Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Anora and the Order

I wake up stuffed inside covers. Blankets are tucked under my shoulders, arms, and legs. The feel of them against my skin is like being restrained. I shove them aside, thrashing to release my limbs. Once I’m free, I lie there breathing hard. My mind picks up where it left off before everything went dark—Lily coming to life and feral, Jake lifeless, looking like something out of a horror movie, Jacobi landing on his head, unmoving, and Shy, Natalie, the hellhounds, all arriving too late.

Because even after they were all assembled, they couldn’t kill Lily.

So I did.

But at what price?

Lily’s soul shattered.

That’s what happens when you use powers you don’t understand.Thane’s words echo in my mind. Why does he have to be right all the time?

I start to clench my fist, but pain prevents me. When I look at my hand, I find something metal molded around my palm. Prongs dig into the top of my hand, like a diamond set in a mount, except there’s nothing pretty about this contraption.

Hysterical, I sit up, trying to pry the thing from my hand, but I only make it worse. The prongs dig into my skin and bleed. A wave of dizziness washes over me, and I stop, focusing instead on my cage.

I can see nothing, save a large glass door that opens into a hallway flooded with sterile light. I start to rise from the bed and go to it when a voice erupts from the darkness.

“Comfortable?”

I spin to face the sound.

“Who the hell are you?” I demand.

A laugh and then lights. Dim, ugly lights that illuminate the cell and a creature—a Valryn with a pretty face, dark eyes, and a devastating, infuriating smile. His body is long and lean, and his muscles are contoured by his skin-tight suit. Weapons are arranged strategically on his body: a knife at his thigh, blades crisscrossed on his back. He’s haloed by large, iridescent-black wings.

“Forgive me, Eurydice. I did not introduce myself.” He places his hand to his chest. “I am Luminary Roth DuPont, the head of the Order.”

I just stare at him. That name means nothing.

“I’m disappointed,” he says. “Savior hasn’t told you about me?”

“Guess he didn’t think you were worth mentioning.”

Roth offers a charming smile, and I hate it. “Shy didn’t think you were worth mentioning either. But I think you and I understand things of value. Things like this.” He holds up my necklace, and I go rigid.

My grandfather’s coin spins, glinting under the lights. In this sterile room, it’s magic. I reach for it, but Roth pulls back, and the coin thuds against his chest. A surge of anger rushes through me, that he possesses something so important to me. That he would dare hold it that close to his heart.

“If truth be told, you have nothing to fear from the Order. They think you should be trained, and I agree. You are more useful once you reach your potential. It is likely you’ll leave here tonight having lost nothing of real value—with the exception of this.”

I watch my coin, not Roth.

“You can’t keep that. I won’t let you,” I say through gritted teeth.

“You won’t let me?” He laughs, raising his brows, and then glances at my hand. “What are you going to do? Steal my soul?”

Instinctively, I curl my fingers into fists, but the metal claw digs into my skin, making me flinch.

“You can hardly blame me, Eurydice. I can’t chance you running off again. And while the Order’s under the impression they can appoint a shadow knight to patrol, we know you’re not above killing one of us.”

Roth stands and starts toward the door with my poppa’s coin. I want to attack him, and I might have had I not been in Valryn custody. Chances are, assaulting the person in charge won’t lead to my freedom, and then I will be stuck here and still not have my coin back.

Roth pauses at the door. “Just remember, Eurydice, the Order may grant you freedom, but you are under my control.”

As soon as he’s gone, I search my cell for a weapon. The bed is bolted to the ground and solid metal. There is nothing on the walls, and even the small bathroom is empty. The shower doesn’t even have a curtain, and there are no towels. I’m still looking when the door to my cell opens, and a shadow knight steps through.

It’s Shy’s father.

“My name is Bastian,” he says. “I’ve come to collect you for the Order.”

I stiffen.

“I want my mom,” I say.

“You will see her soon enough,” he replies. “We do not plan to keep you here.”

“How can I trust you?”

“You don’t have to trust us now,” Bastian says. “You can trust us later, when you’re home safe.”

I know I’m not getting out of here without going before the Order, so I relent and leave with Bastian. He walks a step or two behind me. Now and then, he’ll call out an order—left, turn right here, and then stop when we arrive at a stainless-steel elevator. We ride to the fourteenth floor.

“Where am I?”

“You are at the Compound.” Bastian doesn’t look at me as he speaks. “The fortress of the Valryn.”

If I were in another situation, I might laugh at his use of the word fortress, but in the last few days, I’ve discovered nearly everyone I’ve met is a shape-shifter, the other half are death-speakers, and I’m some sort of modern ferryman. I am in no place to critique vocabulary.

I’m led to a room with a large, oblong table, already crowded with a mix of flesh-and-blood Valryn and holograms. These must be the elites Shy talked about, the leaders of the Valryn. Among them is Roth, who makes eye contact with me; his fingers play with a chain at his neck. My poppa’s coin—a reminder of the power he has over me.

