Page 136 of Saints & Sinners

I’d won.

And yet, I felt nothing.

“Grace?” Marnie’s voice wavered with confusion as she stopped by me.

I looked at her as the boys paused and turned to us. “Marnie,” I said quietly. “You should be the one to take these.”

“What? No. Grace, you earned those. You—”

“You are the one who said it was your dream to ascend,” I cut her off. “You’ve wanted it your whole life. This is your chance.”

“Grace, no. I can’t—”

“You can,” I said firmly, pressing the stones into her hands.

She stared at me, stunned.

“You deserve this,” I whispered. “Take them.”

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then she nodded, her arms wrapping around me in one of her fierce embraces.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking as my eyes stung.

I nodded as we broke apart and watched her step through the portal, clutching the sigils tightly. Brandon and Silas followed, both sparing me a brief glance before disappearing.

Hunter then came to my side as we shared one final look thattore through my heart.

I wanted to say many things but now was not the right time. So, with a smile, I stared up at him as we stepped through and emerged on the other side of what was the painting.

But straight away, something was wrong.

Something was very,verywrong.

As soon as everything refocused, blaring alarms echoed in the distance.

My blood froze.

More Ascendants came through the painting, all clattering onto the ground, panting and chests heaving before panic settled into them at the sounding alarms.

Around us, there was no one, no Joe, no Azrael, no Nadael, nothing but emptiness.

“Where is everyone?” Marnie stepped forward, but no one answered her.

I glanced at Hunter, then at Brandon and Silas, who gave Hunter a single nod.

Hunter’s fingers interlaced with mine as his eyes scanned the area. He told everyone to stay there but neither Brandon, Silas, nor I listened to him like the rest did.

All four of us cautiously headed towards the corridors, with Marnie deciding to follow as we walked through the empty academy. A metallic tang of blood lingered in the air, the kind of scent that clung to your skin and made it hard to breathe, think, and function.

My stomach twisted with dread, and I wasn’t prepared for what I saw next as we pushed through the hall doors.

The first body I saw was sprawled near the edge of the doorway, its shadow wings bent at unnatural angles as a pool of blood surrounded them.

Marnie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Eriel.”

But it wasn’t just one Celestial.

More bodies were scattered across the hall, like fallen leaves. Celestials and Ascendants, young, older... so many of them lay there lifeless, their faces pale and their eyes empty.

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