Page 64 of The Immortal Covenant

Malorg’s heart felt too full, like it might simply burst within his chest. A warmth all his own spread through him. “You brought me back to life,” he said, his throat tight. “I love you, now and always.”

A beat of loaded silence passed between them. Then, Malorg started at a sudden clap that must have come from Sarilian. “Right then,” the Celestial said. “Shall we?”

twenty-five

Sarilian

Together, they cracked openthe door and slipped out into the hall—empty, thank the Light. Closing the door carefully behind him, Sarilian crept down the narrow passage, filled with a heady mix of adrenaline and elation.

Despite their current peril and the uncertainty gnawing at him over their future, Sarilian had only had to take one look at Malorg dangling from those chains to affirm that he’d made the right choice.

The Covenant would survive without him, Celestials and Infernals alike continuing their eternal war against the Void. But Malorg needed him. Whatever happened now, their fates were intertwined, and they would face what the universe threw at them together.

They reached an intersection. Sarilian paused, gazing uncertainly down each narrow corridor. “Malorg, are you there?” he whispered.

A voice replied from a couple paces to his left. “I’m here.”

Merciful Light, not being able to see each other made it tough to stick close. They’d need to be careful not to get separated. In fact… “Here, take my hand.”

After a few seconds of blind groping, they managed to link fingers. Goosebumps flitted over Sarilian’s skin at the icy touch. The connection would restrict their movement, but so long as they proceeded with care, that shouldn’t be a problem. Better limited mobility than risking losing one another in the dark.

“Which way?” Malorg asked.

Sarilian’s stomach sank. “I was hoping you’d know. I was too focused on not getting caught to memorize the route I took to reach you.”

“It’s been decades since I last visited this part of the Citadel.” Malorg hesitated before tugging him toward the rightmost corridor. “This way seems as good as any. Come on.”

They moved as swiftly as they could, stopping at each intersection they passed to take their best guess on which route would lead them to the stairs ascending to the upper levels.

For the first time since those early visits to Twilight, Sarilian found the city’s twisting, maze-like design suffocating. He felt like a rat in a maze, certain at any moment they’d hear the blaring of an alarm or the shouts of pursuit when someone realized Malorg was gone.

Several times, a dead-end or clearly wrong turn forced them to backtrack. Thankfully, however, the Infernal guards patrolling the dungeons seemed no more watchful than they had when Sarilian snuck inside.

He supposed their presence—like that of all guards in Twilight—was largely a formality, meant as a deterrent against Infernals who’d grown too ambitious in their scheming. By contrast, Daybreak employed no guards at all. Why bother when Celestials could be counted upon to always do the right thing?

A pang resonated in Sarilian’s chest at the thought of leaving the Dawnlands behind. But his place wasn’t there—not anymore. He had chosen to follow his own path.

With his and Malorg’s enhanced shrouds of invisibility, the Infernal patrols proved easy enough to avoid, even if they did occasionally have to squeeze flat against a wall to avoid colliding in a too-narrow corridor. They were doing so now, watching a pair of Infernals shuffle past while chatting idly, when a strange tremor suddenly racked Sarilian’s flesh.

He frowned, trying to identify the source of the sensation. Was his dawnflame already beginning to weaken? The tremor came again, more insistent this time, and he muffled a soft groan.

The passing Infernals paused. “Did you hear that?” one of them, a woman, asked. Her gaze swept right past Sarilian and Malorg as she scanned the hallway.

The other Infernal shrugged. “Hear what?”

Sarilian held his breath, willing them to continue along their route. Though it might have been his imagination, he swore he could feel the tension roiling off Malorg beside him.

The woman frowned, glancing about. “Forget it. Must have been my imagination. Too many Dark-cursed shifts wasted down here.”

The other Infernal snorted and shook his head. “Tell me about it.”

A slight exhale escaped Sarilian’s lips when the pair resumed moving.Merciful Light, that was a close call.He started to peel himself off the wall when his body shuddered uncontrollably. Black duskflame erupted from him, blanketing the corridor.

Dimly, Sarilian heard the Infernal guards crying out in surprise as he fell to his knees. His tremors subsided, and the duskflame cleared to reveal the pair of Infernals and Malorg.

He blinked, his dazed mind attempting to process what had happened. Then, it struck him.Merciful Light, I can see Malorg.And from the way everyone was staring right at Sarilian in wide-eyed shock, he had a sinking feeling that Malorg wasn’t the only one who’d lost his invisibility.

“Intruders!” the female guard yelled. Duskflame daggers akin to Malorg’s appeared in her hands.

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