Resurrection (Book Three of the Soul Forge series)

Sypher crashed into a deep sleep with his arms around Elda almost the same moment his head hit the pillow. She lay awake, listening to his steady, even breaths and the sound of his heart thudding in her ear.

How could such a strong heart be dying? He had no fever, no clammy skin. His breath didn’t rasp and he had eaten without complaint. There was no sign of his impending doom aside from how quickly he’d fallen asleep.

His hands, flattened against her stomach over the fabric of her nightgown, were still gloved. She couldn’t kiss him, even with him right there beside her. The dagger was beneath her pillow, ready to wield the moment his heart seized beating.

In the darkness and the quiet, surrounded by Sypher’s embrace and his scent, Elda wept. For the future so cruelly torn from her, for the demon soul she’d already lost, for the Angel she was on the edge of losing.

The festival was a wonderful, beautiful memory, speared through with the pain of knowing what was coming. After everything they’d been through, Malakai had finally found a way to end Sypher without even realising it.

“You should be sleeping,” the Soul Forge murmured huskily, his arms tightening around her.

“I can’t,” she whispered back.

Instead of answering right away, he sighed into her neck and held her closer. “You’ll be no use to anyone if you don’t sleep, El,” he mumbled eventually.

“How do I sleep knowing you’re gone?”

“I’m not gone.” He shifted so she was laid on her back and he was looking down at her, propped up on one elbow with his other hand still flat against her stomach. “I’m right here with you.”

“For how long?” she asked hoarsely. “You can’t kiss me without fear of sentencing me to death. You can’t touch me in case you scratch me.”

“I can touch you,” he replied, sliding his hand upwards to rest over her heart instead. “I can hold you. Speak to you.”

“I don’t want to live without you, Sypher. I already have to live without Vel.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

“You have to. Your people need you.” He smiled, and another piece of her heart fractured. “And if there’s an After for me, I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“I don't want you to wait for me, I want you to stay with me."

"All I can offer now is the destruction of the monolith, and a last ditch attempt to sever the bond I have with Ember before my death kills her too." His hand rose to cup her cheek. "I've lived almost a thousand years, maite."

Elda's face crumpled, her voice choked. "But you didn't live them with me."

"I know."

For a while, neither of them spoke. Neither of them slept. They simply laid in silence, helpless to stop the minutes of Sypher's life ticking by.

Eventually, Elda slept, her cheeks still wet with tears.

Sunlight slanting through the pale curtains roused Elda first. She sat up slowly, instantly aware that Sypher's arm was heavy around her. His skin was cooler than yesterday, her movement not stirring him.

She braced herself, heart pounding in her throat as she slipped her hand under the pillow to grip the dagger. But when she turned, he was simply asleep.

The morning light slipping through the crack in the drapes cast shafts of gold over the dark runes above the collar of his loose tunic, highlighting the handsome planes of his face and bathing his pale hair in dappled rays of yellow. He looked peaceful, rested, and yet she knew he was closer to death.

"Sypher," she murmured, replacing the dagger beneath the pillow. His eyes flickered open and her heart sank.

Ringing the red of his coloured iris and highlighting the previously hidden one in his entirely black eye, was a circle of pale white. The first visible proof that he was indeed going to die.

"You look like you might be sick," he noted, yawning widely enough to show off his elongated incisors.

"Your eyes," she whispered. The Soul Forge frowned and swung his legs out of bed, heading for the washroom. Elda followed barefoot, lingering in the doorway while he peered at his reflection.

"Well, there's no hiding it now," he sighed.

"How do you feel?"

"Exactly how Fennix said I would. Tired, headachey, nauseous. Otherwise fine." He straightened up, tucking his wings behind him like it was still an effort to lift the damaged one. "I did a lot of fighting on the battlefield in Kilmarthen," he explained softly, catching her wary glance. "Mortality means my muscles still hurt."

"Are you sure you're up to going after the monolith today?"

"I'm not going to get any better," he shrugged. "And I need to smash it before my body fails me completely. Otherwise, Ember dies with me."

"Shouldn't you speak with Hephaestus first?" she asked, pushing away from the doorframe to approach him.

He turned those piercing eyes on her and cocked his head. "He stopped answering me right before I got hurt. I was hoping you could summon him instead."

"I can try." Elda didn't bother waiting until she was dressed. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, searching for that tenuous link she shared with the jaguar Spirit.

"You called?" he asked, appearing in the seating area.

"I did, since it seems you've abandoned my husband." She set her hands on her hips, shooting him a cold glare. "He's dying because of you."

"I was pre-occupied," Hephaestus replied evenly. "I do not have the power to flit back and forth at your beck and call. Had I known the situation, I would have tried to help."

"You can help now," Sypher cut in, emerging from the washroom to lean against the door frame and fold his arms across his chest. "I need you to break the bond I share with Ember."

"I don't have the power."

"And if I were to smash the monolith and restore more of your power, would you be able to do it then?"

