Cyrus pulled the chain from his neck, but Jasper stood over him. His biceps and triceps protruded from his arms. This wasn’t the cool and collected Jasper that Tobin had known. This was emotional, personal.
“You’ll never threaten her again.” Jasper pulled Cyrus’s head back by his white hair. His feet kicked and slid below him, but Jasper’s hold was too strong. The dagger glinted as Jasper reached around and slit Cyrus’s throat.
Deep. Long. A steady spray of blood like that could only come from the jugular vein. No one could survive it. Cyrus’s reign was over.
But the fight wasn’t.
Tobin was still far from free. He still had to fight to survive this.
And here he was with broken ribs, unable to fend off Jasper. The perfect scapegoat.
Cyrus dropped to his knees as blood sprayed everywhere. Moments later, he fell to the floor, eyes glazed.
Tobin wheezed as blood pooled around Cyrus’s body. His ribs were getting worse by the second. He wouldn’t last long in a fight.
“Drop the chain,” Jasper commanded.
He gripped the chain tighter. Did Jasper really think he would give up his only weapon?
Jasper shook the keys. “If you’d like me to relieve you of those shackles, drop the chain. I’m not getting close to you until then.”
Tobin narrowed his eyes. “Why? So you can kill me and somehow justify it as a fair fight? That’s what this was all about, wasn’t it? I’m your scapegoat. I was supposed to kill Cyrus, and now you’ll kill me to get your job back.” He pushed himself up the wall and stood, feet apart and hands up in a defensive position. “I’m not going down easy.”
Jasper flexed his jaw. “Once again, you’ve misjudged the situation.”
Tobin examined the chain. Jasper seemed sincere, but he was a Tavian. “How am I supposed to trust you?”
“You’re not, but you don’t have a lot of options right now.”
Fair point.
Tobin was in no shape to fight; it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. He let go of the chain. At least it would buy him a couple extra breaths.
Jasper approached slowly and unlocked the shackles. “I’m pretty sure you know the way out. The guards upstairs won’t know Cyrus is dead, so their orders will be to secure rather than kill you. You can use that to your advantage. Head for the teleportation zone in the main hall, and don’t stop for anything.”
Jasper was giving him advice? It was good advice, too.
“You’re actually sticking to your word?” Tobin asked between wheezes. It couldn’t be that easy. Jasper wouldn’t simply let him go.
Jasper glanced down the dark hallway. “The way I see it, you killed Cyrus before Annabel could release me. You escaped before I could pursue you.”
Tobin blinked. Jasper, a cold-blooded, Tavian killer seemed to be offering him freedom.
“Go on.” Jasper pointed to the hallway before turning to Annabel.
Tobin flopped a numb leg forward and nearly fell to the ground. He needed air. “I can’t. Not yet.”
Jasper frowned. “Your ribs?”
Tobin nodded.
“Been there. Catch your breath, and then move as fast as you can.”
More good advice. Tobin sucked in air as fast as his chest would allow him. “Why?”
Jasper wrapped his arms around Annabel, who rested her forehead on his shoulder. “Because your ribs are broken. You need air, but the longer it takes for you to get to safety, the worse it’ll get.”
“I know that,” Tobin snapped. “Why are you letting me go?”
Keeping one arm around Annabel, Jasper turned, his gaze somber. “After all this, we’ll be at war, and this one will be just as nasty as the last, which means the Seers are in more danger than ever. If I let you go…” He glanced at Annabel. “Maybe there will be some mercy.”
War. Death. Mercy.
He was right. Nora and Annabel were in more danger than ever.
Tobin nodded, pulling himself to a stand. His limbs didn’t feel as weak as before. Using the wall for support, he hobbled to the hallway.
“Tobin,” Jasper called. “This doesn’t change anything. Go home. Enjoy your time with Leonora. Never come back here, or I will kill you.”
Tobin smiled at the threat. “You can expect the same treatment if I find you or any Tavians in my district ever again.”
