Chapter 16 · The Hunter Breaks

Marcus hit the floor hard.

Evira dropped beside him, hands already on his chest. His eyes were wide open, glowing that sick rift-red she'd seen in the things that crawled out of her blood. His pulse hammered under her palm, way too fast, like his heart was trying to punch through his ribs.

"Marcus." She shook him. Nothing. "Marcus, damn it, stay with me."

Behind her, Felix stumbled out of the cell. His face was gray, his legs shaking. He looked like he'd been starved for weeks instead of days. Evira wanted to grab him, wanted to drag him out of this nightmare, but Marcus's body jerked under her hands and she couldn't let go.

The rift pulsed on the far wall. It had grown since Marcus took the hit. The edges bled black ichor down the stone, and the air around it shimmered like heat off summer asphalt. Something moved inside it. Something big.

Vivian stood just outside the rift's reach, arms crossed, watching. She looked pleased.

"Your instructor's got maybe two minutes before the rift eats him from the inside out," Vivian said. Her voice was calm. Clinical. "Your brother's free. You can take him and run.