Page 58 of A World of Ruins

‘Darius was too weak by then, slowly falling apart. All it took was for Aurum to slip into his mind one more time and show him thatyou. . .’ She taps my forehead with her finger once, twice, thrice. ‘No. Longer. Existed.’

‘Stop.’ I clench my teeth and pain radiates from my jaw and temples.

‘Aurum not only made him forget you, but he would force him to kill mortals from the streets, biting them—’

No, no– I cover my ears and clench my eyes shut. ‘Please, stop—’

‘Even if he finally remembers you, he will never be the same—’

‘I said stop!’

Everything goes silent except for the sharp-pitched buzz in my ears.

The floor shudders beneath me with the force of my voice, and then I open my eyes as I stumble, the side of my body knocking against the door.

With my chest heaving, I notice the ground is splintered and cracked all the way to the settee, split in half. Sarilyn is on the floor, tendrils of black hair across her face as she tries to stand.

Frantic, I glance at my hands outstretched in front, and something so raw within me pulses to life. A golden light emanates from my palms before it fades again as the Elven guards enter with their weapons drawn.

Sarilyn wipes blood off the side of her lips with the back of her hand, her chuckle catching me off guard as she signals for the Elves not to do anything. ‘I always knew there was something special about you,’ she says. ‘Even when the seers told me about a reincarnation, I never thought that to be true. I believed in possible wars, a future where the world could be destroyed, because that was at least plausible, but then you stumbled into the city, hoping to become a Venator, and I just had thisfeeling.’

Disbelief knocks me off my feet, and Ruvyn catches me by my arm, keeping me upright.

Sarilyn is grinning as she comes closer. ‘But when the trial came, I finally knew you were the vessel when you managed to bring those Rümens to their knees.’

When I don’t speak, the Elves start to pull me along. In a blind state of daze, I follow, dragging my feet along until Sarilyn calls out my name.

‘Tell me,’ she says with a tilt of her head. ‘If it means saving Zerathion, is the Golden Thief worth dying for?’

I hold the moment between us with such stillness and my heart in my throat.

Slowly and knowingly, Sarilyn’s lips curve into a smile. A smile where she can see the answer in my eyes, I do not have to even say it.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX

Darkness envelops the narrow passages of the dungeons as I am escorted by Ruvyn and a few other Elves further ahead. I flinch when I hear the distant echoes of prisoners begging to be let out and I see the faces of captured shifters I know and Venators I once trained with inside cells, beaten and half-conscious.

I swallow my regret, wishing I could break them out, but soon they disappear from my sight and my heart quickens with each step as I desperately scan the occupants of each cell, searching for my brothers and friends.

As we turn the corner, the flickering torchlight illuminates a corridor with rows and rows of prison cells. As we walk past, I soon catch my breath and I spot familiar faces.

‘Freya!’ The name escapes my lips in a breathless whisper as I pull my arm free from Ruvyn and run towards the cell bars. Link, Rydan and Freya all rise from the ground and rush to meet me from their side of the cell. I reach for them within the small space allowed, grabbing Link’s arms and gripping him tightly. ‘You’re all okay . . . I—’ I check their faces for any injuries as a few Elves yell from afar, wondering what is happening. ‘Where’s Tibith?’ I ask when I don’t see him.

‘We managed to get him out before Aurum got to us,’ Freya says, a mixture of relief and concern flickering across her eyes, much like mine. ‘He should be safe with the Aerian survivors and hopefully Lorcan.’

I nod, trying to forget what Aurum told me as tears well in my eyes and I press my forehead against the bars. ‘I will get you all out of here, I promise.’

‘We know,’ Rydan and Link whisper simultaneously, with Link tightening his hold on my arm. I look up to see the three of them smiling at me before Ruvyn grabs me and drags me away.

‘Let her go!’ I hear Freya shout while I stumble backwards and my panic surges as I lift my eyes to Ruvyn.

I blink away my tears. ‘Ruvyn, you have to listen to me,’ I say, but he seems to focus ahead, his dark brows screwing together as if he’s struggling not to face me. ‘Aurum is not someone you should trust.’

‘I don’t trust anyone, let alone a prisoner.’

I shake my head. ‘I can help you, I can—’

‘Be quiet,’ he grits, trying to remain stoic as he slows down to a stop and glances at the other Elves. Their sharp-shaped ears are in sight as they turn their heads to the side. Time seems to hang in suspense as I look towards them and then back to Ruvyn, his fair skin now tinged red with fear.

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