“Let’s go you two,” he hollered. “Everyone’s waiting.”
Lucian’s palm was above her head, holding the door closed. “Ready?”
She knew without needing any sort of psychic connection that if she said no he’d stay with her until she was, no matter who was waiting. Heart full, Effie cast one last longing look at the bed. “I guess.”
He leaned close as his hand dropped to his side. “I was really hoping you were going to say no.” Stepping away, he winked at her before he turned to finish getting dressed while she laced up her boots.
“Here, you’ll need this,” he said, moving back into her line of sight.
Effie looked up, her eyes widening at his offering. “Where did you find that?” she asked, awestruck.
His smile was almost shy when he responded. “You’d told me that I owed you a weapon more substantial than your daggers. I made it for you using one of my old blades, but didn’t have the chance to give it to you before . . .” he trailed off, but she had no trouble filling in the blanks. He’d had it since before he’d realized she’d been turned. Shrugging, Lucian held it out a little further. “Anyway, I’ve been carrying it with me ever since. It’s time for you to have it.”
Effie reached for the hilt, lifting it up and inspecting it. The sword was as thick as her arm and just as long, but as light as one of her daggers. The metal was as pale as moonlight, and seemed to glow with its own inner light. Runes were etched into the blade, the same runes that marked her as a Guardian.
“Lucian, it’s perfect.”
He moved to stand next to her, his finger gliding along the runes. “These runes are imbued with our power. They will protect the blade.”
“Protect the blade how?” she asked.
“It will never dull or rust, but more importantly it is indestructible.”
Lifting to her toes, Effie pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek. “Who knew a weapon could be such a romantic gift?”
Lucian laughed, his amusement rolling through her. “Come on, fledgling. We should probably go before Kael comes barging in.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t be so bad. All he’d discover is us in the middle of a little swordplay.” Effie lifted her brows meaningfully, shoulders shaking with laughter.
Lucian shook his head, lips fighting a smile as he moved toward the door. “That was a terrible joke.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was hilarious. Admit it.”
“Never,” he said, but his eyes were twinkling with suppressed laughter.
They were both still smiling as they walked out of the room hand in hand.
Effie wasn’t smiling anymore as she stared at what was left of the citadel with open-mouthed horror. The beautiful city with its mist-colored buildings was nothing but ash. She’d hardly been coherent for the better part of the battle, but even with Lucian’s warning she hadn’t been prepared for this level of destruction.
The City of Light was gone. A few crumbling buildings were all that was left to mark where it once stood. Effie hadn’t been one of its citizens long, but it was the first true home she’d ever had. And now it was gone.
Lucian squeezed her hand, his grief a mirror of her own. “You okay?”
Effie pressed her lips together and gave a tight shake of her head. Rationally, she knew this wasn’t her fault, but she still felt guilty. What little she could remember of the battle was bloody. Some of that blood she was responsible for spilling. As far as her emotions were concerned, that meant she was culpable for the resulting chaos.
“We did our best, but the Shadow Fire was impossible to control.”
Effie bit the inside of her cheek, the jolt of pain helping steel her nerves. “It’s a miracle there were any survivors at all.”
“Letting it burn was probably the kindest thing you could do for the fallen,” Helena said behind them. Effie and Lucian turned to face her. They must have looked dubious because she added, “Fire purifies.”
“Even Shadow Fire?” Effie asked.
Helena’s eyes cast out over the ground, her voice a little flat as she replied, “Well . . . it certainly ensures that there’s nothing left to corrupt, so there’s that.”
Effie wasn’t so sure that was true. Ever since stepping foot through the portal, a creeping sense of wrongness nagged at her. This place may be little more than soot and ash, but there was something else . . . something other that had staked its claim in the wreckage. Effie could feel it even now, sinking itself deeper into the earth, taking root.
She shivered, not sure where the certainty came from, but not about to question it. She had two separate gifts now, both tied to knowing. The Guardians gave her the ability to see the world as it truly was, while the Mother had simply given her the ability to See. It’s only natural that she would start to sense things others couldn’t. This would hardly be the first time Effie had a premonition without understanding what exactly her instincts were trying to warn her about.
“There’s something wrong with this place,” she said.
“You feel it too?” Helena asked, her brows lifted in surprise.
Effie nodded, turning to glance at Lucian. “Do you?”
The flecks of bronze in his eyes flared and he gave a terse nod. “It’s tainted. The place reeks of corruption.”
“This is the feeling you associate with the corruption?” Helena asked, her head tilting and her eyes going iridescent.
A muscle spasmed in Lucian’s jaw as he gave another jerky nod.
“I’ve felt this before—twice now—but hadn’t recognized it for what it was,” Helena murmured, studying their surroundings with more interest.
“How could you? You didn’t know it was a possibility,” Lucian replied.
Helena’s lips were a flat line. “Even so.”
Von was staring at his Mate from across the clearing. He was half-listening to Kragen, Helena’s Sword. He along with her Master, Joquil, had joined them this morning—his attention clearly not on the conversation. Joquil, however, was listening with rapt attention, taking notes in a small book as he nodded along with whatever Kragen was saying. The two Circle members had been waiting for them in a tamer part of the jungle. If they’d been waiting awhile, they didn’t make a point to mention it.
Effie allowed her attention to briefly shift over the rest of their party. Nord had stayed behind to maintain the Triumvirate’s presence with the Keepers—and as a failsafe in case anything happened—but Kael had come with them. He was staring in her direction with curious green eyes. Ronan and Reyna stood just beside him. The Night Stalker’s arms were wrapped around her body, and her dark eyes darted from side to side as if she was waiting for something to jump out at her. Ronan was talking to her, his voice pitched low and his icy eyes flashing with intensity. Apparently, no one was feeling entirely at ease being back here.
That was it; the extent of their hunting party. Effie didn’t mind admitting that each of these people individually were more powerful than most armies. Together they were a damn force of nature. The thought should have been reassuring, but all it seemed to do was reinforce the fact that they needed an army in the first place. The last two times she’d been on a battlefield that necessitated this kind of manpower, she’d lost two of the people she’d held dear. And those were both battles their side had actually won.