Hephaestus sized him up for a moment, dark tail swishing left and right behind him. "Yes," he replied eventually. "I believe it's possible, though I can't save you."

"I'm not asking you to save me. I'm asking you to save my dragon."

"Then I shall do my best," the Spirit replied, bowing his head. "I must leave for now. Evading my brother is proving... difficult. I will return when the monolith is destroyed." And before either of them could stop him, the jaguar vanished.

"Are all Spirits assholes?" Elda asked.

Sypher shrugged one shoulder. "Occupational hazard."

"Should we tell the others we're moving today?"

"I can do it. One of them will no doubt be in the hallway already anyway."

Elda's brows pulled together. "They are?"

"In case I turn and try to kill you," he admitted quietly. "Get your armour on. I'll be back soon."

She watched him disappear through the door, noting how much his skin had paled overnight. Before the thought could sink in too deeply, she was running a brush through her hair and tying it in a thick braid down her back.

He returned when Elda was fastening her bracers around her forearms. She looked up when he entered, noticing the exhausted slant to his shoulders. She shot him a questioning look, stuffing her feet into her unlaced boots.

"Julian was the one out there. He's not taking it well," was Sypher's grunted reply as he fished in the dresser for a black tunic and trousers. By the time her shoes were laced, he was dressed and fastening the many pieces of his leather armour into place.

"We should eat before we go down there." He only nodded, sliding his sword into the sheath strapped between his wings and slipping a dagger into each boot. She followed him out of the door and through the halls, catching the look Brady cast her as she fell into step beside them.

Nobody spoke as they made their way down to the banquet hall. It served as a communal dining area for the palace dwellers when there were no parties being thrown. The royals never typically ate there, but the spread of different foods was still a feast to keep the nobles happy.

Sypher sat down at Edward and Gira’s table and touched none of the food, keeping his eyes on the tabletop. Elda sat on his right, Brady opposite them. Julian arrived ten minutes later with Clover and Bennigan in tow, noting Sypher sitting in silence.

"You're not eating?" he asked. The Soul Forge shook his head, and Elda realised he was trying not to throw up. When he looked up at the hand she laid on his arm, she could swear the white rings had grown wider.

"It's only been two days," Julian mumbled.

"And Fennix gave me an estimated timeline, one he reminded me was even more of a guess, since I'm the only one of my kind." His eyes passed over a bowl of freshly cut fruit and his skin paled. "Apparently it's more aggressive for me."

"Are you numb yet?" Elda asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. Sypher met her gaze and shook his head. "That's something, at least."

"I can't be in here." He stood and stalked for the doors, Edward scrambling to his feet to follow. The moment they left, all eyes turned to the Princess.

"How are you?" Clover asked carefully.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question."

"Nor should you have to," Bennigan cut in before Gira and Julian could say anything. "So we won't ask you. We have a job to do today and that's what we're going to do. Everything else will come later."

"It's the everything else that scares me," Elda mumbled, still watching the doorway Sypher had disappeared through. Clover, Gira and Bennigan shot her varying looks of pity, but Julian's face was the one that terrified her. The absolute, haunting emptiness in his expression was like looking into her own future. The food turned to ash in her mouth.

Pushing her plate away, Elda scrubbed her face with her hand as though she could wipe away the look of a widow before she truly became one. Brady's hand on her arm was meant to be comforting, but it felt like a lead weight. She didn't pull away.

"We should discuss how we get to the monolith," Bennigan decided, casting his eyes around the hall. "Although, perhaps somewhere with less ears."

"We'll meet in the chancery when we're done eating." She rose, nodding to the nobles attempting to hide the way they watched every move she made. A steward cleared her plate before she was even off the bench.

The urge to run to Cain and fly until the cold took all the feeling out of her face was overwhelming, but every minute with Sypher was precious. He was out in the courtyard, sat on the steps with his head in his hands.

"Headache?" she asked, sitting beside him and saying nothing to Edward.

"Constantly."

"I see you've lost your appetite."

"The thought of eating makes me want to claw my eyes out."

Elda swallowed. "That was fast."

He lifted his head from his hands to look at her. "Yes it was." The white had definitely expanded. "We can't afford to waste any more time."

"I know. My father will be the one to give us access to the lower levels, but until we know exactly how we're playing this there's no point approaching him. He won't allow us in unless we know what we're doing."

"Honey, he'll take one look at Sypher's eyes and tell us to get out," Brady piped up, appearing behind them.

"And I have no magic to hide my face," he agreed.

"Then we break in," Elda decided. "The lock isn't attuned to a specific monarch, only the bloodline. With our research, we know how to open it and where it is." She chewed her lip. "I didn't want to undermine my father, but we can't risk him saying no."

"If he finds out about this, he could banish all of us from Eden," Edward warned. "From our home."

"And if we don't do this, my dragon dies and Eden becomes Malakai's next target," Sypher countered evenly. "We're breaking into that vault."