Page 99 of The Bound Mage
“Of course.” Eryn smiled faintly. “He doesn’t like me very much, you know. I can’t blame him though. Most days, I’m not very likable.”
“Ah—” Araya stared at him, not sure what to make of the unexpected line of conversation. “Loren respects you.”
Eryn laughed softly. “Unlikely, Miss Starwind.”
“He does,” Araya insisted. “He wouldn’t have trusted you with this—with me—if he didn’t. And I’m grateful, too. You helped me get the children here. You might be one of the few people who never lived in the New Dominion that understands the horrors they would face there.”
“That’s very kind of you to say, Lady Starwind.” Eryn’s hand brushed her elbow, guiding her over a rough patch of ground as they turned the corner. “It makes me very sorry for what is about to happen here.”
Araya stared at him, suddenly all too aware of how alone she was was with him. She couldn’t even see the temple steps any more. The little shadow shifted against her skin, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. But before she could ask what he meant, a scream shattered the morning quiet.
Eilwen.
Araya spun, her heart hammering as she stared back the way they’d come. She was such a fool—they should have checked the inside first, before anyone went in. She started back theway they’d come, her magic already rising to the surface and sparking across her skin.
But Eryn’s hand clamped down on her arm, yanking her to a halt.
“I can’t let you do that, Araya,” he said gently. “No one here wants you to get hurt. Now—drink.”
Drink. Araya sputtered, choking on the bitter liquid as Eryn pressed a flask to her lips. Her throat convulsed against her will, every swallow burning like fire. She tried to turn her head, to spit—but his command dug its claws into her, leaving her with no choice but to gag and sputter until he pulled the empty flask away.
“Good,” he said, pocketing the empty flask. “Very good, Araya. Now—stay here.”
Stay. The command rooted her feet to the ground, her muscles locking in place as if her legs had turned to stone. Her power flared hot in her veins—but his command smothered it, chaining her from the inside.
Desperate, she reached inward instead, grasping for the bond. But it slipped through her fingers, impossible to grasp. She tried again, only to discover the steady hum of Loren’s presence—a comfort she’d never expected to be without again—was gone. Silent.
“Don’t strain yourself, Miss Starwind.” Eryn shook his head, his expression pitying. “You won’t be able to reach him. That tea Serafina curated for us works very quickly.”
“You—” Araya stared at him, horrified. “What are you doing?”
“I’m doing what you should have done,” he said. “Before you decided to cling to a dream that died twenty years ago. You know better than to believe we can defeat them. And still, you let yourself get sucked in.”
Araya’s pulse roared in her ears. “Loren can?—”
“Loren is a shell of the king he should have been.” Eryn sighed, his fingers digging into her flesh like claws. “There were a hundred chances for this to end. He should have died in that cell. Or when you tried to cross the Shadowed Sea, or when the two of you walked into the heart of the Veil. But you just had to keep saving him didn’t you? And now we’ve been brought to this.”
“No—” Araya jerked against his hold, everything in her recoiling at his touch. She had to get to the children. If he’d betrayed them and the New Dominion washere—all she’d wanted to do was protect the children, and instead she’d doomed them.
But it was the shadow that saved her.
It exploded from her shoulders with a feral snarl, launching itself through the air. Eryn’s eyes widened, but he didn’t even get the chance to shout before it slammed into his chest. He flew back, his compulsion shattering like brittle glass as his body hit the broken stone with a sickeningcrack.
Araya ran.
She didn’t look back—didn’t dare. Whether the shadow had torn Eryn apart or he’d managed to fight it off didn’t matter. She had to reach the children. If she could just get them into the crypt, they would be safe.
She took the steps two at a time, her lungs burning as she burst into the darkened sanctuary.
The children huddled together in the far corner, pale faces streaked with dirt and tears. The chaperones ringed them in a broken circle, shielding them with their own bodies despite the terror written on their own faces.
Except for Eilwen.
She was on her knees, her body shaking with broken sobs as Darian Hale wrenched her arms behind her back. Twoinquisitors flanked him, hands raised and ready to retaliate with stolen magic if anyone dared act.
Araya froze, her breath seizing in her lungs. Not Hale—not here. She stumbled back a step, every instinct screaming at her to turn and run—but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the familiar scrap of torn cloth at Hale’s feet.
Selan’s blanket.
