaud him, before he rolled his eyes again. "Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Just call me Helia Imperial's and Kri'Valta's dirty little secret."

Bitterness leaked into his words, staining them as he flourished. Like he expected that to be enough. I searched his eyes, looking for something, and all I found was the guarded expression of someone waiting for ridicule. Anger.

Pity.

"Void," a voice whispered, a timbre that I wasn't expecting, as someone else stepped up from behind Osiris. I hadn't seen them before, I knew that with certainty, but that didn't stop the recognition that burned in my blood when their eyes landed on me.

Bog.

The whisper from before echoed in my head, a song of unknown power. It was the same feeling I'd gotten in the training room with Eirik, the one that had called me.

This was Magelav. I wasn't sure how I knew it, but I was certain I was right.

They looked around the space, flicking their short black hair out of their eyes. "Horror falls, and his spawn finds their wings. Seems we have a new friend."

Magelav kept their eyes firmly on the mystery Imperial, and I shivered. "Or foe."

The silence was endless before the man scoffed.

"Well, there's no need to be such a brute." He looked from me back to Osiris, then to Magelav. His shoulders dropped, as if losing a facade. "My name is Azer. Not that I think you'll be living long enough to remember it."

The Void flexed, as if agreeing. My head turned again, my stomach rolling as the little bits of me that were still broken sang with the pieces of the Void that poked and prodded.

I took another step forward, and Osiris followed. There was a brush of his power in the air, and I caught the look of pain as he tried to force more forward.

"I have so much to ask you—" I whispered, but was cut off when Azer shook his head and spoke right over me.

"No, no, no. There is no more time for your endless questions. You wanted out, and the Void wants you out."

As if responding to his words, the floor beneath my feet warped. The insistent touch that had been on my soul grew more insistent, and the pressure behind my eyes soared.

"Wait, we need to talk. You're a Reaper. You can help us." Osiris was the one to point it out, and the man all but snarled.

"Not my style, sorry. Too many things to deal with, places to be, freedom to enjoy, and all that. I don't have to say yes to anything. My only goal right now is to get through the Eternium intact, and honestly, you insufferable Vivas are threatening to ruin that already."

"We have other ways of making you comply," Osiris snarled.

"We'll leave," I said, and Azer looked at me. For all of his snark, he regarded me with a softness. I tipped my head in his direction. A small bow. "If he doesn't want to help, he won't. We can respect that."

Osiris grunted but didn't disagree.

Azer's eyebrow rose. "Well, aren't you a surprise?"

The floor flexed, and the ground cracked under our feet.

"Little Imperial, think of home. The Void will take you there. If you can find me again, I'll show you some tricks. Good luck!" Azer just laughed and snapped his fingers again. "Oh, and a word of advice? Time works differently here. You never really know what you'll find on the other side. Really, only one thing is consistent. "

His face fell, and for a second, I saw pity in his eyes, like he knew whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"The Void is a vicious bitch, and it always takes."