Page 110 of Veinblood
I move closer to the throne, and place one hand on its armrest. The stone feels warm under my palm.
“We need to find the Vareth’el and send word,” Vorith says.
I shake my head. “No, we don’t.” Through our bond, I can feel Sacha. The connection is weaker now, but it’s still there. Still guiding him toward me. “He’s already coming.”
My legs give out, and I crash to the polished marble, biting my tongue as I hit the ground.
“Ellie!” Jorana’s voice sounds distant, muffled, as though she’s calling from a great distance.
The throne room spins around me, voices becoming indistinct as hands reach for me. Someone else calls my name, but I don’t have the energy to reply.
My last coherent thought before unconsciousness takes me is hope that when I wake,ifI wake, Sacha will be here.
Chapter Thirty
ELLIE
"The Authority knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
Writings of the Veinblood Masters
Something iswrong with my hand. I try to lift it and nothing happens.
I try again. The fingers twitch, but that’s all. My entire body feels heavy, unresponsive, not quite mine anymore.
What happened to me?
The last thing I remember clearly is standing in the throne room. Then … nothing. Just this strange, herb-scented room and the complete absence of the silver energy that should be humming beneath my skin.
That’swhen the panic hits.
I force my eyes open, fighting against the weight pressing down on my eyelids. Wooden beams cross overhead, carved with patterns that blur and sharpen as I try to focus. I reach for my power again.
Nothing.
Not even a spark. My breath comes faster, and I try to sit up.
“Easy.” A familiar voice comes from somewhere to my right. “Don’t try to move too quickly.”
I turn my head, wincing as the motion sends a wave of dizziness through me. Vorith is sitting in a chair beside the bed.
“How …” I lick my lips, clear my throat, and try again. “How long was I unconscious?”
“Most of the afternoon and all night.” She rises to pour water from a pitcher into a cup. “You collapsed in the throne room, do you remember? You pushed yourself to the limits of endurance, and your body gave in to exhaustion.”
“I can’t feel my power.”
“Do you remember what I told you about how the Authority defeated us by forcing us to deplete our energies?” She waits for my nod. “That’s what happened here. Your power will return. You just need to rest.”
I take the cup she offers, sipping slowly and letting the cool water soothe my throat.
“You were brave out there.” Vorith’s voice is quiet. “Standing up to Sereven like that.”
The confrontation floods back. The way his words found their mark, and made me doubt everything about myself and my place here. The moment when I’d actually considered his offer, and imagined what it would be like to build something new how I wanted it, instead of helping restore something that already existed.
You could be so much more than his useful pet.
For one heart beat, I’d wavered. The picture he painted hadbeen so appealing. Until he mentioned killing Sacha, and fury burned it all away.
