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RAITH

I can’t even feel the fucking tether anymore. The absence is a black void in the center of my chest, an aching awareness of what was there. What was lost.

He got to her. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.

Voss.

I can feel it in my fucking bones.

I drag myself from the bed in the private healer’s area I’ve been confined to. I ready myself to challenge the guards at the door, to demand release.

But I try the handle and find it’s open.

Three days of confinement to this fucking room and the door is just… open?

I limp into the hallway, shirtless and bandaged, but knowing nothing is going to stand in my way until I find Nessa. I can feel fear, confusion, hurt, and betrayal through the tether. But it’s all so faint and distant. One moment, she was resting like she has been since we returned, and the next there was so much emotion.

The thought of her being in danger and not being able to help is unbearable, a knife twisting in my gut. If anything happens, I'll tear this entire fucking academy to the ground. I'll hunt whoever took her to the ends of the earth.

Students roam the halls, all smiles and relaxed laughter as they enjoy the brief weeks off before next year’s classes begin in earnest. They slow and stare as I pass, glaring at anyone who gets in my way.

Pyrin follows me, his concern mirroring my own.

She feels so godsdamned far away. But I’ll find her. I don’t know how. I don’t know where she is. I just know I won’t stop until I’ve found her.

I keep replaying those final moments together in her room before the Crucible. Seeing the look of hurt on her face when she learned who I really was. Feeling the slight withdrawal and the questions running through her mind. Did she really know me at all? Could she really trust me?

I tear down the stairs, ignoring the aches in my ribs, legs, and the rest of my body as the emotions Nessa feels through the tether intensify. She feels like she’s in danger. Like she might be killed any moment.

I’m breathing hard, moving through the busy courtyard of Confluence when something changes.

I pause mid-step, sensing Nessa’s closeness like the sun finally appearing from behind thick clouds.

I turn and see her. She’s on her knees in the courtyard and students are staring. Her eyes are distant, fixed on the ground. “Lorkan and Milena Grace are back,” she whispers.

Nearby students grin and mutter among themselves, but she says it again.

“They’re back. Lorkan and Milena Grace are alive. And they’re back.”

A ripple of whispers sweeps through the courtyard. Heads turn, bodies shift.

It takes a few moments before my brain processes what I’m seeing.

She’s alive. She’s here. Relief floods through me, so intense I nearly stumble.

I’m running toward Nessa, wanting nothing more than to pull her into my arms where I can protect her. Where I can put my hands on her and make sure she’s real.

I sense her confusion, her fear. And something else—a darkness, a horror that wasn't there before. What happened to her? Where has she been?

Nessa’s voice is faint, but clear enough that there’s no mistaking the words.

"Lorkan Grace is alive." She keeps saying it, and the words finally register.

The name hits me like a physical blow, and I feel my body go cold. Lorkan Grace. Milena Grace. The monsters responsible for siphons. The man responsible for the death of my entire family. The name whispered like a curse by those with the misfortune to know his sins.

The siphons were proof enough of his survival, but the way Nessa says it. The fear and twisted bundle of emotions in her mind when she speaks his name… she doesn’t just know he’s alive because she saw his creatures. She knows because she saw him.

I shove my way through the rest of the crowd, my hands finding Nessa’s shoulders as I take her into my arms. I steady her as she sways on her feet. Up close, I can see the exhaustion in her eyes, the way her body trembles with fatigue.

"Where were you?" I demand, fighting to keep my voice level. "I thought—" I cut myself off, eyes scanning her blood-covered form. "Are you hurt?"

She shakes her head, her eyes never leaving mine. "Voss," she whispers. "Voss is Lorkan Grace."

The world stops spinning. Everything freezes.

Voss. The Rector of Confluence Academy. The greatest monster in our history has been here all along.

Rage rips through me, hot and violent.

I let her be alone with him in his office. I ignored my instincts and let her trust him.

The urge to find him, to kill him, is nearly overwhelming. I grip Nessa's shoulders tighter, trying to anchor myself to her rather than the murderous fury burning through my veins.

"He took you," I say, the realization dawning. “Come on. Not here,” I take her hand and lead her from the courtyard and the gathering crowd watching us.

There’s an explosion of whispered gossip and glances our way, but none are foolish enough to try to follow.

I take Nessa carefully and lead her from the courtyard, eyes alert as I scan every shadow for danger. Through our tether, I send her every ounce of reassurance I can muster. I'll protect you. Whatever Lorkan and Milena Grace are planning, they'll have to go through me to get to you.

But beneath these thoughts, a subtle doubt takes root. Nessa was with him. She came back unharmed. What did he tell her? What did he show her?

I know our family history. I know what my ancestors did to the unbound, but it’s part of why I tried so hard to protect Nessa once I found out what she was. To break the cycle. To change things.

But what if he poisoned her against me? Implied I was just like them? Could I even blame her if those words sank deep, shaking her ability to trust me?

We don’t speak as I bring her back to her room and lay her in bed. She’s covered in blood, but none of it seems to be hers. She doesn’t need healing. She needs sleep.

I brush the hair from her forehead as her eyes flutter closed. She’s completely exhausted. Drained beyond all reason.

And maybe that’s why her final thought slips through the tether to me. But the words I hear aren’t her voice. They’re from Rector Voss.

“You’ve done me a favor I cannot begin to repay. For this, I’ll allow you to see for yourself that the Aurenciels cannot be trusted—that their hatred of our kind runs through their very blood. So you may return to Confluence. You may go back to Raith. And when you’ve seen him for who he truly is, we will be waiting for you. Ready for you to join us.”

The blood drains from my face as I study her sleeping form.

I didn’t understand how she survived an encounter with Lorkan and Milena Grace. Now I do. I know exactly why.

They’ve shaped Nessa into a dagger and aimed her directly for my fucking heart.

-The End