Page 185 of Quicksilver

And then it hit. A fearsome wind slammed into the labyrinth. It came from nowhere, screaming through the passageways that had trapped Fisher for decades. It rose up and out of the labyrinth, tearing along the stands of the amphitheater.

Annorath mor!

Annorath mor!

Annorath mor!

It whipped up the cries of the tortured souls, and as the wind passed by them, they turned to pillars of ash and were swept away in its howling wake. Hundreds of thousands of Higher and Lesser Fae, finally allowed to pass, their pain coming to an end.

Malcolm stared up at the stands in dismay. “No. This isn't...my children. They were to be my army. You...youtookthem from me!” He rounded on me, but I wasn't where he'd left me. I was on my feet, hunched and losing blood, standing right beside him. And I had Solace in my hands.

“Only thegodsare eternal,” I told him. And I cut off Malcolm's head.

I was flung backward.

I wasn't getting up again.

Malcolm's head burst into blue flames before it even hit the ground. His body was engulfed quickly after. A blast of light tore out of Solace and ripped up into the clouds, illuminating them. It rebounded seconds later, crashing back down to the ground in forks of blue-tinged energy that fractured the obsidian and set fire to the amphitheater. More filaments of power snapped from the end of the sword, but I was too weak to lift Solace again. I had no need to anymore. Malcolm was dead. There was no coming back for him now. The energy sparking from the sword that Fisher's father had once owned—energy that hadn’t risen in over a thousand years—crackled and eventually went out.

Saeris! Saeris!

Fisher was shouting in my mind. Blearily, I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath.It's fine. I'll be okay. Madra—

“The coward disappeared into the quicksilver as soon as the wind hit.”

“And…Belikon?”

“Lorreth's dealing with him. And Carrion. Their swords are channeling again. Where are you?”

That was a great question. I had no idea how to direct him. “I'm...by the demon. Morthil.”That information wasn't very useful to him, though. The walls had moved so much after we'dleft the spider demon's corpse. There was no chance Fisher would find me from that information alone.

Could he feel how weak I was right now? I could tell that his shoulder was injured. I could feel his exhaustion. I didn't understand this connection between us, but it had grown stronger since I'd accepted my marks and acknowledged him as my mate. I knew that he was running. I also knew that he was afraid.

“Don't worry,”he said.“I'm coming.”

I must have passed out. When I came to, a figure was standing over me, and it wasn't Fisher. I tensed, reaching for Solace, but my arms were numb. My legs... my whole body was numb. I couldn't move. I saw silver hair, and a wave of despair rose up inside me. He'd survived? How? There was no way. But the hair was too short to be Malcolm's. It was Taladaius, the vampire who had held Everlayne on the bank of the Darn.

“It's okay, Saeris. You're going to be all right.” Fisher dropped down beside him, his face smeared with soot, ash, and blood. His dark hair, damp with sweat, curled around his ears.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't speak. Thankfully, I had other means of communicating with him.When Te Léna said that one of the mates marked with a god binding always died, I didn't think it would happenthisquickly.

“You're not going to die.” Fisher brushed my hair out of my face, his hands shaking.

“I'm afraid she is,” Taladaius said solemnly. “It'll happen soon, no matter what. The damage to her stomach and chest cavity is too great.”

Fisher's mouth thinned into a line. He raked a hand through his filthy hair, screwing his eyes shut.

“If we don't act, she'll pass in the next few minutes,” Taladaius said with surprising care.

“I'll give her part of my soul,” Fisher said.

“You can't. You already gave too much to Lorreth. You'll decline immediately if you try to—”

“I don't give a shit! I've lived plenty, Tal. She's barely lived at all. I'm fucking giving it to her.” Sniffing, he leaned forward on his knees and set his palms against my mangled belly.

“No, Fisher.”

Devastation twisted his features. Jade eyes, brimming with panic, clashed with mine.I have to,he said. “I'm not letting you die.”