Page 6 of Elysian

Cassiel moved so quickly he became a blur. With my following blink, he had his hand out of the bars, the chain on his ankles clanking together with the rush of motion. Drusilla yelped, pulling back at the last moment out of his range. A wide tear ripped down the front of her gown’s skirt, and the fabric came away in Cassiel’s hand, leaving a gaping hole.

Drusilla pressed her palm to her heaving chest. The tense moment was filled with her ragged breaths.

“Free her,” he bit out.

Her lip trembled, but she stiffened her spine. “You are only hurting her, my boy. Release her from the agony. I do not want to force it, but I will.” With those final, stiff words, she turned on her slippers and left.

It had taken her much longer to connect why I was still alive than it had taken me. It all returned to Cassiel and his necromancy. Cassiel tossed the ripped material to the ground and aggressively raked his hand through his hair. He backed away from the bars.

Shuffling sounds came from the path leading to the only exit.

“My lord, this has not been cleared with the rest of the council⁠—”

“Pah,” Al exclaimed. “Lord Vaner knows the importance of understanding Elysian pairs. I cannot study them if she is dead.”

Al and another man dressed in officer garb rounded the corner onto the path leading to the cells. Drusilla disappeared around the bend without saying a word to them.

“Unlock the girl’s cell,” Al ordered as they drew closer.

Seeing the officer’s uniform without the gold embroidery told me he was low ranking. He fidgeted, shuffling from foot to foot.

“Do as he says.” Egan’s familiar voice boomed down the hall. Both the officer and I whipped our heads toward him.

“Egan.” A wave of relief rushed through me.

He had not outed me when I was stashed in the wagon. So easily he could have announced my presence, but he hadn’t.

“Yes, Sergeant.” The officer scrambled to grab his keys and shoved one of them into the hole. With a twist of his wrist, I was free, and Egan stood outside the cell.

An intense wave of grief flooded my system.

“Egan,” I whispered. I pressed my trembling hands under me, but I had no strength to push myself up. My arm gave out, and I toppled over, landing on my elbow.

Bursts of pain kept me still, my breathing shallow. I found myself hauled up and against a chest. I gasped to find Egan so near my face.

A deep rumble came from behind us—a grinding of stone on stone.

“Get your hands off her.” Cassiel’s voice was like a whip.

Egan’s steps slowed, and his mouth thinned.

“Such terrifying anger,” Al mused, close to sounding awed by Cassiel’s outburst. A bang resonated. It didn’t take me long to deduce it was the sound of flesh meeting metal. “Bring her to my lab, Sergeant.”

Whatever Egan was about to spew at Cassiel didn’t make it past his pressed lips, and he continued walking, the echoing bangs following us. The young officer rushed to keep pace with Egan.

Al shuffled a few paces behind us, breathing audible as he struggled to follow.

Egan cradled me as carefully as possible, but every point he touched ached. He rounded the corner onto a different path. Thick stone made up the walls and floors. Torches lit the way further up. Where had they been keeping us?

The hall inclined, and Egan pressed on. His stride dragged, slower with each step, sweat beading at his temples.

“I can walk,” I said.

He shook his head, a look of determination settling across his features. A metal door came into view that had a thick reflective slab across the front. The officer hurried forward to a metal section jutting out. His ring of keys clanged against each other, and he selected a large one with a circular design at the top. He shoved it into the slot and twisted it. A clang and the clicking of gears screeched through, almost to the point of pain as the latch lifted, settling upward.

As soon as it was complete, the gear continued clicking until the mechanism opened the door. The door began closing as soon as we were past. Bright sunlight speared my irises. I flinched, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. The light turned the inside of my eyelids a faint yellow.

“You agreed to place him at the forefront as king.” Drusilla’s voice carried.