Seraphina's POV
"Seven... six... five..."
Evangeline's countdown echoed across the Grand Plaza. The knife at Lucian's throat caught the early morning light, and I saw a thin line of blood already forming.
My feet moved before my brain could stop them.
"Sera, no!" Vesper grabbed my arm, but I yanked free.
"Four... three..."
"STOP!" I screamed, stepping out from our hiding spot. "I'm here! Don't hurt him!"
The crowd gasped. Hundreds of faces turned to stare at me—the girl who'd just announced herself as the Phoenix heir in front of half the capital city.
Evangeline's smile was pure triumph. "There she is. My dear, foolish niece."
Inquisition guards rushed toward me from all directions. I heard Finn curse behind me, heard the whir of Ironheart's mechanical body preparing to fight.
"Stand down," I called to my team without turning around. "If we fight, she kills Lucian."
"Smart girl," Evangeline cooed. "Now come here. Slowly. Hands where I can see them."
I walked forward through the crowd, my legs shaking. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something. But Lucian's silver eyes met mine across the plaza, and even beaten and bloody, he managed to shake his head slightly.
He didn't want me to surrender.
Too bad. I wasn't letting him die.
I climbed the steps to the execution platform. Up close, I could see how badly they'd hurt him. His face was covered in bruises, his hands were bloody, and he could barely stand.
"Hello, Aunt Evangeline," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Hello, child." She studied me like I was an interesting bug. "You've grown. And made quite the mess of my plans. Did you really think you could rescue him?"
"Yes."
She laughed. "Brave and stupid. Just like your mother." The knife pressed harder against Lucian's throat. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to come with me quietly. Your friends are going to leave. And if everyone cooperates, I might let Lucian live."
"Don't trust her," Lucian growled through gritted teeth. "She's lying."
"Of course I'm lying," Evangeline said cheerfully. "I'm going to kill him anyway. But at least this way, Seraphina, you get to say goodbye first."
Rage exploded in my chest. Flames burst from my hands without warning, silver-white fire that made the crowd scream and scatter.
Evangeline's eyes widened. "Impossible. You shouldn't be able to—"
I didn't let her finish. I lunged forward, fire blazing from my palms, aiming straight for her face.
She moved faster than I expected, shoving Lucian aside and meeting my attack with her own magic—dark red flames that smelled like burning metal.
Our fires collided in midair with a sound like thunder.
The force of it threw us both backward. I hit the platform hard, gasping. Evangeline staggered but stayed on her feet, rage replacing her smug smile.
"You little brat!" She raised her hands, gathering more magic. "I was going to make this quick, but now—"
"NOW!" Finn's voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd.
Suddenly, smoke bombs exploded everywhere. Thick purple smoke filled the plaza, and people started screaming and running in all directions. Through the chaos, I heard Finn's manic laughter.
"GET HER!" Evangeline shrieked to her guards, but they couldn't see anything through the smoke.
Strong mechanical hands grabbed me. "We're leaving," Ironheart's emotionless voice said. "Where's Lord Gravemire?"
"Here!" I crawled across the platform, my eyes burning from the smoke, until my hands found Lucian's body. "Help me!"
Together, Ironheart and I hauled Lucian to his feet. He was barely conscious, his weight heavy against us.
"The sewers," Lucian mumbled. "Adrian... sewers..."
We stumbled down the platform steps into the panicking crowd. People shoved past us, desperate to escape the smoke and the Inquisition guards who were now swinging weapons blindly.
"This way!" Adrian appeared beside us like a ghost, somehow moving through the chaos without anyone touching him. "Follow me!"
We ran through streets I didn't recognize, Ironheart carrying Lucian now because the tin soldier never got tired. Finn caught up to us, still giggling like a maniac.
"Did you see their faces? That was AMAZING! I've never had so much fun!"
"Focus!" Vesper's voice came from somewhere behind us. "They're following!"
I glanced back and saw Inquisition guards pouring after us, led by Evangeline herself. Her face was twisted with fury, and fire danced around her hands.
"Faster!" I gasped, my lungs burning.
Adrian led us down an alley that ended at a dead end—just a stone wall.
"Adrian!" I screamed. "You led us to a—"
He pressed something on the wall, and a section slid open, revealing a dark tunnel that smelled absolutely horrible.
"The sewers," he said calmly. "Ladies first."
"I hate you," I muttered but jumped through the opening anyway.
The smell hit me like a physical force—rotten and wet and disgusting. I gagged but kept moving. The others followed, Ironheart having to bend his mechanical body to fit through with Lucian.
Adrian came last, pulling the secret door closed just as Evangeline's voice echoed down the alley. "Find them! Search every building! They can't have gone far!"
We stayed frozen in the darkness, barely breathing. I heard Evangeline's footsteps right above us, heard her cursing.
Finally, the footsteps moved away.
"Let's move," Adrian whispered. "We have maybe ten minutes before they realize we're underground."
We stumbled through the darkness, following Adrian's lead. The sewer tunnels were narrow and wet, with gross water flowing past our feet. I tried not to think about what was in that water.
"How much further?" Finn asked, sounding less cheerful now.
