The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

44

Despite the victory, the success I've worked so hard for, my chest hurts. My heart is heavy with sorrow. It feels as if a brick has been set inside my chest.

I leap off the Arosi's carcass and retrieve the golden blade. The blade is caked in dripping blood and pieces of flesh. I use the trick that I didn't even know I knew until this war began, and flick my blade. The blood splatters across the stone. It cleans off the golden blade for the most part.

For the first time, I realize the blade is glowing. It seems to have a magnetic pull, drawing me toward the entrance of the prison. The doors are thrown wide open. There are no more ancient prisoners so there's no need for them.

I step through the threshold of the prison and the blade glows brighter. My heart slams violently against my ribs when I see Cicada lying on the stone floor in a pool of her own blood. A sob rips free from the depths of my hollow chest, and comes out sounding like that of a wounded animal.

I want to collapse to the floor, to lay down and sob until I have nothing left in me, until I am a hollow shell. I want to lie down and never move and die, but I don't. The blade seems to pump strength into me and draws me closer to the body of my fallen lover.

Cicada's hair is spread around her head in a half circle, and shimmers with gold light as I near. The blood around the wounds in her chest do the same.

Suddenly gold light surrounds me, blinding me and scalding my skin. I let out an agonized scream, but the burning barely fazes me, it's the brick in my chest, it's getting heavier and heavier.

The light fades, leaving behind smoke that seems to come from nowhere. I hardly notice though, because I'm staring at Cicada. The wounds on her chest are glowing gold, and I realize it's her blood. It's gold. Ichor.

The light expands over the wounds, sealing them until she looks as if nothing had ever happened. It is as if she is just sleeping now.

Then her eyes open. I gasp. They are no longer brown with the gold streak, they are entirely gold.

The smoke that still lingers morphs into the figure of a man. This man wears a tunic with the chest opened, revealing the tattoo of a lyre. There's a crude silver crown atop his head made from fused cord.

I can't belief my eyes. Not only is Cicada breathing, and Alvus Constantine stands before me, sort of.

"Alaric," he says softly, though he voice simply oozes authority. "For thousands of years I've used my power to keep the beasts in this prison at bay. For years I couldn't rule over the Grounders because I had to ration what power I had left. Now there's no need. For you deed to the entire ground, my power has brought your love back."

Gold light surrounds me, swirling a blizzard of divinity. My skin burns again but this time it's a welcoming heat.

"I am no longer needed in this world. You two shall fill my place. My power belongs to you and I trust you to use it wisely. Protect the Grounders and rule them fairly despite how they've treated you."

The gold fades and the smoke is gone. My tunic has opened, and I see the parallel lines of the lyres string and the swirly black ink that rises over my shoulders and up my neck. Cicada has the same marks rising from the collar of her shirt.

"Alaric," she says so softly I can barely hear her, "your eyes."

"Your's too," I say, but I can't restrain anymore. I wrap my arms around her and pulls her too my chest, kissing her passionately. Warm fills me. I didn't even realize how much I'd misses her kisses in the short time she was gone. My eyes sting and tears rain. "You were dead," I sob.

"I am here now. I am here and I love you, and that's all that matters. That's all that's ever mattered," she breathes between kisses. Neither of us can bare to let go right now.

Soon we will have to return to the Network and rebuild it to it's former glory, but right now, all that matters is us.