Page 178 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts
Constantine, now in human form, appeared beside him. The sword he’d been wielding hung from his hand, still drippingwith blood. Crouching, Constantine picked up a rock and threw it through the open gate. Electricity crackled around it as it crossed to the other side.
“Non-living matter passes through,” Constantine said grimly. “But ifyoutry, it’ll kill you.”
A glow radiated from the centre of the courtyard, drawing their attention. The Queen’s body emitted an intense, multicoloured brilliance, with the light surging outward like ripples in a pond.
A grey-black lycanthrope leapt to their side, landing with a heavy thud. Blood coated its muzzle, which began to shift and reshape into Presiyan’s familiar human face. A car screeched to a halt behind them, the tyres kicking up dirt. Viktor emerged from the driver’s seat, followed by Kathrine in her reptilian form.
“They’ve raised a magical barrier,” Constantine told them.
Mikhail forced down the rising panic clawing at him and shifted into his human form to speak. “That’s why there are no guards. We can’t get through.”
Kathrine studied the barrier, hands resting on her hips. “I should have seen this coming…”
Mikhail’s fists clenched. “I need to get to Amelia! She’s going to sacrifice herself.”
“What?” Presiyan frowned.
“The Sacreds. Activating them will kill her.”
“But didn’t you say the necklace protects her?”
“She lied!”
“She told you that?”
“No, I just know. I have to—”
A low rumble cut Mikhail off. The ground beneath their feet shifted, forcing him to steady himself.
“What the hell?!” Presiyan shouted. A sound like crashing waves echoed through the forest canopy. “An earthquake?”
“No,” Kathrine said, her voice sharp. “It’s coming from theHospital.”
Mikhail lifted his gaze, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding before him. The Hospital was trembling. Its once-mighty façade now appeared fragile, shaking like a leaf against the dark canopy of the night. The massive columns supporting its central arch wobbled, as if an invisible hand held their foundations and shook them. Above, harpies perched on the structure, screeching in glee at the chaos. Shouts of panic echoed from within the building.
“The Queen is doing this!” someone yelled. “She’s going to bring the Hospital down!”
Kathrine’s eyes darted around. “If this barrier is like the one in Kamchatka, the only way to disable it is from the inside. Four draconium stones anchor it. Break one, and the barrier collapses.”
“Where are those damned stones?!” Mikhail’s gaze shifted between the trembling building and the others, frantic for someone to come up with a solution. If they couldn’t breach the courtyard, not only would he fail to reach Amelia, but the Hospital would collapse before his eyes, burying the hundreds of creatures still inside.
Kathrine scanned the visible area around the Hospital. “The barrier is rectangular, right? I’d assume the stones are inside, one for each of the four corners.”
“The nearest corner is just a few metres away,” Mikhail said.
“Even if you find it, you can’t reach it. The barrier stretches between the four stones, but also—”
“Extends several metres around them,” Presiyan said. “Which means you’d be dead before you even got close to the stone.”
Damn it!Mikhail cast a despairing glance back at the forest, where the sounds of battle still rang out, blending with the rumble of the Hospital. “Where’s Callan? He might have a betterway.”
“He’s in the mountains with Jasmina and Mor. They’re holding off the living agents on the outskirts…”
“Holding them off? What’s the bloody point of that if we can’t get past the barrier?” Mikhail snapped.
Viktor stepped forward. “I’ll bring the barrier down. I’ll jump over and destroy one of the stones.”
Constantine stared at him as if the lycanthrope had lost his mind. “You’ll be toast before you even hit the ground on the other side.”
