Page 83 of Nearly Dead

“No!What have you done?”Leviathan screams, his composure breaking.He raises his hands, dark energy gathering at his fingertips as he tries to contain the escaping spirits.He crawls onto the altar after them, swiping his hands through the air as he tries to catch them.“I will see to it you pay for this!”

He flings his hands, but nothing happens.It’s as if his magic is gone.

The vortex of souls descends on him like a hurricane, enveloping him in whirling light.I hear his cries for help as the spirits he’s tortured and imprisoned for centuries take their revenge.

I back away toward the stone slab, searching for a way out.But before I can reach it, the vortex suddenly expands, engulfing the entire chamber.The light is blinding, the noise deafening.

Then, silence.

When my vision clears, I find myself alone in the crypt.Leviathan and his creatures are gone, as are the spirits.Only broken glass orbs and scattered alchemical equipment remain.

Conrad is gone too, truly gone this time.I don’t know why, but I feel it deep inside.That hard knot that’s been sitting inside my stomach since I discovered the truth has finally eased.It doesn’t feel like loss.It feels like closure.

I move to the stairs, but before I can ascend, the ground begins to shake violently.The church above is collapsing, the crypt beginning to cave in.Dust and small stones rain down from the ceiling.

I race up the steps, pushing against the stone slab.It won’t budge.Something heavy has fallen on top of it from above.

“Costin!”I scream, hoping he’s still nearby.“Anthony!”

No answer comes.Just the growing rumble as the church continues to collapse.

I press my hands against the stone, feeling panic rise in my throat.I’m trapped underground as the building falls, with no way out and no one to hear me.

Unless...

I close my eyes, focusing on the bond I share with Costin.I’ve never tried to use it this way before, never tried to send a message through it rather than just feeling his presence.

“Costin,”I project, pouring all my strength into the connection between us.“Help me.”

The rumbling grows louder.A large crack appears in the ceiling of the crypt.Time is running out.

And then, like an answer to a prayer I didn’t know how to make, I feel him.The warm pulse of recognition, the tug of the sire bond responding to my call.

He heard me.

But will he reach me in time?

The first section of the ceiling caves in, and I throw myself against the wall to avoid being crushed.The rest won’t hold much longer.

As the world collapses around me, one thought fills my mind.

Conrad is free.

And soon, one way or another, I will be too.

ChapterNineteen

Costin doesn’t reach me.

Darkness, complete and absolute, surrounds me.Rubble pins my arms at my sides.The weight of the collapsed church presses down on me from all directions, dust filling my lungs with each unnecessary breath I take.Old habits die hard, even for the undead.I cough, the sound muffled by the tons of stone and wood entombing me.

Had I needed to breathe, I’d be suffocating.Instead, I lie trapped and hacking in my grave.My heart beats faster as I start to panic.Wouldn’t this be a fitting end to my new immortal life?Trapped in a location everyone has forgotten for centuries?

No.Costin would never leave me down here.I have to stay calm.

The crypt’s ceiling has partially collapsed, but the ancient stone walls have held, creating a pocket of space barely large enough for me to move.I try to find my bearings so I can dig out.

I push against a beam that’s pinning my leg, feeling the wood splinter under my hybrid strength.Pain shoots through my calf as blood flows back into the crushed muscle.The shift in wood makes my tiny room unstable and the beam cracks in half.Another section of ceiling gives way with a sickening thud.The space is getting smaller by the minute.I roll to avoid being crushed, pressing myself against the cold stone wall.

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