Chapter 44 THE FALL
CHAPTER 44: THE FALL
My stomach lurches into my throat as gravity takes over. I reach for my time magic, trying to slow the world around me but my head cracks against something sharp on the way down.
The magic fizzles out.
I hit water so cold it steals my breath. Then I hit the bottom. Hard.
Pain erupts through my ribs, the same ones that barely healed from the duel with Morgana. I hear something crack.
I surface gasping and choking. The water tastes like metal and death.
Above me I hear impacts. Kieran and Reyna must have shifted mid-fall because two wolves hit the water with more grace than I managed. Luna's silver form follows a second later.
"Thalira," Kieran's voice comes from somewhere to my right. He's already shifted back to human. "Where are you?"
"Here," I cough out.
His hands find me in the dark water and pull me toward the edge. My feet touch stone and I crawl onto solid ground, every breath sending fire through my chest.
Luna drags herself out next, immediately shifting back. She's favoring her left leg.
"Everyone alive?" Reyna asks, her voice tight with pain. Her left arm hangs at a wrong angle.
"Define alive," I mutter.
Kieran helps me sit up. His right shoulder is sitting lower than it should be.
"That's dislocated," I say.
"I know," he grits out. "I'll fix it in a minute."
We sit there in the dark, dripping and injured and trying to catch our breath. Then the lights come on.
Not torches this time. Something older. Stones embedded in the walls that glow with a sickly green luminescence.
The chamber we've fallen into is massive. Easily the size of the pack's main hall. The ceiling arches high above us, carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly.
And in the center of the chamber is the weapon.
It's bigger than I imagined. A twisted construct of bone and metal and something that pulses like a living heart. Dark magic coils around it like smoke, writhing and hungry.
"What in the hell is that?" Luna breathes.
Reyna limps closer, her good hand outstretched. "Don't touch it," I warn.
"I'm not stupid," she snaps. But she's staring at it with the same horrified fascination I feel. "This is what he's been building. This is what he's been killing for."
Kieran moves to the nearest wall, examining the exits. There are three tunnels leading out of the chamber. He tries the first one.
"Sealed," he says. "Dark magic."
He tries the second. Same result.
The third is blocked by a cave in.
"We're trapped," Luna says, her voice climbing toward panic.
"There has to be another way out," I say, forcing myself to stand. My ribs scream in protest.
I move to the first tunnel and reach for my time magic. If I can just slow time around the seal maybe I can slip through.
The moment I access my power the weapon pulses.
A wave of energy slams into me and I stagger back. The weapon glows brighter.
"What did you just do?" Reyna demands.
"Nothing. I tried to use magic and it reacted."
Luna's eyes widen. "It's absorbing magic. Every time we use our powers we're feeding it."
"That can't be right," Kieran says. But he sounds uncertain.
I look at the weapon more carefully. The bones that make up its structure are covered in runes. The same runes I saw in Marvin's journal. The same ones carved into the corrupted wolves.
"It's a converter," I realize. "It takes magical energy and transforms it into whatever dark magic is powering it. That's why he's been kidnapping supernatural beings. Their essence feeds the weapon."
"So we can't use magic to escape," Reyna says flatly.
"Not without making it stronger."
The reality of our situation settles over us like a burial shroud.
"Marvin's not here," Luna says suddenly. "Neither is Kira's daughter."
"Because this was never about saving her," I say, the pieces clicking into place. "He separated us on purpose. While we're down here trapped he's attacking the pack."
Kieran's fist slams into the wall. "We walked right into it."
"We had to try," Luna argues. "We couldn't just leave her."
"And now the entire pack is vulnerable because their best fighters are stuck in a hole."
"Stop it," I snap. "Fighting each other doesn't help."
Kieran turns to me, his eyes blazing gold. "You're right. You know what would have helped? Listening to Alaric when he said this was a trap."
The words hit harder than I expect.
"I made the call I thought was right," I say quietly.
"And people are going to die because of it."
"Or people are going to live because we found the weapon." I meet his angry stare. "We know where it is now. We know what we're dealing with. That's more than we had before."
He looks away, jaw clenched so tight I'm worried he'll crack a tooth.
Reyna and Luna move to the far side of the chamber, searching for any weak points in the walls. They're giving us space.
"I'm sorry," Kieran says after a long silence.
"For what?"
"For taking it out on you. This isn't your fault."
"Isn't it? I'm the one who decided to split up the team."
