Dance of the Damned

One-Hundred and Twenty

No. No. This couldn't be happening. My body felt entirely frozen by magic, immobilizing me so I couldn't even turn to look at Zeddicus. The only reason I knew he was okay was that he was still holding my hand. It felt as though our bond had been completely severed.

I watched in horror as our subjects—only the living—literally exploded. Blood, guts, and organs flew across the ballroom, splattering everywhere and leaving no remains behind. Zeddicus and I were drenched in it. Octavia and Kinion stood by, watching with expressions of satisfaction. I was stunned; they had betrayed us. I had trusted them—how could they do this after helping us win the war? It made no sense.

I couldn't even scream as I witnessed Neo and Rorie torn apart before my eyes. Andre blew up after them. I desperately tried to fight against the immobilizing magic, willing myself to transform into my Grim form so I could annihilate the enemies surrounding us. But I couldn't. I was powerless to save anyone. All I could do was watch in horror as blood filled the room, splattering through the air. I knew I was saturated in it; I could even taste the metallic tang in my mouth and the thick liquid burning my eyes, yet it did nothing to obscure my view.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the grand French doors of the ballroom burst open, and I saw Arter, Blinne, and Stelios enter. A scream bubbled up inside me, begging to escape—I wanted to scream at them to leave. They had no business being here. I didn't want to witness my brother die. No sound would come out. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a bad dream.

Stelios exploded instantly, and Kage used some dark magic to force Arter and Blinne toward him. I could see the panic etched in my brother's blue eyes as they met mine, wide with fear and confusion. Within moments, Arter, Blinne, and Dean were kneeling before Zeddicus and me.

"Now you can both say goodbye to your siblings at the same time," Kage said with a nasty laugh, and I felt as if my heart would explode from my chest. We had already lost Rorie, Neo, and Stelios in the blink of an eye. We had also lost Octavia and Kinion in a certain way, they had never truly been on our side. Kinion was supposed to be my father and we were getting close. I couldn't believe this. They had used us and betrayed us, and I was desperate to understand why. I remembered Octavia performing the spell to strengthen our wards—was that truly her intention, or had she killed Verlee to weaken them?

"Spare Blinne. Just take Benevol from her," Caimen suggested, his voice laced with desperation. "You can kill my gender-confused daughter."

"I told you there will be no survivors," Kage snapped. "Not even your whore of a daughter." Before Caimen could protest, he exploded into nothing but blood and guts. "I hate being disobeyed. I agreed to save one person for an old friend, and that's it," Kage continued, directing his gaze at me. "And after I kill your husband, you will spend eternity in the dungeons of this castle."

Blinne screamed, but she couldn't do anything to change her fate. Everyone who was living was dead now, aside from us. This was so fucked up. Did he really just say he would spare me but lock me up for eternity after killing Zeddicus? I had to find a way to stop this.

"You can't—" Blinne began, but before she could finish her sentence, her body exploded, leaving no remains behind. Dean screamed and cried, the panic in his eyes palpable as he exploded right after his sister. No. Not Dean. He had been my first friend here. I stared at the spot where they had sat just moments before, now only pools of blood remained.

The last person alive was Arter—my big brother, the one who had protected me my entire life. He had dedicated years to finding a cure for Grims so I could live a normal life one day. He had a wife and son who needed him. I felt an overwhelming urgency to stop this, but I was powerless. His teary blue eyes met mine. "I love you. Save yourself. Keep Fallon and Rowan safe too."

In that instant, the room erupted with a blinding white light, momentarily stunning Kage. Somehow, I knew it was Arter who had conjured the light to save us, and suddenly, I could move again. I wanted to leap toward Kage and save my only brother, but Kalyani, Darren, and Bastien blocked my path. I realized I couldn't waste this moment. Arter was sacrificing himself to save us, using all of his magic before he exploded.

I grabbed Zeddicus's hand tighter, and with a surge of determination, I orbed us out of that horrific scene just as I watched my brother's body erupt into blood and guts. The last glimpse of his sacrifice burned in my mind, a haunting reminder of the price we were paying for survival.