Page 167 of Death of the Glass Angel
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Janus
Let those who die
Live forevermore
Janus presumed she was dead, though she’d expected death to hurt. Instead, it was somewhat wet, a little warm, and suffocating.
Opening her eyes, she saw rock and water, a drenched fur cloak, and golden eyes.
“Are you alright?” Felsin asked.
Stunned, Janus looked around. The two of them were shoved into a tiny spot of water, surrounded by jagged chunks of rock. Felsin wrapped her in a tight embrace, shielding her.
Gods, what a sight. Her sinkhole was filled with debris, piling high with water spilled across every surface. The night sky peered down on them, and half the walls had fallen. Collapsed private boxes hung limp from their frames or crashed into the ground.
Janus tried to speak, but her vision swam, and her memory faltered.
“We need to get out of here.” Felsin released Janus and climbed atop a submerged boulder. Balancing on its slick surface, he pulled her out of the drink.
“Janus!” Gemellus’ voice cut through the haze. He dropped beside her. “Are you alright?”
“You,” she breathed, “Were supposed to protect me.”
His mouth warbled into a smile. Gathering her into his arms, he gently lifted her. Grateful for his presence, Janus closed her eyes and leaned her head against him, allowing the darkness to claim her.
The memory of Eros lingered in her mind.
It had been cruel to let her see him again.
* * *
Destruction, flames, and blood. Janus sat amidst a throng of panicked, wounded people. Guards rushed past in droves, returning to the theater. Shortly after Gemellus had dragged Janus outside, the fire consuming the building had died, but the crumbled ruins remained.
A once magnificent building, reduced to a broken shell.
Was this the same magic that had destroyed the ruins? Would the opera house be restored, come the morning?
So much was yet unknown. Janus had studied at Valeria for years, only to learn she knew nothing at all.
Gemellus’s face appeared in Janus’s blurry vision. “Keep still,” he ordered.
Janus winced as sharp pain stabbed through her skull. Lying still against Gemellus’ arm, she surveyed their bleak surroundings.
So many were wounded. Janus did not want to think about how many were buried in the rubble. She had glimpsed a few broken bodies and burnt corpses during their escape.
Gemellus pressed torn cloth to her gash. “That sinkhole was brilliant. To react so quickly when you had but a second before death.”
“Oh,” Janus mumbled. “I didn’t. . . did I hurt anyone?”
“I don’t think so. But you saved your life and Felsin’s,” Gemellus said. “I’m proud of you.”
Proud? Maybe it was selfish to smile amidst the tragedy.
Felsin knelt beside her, wet hair clinging to his face. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine, if concussed,” Gemellus assured him. “I’m getting her to a doctor, and then we’re leaving this godsforsaken city.”
