The cell was colder than ever. Shadows clung to the corners, stretching like fingers, trying to reach me. I was still sitting on the hard stone floor, my wrists sore from the chains pulsing faintly, my blood humming along their lengths. The truth had burned through me yesterday, cutting away everything I thought I knew, leaving me raw, bleeding inside.
Darius was lying against the wall, barely moving. His chest rose and fell unevenly. I could see the dark veins crawling across his skin, creeping slowly toward his neck. He was weaker than I had ever seen him. My chest twisted. He wasn’t just hurt. He was dying.
I swallowed hard. Fear clawed up my throat, sharp and bitter. I wanted to move, to rush to him, to pull him close and heal him somehow. But the chains held me tight, tighter than e
