Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
No. Not him. Not Raith.
I move without conscious thought, throwing myself between Raith and the void lion. My dagger thrusts upward, catching the beast under its jaw as its momentum carries us both to the ground. Void magic washes over me like acid, burning wherever it touches, but I don't let go.
"Nessa!" Raith's voice sounds far away.
The lion hisses and limps to the side of the siphon, joining the other two creatures.
Raith is at my side in an instant, his hand on my shoulder steadying me. "What were you thinking?"
"You're welcome," I manage, the room spinning slightly.
The siphon studies us, its head tilted unnaturally. "How touching. The fire affinity and the unbound, fighting together."
Raith positions himself in front of me, sword raised. Typhon and Pyrin flank us, both elementals obviously weakened but still defiant.
The siphon and his elementals rush us one last time. It's a chaos of bestial roars, flaring magic, and slashing blades.
We're losing. The realization settles over me with cold clarity. We've held our own longer than I would have thought possible, but the siphon is too strong, and we're only delaying our deaths.
Raith suffers a deep cut to his leg, sags, and then the siphon catches him by the throat.
"Raith!" I shout, trying to charge but the void lion puts itself between us. I try to blast it with more steam, but I've channeled too much. The elements in the room are drained and I have nothing left. Typhon and Pyrin slam into the beast, but the fight is a maelstrom of fire, water, and void magic that I can't get past.
Raith chokes, his face turning purple as black veins begin to spread from where the siphon touches him. The mark on his hand sputters and then dims. Pyrin lets out an inhuman screech, flickering like a candle in a storm.
I struggle to fight past the void lion and reach him, thrashing with my dagger and screaming in outrage as the siphon continues to squeeze Raith's neck, choking him and draining him. The lion slaps Typhon away, sending the water dragon crashing into a wall in a tumble of stones and debris.
I can feel how hurt he is through the tether, and it breaks my heart, but all I can do is keep trying to push past the beast to reach Raith. To save him.
The lion doesn't try to kill me, but it doesn't let me pass.
"I'll fucking kill you!" I shout through clenched teeth as I slash at the lion and try to get to the siphon.
And then the temperature in the room drops dramatically.
"That's quite enough," a familiar voice says from the doorway.
Rector Voss stands there, his elegant robes billowing around him despite the absence of wind. His silver-streaked hair is immaculate as always, his posture relaxed. There's nothing visibly different about him, yet the siphon recoils as if struck.
Raith falls to the ground, curling in on himself and still gasping like he's choking. I run past the void lion and slide to my knees beside him, cradling his head in my lap.
"What's wrong with him? Why isn't it stopping?" I ask Typhon through the tether.
"He was touched. The void corruption will continue to spread." Typhon is getting back to his feet at the edge of the room and shaking off rubble and dust from his wings and back. He's hurt, but okay. Thank gods.
But Raith...
"No," I whisper, a hot tear rolling down my cheek. "No." I barely even notice the siphon or void lion as they continue to back away from Voss.
Voss glides into the room, still staring down the siphon. "You will be leaving now, siphon."
The siphon takes another faltering step backward.
Why is it afraid of him? Voss isn't even a primal.
Voss smiles, the expression never reaching his eyes.
He makes no recognizable gesture, speaks no words of power. Yet the air around the siphon seems to compress, crushing inward. The creature struggles against some invisible force, its body contorting unnaturally.
"Why..." the siphon gasps, its voice strained.
"Tell your master that Confluence remains protected," Voss says pleasantly.
The siphon shrinks in on itself, its form twisting and diminishing until it resembles a malformed human shadow. The void beast whimpers and fades like mist in sunlight.
With a sound like tearing fabric, the shadow and the remnants of the void lion vanishes. The oppressive energy that had filled the room dissipates, leaving only the smell of ozone, decay, and smoke.
"Raith." The name breaks in my throat. Black veins are spreading beneath his skin, creeping outward from his throat where the siphon touched him.
Voss approaches, his expression grim as he studies Raith. "This is void magic. It wasn't allowed to fully take hold, but I fear it will kill him within the hour. His elemental is already failing." He glances at Pyrin, who has diminished to half his normal size, his flames flickering weakly.