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"They don't want me. They want you."
"But they might use you as leverage. Please, go back to Sanctuary."
"You know I can't." She glances at the pulsating wards and the beasts battering them. "The gateway is closed."
Shit. I'd forgotten about that. My mind has grown fuzzy, and I feel dizzy. My pulse beats so hard and fast that I can't think straight anymore.
"Please, go hide somewhere," I tell Sarah. "Maybe if I merge with the machine, I can reopen the gateway. Then you could at least escape."
"I am not leaving you behind."
Bam, bam, bam. The entire building shudders with every concussion.
"Go, Sarah. Teleport yourself to someplace far away."
She just stands there, chin lifted. I would love her defiance if she weren't endangering herself with it.
I grip her upper arms and drag her closer. "Listen to me, you stupid girl. Do you want to be ripped to shreds by an Echo creature? They love to rape sweet little things like you."
My growling tone doesn't seem to have affected her at all.Dammit.
"You can't scare me away," she says. "We're in this together."
"Sarah—"
The obstinate woman throws her arms around me and whisks us away. We wind up in an area I recognize. It's a part of the Echo that lies furthest away from the Capital City and Sefton's castle. I imagine she wished for us to be somewhere far away, and her magics interpreted that literally. We've wound up on the opposite side of the world.
I notice Aldith stands nearby, arms lashed around herself, glancing around with a wary expression.
"You okay, Aldith?" I ask.
She nods.
We find ourselves in what looks like a small town, though I doubt anyone still lives here. Most of the buildings have been reduced to rubble, and the ones that still stand have suffered enough damage that nobody would want to take refuge in them.Burned-out vehicles and burned-out landscapes complete the picture. This is the definition of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
But at least we're far away from the castle.
For a moment, I just hold Sarah and shut my eyes to enjoy the feel of her body tucked against me. She rests her cheek on my chest. I set my chin on top of her head. I pull in a deep breath and let it out slowly as the tension melts away.
Then the pull of the machine tugs at me again.Shit.Even from literally half a world away, that thing can still find me and infect me with its seductive magics. With every fiber of my being, I want to push Sarah away and transport myself straight to the throne room, which now holds the laboratory of a dead lunatic.
Sarah lifts her head, studying me with those beautiful eyes.
Worry taints them. Worry for me. But she should be more concerned with herself because I can't protect her anymore. I can't trust myself. Would I hurt her if that was the only way to get to the castle? Is merging with the machine now my only goal? I don't want to become a monster, but I know I can't fight it for much longer.
So I push away from Sarah. "You need to move on to another location, another city or town, even a cave will do. I don't care where you go, as long as I can't find you there."
"Running away isn't the answer."
"It's all I can do. You and Aldith need to hide."
Even now, I sense the machine reaching out to me. Its magics snake out in slithering tendrils, hunting, sniffing, seeking me out with all the power Sefton left behind. Resisting the call takes every ounce of willpower I have, but I feel it crumbling away bit by bit, more every second. Soon, I will succumb.
But I can't let that happen here. I have only one choice.
I pull Sarah close and kiss her. Then I stumble backward and stop fighting the pull. The magics snatch me away to the castle.As I disappear, I see the look on Sarah's face as she realizes what I've done. Shock gives way to confusion, and finally, grief.
She screams, "No!"