Bastian directs me to a seat at the head of the table. My back is to a large, dark window. If that isn’t enough to make me uncomfortable, everyone is looking at me, assessing, wondering if I’m capable of the accusations leveled against me. I study them too. Some are surprised and others hostile. No one appears friendly, not even the most familiar face among them. When my eyes land on him, I can’t stop myself from blurting, “Mr. Val? You’re Valryn?”

He is reactionless except for a single raised brow, as if he wants to be amused but his face forgot how.

“Yes, Miss Silby,” he says. “I’m equally surprised you’re the Eurydice.”

My face heats, and for some reason, I find myself wanting to prove Mr. Val wrong, but not just him—all these people.

Roth clears his throat and stands.

“You’ve all been briefed on tonight’s events, along with the disappearance of soul Vera Bennet and the deaths of Chase Lockwood and Lily Martin for which the Eurydice is responsible,” he says.

I have the urge to protest—just what exactly have they been told? But I bite my tongue—I’ll have my chance…I hope.

“It is my opinion that Anora Silby is a danger to herself and others,” Roth continues.

I set my teeth so hard, my jaw hurts, and my hands, resting on the arms of the too-large chair, clench, even the one caught in the claw.

“And what evidence have you to present, Luminary?” the elite sitting closest to me asks.

Yes, what evidence? I want to hear it too.

“You already know the story, Elite Cain,” says another Valryn. “Chase Lockwood’s soul was stolen right from his body—we have proof of that. Is that not evidence enough?”

“It is a start, Elite Ezekiel,” says Elite Cain. “But overall, it proves nothing.”

“Eurydice,” says a white-haired woman who introduced herself as Elite Gwen. “Did you know Chase Lockwood?”

“My name is Anora.”

“Actually, your name is Lyra, isn’t it?” Elite Cain asks, pressing something on the screen in front of him. A hologram pops up at the center of the table, projecting from a tiny box. There, a photo from my previous school appears. “You started going by your middle name when you moved here. Is that because you were on the run, Eurydice?”

“I started going by my middle name for anonymity,” I say, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. It’s hard not to betray how angry I am, how hostile I wish to be, with Roth’s gaze searing into me. “There were a lot of rumors I was involved in Chase’s death at my school. None could be proven, but people still talk. Mom didn’t want that to follow me here.”

I emphasize Mom. I want these people to know I have someone waiting for me at home.

“Would those rumors happen to have any truth, Eurydice?”

“You tell me what the evidence says.”

The elites around the table exchange glances. I can guess a few words they might use to describe me: know-it-all, stubborn, entitled, but I don’t care. I wasn’t born in their world, I was forced into it, and Chase Lockwood started the whole thing.

“This is what makes her dangerous!” Elite Ezekiel exclaims. “It’s possible more have died by her hand and we have no way of knowing! She should be kept under constant supervision, the thread contained!”

My heart seizes. Contained? Do they mean to make me wear this claw forever? They can’t!

“At what cost?” another elite says. “Charon has already dissolved the gates. He has hellhounds pacing outside our walls, apparently assigned to protect the Eurydice. His orders are clear: we support the Eurydice, not imprison her.”

“Someone has to think about the souls!” Elite Ezekiel argues. “Charon won’t summon the gates for one hundred and fifty dead in a plane crash, and this girl has taken life!”

“That has yet to be proven,” Elite Cain reminds them.

Suddenly, all eyes are on me again.

“Eurydice,” Elite Gwen says. “If Lockwood attacked you, we need to hear it.”

I recognize this tactic, know she is playing good cop, and yet I cave, swearing to God or Charon or whoever in the hell is responsible for life on earth that I will never tell this story again.

I begin the same way I began when I told Shy and the others, except I use more details. Use the words he used to lead me into his snare—beautiful and toxic and breathtaking. I tell of warm kisses and heated touches that spun me in silk. I tell of the cold press of his blade that drew blood and tarnished his web forever.

“I used the only weapon I had,” I say. “The thread.”

There is silence for a very long time, and then Elite Cain speaks. “In the matter of Chase Lockwood’s death, does the Order find the Eurydice at fault?”

Everyone raises their hands, and my stomach falls straight to my toes.

Elite Cain says, “As far as I’m concerned, the Eurydice killed Chase Lockwood in self-defense. Her actions, while dangerous, were appropriate, and she used the only weapon she had against a nearly fully trained shadow knight. All in agreement of this statement…”

A little over half the Order raises their hands.

“With respect, Elite Cain,” says Roth. “Chase Lockwood swore an oath to the shadow knights and had authority to bring her in.”

“That would be correct if Chase had notified the Order once he discovered she was the Eurydice. As far as we understand, he was working alone,” Elite Cain states.

Roth crosses his arms. “What of Lily Martin, then?”

Hearing Lily’s name wasn’t easy before. It’s harder now.

