Page 168 of Fallen Nocturne

A sword flashes between them.

Landon stands in front of Rhianelle, placing his body between her and Lilith’s claws. He can barely remain upright, but his sword remains steady.

Lilith’s shadow form gathers itself into something almost human. “You think you can stop me?” she hisses. “You are half-dead, maimed, broken—”

“I’m not broken,” Landon says simply, and he smiles. “The hand my king took? That wasn’t my sword hand.”

He attacks.

Even wounded and bleeding heavily, he matches Lilith blow for blow. Every slash of his sword cuts through her shadow form, making her scream and recoil. She tries to slip past him to escape, but he’s always there blocking and driving her back.

Back toward the gates.

“No!” Lilith shrieks. “You can’t! I’m eternal!”

“You belong with the Fallen,” Landon grunts. With one final strike, he sends her stumbling backward, right to the edge of the Hollow.

Right where Ruth fell.

The hands reach up again, eager, and they find her. They grab her and start pulling her down. Lilith screams in pure, primal terror.

“Help me!” she begs. “Someone help me!”

Her eyes scan the room desperately. They land on the Fae King.

“Eirik!” she shrieks, her shadow form writhing as the hands of the damned drag her deeper into the Hollow. “Eirik, please! I gave you power. I gave you everything!”

But the Fae King does not even look at her. He remains on his knees beside Morgaine, pressing his face into her white hair and murmuring words of comfort while the enchantress weeps in his arms.

Lilith’s face contorts with rage and terror. “Fine! You were always weak anyway!”

Her gaze swings wildly, landing on the Un.

“Elli! Mal!” Lilith begs. “Please! Don’t let them take me! Not to the Hollow! Not to—”

Elli’s expression remains unchanged while Mal watches impassively.

“Blight!” Lilith is sobbing now, her shadow form flickering with desperation. “Sweet child! You understand mischief! Chaos! We’re alike, you and I! We both enjoy the game! Don’t let it end like this!”

Blight giggles like Lilith just told the funniest joke.

The hands pull harder and Lilith sinks deeper.

“Sebastian! Bas, you loved me once.” She’s screaming now, her voice ragged. “I know you did! You were devoted! For what we had, help me!”

Beside me, Bas stands perfectly still. He wipes the blood from beneath his nose with the back of his hand, then lowers it without a word. His face is expressionless, carved from stone.

I feel something twist in my chest. Pride and relief. Bas is finally free.

Lilith sees that she’s lost him. Her eyes find me.

“Arescaine!” My name is a sob, a scream, a plea. “We were family once! Remember? The six of us? We stood together! We ruled together! I made you strong! I gave you power! Don’t you remember?”

“I remember,” I say, and my voice comes out cold. “I remember you corrupting us, using us like puppets. You turned Ruth into a monster and drove Vlad insane.”

I meet her eyes. “I remember my thousands of years in a labyrinth because of you.”

“I can make you human again!” she tries desperately. “I can break the curse! Isn’t that what you always wanted?”