Page 43 of Winterfall Destiny

17

TOBIAS

Blood rune travel never affects me in the same way that the spell upsets the shifters' and witches' internal balance. But this time, I'm torn through a darker place, more aware of the movement in time and space, a vacuum sucking everything from me.

And this time, I can't move once I land on the cold, hard floor, only able to stare up at the carved stone ceiling covered in symbols, and a mural depicting rough illustrations of people. Stars. Fire.

The dread spreading through to my bones holds onto my aching lungs too and I take fast, sharp breaths. Something's wrong here. Not death because there're other heartbeats I pick up on, but something close by is devoid of life but living. Are they heartbeats because several seconds pass between each hollow thud in my mind?

I stare upwards. Will I die here? Is this the curse realised—if I'm here, somehow Maeve's protected? I jerkily move an arm like a patient rousing from anaesthesia. No. That wouldn't make sense. I'm supposed to defend Maeve and we've more battles to win.

The thin air in this room doesn't help with recovery. Demanding my muscles to move, I roll onto my side, headache subsiding as I take in more oxygen. I finally sit and rub at my face. If the place held death energy, I'd swear I was in a mausoleum, the windowless space a hollowed square, the same white stone creating the walls and the floor. A lit lantern shines weakly across the space.

Fire.

That's why Andrei and Dorian are at the opposite ends of the room—from the lantern and each other, glaring. Andrei looks the same as when the First took us from the house, and Dorian's a dishevelled version of his usual clothes, the blue shirt dusty and jeans torn at the knees.

Both are intact.

"Where are we?" I ask and shift to sit against another wall.

Dorian snorts, glacial eyes remaining on Andrei. "At the end of our lives, maybe?"

"Not mine," says Andrei.

"Cocky bastard now you're filled with the First's blood, huh?" sneers Dorian. "Or can you read your new mother's mind?"

"That thing is not my mother," he snarls.

"Your creator? Yeah. Poor Andrei, we're about to kill Gabriella and another evil thing has a grip on him."

I half slam my head on the wall and raise my eyes back to the weirdly etched ceiling. "Really, guys?"

"Andrei and I had a nice little chat while you snoozed." I pull a face at him. "He filled me in on events."

"Dorian's scared of me now," says Andrei.

"Bullshit," he sneers.

"You should be scared, if you ever try to fuck me over again."

"Stop behaving like children," I snap. "We've more to be frightened by than you two trying to prove who has the biggest."

"It's your fault I'm here," Dorian snaps at me. "I should never've mixed myself up with you lot. Should've focused on taking Oskar down."

"Well, you chose to join us, because you wanted the accolade of killing the Dominion leader," I say. "Couldn't bear to let the world see someone apart from you has the ability to do the deed."

He scratches a cheek. "You lot fucked up everything. You let this creature go."

Andrei scoffs. "You were all for cosying up and taking the First's blood, but it refused."

"So far."

Has Dorian convinced himself the creature will, eventually? "Can we focus on where we are?" I ask. "Is there a way out?"

Dorian gestures opposite himself to where a tiny amount of light creates an outline of a door. "There. No handle. Completely sealed. Maybe Super Andrei could shove the stone away?"

Andrei bares his teeth. "The First's nearby," he says.

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