CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
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Alaric Sampson
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3rd of Janus, 936 PC
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It was exactly two hours after midnight when the University da Mi’lier went up in flames. For several long seconds, the wall of red flames turned Locke into one of the three hells. Dark clouds framed the explosion like ghastly demons watching their master rise from below. The ground trembled like it too was terrified of what was happening. If not for holding onto the walls of the stone bridge, Alaric and the others may have been blown over by the hot gusts of wind sweeping through the empty streets. Dust and stone fell from the roof of the bridge, cracks cut through the blocks like rivers on a map. Debris fell from the sky like rain but had no intention of putting out the fire.
Lily’s hands were still cupped over her ears when Alaric turned to the others.
“How did you know?” Kathar asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
“This is precisely when I told Tripelthin we would be inside the university,” Alaric said. “And we would be if you hadn’t mentioned Manaya.”
They’d been on their way to the docks when Diedro noticed how quiet the streets were, causing Alaric to think twice about trying to stop Tripelthin from escaping Locke. The advisor was arrogant, hateful, rude, and a thousand other things but negligent was not one of them. Going to the docks would have been a trap, there was no doubt in Alaric’s mind. Tripelthin may not have expected to need his trap, but he would not have rested for a second until the university exploded and there was no sign of Alaric and the others sneaking around. So, instead of running to their deaths, they’d found a bridge with a view of the university to see if the traitor had anything spectacular in store for them. And what they’d gotten was a show none of them would ever forget.
“What about Therrin?” Lily asked.
He frowned. “I’m afraid he will either be put in chains and used to heal Lotus or…” No one needed him to say the alternative so he didn’t. “I should have known something was wrong when Tripelthin suggested severing the lifeline the boy provided.”
“Don’t fault yourself,” Diedro said. “Got me thinking he was doing something good for us too.”
Lily nodded in agreement. “I could tell he was dangerous but I didn’t realize it was directed at you,” she said. “And when I could, you were always arguing.” Her face was tinted red from the glow of the enormous fire.
Alaric turned his palms over as if to say don’t worry about it. “I didn’t give Tripelthin the influence he had because he wasn’t cunning. Clearly, he knew exactly how to hide in plain sight. Even from you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have told you.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Alaric said. “He fooled me too. I can only imagine how much information he fed Iris and the Lotus though. Now my prayers are with the others. May The Creator guide them from his betrayal.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head, ashamed of herself. “I knew something was going to happen. Before we ever set out from Thronerock. Wicket told me. Not this… not an explosion. All he said was that I’d sense something when we were inside the university and I shouldn’t tell you. I didn’t realize he was working with Tripelthin. Or that it would get us all killed. I’m sorry. To all of you.” She looked at Diedro long and hard. He stared back at her from beneath his hood.
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Finally, Diedro flicked his smoke stick off the bridge and said, “That’s the bastard that took advantage of you?” She gave a subtle but angry nod. “Figure he ha ya thinking wrong then.” He sat down on the wall inside one of the arches and pulled another smoke stick out of his pocket. He offered no other words.
Lily turned to Alaric. “I promise I’ll never hide anything from you again.”
“Like he said, you weren’t thinking right.” Alaric sounded incredibly composed for how enraged he was on the inside. Her breach of trust would not go unpunished but now was not the time.
“What do we do now?” Kathar asked.
The flapping of a Cloudcruiser’s wings came from the harbor and filled the night skies with a song of triumphant evil. The thought that Tripelthin would be getting away so easily bothered all of them but each was frozen by a fear that if they spoke before the sound of the Cloudcruiser faded, they might be heard.
When the final ripples of its booming presence were gone Alaric started to say, “Now we-” Suddenly, the warmth that had filled his body for years was gone. He clutched his chest and took in a long, sharp breath. A dull thump, thump, thump echoed in his head. He stumbled backward and slammed into the wall of the bridge. His eyes shot wide open. The strength in his legs vanished. Kathar lurched forward, grabbing his shoulder and wrist but he couldn’t stop Alaric from toppling sideways and falling to the ground. His side hit the wall Diedro was sitting on, the stone scratched at his ribs. He tried to breathe but he was paralyzed with terror.
Finally, words slithered out of his mouth awkwardly. “My chest, it’s burning.”
They were all crouching near him now but they became blurs when the pain grew more intense. His mind began to shut off. All he could hear was thump, thump, thump. Some dull and constant, others loud and angry. His breath shot out of him. “What’s that noise?!”
“What noise?” someone asked.
“There’s no noise.” That was Lily. Sweet Lily Pattick and her gentle voice that was slowly decaying from all the hatred in her heart.
His scars burned like never before. He tried to rub it but his arms were too tired to move. “My scars,” he mumbled. There were hands on his chest now, desperate ones, rough ones. “Help me.” Where was his warmth? Where was his precious magic? Gone! This was it, his chest was going to tear open. He’d be dead in seconds.
There was the sound of cloth tearing then the nip of cold air on his chest.
“Nothing’s happening.” Who was talking? Not Diedro. Words were too precious to him to waste them on such a useless comment. Kathar. Had to be Kathar.
He tried to focus on the blur in front of him. “Kathar.”
“Aye. I’m right here.” Alaric’s limp hand curled into a fist in hopes of seizing Kathar, killing him for letting Ceralline die. Still, no warmth filled him. There was no relief in his chest. There was no connection with Kathar’s body.
“I’m empty,” Alaric muttered, expecting death to follow any second but the pain in his chest wasn’t getting worse. If anything it was becoming more tolerable.
“What?” Kathar sounded stunned.
There were more hands on Alaric’s chest now. He grabbed at their wrists. Squeezed. There was strength he didn’t expect.
“Your scars are fine, Alaric!” There were hands on his face, trying to stop him from shaking and panicking. “Alaric! You’re fine!”
He was panting as he stared into Kathar’s eyes. “I’m alive?”
“You’re alive.”
“I’m alive,” he said, still panting. He felt his chest, his scars. There was no burning, no pain at all. “I’m alive.”