Chapter 31: Lucas - Bound to Ruin

THE ARCHWEAVER ESTATE, ASTRUM FOREST

I nearly piss myself when Valen returns to his body with a sudden gasp. He sways on his knees, and I grab his shoulder to steady him, shifting from sitting to kneeling as I do. I tremble like the lovesick idiot I am, clutching him while he hacks up a lung. “Thank fuck. You made it. You actually made it.”

Emilia is beside us in an instant, kneeling down and rubbing Valen’s back in soothing circles. “Breathe, Valen. Feel your lungs. Use them to take in air, hold, and expel. Repeat. You can do it. It’s your body. Just settle back into it. You were gone from it for a long time.”

Valen fists his hands in my shirt, and I press my lips against his hair and breathe in his scent. The smell is muddled with that of Alasdair’s decaying corpse that crumpled to the ground earlier, rot bubbling, his eyes milky and sightless, jaw at an odd angle.

Valen claws up my arms, meeting my gaze. My smile falters then falls when his too-wide, panic-stricken eyes meet mine. He gasps desperately, his mouth opening and closing before he coughs, “T… T…”

“Tor?” I guess, and he nods furiously.

Emilia leans in. “She’s still in the statue back in the receiving hall.”

He swallows, and I wish I had water for him. He tries again. “S… Sa…” He coughs, and his teeth rattle with the force of his shaking. “Save her.”

“Save her?” I echo.

He nods furiously and grips me, regaining more control of his body to complete his sentences. “Get her out! Now!”

His terror sends cold flooding my system. My head whips towards the door where the Order is attempting to break in. The door rattles, but my threads hold.

Emilia shakes her head. “We can’t get to her. We should try to draw a circle here and get out while we can. We’ll come back⁠—”

“No!” Valen yells, panic pitching his voice high. I’m shoved onto my ass when he practically crawls into my lap and shakes me. “Save her! She’s going to die!”

“Fuck!” I snarl, bolting to stand and accidentally dumping Valen’s body at my feet. I whip my head back and forth and then look up. We can climb out, but we might be seen by the Order if they’re searching for a way in.

Emilia grips her brother and eyes the door as well. She looks down at Valen, then me, and back at Alasdair’s rotting body. She sighs heavily, head tilting back. “Fine! I’ll save your asses, but once Tori is out, you all come with me. Swear it. We all leave this doomed hell and run.”

Valen nods, and I say, “Works for me.”

She points to the roof. “Take my brother and get out through there. I’ll distract them. There shouldn’t be anyone else in the estate.” She stands, smoothing her dress like she isn’t covered in blood. “Once you’re up on the roof, release the door. I will handle the Order.”

I meet Valen’s gaze. He shakes his head and turns back to his sister, his voice scratchy and broken. “Emilia, don’t.”

She arches a brow. “You have no choice. You’re the only one who can heal her ripped-open body once she returns to it. Go. It will be easier without you, anyways.”

Fuck, Tor’s injury. I meet Valen’s gaze. “Can you heal her?”

He swallows, his eyes tight and complexion waxen. “I must. There’s no other alternative.”

“Good enough for me.” I grab Valen and throw him over my shoulder. He grunts at the impact, and my threads wrap around him to secure his limp body to mine.

His voice breaks when he reaches for his sister. “Emilia.”

She smirks when they clasp hands. “See you on the other side.”

Valen’s breath trembles, but there’s no time for a longer goodbye. I grab the wisteria that has snuck through the walls. My rings burn me, but not as badly as before now that they’ve gotten a chance to rest. I heave us both up to where the broken glass lines the stone, my threads protecting my hands and strengthening my muscles. It would be easier if I poured power into both, but I have no idea how powerful Alasdair’s curse still is now that he’s dead. I can’t risk using my magic now in case I need it later. My muscles are tired from fighting, and I groan when I drag us over the destroyed roof with trembling arms. Finally, we make it over, Emilia waving at us.

I salute her. “Good luck.” And I call my threads back.

Valen chokes on his breath when the door opens. I don’t wait, using my threads to jump from the roof of the temple.

Emilia’s voice rings out powerfully. “Your Archweaver and Heir are dead! Corrupted by their own foolishness. The Amur Guild’s leader is slaughtered in the estate. The humans are coming for vengeance, and we must be prepared. Go, return to strengthen your domains. War is at our doors!”

The rest of Emilia’s twisting of events to inspire compliance and fear is lost as I sprint through the gardens, backtracking the way we came.