A high-pitched noise buzzed. If Tobin’s ears were ringing, he had less time than he thought. He staggered to the hall before Annabel shrieked behind him and fell to the ground.
Jasper dropped to a knee, veins popping out of his forehead. “What did you do?”
“Me?” Tobin asked.
Annabel screamed, grabbing her ears.
Tobin stepped toward them, but Jasper flinched and wrapped his arms around her. How could the sound be bothering them—
It was more than a sound.
He didn’t know how, but there was only one thing that could produce this kind of reaction.
The fatality signal.
“Jasper, take Annabel and teleport out of here!” Tobin shouted.
“I can’t.”
“You have to! You’ll die!”
“I can’t! No one can teleport out of the dungeon. Not even me.” Jasper’s face reddened, and his eyes watered.
Tobin’s training took over. With a fatality signal, every second was another closer to death.
Three minutes: incapacitation or very close to it.
Four minutes: unconsciousness.
Five minutes: death.
He glanced at the tunnel. His ribs definitely needed medical attention, but they were nothing compared to a fatality signal.
He could go. He could let Jasper die. He should go.
He couldn’t.
Jasper had saved his life only moments before. And he was right. They were at war, and he’d need an ally—not like the allies who’d stabbed him in the back by exiling Nora, but someone who was smart, capable, and had just as much to lose as he did.
Jasper.
Tobin stumbled to them despite Jasper’s hissed warnings.
“Let’s go.” He slung one of Annabel’s arms over his shoulders. Jasper took the other, and they lumbered into the darkness of the hall.
A minute later, Tobin’s lungs burned, but he pressed forward even as Jasper’s steps grew stiffer, his feet dragging along the stone ground.
“Keep fighting,” Tobin grunted. His vision dimmed, making the dark hall even harder to navigate. He reached out for the wall to guide him, but he knew his body. He’d pass out soon.
“Tobin!” Nora called from the darkness ahead.
It couldn’t be. His heart shot into his throat.
Her small body collided with him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked in a raspy voice.
She yanked hard on his arm, glaring at Jasper. “Get away from him!”
“They’re not hurting me. I’m helping them escape.”
Nora’s arms dropped. Her head swiveled back and forth. “This is Jasper, the Tavian you warned me about! The one who kidnapped me and nearly killed you!”
Tobin tightened his grip on Annabel’s trembling arm with one hand and guided Nora up the hall with the other. “It’s a long story.”
“Let them teleport out themselves!”
Tobin shook his head. There was so much he needed to explain, but he’d lost all feeling in his extremities.
“Do you trust me?” he asked her.
Jasper’s steps faltered, and he fell to the ground. Annabel let out a whimper. Unable to support her own weight, she slipped behind Tobin. He tightened his grip around her arm, but he couldn’t take another step.
“Do you…” Tobin wheezed. “…trust me?”
“Of course.” Nora reached around him and slung Annabel’s lifeless arms over her shoulder before trekking into the darkness ahead.
Tobin couldn’t help but smile. Man, he loved her. He grabbed Jasper’s arm. “We’re getting her to
safety, but she’ll need your help. Let’s go.”
Jasper pushed off the ground, grunting with every breath, but he moved forward. They clawed their way after Nora. When they finally burst through the door into the main corridor, Tobin had no idea how Jasper was still conscious, let alone moving. Jasper fell to the ground, shaking violently.
“Do we need to get them somewhere?” Nora yelled, her voice echoing through the empty corridor.
Jasper shook his head stiffly. “G-g-g-give her to me.” He held out his trembling arms.
Nora laid Annabel’s lifeless body over Jasper, who shut his eyes. “He’s not dying, is he?”
Tobin shook his head, limping toward the teleportation zone. “They’ll be safe now.”
He swayed before stumbling into a pillar.
“Tobin, you’re turning blue!” Nora grabbed him, inspecting his face.
