The Last Spell 45.2

Had Summer wanted people to get lost on this floor?

Mireya shook her head, spinning around and walking hurriedly down the hall in the other direction as she glared at her communicator. Leilan and Kasumi’s locations were together and on this floor, supposedly, but the maze of branching hallways seemed determined to lead her the wrong way no matter where she walked. She wished she’d had a word with Summer at the time this place was being built. He should’ve known his stupid layout would inconvenience her eight and a half centuries later when it mattered the most.

She’d just picked another hallway at random, not very hopeful about its destination, when she heard something. It was faint, a distant echo ricocheting off the walls to her right, and Mireya thought she’d imagined it at first. But the sound came back—and now that she was listening for it, she could tell what it was.

It sounded like a sob.

Mireya rushed down the hall, heart racing faster with each step. She couldn’t yet tell if it was Kasumi or Leilan, or someone else entirely, but it didn’t matter. It couldn’t be good news to her.

She had the sinking feeling she’d see something terrible when she took a turn, but she couldn’t have predicted what it was. She certainly couldn’t have expected to see Leilan kneeling on the floor, blood on his shirt and a haggard expression on his face. In front of him was Kasumi, her dark hair stained with a sticky red and her head resting on his lap. Behind him was the body of someone she didn’t know, but their complete stillness felt a chill down her spine.

Hearing her footsteps, Leilan looked up, and her gaze met his bleak eyes. He opened his mouth, but if he tried to say anything, it was replaced by a choking sound.

“Leilan?” Mireya couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice as she closed the distance, dropping to the ground beside him. “Are you okay? What’s wrong with Kasumi? Who is…”

This was too many questions for someone in such obvious shock. Trying to answer some of them herself, Mireya dropped her gaze to Kasumi. She’d taken some kind of blow to the head, from the look of the bloodstains coating her face, and Mireya knew even the best-case scenario was a concussion. The sight of her weak breathing ruled out… that worst-case scenario, at least.

“Kasumi’s going to be okay. Needs a healer, but she’s going to make it.” Leilan’s voice audibly almost gave up on him. “I need to get her out of here, but I… I can’t…”

He trailed off, and Mireya turned her head to the person lying behind him.

It was another young man, slumped on his side with an arm extended limply in their direction. She distantly registered some details of his appearance— short dark curls of hair, warm brown skin, blank hazel eyes staring at a non-distinct point on the ceiling— but what she couldn’t look away from was the bullet wound on his chest. She didn’t have to watch for breathing or check for a pulse. She knew a dead body when she saw one.

“Did you know him?” Mireya asked quietly.

“That’s Marius.” Leilan closed his eyes, a pained expression spreading over his face as he shuddered. “He was our friend.”

Mireya’s thoughts were racing. Marius Cardozo— the Heirs had mentioned him as the victim of the prototype robbery, a descendant of the former House of Wisdom, and as a guest in attendance. But Sparrow had nothing to do with the battery, to the best of her knowledge.

“Who did this?”

She hated having to ask questions right now. Leilan looked like he could hardly hear her, and she wasn’t sure if she could reach him through his grief-stricken haze.

“Pia was here first.” Leilan’s voice was hushed. “She knocked Kasumi out and also injured me while trying to get someone we were protecting— I don’t know if you know her. She was a young girl who claimed to know Cyrin.”

Mireya reeled back, staring at him in open shock. “You mean Autumn?”

Leilan nodded tightly. “Yeah. I… I don’t know why, but Sparrow kidnapped her and took her here.”

“Cyrin’s going to have his head on a pike,” Mireya muttered. She didn’t think that would actually happen— Cyrin didn’t lend himself to that kind of viciousness— but there was no doubt in her mind that he’d raise hell to get her back, even if he wasn’t Oathbound.

“Well, even if they were alive to, they wouldn’t be going after Sparrow.” Leilan’s voice was suddenly bitter, poisoned with spite. “Because the astronaut has her now.”

Mireya was about to correct him on Cyrin’s status in the gentlest way possible when his next sentence sent her thoughts into a screeching halt. She felt short of breath.

“What?” The effort of the single word made her dizzy.

“He fought off Pia, and I thought he might be on our side.” Leilan was shaking, but it wasn’t with fear or uncontainable grief. Distantly, she realized she’d never seen him angry before. “But he was just there to take Autumn from her. He trapped me with Force without even casting a spell, and he shot Marius when he showed up and tried to get in his way. Marius was innocent—worse, he was the person hurt by the theft of the prototype that astronaut now has.”

Mireya’s heart sank. Dante had said his other purpose for being here wouldn’t interfere with their plan— but he hadn’t known Kasumi and Leilan would find Autumn first, had he? They’d given him Clarity’s gun before parting ways. They’d given him the weapon that would be used to kill Marius.

Saints. Saints above.

“It wasn’t enough to ruin Marius’s life.” Leilan’s words were disgusted, but it did nothing to hide the aching pain she heard underneath. “He had to take it, too.”

Mireya closed her eyes. Dante, what are you doing?

He was following orders— that was what he’d said. There was no need to wonder what Sparrow wanted with Autumn, but the Dynastics? Autumn was just a kid. A kid connected to Cyrin, but still just a kid. The only thing taking her would provide was an open invitation for a very angry and protective mage to show up on their doorstep…

Mireya drew in a sharp breath, opening her eyes again and grabbing Leilan by the shoulders so he’d face her. She’d meant for it to be gentle, but in her urgency, she did it more suddenly than she’d intended. Leilan startled, blinking at her with still-teary eyes.

“Leilan,” Mireya said in a hushed tone. “I am so, so sorry— your friend got caught up in something much bigger than he or any of us realized. This isn’t just about Sparrow anymore, or even just the First Spell. Your Houses are planning something. I don’t know enough yet, but I think Autumn is the bait. They want Cyrin to take it.”

Leilan stared at her, and she knew she’d lost him somewhere along the way.

“That… plan’s not going to work, whatever it is, then,” he said faintly. “If it relies on Cyrin.”

Mireya shook her head. “This is the worst timing, but… Cyrin’s alive. He’s getting the First Spell and the others out of here right now.”

Leilan’s expression didn’t shift at all, and she realized he didn’t believe her. Either that, or the news wasn’t registering. Part of her was frustrated, knowing this was only a fraction of what he needed to hear about. But a glance at Marius washed it all away with a wave of empathy and guilt.

“It’s— I know it’s a lot to take in,” Mireya said desperately. “But we need to get out of here and meet them. Cyrin can heal Kasumi. Do you think you can carry her?”

Numbly, Leilan lifted Kasumi up as he slowly moved to stand, cradling her head gently. Out of everyone in their group, Kasumi would have the rudest awakening when she came to. Mireya prayed she could handle it.

Leilan looked back at Marius, and the recognition of the distress on his face hit her like a second bullet. She hadn’t had the strength to stay with Dante after she’d shot him. But for Leilan, the harder feat seemed to be leaving Marius behind.

“We can sneak out through a side door,” Mireya said quietly. “We’ll get a taxi to the harbor—if we pay the driver well enough, they won’t say anything.”

If he heard her, he didn’t show it. She caught the sound of a sob dying in his throat as he turned away, and for a minute, Mireya felt like crying too. It didn’t matter that she’d never known Marius. Any iteration of violence in this brutal cycle deserved to be mourned.

With her head hanging low, Mireya took the stairs first, leading the three of them to the closest thing to safety that still remained.