Page 87 of The Reaper's Vice

Suddenly, she rears back, her eyes widening in alarm at whatever she sees in mine. “Seraphina?”

41

SERAPHINA

“THERE IS NO MERCY”

The bells.The bells of death are tolling.

Sobs echo throughout the gold-hewn hallway, rattling my skull with a violence that compels me to stop. The wall in front of me pitches to the side as gold drips down in thick, messy puddles, coating my bare feet in molten lava as the sounds of grief imbue the hollow halls of my mind. They scratch something deep in my nervous system, something long since forgotten—and they order me to investigate. To see.Toremember.

And so, I do.

A man is bleeding on the ground—a Mask. And not just any Mask, but a Phantom. I shouldn’t save him, but Maggie is there, urging me on. She reminds me of all the times she helpedme. Every smile she threw my way, each tender embrace, all her unconditional love, respect, and support. She reminds me what it is to be gracious and to plant kindness in the dark places where it no longer blooms.

And so, when she tells me to save him… I do.

I grab my last syringe of Vespyr and shove it deep into his wound. I spare his life, like I wished they had spared Maggie’s, and after, my soul feels lighter. Like somewhere, somehow, Maggie is smiling down on me. For choosing to be a little bit kinder. A little bit better.A little bit more like her.

When I’m done, I stumble toward Madam’s quarters, the walls dripping and swaying around me, causing my stomach to flip. I know now what this is—that the strange auras, the hallucinations, the way my mind fractures—all of it is due to the powerful hallucinogens Dr. Kebler has been pumping me full of. I don’t know how long the effects will last, but somehow, I have to focus.I have to end this.

I push open the secret door into Madam’s chambers. My vision is swimming, bursts of color exploding everywhere I look. I step to the center of the room, trying to make out the fuzzy shapes spread around the floor, thick swaths of red spreading from them like halos. I don’t understand—not until I crouch next to one—not until I swirl my fingers around the warm red liquid do I realize the forms spread around the room are dead bodies.

And not just any dead bodies—corpses of the Table Members. Their bird masks are still strapped to their faces, but the brilliant gold hue is dimmed greatly by the blood and filth spattered across the impressive beaks.

Who… who could have done something like this?

My mind is brought back to the four strangers in the hall. If the dying man was indeed a Phantom, then there’s no doubt he was the perpetrator of this mass killing.

I gaze around the circular room, my eyes landing on each of the fallen Table Members. Instead of sadness or even regret, the only thing pulsing through my body is raw, blazing hatred. It should have beenme. This should be the evidence ofmyvengeance spread across Madam’s floor.

It should have been mine.

A shuddering gasp fills the air, and my eyes drag to a golden heap on the opposite side of the room. A thick trail of blood spreads from where she’s dragged herself away from the carnage, but there’s no doubt about it—the Madam is still alive. There’s an empty syringe of Vespyr lying on the ground, and I know she will live through this. That is, if I don’t do anything to stop her.

I look to my right and find Maggie’s kind eyes shining on me. Her aura bursts from her shoulders in a magnificent shade of pink, a large golden circle surrounding her head—like a halo.

Magoo…My eyes fill with tears as I take in her shining white smile.

“It’s okay,” she says, standing tall. “You can do this, Nina. It was only ever you who could.”

Holding back my sobs, I reach into my pocket, my fingers curling around the hilt of my dagger. My mind runs through every memory I had with Maggie—every kind smile, tear, and embrace. I remember how she would scrunch her nose whenever I said something stupid, and how she never judged me for any of my misgivings. She was agoodfriend—the best friend—and I only wish we had more time together.

“I love you, Maggo.” I hold onto the dagger like a lifeline. “I’m so—I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

She just smiles, tilting her head. “Oh, silly Nina. Do you still not realize?” I watch unblinking as Maggie fades from the air, fading into nothingness once more. Before she dissolves completely, her lilting voice fills the air, twisting up my insides and making me want to break down all over again.

“You did.”

I blink at the spot Maggie used to occupy, all the sorrow and despair fading, making way for a new emotion.

Hatred.

Because Iremembernow—I remember what the Sanctum did to me. I remember what theytookfrom me.

And for that, they will pay.

I raise my dagger high, racing toward the Madam with a bellow of rage. She looks up at me from the floor, a line of blood dripping from her gasping mouth as she realizes what I mean to do. She raises a shaking hand, uselessly trying to cover her face as I straddle her with my feet.

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