He collapsed to the ground. He’d never felt such intense pressure in his chest. He needed to sit up to get air, but he couldn’t. His injuries would test even Niotian medicine at this point—if he made it to Nios at all. Nora would have to drag him. Would she know what to do? “The teleportation zone. We have to get to Nios.”
Nora shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a black headpiece. She grabbed his ankle and stretched her other hand to his neck. Tobin’s cheeks twitched in a smile. She knew a lot more than he’d given her credit for. She’d always had.
He glanced to the spot where Jasper and Annabel had been lying, but they had disappeared. Satisfied, he welcomed the flash of blue.
Chapter 40
The white streets of Nios greeted Nora. She’d made it.
Tobin sucked in a labored breath. He gurgled and whistled as the air struggled to reach his lungs.
He’s not safe yet.
“Nora! You’re back!” Henry’s voice triumphantly rang from behind her. His gaze settled on Tobin, and the smile dropped from his face. “Oh no.”
Tobin sucked in another half breath. His eyes swam, not really focusing on anything.
Nora tried to lift and drag him, but his limp body barely moved. “He needs help! Which way to the medical facility?”
Henry shook his head without taking his eyes off him. “It’s too far.”
No, Octavius was too far. Tobin was in Nios now. Everyone had told her that’s all she’d had to do. She only needed to get him to Nios. He’d be safe here. They would save him.
They have to save him.
Nora threw one of his arms over her shoulder and pulled at his shirt so hard she broke a fingernail. “We better get moving, then.”
Henry shook his head.
Tobin slipped from her arms and hit the ground without any attempt to break his fall.
“Then what do you suggest?” She shook out her arms, getting ready to pick him up again. “I’m not losing him now!”
“The medical facility is at least a mile from here.” His curls bounced as he spoke. “Even if we could carry him, it would take us ten minutes, maybe more—”
“I’m not giving up, Henry!”
“I’m not telling you to give up!” His voice held a surprising command he hadn’t possessed before. “But he doesn’t have ten minutes, and neither of us have the proper permissions to teleport to the medical facility from here.”
She clenched her fists. “Then call whoever does!”
“I. Did.” He emphasized each word. “The moment I saw him.”
She looked around. “Well?”
He shrugged tensely. “I-I said it was urgent. She should be here soon!”
She.
Josephine appeared next to Henry with a flash and puff of air.
Of course. But at this point, Nora would have taken anyone.
“Henry, this better be good—”
Tobin gasped for air.
“Oh my—” Her words cut off as she dove for him. “We’ve got to get him to medical now. You can meet us there.”
They disappeared a second later. Nora’s arms were still extended in front of her. Blood covered her hands, the janitor’s jumpsuit, everything. He was gone, beyond her help now.
Henry tugged at her sleeve. “Let’s go.”
She took off after him, her insides numb. Tobin couldn’t die, could he? Not now. They rushed along the winding streets, past the red magnolias and shocked residents. Her legs tightened with fatigue, but she refused to slow down.
Please be okay. Please be okay…
She had trekked through the mountains, been locked in a dungeon, faced down Cyrus and Gideon, and returned to Octavius to save Tobin. Never once had she felt like she knew what she was doing.
But never once had she felt this helpless.
Had Josephine gotten him to the medical facility in time? Were they working on him now? Could they save him? Nora’s lungs burned as she sped up. She needed to be there, to be close to him. She needed to know what was going on.
“Just around this corner,” Henry said, his voice winded.
She charged ahead, passing him. Yellow sunlight reflected brightly off the familiar white arches of the medical facility’s entryway. Ignoring the expressions and indignant mutterings of Niotians, she raced inside and looked down one hallway, then another. Where had they taken him?
Charlotte paced in front of a set of double doors.
“Charlotte!”
She spun and smiled at Nora.
Nora nearly collided with her. “Tobin’s hurt. He’s really, really hurt. I tried to get him here, but we needed Josephine’s help, and now I don’t know where he is or what’s happening. I don’t even know if he’s still alive!”
