Page 159 of Winterfall Destiny

“Andrei’s intense, unbreakable desire to keep you safe interfered today but he’s still useful.” The First’s eyes glint. “The ultimate way for my creation to protect the girl he’d tear the world apart for? Turn you before you lose yourself to madness.”

I take calming breaths, the First’s heartbeat thudding in my ears as it has since I first detected the presence beneath the academy. I’ve achieved what I wanted tonight. Changed the future. Proved that the shadows have an effect on the First. That the creature can’t kill me. But why aren’t the shadows helping by attacking the First like they did Andrei?

“We’re going to end you,” I whisper. “The answer how to exists in more than grimoires. We’ll find that answer and trap you. Forever.”

The First scoffs at me. “We? Do you mean you, your shadows, and your dead lovers?”

“They’re not dead,” I say. “I stopped Andrei’s magic in time.”

The First pauses. “Not yet.” The upended world steadies a little. The guys are alive. “But they’re incapacitated, and you can’t help them all.”

“You underestimated me and still do.”

“Your shadows and magic?” The First smirks. “That didn’t help the remaining Blackwoods that night. Can you smell something?”

Nothing but the cool darkness of the surrounding shadows. I wave a hand as if they’re annoying flies I’m swatting away, then inhale deeply.

The faint scent I imagined earlier is now heavy with the smell of wood with a pungent chemical tinge. Smoke. But I imagined that? “Have you set fire to the building?” I choke out.

“Pay attention, Maeve. Did I or did I not say you all needed to die tonight? Considering the small chance this would not play out as I expected, I needed a less magical back-up plan. The idea worked against the Blackwoods, seems fitting to use fire to kill the Winterfall.” Again, the smile as the First twists a strand of hair around a finger, smiling coyly. “But, I’ll allow you to play one final game since you’ve already screwed up the future. Hunt your way to the one exit I’ve left for you.”

“What?” I ask hoarsely.

“And choose who to take with you.” The First wrinkles her nose. “If you can carry any of them.”

Now aware, the smell of the fire thickens in the air around, a soft glow in the balcony recesses flaring into vibrant orange, the flames casting dark shapes across the walls as if bringing more shadows.

Not shadows. Smoke.

The First points at the beams cracking over the balcony. “Old building. A lot of wood. Disturbingly flammable.” It smirks. “I’m leaving. Fire won’t hurt me, but I do rather like the dress I chose tonight and wouldn’t want to spoil it.”

I seal my lips, mind racing towards my next move, but I’m paralysed where to go. What to do. Whether this fucking creature is about to give me a clue in its latest game.

“Where’s the exit?” I shout.

The First taps its lips. “Andrei, perhaps he’ll survive the shadows and the fire, but I can’t be sure. I’ve never set fire to one of my creations. The shifter walked in and out of a fire once, didn’t he? I saw him leave the burning cottage the day you took me from Ione. Although, this would be a much bigger blaze. Now, Tobias…” The creature pulls a non-committal face and shrugs. “Who knows, but to be honest, I never liked the guy.”

But I’ve already turned away from the First, on my knees beside Andrei. The First won’t give clues how to escape; I’m wasting time. Andrei’s First-gifted superiority can help. If Andrei’s still alive beneath the shadows, he’s our biggest chance we’ll survive.

“Andrei! We need to get everybody out!” I push at the thick cloud of shadows swallowing him. “Let him go now. Please.”

The curtains surrounding the balcony ignite, the metal burning bright white as the flames course through the theatre. Thick grey billows downwards until I’ve no idea whether shadows or smoke fill the stage.

“Let Andrei go! Come back to me!” I gasp in a breath and drag at the shadow’s cold tendrils.

The shadows don’t budge.

I scream at them, clawing at my hair instead, grasping at what to do next. Pulling my jacket upwards across my mouth and nose, I crawl across the stage, feeling my way in the direction of where Tobias lies. My eyes sting with smoke and tears, throat burning as I reach out into the smog, unable to feel anything but the wood that’s ripe to burn.

As I inhale smoke not oxygen, my lungs burn, and my mind retreats into confusion and terror as I lose control of my limbs.

What’s the point in changing a future none of us will live to see?

I collapse forward towards oblivion, sinking into death’s calming embrace as if someone wrapped their arms around my aching chest and lifted me from the nightmare and into the next world.

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