He reaches for me carefully, mindful of my broken ribs. His good hand cups my face.
"You made a choice in an impossible situation. That's all anyone can do."
"What if it was the wrong choice?"
"Then we deal with the consequences and keep moving forward." He presses his forehead against mine. "We'll get out of this."
"How?"
"I don't know yet. But we will."
He kisses my forehead, soft and gentle, then steps back.
"Let me fix your shoulder first," I say.
He nods and turns his back to me. I grab his arm and shoulder.
"On three. One, two—"
I pull on two.
The joint pops back into place with a wet sound. Kieran makes a noise between a growl and a curse.
"You said three," he pants.
"I lied. It's easier when you're not braced for it."
"Remind me to never trust you with medical care."
Despite everything I almost smile.
A howl echoes through the chamber.
We spin toward the sound. Reyna is in wolf form, standing at the far wall. She's scratching at something, her good paw working frantically.
We run over.
There's a seam in the wall I didn't notice before. Barely visible unless you know what to look for.
Kieran presses against the stone. Something clicks.
A section of wall swings inward revealing a hidden chamber.
The smell that rushes out makes me gag. Blood and rot and something chemical.
Inside the small space is Kira's daughter.
She's alive. I can see her chest rising and falling. But she's unconscious, chained to the wall by her wrists and ankles.
And written on the wall above her head in what looks like dried blood are words that make my stomach drop.
"While you were busy rescuing her I was busy killing everyone she loved. -M"
"No," Luna whispers.
Kieran is already running to the tunnel exits, slamming against the magical seals with his shoulder despite knowing it won't work.
Reyna shifts back, her face pale. "The pack. He's attacking the pack."
"Alaric and the others are there," I say, trying to convince myself. "They can defend them."
"Against what?" Luna's voice cracks. "We don't know how many corrupted wolves he has. We don't know what weapons he's built. We don't know anything."
I move into the hidden chamber and check Kira's daughter. She has a pulse. No visible wounds except for the restraints cutting into her skin.
"She's drugged," I say, touching her forehead. "But she'll live."
"Will she?" Luna asks bitterly. "When she wakes up and finds out her mother is probably dead?"
I don't have an answer for that.
Kieran comes back, breathing hard. "The seals aren't budging. We need another way out."
"There isn't one," Reyna says. She's examining the weapon again, keeping her distance. "This chamber was designed to hold prisoners. The only exit is the way we came in."
"Then we break through the magic," Kieran says.
"And feed the weapon exactly what it wants," I counter.
"So what do you suggest? We sit here and wait?"
Before I can answer the weapon pulses again.
This time the pulse is different. Stronger. More deliberate.
The green light intensifies until it's blinding.
When it fades there's something new.
A projection. Made of light and shadow.
Marvin's face smiles down at us from above the weapon.
"Hello sisters," his voice echoes through the chamber. "I see you found my little surprise."
Luna snarls. Kieran moves to stand between me and the projection.
"I wanted you to know," Marvin continues, "that while you've been down here playing hero I've been having the most wonderful time with your friends."
The projection shifts.
Now we're seeing the pack territory. But it's wrong. Buildings are burning. Bodies litter the ground. And standing in the center of the carnage surrounded by dozens of corrupted wolves is Marvin himself.
"They put up a good fight," he says. "For about ten minutes. Then it got boring."
The view changes again.
Now I'm looking at Alaric, Cassian and Zev. They're surrounded, back to back, fighting desperately against a wave of corruption.
Cassian's flames barely touch the wolves before they're smothered. Alaric's speed is useless when there's no room to move. And Zev, Zev is on his knees with his hands pressed to his temples like something's trying to claw its way into his skull.
"Your boys are quite resilient," Marvin says. "It's almost impressive. But they're losing. And in about five minutes they'll be dead."
The projection focuses on me.
"So here's your choice sister. You can stay down there safe and trapped. Or you can feed the weapon enough magic to let you through the seals and race to save them. Of course if you do that the weapon reaches full power and I win anyway." His smile widens. "Quite the dilemma isn't it?"
The projection starts to fade.
"Oh and Thalira? One more thing."
The image changes one last time.
Mom, our mother. She's alive.
Chained to a wall in what looks like the same chamber we're standing in. Her silver eyes meet mine through the projection.
"Help me," she mouths.
Then the projection disappears completely.
And I'm left standing there with three impossible choices and no time to think.