“Eurydice, if you captured Vera’s soul, you were just doing your job,” Gwen says.

Her good cop routine will only go so far. There are people here who want me under their thumb, and admitting I got angry and captured Vera’s soul in a coin I subsequently lost will only give those in favor of my imprisonment fuel for their argument.

“I wasn’t doing my job,” I say. “Because I haven’t accepted your offer.”

Elite Ezekiel laughs. “This isn’t an offer of employment, Eurydice. You cannot refuse.”

“I am not Valryn. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“But you see the dead, you speak to them, and by all accounts, controlling the Thread of Fate can be considered death magic. By definition, you are a death-speaker and fall under our jurisdiction.”

“So you would treat me like an enemy?”

“Death-speakers are not our enemies, Eurydice, unless they are doing something wrong, like stealing souls.”

I glare at him. “I didn’t steal Lily’s soul, and I didn’t resurrect her.”

“We’re fully aware you didn’t resurrect her, Eurydice,” Elite Cain says.

“You are?” I ask, a little surprised.

“Yes, even you have limits. Giving life, no matter how crude, is not a power you possess. Charon forbids it. Whoever gave Lily’s corpse life did so with power from the occult. We believe whoever reanimated Lily was in possession of a resurrection coin you made.” He is quiet as he lets the information sink in, and then he asks, “Where are the coins, Eurydice?”

“What?”

“You captured Chase’s and Vera’s souls. Where are the coins?”

“Why do you want them?” I ask.

He ignores my question. “We know you haven’t opened the gates since your incarnation here on earth. Which means the coins are either in your possession or…”

“I lost them,” I lie quickly. I can’t let them know I still have Chase’s coin—or a whole box full at home under my bed. I glance at Roth, who smiles gleefully.

The silence that follows my admission slices through me. What have I done? For some reason, I repeat myself, as if I haven’t driven the point home. “I lost them.”

“You…lost them?”

“Whoever has them…killed and resurrected Lily.”

More silence. Elite Cain’s gaze is hard as he studies me, and I get the sense he doesn’t believe me.

“And you expect this child to navigate her duties alone?” Elite Ezekiel explodes. “Clearly she has demonstrated she cannot be trusted outside the walls of the Compound.”

“She will not be alone. Besides, we cannot keep a sixteen-year-old girl hostage, Elite Ezekiel,” says Gwen.

I have suddenly become invisible. Part of me wonders if I can sneak away, but as I glance around the table, I find Mr. Val watching me—the only elite paying attention.

“Her lack of responsibility for something so important should be punished,” said Elite Ezekiel.

“And yet it is the Order’s duty to find, train, and support the Eurydice.” Gwen’s voice rises above the rest. “We did none of those things. Can she be blamed for decisions made untrained?”

Elite Ezekiel definitely thinks so.

“Eurydice,” Elite Cain says in the gentlest voice he can muster. “We are offering you training and protection. We wish to teach you how to use your powers. If you let us, we will be your support.”

“Not all of you seem to be in agreement,” I say, glaring at Elite Ezekiel.

“We are a democracy, Eurydice. Majority rules,” says Elite Gwen.

And as she speaks, more than half the room raises their hand in agreement.

Elite Cain says, “The Order will move forward as planned and train you. In exchange, you will fulfill your duty and lead lost souls into Spirit, so we may offset the power of Influence. Think of it as…redemption for the coins you lost.”

I can’t lead anything into Spirit, I want to say. I don’t know how to summon the gates, but I keep my mouth shut just in case they all decide in the next few seconds that setting me free is too risky. Let them think they have me now.

“This Council is dismissed,” Elite Cain says. “Commander Savior, please escort the Eurydice to the infirmary.”

Shy’s father stands in the small room where a medic removes the claw from my hand. I wince as the prongs come free. The medic treats the four punctures and then binds my hand. Bastian is quiet; the only question he directs toward me is about the bites all over my skin. When I tell him Lily was able to summon the bugs, his brows rise in surprise.

I think about how this night started—all I wanted to do was track Lily’s soul. Now I’m in the Order’s custody. Of all the things that upset me the most, it isn’t the interrogation or that I’ll now fill the role as Eurydice. It’s that Roth has my poppa’s coin and thinks to use it as a snare to keep me in Rayon.

I will get my coin back, one way or the other, but first, I have to find my lost coin and Lily’s murderer.

Once the medic is through, I follow Bastian out of the infirmary. Before he exits into the waiting room, he pauses at the door.

“Before you leave, your trainer would like to speak with you.”

“My trainer?”

Shadow knights don’t mess around. The fact that they already have someone assigned to teach me makes me think they decided this a long time ago.

“Shall I introduce you?”

I get the feeling it is one of those rhetorical questions I can’t refuse, so I nod.

He pushes through the door and steps out of the way, and I’m face-to-face with Mr. Val.

“Oh no. You’re my trainer?”