Charlotte grabbed her shoulders. “It’s okay. He made it. He’s in surgery now.”
Nora nodded, taking quick shallow breaths. “He was coughing up blood. Do they know that? That can’t be good.”
Charlotte squeezed her shoulders. “He’s in good hands.”
Nora took a slow, deep breath. He was alive. Everything would be okay because Tobin was still alive.
Henry raced up behind them. “Charlotte, Tobin’s been injured! I’ve never seen someone turn that shade of blue before! I—”
“He’ll be fine, Henry. It’s not the worst they’ve seen so let’s not dwell on it.” Charlotte shot him a pointed glare, and he nodded, panting heavily.
“Not the worst, by a long stretch,” a light-hearted voice spoke from behind her.
“Doctor Theron!” Charlotte greeted the dark-haired man who had emerged from the double doors.
He smiled warmly at Nora. “I wondered when I would see you.”
“Tobin?” she muttered. “Will he be okay?”
“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you. Any longer, and the oxygen deprivation would have caused extensive damage. His lung had collapsed again, which makes things a little more complicated, but there’s always a risk of that after it’s collapsed the first time.”
But he would be okay.
“What happens now?” Nora asked.
“My staff stabilized him, and they’re prepping him for surgery,” Doctor Theron replied. “He’s got a number of procedures ahead of him tonight, but I’ll oversee every one.”
Nora nodded eagerly.
Doctor Theron shifted on his feet. “Nora, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask. Do you need medical attention?”
“Me?”
Aside from a couple sore spots, she felt fine. Charlotte bit her lip and gestured for her to wipe her face.
The blood.
She wiped at her face, but her hands were covered in Tobin’s blood. She must have looked like a disaster.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “Most of the blood isn’t mine.”
“If I know Tobin, he’ll want to see you right away when he wakes up,” Charlotte said, looking her over with a grimace. “You may want to clean up before then.”
Nora shook her head even though she knew Tobin would panic if he saw her this way. “I’m not going anywhere until he’s out of surgery.”
> “I completely understand,” he replied pulling a chair up for her to sit.
“But if my lung injury taught me anything, it’s that he’ll be sedated for several hours afterward, right, Doctor Theron?” Charlotte asked.
He nodded. “Yes, to help the lungs rest while any binding agents set.”
“You could run home and clean up at that point,” Charlotte suggested, then leaned in. “Sorry, dear, but you are covered in blood.”
Nora let out a tired laugh as she smoothed her baggy jumpsuit. Of course, they were right. It probably would take hours to convince Tobin that most of the blood was his instead of hers. It would be best if he never saw it, but she wasn’t going all the way back to Minnesota just to shower—
“I mean your home here,” Charlotte whispered.
Nora jerked her head back. “I have a home here?”
“Of course.” Charlotte smiled. “The home you shared with Tobin. His parents always held out hope he would return. They’ve paid all the necessary taxes on it, just in case, but you still own it. It’s not far from here.”
A home—with Tobin.
She stared at her bloody hands. It had all been worth it.
Doctor Theron cleared his throat. “Tobin’s ready, so I have to run. I’m happy you’re back and that you’re okay. I’ll let you know when he’s out of surgery.”
She nodded.
A home. A life. Things that could resume as soon as Tobin was awake again. It was everything she wanted. She couldn’t believe it was real.
“I have to go, too,” Charlotte said. “Josephine has been monitoring all teleportation traffic. It reached mass exodus levels from Octavius. We’ve never seen anything like it. It’s scattered, unorganized. Clearly, they didn’t see your attack coming. You’ve saved us.”
Nora hadn’t done it for Nios, and she most certainly hadn’t done it alone, but she had played her part. Instead of running, hiding, or giving in, she’d fought for what she’d wanted.
And she’d gotten it.
She glanced at Henry. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Thank you so much.”
His cheeks reddened. “You were right all along. I should be thanking you. Besides, you’re family.”
The Seers Page 32