Page 154 of Veinblood
The Healer's Codex, ancient Tidevein manuscript
It’s still darkwhen I wake to find myself alone in bed. The side where Sacha sleeps is cold, telling me he’s been gone for a while. I throw back the covers, and hurry across the room, easing the door open.
My eyes find him immediately—tall, straight-backed, sitting cross-legged in front of the large window. Moonlight streams through the glass, surrounding him in a faint silvery glow that deepens the shadows pooling around his body.
Through the bond, I can sense his intense focus. It’s so strong it actually makes my stomach ache.
Two hundred and fifty people. He’s going to try and transport two hundred and fifty people through shadows to Blackvault.
I stand in the doorway, staying as quiet as possible, wanting to watch but afraid to disturb him. I can feel how much this is costing him through our bond. The fear he won’t admit to. Theresolve that drives him forward. The responsibility for all these lives pressing down on him.
Then the tenor of his concentration shifts. The fear doesn’t disappear, but something else joins it. Readiness mixed with grim resolve.
His head turns. His eyes open, and meet mine across the room.
“It’s time.” His voice is quiet. Shadows cling to him like smoke, wafting away as he rises to his feet.
I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod, and retreat to the bedchamber to dress quickly.
All the arrangements were made last night. The four masters have insisted on coming, with Meren arguing that he wouldn’t be left behind for this final assault. Kalliss had listened to him then agreed. Vorith stated she was going, and Nyassa also made it clear she had no intention of being left behind. Sacha didn’t disagree with any of them. He told them that he would not force anyone to be a part of what was ahead, and only those who wished to take part would be included.
Varam and Mira stepped forward quietly, and informed him that there had been over five hundred volunteers between Veinwardens and Veinbloods. He nodded, and asked them to choose two hundred and fifty from them. The surprised gratitude that flowed through the bond made me want to reach out and hug him. Instead, I touched his hand and smiled when his fingers squeezed mine.
The throne room is already full when we arrive. Veinbloods and Veinwardens stand in groups, talking in hushed tones. Theatmosphere is tense. These are men and women who are willing to play a part in ending this war, knowing full well they might not return.
“If anyone has changed their mind, this is the moment to leave.” Sacha’s voice carries through the room. “Everyone else, form a circle.”
People look at each other, but no one moves toward the door.
“Join hands. Whatever happens during the transportation,donotlet go until I say so. Your connection to the person beside you, and through them to me, is the only thing that will keep you anchored in the void.”
Sacha reaches out and takes my left hand. Mira takes my right, and Varam is on Sacha’s other side.
Once the circle is complete, the shadows around Sacha thicken. They spread outward in tendrils that reach toward each of us. The temperature in the room drops noticeably until I can see my breath misting in the air. Several people shift nervously as darkness begins to climb their legs.
I watch it engulf my boots, my mind flashing back to River Crossing. How his attempt there failed so catastrophically. How he nearly died trying to escape.
Sacha’s fingers flex, squeezing mine, and I force the memories away. His breathing beside me is deep and steady, and the bond between us pulses in time with each exhale.
“Hold fast to each other.” His voice holds an otherworldly quality, deeper than normal, resonating with the power he’s building. “Trust in me. And when we arrive, be ready to fight.”
The shadows surge upward like a black tide, swallowing the entire group. My last clear sight is of Sacha’s face, distant and composed while he channels power that could tear us all apart.
Sound becomes muffled and distorted. My stomach lurches violently as up and down lose all meaning. The sensation of falling and flying happens simultaneously, my body unable to process what’s happening to it. The only thing that keeps me from panicking is Sacha’s steady presence through the bond. I can sense the effort, the strain of moving this many people, and the way he’s fighting to hold everything together.
Time moves strangely. Seconds, minutes, or hours pass in what feels like heartbeats. The darkness presses against my skin, and more than once I’m certain we’re going to be lost forever in this place between places.
Then the darkness begins to thin. Solid ground materializes beneath our feet, and suddenly we’re stumbling out of the shadows and into a more natural darkness that smells of dirt and damp.
The sound of breathing is loud around me. I blink rapidly, still clutching Mira and Sacha’s hands, trying to orient myself. Then light blooms, making my eyes water. Kalliss holds a small flame above his palm. With a flick of his wrist, it separates into smaller flames that spread throughout the space, lighting up where we're standing.
Several people have collapsed to their knees, overwhelmed by the disorientation of traveling through shadow. Others stagger, reaching desperately for walls or companionsto steady them. A few double over and retch violently, their bodies rejecting what they’ve just experienced.
Sacha sways on his feet beside me. And for one terrifying moment, I think he might collapse, but he forces his spine straight, drawing on reserves that shouldn’t even exist after what he just did.
“Did everyone make it?” Varam asks, already moving through the group to check on those who are on their knees.
A quick headcount confirms what seems impossible. All two hundred and fifty of us made it through intact. Shaken and disoriented, but alive and whole.