"Not far," Adrian said. "There's a safe house—"
Lucian suddenly coughed, and I realized he was burning up. His skin was fever-hot when I touched his face.
"Something's wrong," I said urgently. "Vesper, he needs help!"
Vesper moved forward, her hands glowing purple in the darkness as she examined him. When she pulled back, her voice was tight with worry.
"Poison. They poisoned him before the execution. He's dying."
My heart stopped. "What? No! You said if we saved him—"
"I was wrong." Vesper looked at me, and even through her mask, I could see the fear. "The poison is magical. It's burning him from the inside. He has maybe an hour, two at most."
"Then we get him to the safe house and find an antidote!"
"There is no antidote," Adrian said quietly. "I recognize this poison. The Inquisition uses it for executions they want to look natural. Once it's in your blood, you're dead. Nothing can stop it."
"No." I grabbed Lucian's hand, and his fingers weakly squeezed mine. "No, there has to be something!"
"There might be," Vesper said slowly. "One thing. But Sera... it could kill you both."
"Tell me!"
"Your Phoenix fire. True Phoenix flames can purify anything—even magical poison. But you'd have to burn it out of his blood, and you're not trained enough to control that kind of power. You could burn him alive by accident. Or burn yourself out trying to save him and die along with him."
I looked down at Lucian's pale face. His silver eyes were closed now, his breathing shallow.
He'd saved me from the flames three months ago. He'd given me a home, taught me to fight, made me strong.
Now it was my turn.
"Tell me what to do," I said firmly.
"Sera, no—" Vesper started.
"TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"
Vesper hesitated, then nodded. "You'll need to channel your fire directly into his heart. Not burning fire—healing fire. Phoenix flames that purify instead of destroy. But you've never done anything like this before. The chances—"
"I don't care about chances." I placed my hands on Lucian's chest, feeling his heartbeat—weak and getting weaker. "I'm not letting him die."
I closed my eyes and reached for my magic. Not the angry flames that came when I was scared or mad. Something deeper. Something pure.
Heat bloomed in my chest, spreading down my arms to my hands. When I opened my eyes, silver-white flames danced across my palms—but they didn't burn. They felt warm, alive, like sunlight.
"That's it," Vesper whispered. "Now push them into his heart. Gently. If you lose control—"
"I won't."
The flames flowed from my hands into Lucian's chest. I felt the poison inside him—dark and ugly, eating at his life force. My fire chased it, burning it away piece by piece.
Lucian gasped, his back arching. His eyes flew open, glowing silver in the darkness.
"Keep going!" Vesper urged. "You're doing it!"
But something was wrong. The poison was fighting back, and it was too strong. I pushed more fire into him, then more, until I felt my own life force starting to drain.
My vision blurred. The world spun.
"Sera, stop!" Finn grabbed my shoulder. "You're killing yourself!"
"Almost... got it..." I pushed harder, giving everything I had.
The poison shattered. I felt it die, felt Lucian's heartbeat grow stronger.
Then everything went black.
I woke up to voices arguing.
"—shouldn't have let her do it!"
"She saved his life!"
"She almost died!"
I tried to open my eyes, but they felt so heavy. My whole body ached like I'd been hit by a carriage.
"Sera?" Lucian's voice, right beside me. "Can you hear me?"
I managed to crack one eye open. We were in a small room lit by candles. Lucian sat next to me, and though he still looked beaten up, his eyes were clear and alert.
"You're alive," I croaked.
"Thanks to you." He took my hand gently. "That was the bravest, most reckless thing I've ever seen. You could have died."
"So could you."
"Yes, but I'm not important."
"You're important to me."
The words came out before I could stop them. Lucian's eyes widened slightly, something warm flickering across his face.
"Sera—"
The door burst open. Adrian stood there, his face pale.
"We have a problem," he said. "A big one."
"What now?" Vesper asked tiredly.
Adrian held up a wanted poster—freshly printed, still damp with ink. My face stared back at me from the paper, along with a number that made my stomach drop.
"Evangeline just put a bounty on your head," Adrian said. "One hundred thousand gold pieces. Dead or alive. Every bounty hunter, criminal, and desperate fool in the Empire is going to be hunting you now."
"That's not the problem," someone said from behind Adrian.
Cassia stepped into the room, her crossbow pointed at my heart again.
But this time, she was crying.
"I know the truth now," she whispered. "I know Evangeline killed our families. I know you didn't start the fire." Her hands shook on the crossbow. "And I know what I have to tell you. Sera... I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?" I asked, confused.
"I already told Evangeline where this safe house is," Cassia sobbed. "She made me a deal—your location for my little brother's life. She said she had him prisoner, that she'd kill him if I didn't cooperate. So I... I..."
Horror washed over me. "When? When did you tell her?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
Adrian cursed. "Then they're already coming."
As if to prove his point, an explosion rocked the building. Dust rained from the ceiling. Outside, I heard marching feet—hundreds of them.
Evangeline's voice echoed through the walls, magically amplified.
"Seraphina Ashborne! You're surrounded! Come out now, or we burn this entire building to the ground with everyone inside!"