W e made it only partway through the ruins before the Aran military was upon us. I thought I was braced for it. But when the humans spilled
from every hidden crevice or road in Niraja, it was so much more than I thought it would be.
How had I forgotten it was like this? How had I forgotten how much I loved it? All this time, I was so desperate to feel alive. And it was right here! Here, balancing on the edge of death!
I threw myself into it with unfettered glee, barking directions at Caduan every time he looked to me for guidance. The thread of magic guided me towards the far end of the city—towards power.
The past blended with the present. The last time invaders had flooded into this place, it was my fault, and I had failed. Not today.
When I killed, it was like returning home. A human lunged at me as I turned a corner. He was young, inexperienced. A single stroke of my sword and his head dangled by a few threads of flesh.
I could not think of anything but this moment, and I was grateful for that reprieve.
Caduan threw himself into it just as easily. I remembered that once he had fought gracefully, as if performing the steps to a dance. That had changed after all these years. Now, he fought like someone out for revenge, killing with abandon. His magic and his rapier were equally vicious, dismantling body after body as we worked through the city.
Another flood of power shook the world far beneath me, the farthest reaches of my magic trembling with its force.
“That way!” I pointed. We were so close.
But I turned to see that Caduan was no longer behind me. In my frenzy, I had lost track of him.
That sobered me quickly. I whirled around, striking down two humans who got in my way.
Caduan had fallen behind, trying and failing to quell an enormous tide of human soldiers rushing through the streets. His eyes met mine through the chaos.
My glee withered to fear.
The thin line between life and death had invigorated me. But now, watching Caduan be swallowed up by a flood of enemy bodies, I realized all at once that the thread was just as tenuous for him, just as easily cut. That thought terrified me.
I fought my way back to him. The Aran soldiers were not highly skilled, but they were numerous. This was the problem with humans. They bred like mice.
“We’re overwhelmed,” Caduan shouted. “Go after them. Go alone!” No. I wasn’t leaving him behind.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, our foreheads pressed together. “Go, Aefe. Go to them and claim the power you deserve.”
Them—Tisaanah and Maxantarius. I knew they were close. I always felt
it.
I wondered if they knew I was here, too? Did they feel me the way I so
easily felt them?
I longed to be reunited with them. So I could claim the power that Caduan wanted, yes. But I also could not shake this strange fascination with them—obsession. I had lived inside of them. Once I had wanted their love more than anything.
I hesitated, but Caduan took that opening to push me away. “Go, Aefe!” I went.
